Download SANDRA F. PRITCHARD MATHER PLANETARIUM NEWS 2015-2016 Season

Mather Planetarium News
Issue #10, Jan. 2016
SANDRA F. PRITCHARD MATHER
PLANETARIUM NEWS
2015-2016 Season
The Mather Planetarium at West Chester University
Contact Info:
Mather Planetarium
750 S. Church St.
West Chester, PA 19383
Dr. Karen Schwarz
Associate Professor
Planetarium Director
[email protected]
(610) 436-2788
SSI Ticket Office
(610) 436-2266
Greetings! With the start of the New Year we have
some new things to share with you at the Mather
Planetarium. The exterior of the building and our
hallway have a new exciting look. After a short
hiatus, we are starting up our movie shows again,
which includes a new movie – To Space and Back –
exploring how space technology impacts our daily
lives. Finally, we have a new fund raising
campaign that allows people to purchase
personalized shooting stars. Make sure you come
and check out everything new! We look forward to
seeing you under the dome!
http://www.wcupa.edu/planetarium
“We had the sky, up there, all speckled
with stars, and we used to lay on our
backs and look up at them, and discuss
about whether they was made, or only
just happened.”
- Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn
Remaining Shows for the 2015-2016 Season
January 22, 2016 – Once In a Blue Moon*
March 18, 2016 – Other Earths*
January 29, 2016 – To Space and Back
March 25, 2016 – Black Holes
February 5, 2016 – Oasis In Space
April 8, 2016 – To Space and Back
February 19, 2016 – Killer Rocks from Outer Space*
April 15, 2016 – Jupiter: King of the Planets*
February 26, 2016 - Astronaut
April 22, 2016 – Black Holes
* Indicates a live presentation. All others are movie shows.
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Mather Planetarium News
Issue #10, Jan. 2016
What’s New?
Two and a half years ago our planetarium
underwent a major renovation. Starting with a
very generous donation from Dr. Sandie
Mather, we raised funds to completely overhaul
our projection system and bring our facility to
the cutting edge of planetarium technology.
The Mather Planetarium is now a state-of-theart theater, one of the most advanced in the
area!
artwork done by WCU art students. Make sure
to give yourself extra time during your next
visit to the planetarium to check out these
impressive pieces!
The Outside
After all that upgrading to the inside of the
planetarium, the outside was next on the list.
Once again, a wonderful donor – Mrs. Helga
Knox - stepped up to help us with the project.
The entrance to the building now has a
wheelchair ramp and a beautiful sign that is lit
at night. So much more welcoming!
The other side of the hallway hosts a second
exciting project. Dr. John Baker, retired chair of
WCU’s Department of Art & Design, has
created beautiful “shooting stars” that are being
permanently mounted. The stars are available
for purchase and will be engraved with the
name or message of your choice. Remember,
real stars cannot be bought - no matter what
you read on the internet - but there are stars in
our planetarium that can be named just for you!
The Inside
The interior hallway, which was so bare and
bleak, also got a makeover. One wall is now
graced with stunning astronomy-themed
The programs in the Mather Planetarium are made
possible by generous donations from the
community. To learn more about how you can
support our educational and public activities please
contact Dr. Karen Schwarz at (610) 436-2788,
[email protected].
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Mather Planetarium News
Issue #10, Jan. 2016
Looking Up: Taurus
Right after the winter Sun sets you’ll find the
constellation Taurus prominently placed in the
southern sky. While it can be difficult to make
out the whole bull, the horns make out a very
distinct V-shape that’s easy to spot.
Aldebaran, a bright orangish star, marks the
right eye of the bull.
Taurus is, of course, one of the zodiac signs.
This means that for some fraction of the year
the Sun passes in front of Taurus, as the Earth
makes its annual trek around the Sun. In
today’s sky you’ll find the Sun aligned with
Taurus from mid-May to mid-June.
As is usually the case, the Greek story of the
bull involves Zeus. Zeus took a fancy to
Europa, the daughter of King Agenor of
Phoenicia. In order to capture the girl, Zeus
disguised himself as a majestic bull. When
Europa approached the beautiful animal, the
bull knelt down and she climbed on its back.
Zeus then jumped into the ocean, swimming
off with a rather distressed Europa. He waded
ashore at Crete where he revealed his true
form and seduced the girl. The offspring of
Zeus and Europa included Minos, King of
Crete.
The image in the sky only includes the front
half of the bull. It is said that the back half
can’t be seen as it is submerged in the ocean
as the bull swims. A familiar group of stars
– the Pleiades – can be found in the bull’s
shoulder. Fainter but still visible is the
Hyades star cluster located in the face of the
bull.
Taurus appears to be facing off with Orion,
the hunter. However, there are no stories in
the Greek mythology of Orion and Taurus
fighting. With only so much room in the
sky, the constellations that lie next to each
other are not necessarily associated with one
another in the narratives. Be that as it may,
using Orion as a marker makes it easier to
spot the bull.
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