UW Planetarium Upcoming Events

New movies and live talks on various astronomical subjects dot the program lineup for the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium during April.

Seating is limited, so tickets will be by reservation only. To get tickets or receive more information about programs, email planetarium@uwyo.edu or leave a voicemail and a callback phone number at (307) 766-6506.

Tickets are $5 for the public and $3 for students and those under 18. Cash or check is accepted at the door.

The April schedule is as follows:

• “Meet the Planets,” Friday, April 9, 7 p.m. This live hourlong tour looks at the sun’s largest eight companions.
• Full-dome movie: “Europe to the Stars,” Saturday, April 10, 2 p.m. This film takes the viewer on an epic journey behind the scenes at the most productive ground-based observatory in the world.
• “Wyoming Skies,” Tuesdays, April 13 and 27, 7 p.m. This program provides an exploration of the stars, constellations, planets and other celestial phenomena visible from Laramie for the season.
• “Asteroids, Meteors and Comets,” Friday, April 16, 7 p.m. This live presentation illuminates the dazzling displays in the sky to mass extinctions; defines the small stuff in the solar system; and what scientists are doing about it.
• Full-dome movie: “Mexican Archaeoastronomy,” Saturday, April 17, 2 p.m. This planetarium film shows how the Mexicans used the calendrical and astronomical knowledge of previous cultures to found the capital of their empire, Tenochtitlan.
• “Search for Life,” Friday, April 23, 7 p.m. This live presentation presents a tour of Mars, Europa, Enceladus, extrasolar planets and more places that could harbor life, and how scientists are searching for them.
• Full-dome movie: “Sunstruck!,” Saturday, April 24, 2 p.m. This planetarium film highlights heliophysics missions including SOHO, IRIS and SDO that reveal the sun, parts/layers, space weather and its impact on Earth.
• “Fate of the Universe,” Friday, April 30, 7 p.m. This live presentation on cosmology asks the questions: How was the universe formed? How is it changing? What future may it have? What is the true nature of our reality?
• Full-dome movie: “Dawn of the Space Age,” Saturday, May 1, 7 p.m. From the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, to the magnificent lunar landings and privately operated space flights, the audience will be immersed and overwhelmed with this most accurate historical reconstruction of man’s first steps into space.

All programs are approximately an hour in length. As time allows, a portion of the show also may focus on a live sky tour or supporting information related to the film’s topic.