The Observatory-Planetarium Public Education Nights (OPEN) program begins with a public planetarium show most Fridays at 8:00 pm. The one hour, free public shows are presented at the planetarium located in room 234 of the Health & Natural Sciences Building and are scheduled for the following Fridays:

 

1. May 25 2. June 1 3. June 8 4. June 15 5. June 22

6. June 29 7. July 6 8. July 13 9. July 20 10. July 27

The doors are open for seating at 7:30 pm and the show begins promptly at 8:00 pm. No admittance after the show begins. Please turn off pagers and cell phones; also no flash photography during the show. 

Format

All shows are presented live.  (i.e.: We do not currently have the capabilities for completely recorded or automated shows.) Since the shows are live with opportunities for spontaneous interaction from the audience, no two shows are exactly the same.  However, most shows have the following format.  The show (especially school shows) may begin with one or two short themed presentations. The current possible short themes are "The Space Race", "The Rabbit in the Moon", "How To See the Constellations", or "The Colors of Stars".  Then, we present a semi-automated introduction to the star talk featuring music, short videos, lighting transitions, and planetarium projector deployment.  The star talk under the simulated night sky of the planetarium usually features the current evening sky, but often includes information about the morning sky (before sunrise) as well.  The ending star talk sometimes transitions directly to the show's conclusion, but often we present a short video to conclude the show.  (See below.)  The public shows usually feature several short themed presentations that are integrated into an extended star talk.  These short "vignettes" about the night sky feature constellation figures, animations and other information graphically projected directly onto the planetarium star field.  The show typically ends with a musical conclusion featuring lighting transitions as the projector is stowed or a short astronomically or space related music video (especially school shows). The current possible music videos are "The Hubble Space Telescope's 15 Year Anniversary Music Video", "The Mars Exploration Rover Mission Overview", "The Mars Curiosity Rover", or "Back to the Moon Video Trailer".

What's Showing

Our current OPEN show is titled:  Venus Transits, Planet Transits - The Measure of a Solar System.  Learn how transits of Venus shaped our understanding of the Solar System, and how planet transits are helping us understand planetary systems around other stars.  The planet Venus will be involved in a "once in a lifetime" event when it transits the Sun on June 5th (EDT).   Planet transits are also how the Kepler mission is searching for Earth-like worlds around other Sun-like stars.  We present the latest results from this important NASA program.  A seasonal star talk will acquaint the visitor with the late Spring and Summer skies.  The show concludes with a presentation about the current NASA mission to the Red Planet (The Curiosity Rover) destined for touch down in August.  As the semester progresses, the show will include those constellations, planets and astronomical events that are visible at that time.  Occasionally, special presentations about current astronomical or space events may replace the current show.  Our school or group shows also feature seasonal constellations and begin with a short presentation entitled "A Trip to the Moon" and a musical introduction called "The Rabbit in the Moon".  Call the planetarium information line at 706-864-1471 for any special updates about the shows.  Please don't leave a message on the Planetarium line as it is intended only for special messages about upcoming shows or cancellations.

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR SUMMER 2012:

Don't miss the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on June 5th, 2012.  This will be the last chance to see a transit of Venus until the year 2117!  The public event begins at 5:00 pm EDT and will run through 9:00 pm EDT at Coleman Planetarium.  Activities will include live video of the transit projected on the planetarium dome and visual observing through telescopes equipped with solar filters or projection screens for safe viewing.  For Dahlonega, the transit begins at 6:04 pm EDT and ends at Sunset with Venus in transit across the face of the Sun.  After dark, visitors are invited to the Observatory (location maps available on-line, see below) for telescopic viewing of the night sky.  In case of clouds, we will view a live web-cast from Hawaii during the scheduled public event.

Observatory

Weather permitting, we invite visitors out to the North Georgia Astronomical Observatory (NGAO) for viewing through the 16" Boller & Chiven research grade telescope.  Click here for local maps to the Observatory and Planetarium. Directions will also be provided at the end of the Planetarium show.  Call the observatory information line at 706-864-8642 for daily opening status.  (Message is updated daily about 8 pm EDT.)  Please don't leave a message on the Observatory line as it is intended only for opening status info. 

School and other group shows may be reserved this semester primarily on Thursdays after 12:30 pm.  We now have a flat fee of $85 per 1-hr show for groups.   For more information about payment and reserving planetarium shows for school or other groups, e-mail Dr. Jones at jjones@northgeorgia.edu.