The four-show schedule will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 15, and continues with a show each month through May. Each Saturday show begins at 11 a.m. and lasts approximately one hour. The shows will have a tour of the season’s nighttime sky conducted by members of the Saint Vincent College Department of Physics, including Dr. John Smetanka, Dr. Dan Vanden Berk and Father Lawrence Macchia, O.S.B.

Planets and deep sky objects, including star clusters, nebula and galaxies, will be visualized and concepts in astronomy and astrophysics discussed. The shows will end with a 25-minute theatrically produced full-dome immersive video. Following each show, there will be a question-and-answer session for the audience.

After the all-ages shows, “The Sky Above Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” will be shown. This short, 20-minute immersive and interactive production is designed for children ages 3-10 and for those who grew up with Mister Rogers. The audience will explore the daytime and nighttime sky with Mister Rogers and the animated characters from “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” Following selected showings, Fred Rogers Scholars and other Saint Vincent College students working to carry forward the vision of Rogers will supervise science-themed arts and crafts projects.

In addition to the regular planetarium shows, a special event is scheduled this season. Saint Vincent College Astronomy students have constructed a scale model of the solar system along the Saint Vincent fitness trail. The model starts with the sign for the sun at the beginning of the trail next to the Fred M. Rogers Center and the historic marker. As you walk along the trail, signs for planets and major dwarf planets are placed at their relative distance from the sun. The most distant planet, Neptune, is at the one-mile mark of the trail, while the dwarf planet, Pluto, is a third of a mile further. After Pluto, there is a sign giving distance and direction to Proxima Centauri, the closest star of the sun and it might be surprising to see how far one must walk to find the closest star to the sun on the model. The model solar system will remain on the trail through early spring.

All shows are free of charge. Due to limited seating, it is requested that reservations are made by calling the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Science, Mathematics and Computing at 724-805-2631 or online at www.stvincent.edu/academics/school-of-natural-sciences/facilities. Additional public shows may be added based on demand.

Private shows can also be scheduled for groups of 15-35 people. We especially welcome scout groups by appointment who wish to fulfill requirements for merit badges. Appointments can be arranged by calling the Boyer School.

Spring 2020 Schedule of Public Shows

Jan. 23 – April 3
Scale Model of the Solar System; Dawn – Dusk; (Saint Vincent Fitness Trail)

Saturday, Feb. 15
11 a.m. - Winter Sky Show – “Stars”
12:15 p.m. - “The Sky Above Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”

Saturday, March 14
11 a.m. – Vernal Equinox Sky Show – “Back to the Moon”
12:15 p.m. - “The Sky Above Mister Rogers Neighborhood”

Saturday, April 25
11 a.m. – Earth Day Sky Show – “Oasis in Space”
12:15 p.m. – “The Sky Above Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”

Saturday, May 2
11 a.m. – Earth Day Sky Show – “Dynamic Earth”
12:15 p.m. – “The Sky Above Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”

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PHOTO: The Angelo J. Taiani Planetarium in the Sis and Human Dupré Science Pavilion

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