Presentations can be arranged for groups such as; scouts, classes, dorms, clubs,
office staff, birthday parties, etc.
(minimum of 20 people or payment of $60 please). We occasionally
offer public "walk-in" shows, check the calendar for dates and times.
The facility has very comfortable seating for 45 people plus room for about 10 more on the floor.
To schedule a presentation for a group, choose an open date and time on the calendar below,
and then use this handy
presentation request form
or contact one of our
current guides.
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How Much Does it Cost?
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Students
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$3.00
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If possible please arrange to deliver a single check for your entire group.
Make checks payable to Western Washington University.
For programs scheduled as part of a WWU course curriculum there is no fee.
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Non-Students
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$5.00
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Following the presentation you will receive an invoice based on attendance.
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Most planetarium presentations are strictly for people 8 years and older.
However we do have programs designed especially for
groups of younger children, such as preschool daycare field trips.
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For more information about the schedule,
please email.
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Presentations in Cyan
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Astronomy in Gray
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History in Red
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Information Links in Gold
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Mars is at opposition and at its closest approach to Earth on the 29th this month. On this night,
the Red Planet will rise at sunset, transit the meridian at midnight, and set at sunrise. This month may provide
your best views and chances for photos all year long.
In amateur telescopes Mars varies greatly depending on its orbital relationship with Earth.
When it is close like this, it is easy to see a white polar cap and dark features on the lower latitudes.
More about Mars
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1
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2
Isaac Asimov born 1920
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3
Mt Baker BSA
1:30PM
Earth at
perihelion
closest to Sun
0.983 AU
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4
Quadrantid
Meteor Shower
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon,
moons of Uranus 1787.
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
Klara's Birthday
2:00PM
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18
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19
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20
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21
Lynden High
6:30PM
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22
Open to Public
6:30PM
360.650.6146
for tickets
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23
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24
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25
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26
Wheels of Life
12:00PM
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27
Apollo 1 fire, 1967
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28
Blaine Home Connections
10:00AM
Space Shuttle Challenger lost, 1986
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29
Mars at Opposition
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30
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31
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The Quadrantid meteor shower is often one of the year's best, it regularly produces from 50 to 120 meteors per hour The radiant point is near the North Star.
The peak is on the third but usually only lasts a few hours.
The name comes from an obsolete constellation, Quadrans Muralis (an astronomical plotting instrument), found in early 19th-century star atlases between Draco, Hercules, and Bootes. It was removed, along with a few other constellations in 1922 when the International Astronomical Union adopted the modern list of 88 officially-recognized constellations.
(meteors) (constellations)
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy
is an excellent target this month for small telescopes.
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1
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2
Space Shuttle
Columbia lost, 2003
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3
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4
WWU A103
WCC A100
6:30PM
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5
Apollo 14 lands on the Moon 1971
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6
Mt Baker BSA
1:30PM
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7
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8
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9
WWU A103
WCC A100
6:30PM
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
Chinese
New Year
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15
Galileo Galilei born 1564 (bio)
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16
WWU 316
11:00AM
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17
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18
WWU P.A.S.T.
6:30PM
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19
Nicolaus Copernicus
born 1473
(bio)
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20
John Glenn
orbits Earth in "Friendship 7" 1962
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21
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22
Bham Parks
2:00PM
Open to Public
6:30PM
360.650.6146
for tickets
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23
Supernova 1987A Observed (stellar evolution)
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24
WWU A103
WCC A100
6:30PM
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25
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26
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27
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28
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The Zodiacal light is a pyramid of very dim light that can be seen in the west after evening twilight
and in the east after morning twilight. It is light scattered from the Sun by countless
micro-meteoroidal particles along the plane of the solar system. Get away from the glow of city lights
and study the western sky after sunset.
(more)
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Saturn
is at its best this month, reaching opposition on the 22nd.
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1
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2
WWU A103
WCC A100
6:30PM
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3
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4
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5
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6
Woodward
12:00PM
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7
WWU A103
WCC A100
6:30PM
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
Cascadia Elem
1:30PM
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13
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14
Daylight Savings Time begins
Albert Einstein born 1879
(bio).
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15
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16
Meridian High
9:00AM
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17
Meridian High
9:00AM
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18
Meridian High
9:00AM
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19
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20
Vernal Equinox 17:32 UT
(seasons)
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21
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22
Saturn at Opposition
(Saturn)
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23
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24
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25
Wade King
Elementary
9:30AM
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26
Big Lake
Elementary
11:30PM
St Paul's
Academy
1:00PM
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27
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28
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29
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30
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31
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March is the month of the "Messier Marathon" when amateur astronomers attempt to see as many
of the M Objects in one night as they can.
Due to the position of the Sun it is theoretically possible to see all of them this month, especially around
the night of the new moon when the sky is the darkest.
(Messiers)
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Western Washington University Planetarium
Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks on May 5 but actually stretches from April 21 to May 12.
It produces about 10 meteors per hour at the peak.
Best viewing is between midnight and dawn when you are on the bow of spaceship Earth
as we fly through the cosmos on our yearly trip around the Sun. (meteors)
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1
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2
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3
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4
Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
WWU A103
WCC A100
6:30PM
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10
Apollo 10 launched 1969
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11
Harmony
Elementary
1:10 & 1:40PM
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12
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13
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14
WWU Showtime
6:30PM & 8:00PM
360.650.3846
for tickets
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15
WWU Showtime
12:00PM & 1:30PM
3:00PM & 4:30PM
360.650.3846
for tickets
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
Purcell
Elementary
11:30AM & 12:30PM
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21
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22
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23
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24
WWU A103
WCC A100
6:30PM
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25
Sumas Elem
11:15PM
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26
Skylab launched 1973
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27
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28
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29
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30
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31
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M20, The Trifid Nebula,
is easy to find in the late spring and early summer sky, with even the smallest amateur telescopes.
The view includes an open cluster of stars, some glowing pink hydrogen in a star-forming region,
and some blue reflecting dust nearby. Look for it in
Sagittarius.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Corona Borealis,
which is the Northern Crown, is a semicircle of
stars located between
Hercules
and
Bootes,
high overhead in the summer sky.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
Sarafian
11:00AM
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6
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7
Nooksack Valley
Middle School
10:00AM
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8
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9
Assumption
Catholic School
11:30AM
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10
Nooksack Valley
Middle School
10:00AM
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
Summer Solstice
11:28 UT
Longest day of the year
(seasons)
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22
Galaxy Classroom
10:00AM
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23
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24
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25
Whatcom Day
Academy
11:00AM
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26
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27
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28
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29
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30
Meteor explodes over Tunguska Siberia, 1908
(meteors)
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Look for the
bright stars
of the Summer Triangle high over head this month. It is the first three stars
you see as it begins to get dark after sunset. The brightest is Vega, in the constellation
Lyra the Harp .
Next is Deneb, the tail of
Cygnus the Swan.
Nearest the horizon is Altair in
Aquila the Eagle.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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This July we see the planets
Mars,
Venus
and
Saturn
all together in the western sky after sunset.
By the end of the month the conjunction becomes a foursome, as they are joined by
Mercury.
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1
Galileo files report that Jupiter has moons, 1610
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
Earth at
aphelion
farthest from Sun
1.016 AU
|
7
Kids World
Firehouse
11:00AM
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8
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9
Children of the
Valley
11:00AM
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10
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11
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12
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13
Golden Vikings
2:00PM
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14
Golden Vikings
3:00PM
|
15
Grandparent's
University
1:00PM
|
16
Grandparent's
University
9:00AM
Apollo 11 launched, 1969
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17
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18
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19
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20
First humans on the Moon, 1969
(the moon)
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21
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22
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23
Hercules Cluster
|
24
|
25
Galileo views
Saturn with a telescope, 1610
(bio)
|
26
Apollo 15 launched, 1971
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27
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28
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29
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30
Western Kids Camp
10:30AM
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31
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
Whatcom
Boys & Girls
11:00AM
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
|
11
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12
Perseid Meteor Shower
|
13
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14
Brulotte
1:00PM
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
Orville Wright born, 1871
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20
Neptune at Opposition
(Neptune)
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21
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22
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23
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24
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25
YMCA
Whatcom
10:00AM
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26
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27
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28
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29
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30
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31
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The Perseid Meteor Shower is a yearly favorite. It peaks on the 12th with a rate of 50 to 60 per hour.
These meteors are actually debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle
which takes approximately 130 years to orbit the Sun
(comets).
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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One interesting autumn star that mystified the ancients is Mira, a variable star
in the constellations of
Cetus.
At its brightest it is as bright as the North Star.
At its dimmest it is invisible
to the naked eye. The whole cycle takes about 330 days.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
Viking Launch
1:00 & 2:15PM
|
11
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12
|
13
|
14
|
15
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16
|
17
|
18
|
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19
|
20
|
21
Jupiter at Opposition
(Jupiter)
|
22
Uranus at Opposition
(Uranus)
|
23
AutumnalEquinox
Neptune discovered 1846
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24
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25
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26
|
27
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28
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29
Walla Walla High
8:00PM
|
30
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Another interesting bright star is Capella, which sparkles with colorful intensity
when seen through the dense air near the horizon.
(bright stars)
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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The Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on the 21st.
Hourly rate often reaches 20.
It's created by debris along the orbital path of Halley's Comet.
(comets)
A good month to view M31, The Andromeda Galaxy,
a collection of stars and gas much like our own Milky Way, 2.6 million lightyears away.
(galaxies)
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1
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2
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3
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4
Sputnik, first human craft in space, launched from Russia 1957
|
5
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6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
Chuck Yeager breaks sound barrier, 1947
|
15
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16
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17
|
18
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19
A.L.L.
3:00PM
BSA Troop 48
7:00PM
|
20
|
21
Orionid Meteor Shower
|
22
WWU Fall Family
Open House
7:00 & 8:30PM
|
23
WWU Fall Family
Open House
12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 4:30PM
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24
|
25
|
26
Compass to Campus
10:50AM
A.L.L.
3:00PM
|
27
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28
Open House
12:30PM
|
29
|
30
|
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31
Vatican admits errors in trial of Galileo, 1992
(bio)
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The drama playing overhead this month is about
Andromeda the Princess.
She is the beautiful daughter of
Cassiopeia the Queen
and her husband
Cepheus King of Ethiopia
(aka Philistia). The Queen, being very vain, boasted about her
own beauty, saying she was even more beautiful than the Nereids (sea nymphs). This angered Poseiden. To
cool his anger, Cassiopeia chained her daughter to a rock on the beach as a sacrifice to the sea monster
Cetus.
Andromeda was saved at the last minute by her hero and love interest,
Perseus,
who killed Cetus by
showing him the severed head of Medussa and thus turning him to stone.
(greek mythology)
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
|
Wednesday
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Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
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How much of the Moon can an earthbound observer see in one month?
Answer
|
1
|
2
WCC A100
7:00PM
First dog in space, 1957
|
3
|
4
Kulshan Middle School
10:00AM
|
5
|
6
|
7
Daylight Savings Time Ends
time of day
|
8
|
9
Whatcom Hills Waldorf
10:00AM
|
10
WCC A100
7:00PM
|
11
Tycho Brahe observes supernova in Cassiopeia, 1572
(Brahe)
|
12
|
13
|
14
Apollo 12 launched, 1969
|
15
|
16
First message sent to M13 by Arecibo radioscope, 1974
|
17
Leonid Meteor Shower
(meteors)
|
18
WCC A100
7:00PM
|
19
|
20
Edwin Hubble born, 1889
(Hubble's Law)
|
21
|
22
WCC A100 7:00PM
RESCHEDULED
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
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28
|
29
WCC A100
7:00PM
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30
|
The Leonid Meteor Shower peaks on the 17th.
Maximum hourly rate typically reaches 10 to 15.
This shower is notable for greatly enhanced activity every 33 years. The showering of gravel entering our
atmosphere is caused by a river of debris left in space by the passing of comet Tempel-Tuttle.
(comets)
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
|
Monday
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Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
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This is a good month to view the
Pleiades
star cluster in
Taurus
the Bull, also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters. The starlore associated
with the Pleiades is extensive (example).
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1
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2
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3
Hodges
8:00PM
|
4
|
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5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
|
12
|
13
|
14
Geminid Meteor Shower
(meteors)
|
15
|
16
|
17
First sustained powered flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, 1903
|
18
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19
|
20
|
21
Winter Solstice
The shortest day of the year
|
22
|
23
|
24
Apollo 8 sends message from lunar orbit, 1968
|
25
Isaac Newton born 1642
(Newton)
|
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26
|
27
Johannes Kepler born 1571
(Kepler's Laws)
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28
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29
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30
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31
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Orion takes center stage. (constellations)
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