Henderson State Planetarium announces fall show schedule

Henderson State University has announced the fall schedule for its popular planetarium shows.

The planetarium will offer eight unique programs, including two screenings, on its state-of-the-art panoramic projection screen located in the Reynolds Science Center.

All shows are free and open to the public. But once the door closes, late entries will not be permitted.

The schedule starts Sept. 11 at noon with a six-minute screening entitled Citizen Sky Epsilon with Cosmic Castaways. This is a multi-year science project focusing on the bright variable star, epsilon Aurigae. The movie trailer-like film describes eclipsing binary stars, light curves, and the Citizen Sky Project.

The remaining schedule includes:

Saturn, Jewel of the Heavens

Sept. 19, 7 p.m. (36 minutes)

The Cassini spacecraft has lifted the veil on this once mysterious giant of the solar system. Data has been collected, not only on Saturn itself, but also on the many moons orbiting the planet and the countless particles encircling it known as the rings of Saturn.

Dark the Movie (Screening)

Oct. 9, noon (20 minutes)

DARK is a fulldome movie that explains and explores the nature of dark matter, the missing 80 percent of the mass of the universe. The search for dark matter is the most pressing astrophysical problem of our time – the solution to which will help us understand why the universe is as it is, where it came from, and how it has evolved over billions of years.

Super Volcanoes

Oct. 24, 7 p.m. (24 minutes)

Super Volcanoes explores rare types of volcanic eruptions that marshal the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the surface of Earth. The story of these big blow-outs is a tale of havoc and mayhem: mass extinctions, climate collapses, and violence beyond anything humans have ever witnessed.

Expanded View

Nov. 13, noon (23 minutes)

This is a journey through the heavens with emphasis on the electromagnetic spectrum and a view through Hubble Space Telescope’s use of visible light and the beauty shown to the world. The Spitzer Space Telescope and its use of the infrared view, and the Chandra X-ray observatory are also featured.

The Great Space Race

Nov. 14, 7 p.m. (40 minutes)

This film takes viewers through the early years of trial and error trying to be the first nation in space. Early footage features both the successes and failures of both the USSR and U.S., and attempts to get a man into space.

Relaxation Show: Cosmic Immersion

Dec. 5, 7 p.m. (25 minutes)

Relax under the stars and images of space while enjoying Celtic music.

Mystery of the Christmas Star

Dec. 12, 7 p.m. (31 minutes)

Journey back more than 2,000 years to Bethlehem and the search for a scientific explanation for the star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus.

For more information about the shows and the planetarium, go to hsu.edu/planetarium.