Stargazers unite! The Buffalo State College Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium will begin its seasonal show, “The Heavens in Winter,” this Friday at 7:30 p.m.Open to the campus community and the general public, the shows, projected onto the domed ceiling, will provide visitors with a glimpse of winter stars, constellations, nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, planets, the moon, and more as viewed under the planetarium dome. They will run weekly from February 16 to March 16.
According to planetarium director, Arthur W. Gielow Jr., who has been at Buffalo State since 1980, the program is both entertaining and educational and is open for discussion throughout.
“We talk about the planets, the stars, what we can see in Western New York. For instance, we discuss what the brightest object is in the western night sky, and the eastern morning sky. We want to help people understand astronomy,” Gielow said. Of course, there are special effects involving the Aurora Borealis, and rotating galaxies.
Additionally, a few Buff State grads, Tim Collins and Steve Dubois come back to guest host some of these shows. They each bring different information and means of getting it across to the audience. Tim likes Power Point, Steve likes slides, though they both cull their data from several sources including NASA.
Some of the winter sky celebrities you’ll enjoy are Orion, Taurus, Auriga and Canis Major and Minor.
The Planetarium is located in the Science Building 115. Visitors may park in Lot S-1 without a permit. Admission is $5 per person.
Throughout the year, the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium offers school programs for students in Pre-K through eighth-grade and up, and may be arranged by contacting Arthur W. Gielow Jr., director, Ferguson Planetarium at (716) 878-4911.
“What’s Up 2007: 365 Days of Skywatching” is available as a free downloadable ebook.
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