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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For private groups, an invoice will be issued and you can mail payment to the WWU Cashier.
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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Most planetarium presentations are strictly for people 8 years and older.
However we do have programs designed specifically for the
groups of younger children, such as preschool and 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
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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Sirius can be located by drawing a straight line through the three belt
stars in the constellation Orion, down to the left, to the brightest star in the night sky.
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1
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2
Space Shuttle Columbia lost,
2003
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3
Chinese
New Year
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4
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5
Apollo 14 lands on the Moon
1971
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6
WWU103 & WCC100
7:00PM
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7
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8
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9
WWU PAST
6:00PM
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10
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11
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12
EESP
Girl Scouts
3:45:PM
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13
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14
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15
Galileo Galilei born 1564 (bio)
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16
WWU103 & WCC100
7:00PM
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17
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18
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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
Homeschool
1:00PM
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23
Supernova 1987A Observed
(stellar evolution)
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24
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25
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26
Liam Hilburn
11:00AM
Sean Wagner
2:00PM
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27
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28
WWU103 & WCC100
7:00PM
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Zodiacal light is a tilted pyramid of dim radiance 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. It is best viewed
away from city lights during the last two weeks of February.
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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 Lyrid Meteor shower peaks on the 22nd at a rate of 20 per hour.
Lyrid meteors radiate from a point in the sky near the bright star Vega.
The debris stream is associated with Comet Thatcher.
meteors
Saturn is at its best this month, reaching
opposition on the 3rd when it will rise at sunset, transit the meridian at midnight, and set at sunrise.
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1
Evergreen Elementary
11AM
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2
Northwest Indian College
11AM
Moon at farthest apogee of year.
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3
Saturn at Opposition
Saturn
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4
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5
Lakewood Middle
11AM, 12PM, 1PM
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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
Apollo 13 launched, 1970
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11
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12
Yuri Gagarin becomes first man in space, 1961.
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13
Western Home Committee
6:00PM & 8:00PM
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14
Dodd 10:30AM
Shuttle lands for first time (Columbia) 1981
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15
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16
Wilbur Wright born, 1867
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17
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18
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19
Isom Elementary
10:15AM, 11:30PM, 1:00PM
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20
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21
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22
St. Paul’s Academy
Kindergarten
11AM
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23
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24
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25
Hubble Space Telescope launched, 1990
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26
Happy Valley
10:30AM
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27
WCC A100
6:00PM
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28
Dennis Tito, first space tourist launched 2001
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29
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30
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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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Look for the bright stars of the Summer Triangle high over
head this month. They are 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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1
Partial Solar Eclipse
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2
St Paul's Academy
10:30AM
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3
Evergreen
11:00AM
Big Lake
1:00PM
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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
St Paul's Academy
10:30AM
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10
Roosevelt Elementary
11:00AM
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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
17:16 UT
Longest day
of the year
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22
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
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28
Pluto at Opposition
Pluto
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29
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30
Meteor explodes over Tunguska
Siberia, 1908 (meteors)
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Low in the south this month the curly tailed Scorpius
stands with its heart marked by the bright red star Antares.
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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, the Northern Crown, is a semicircle of stars located between
Hercules and Bootes, high in the summer's night sky.
It represents the crown that Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete,
wore at her wedding. The crown was created by the supreme goldsmith, Hephaestus.
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1
Galileo reports that Jupiter has moons, 1610
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2
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3
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4
Earth at
Aphelion
15:00 UT
1.0167 AU
from the Sun
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5
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6
YMCA
Everett
11:00AM & 12:00PM
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7
YMCA
Mill Creek
11:00AM & 12:00PM
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8
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9
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10
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11
The Hercules Cluster
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12
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13
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14
WWU
Grandparent's U
5:30PM
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15
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16
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
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24
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25
Galileo views Saturn with a
telescope, 1610 (bio)
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26
Apollo 15 launched, 1971
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27
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28
WWU
Youth Global Connections
10:00AM
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29
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30
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31
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AIRGLOW: Your search for the Aurora Borealis may turn up the Airglow. This
fluttering glow is a kind of permanent aurora at certain wavelengths of the spectrum.
It occurs predominately in the lowest altitude range of the aurora in the atmosphere.
The airglow is always present, forming a major component of the light of the night sky,
but on rare occasions it is brighter in localized areas of the sky, visible as patches or bands.
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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
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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
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12
Perseid Meteor Shower
meteors
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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
Orville Wright born 1871
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20
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21
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22
Neptune at Opposition Neptune
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23
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24
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25
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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 peaks on the 12th with a rate of 50 to 60 per hour.
These meteors are actually debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle.
This comet takes approximately 130 years to orbit the Sun.
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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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As Capella rises it sparkles with great intensity, its light is disturbed
by the atmosphere - true for any bright star but Capella sweeps along the ground as
it rises, keeping it longer in the dense turbulent air near
the horizon.
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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
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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
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22
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23
Autumnal Equinox
09:04 UT
Neptune discovered 1846
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24
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25
Uranus at
Opposition
Uranus
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26
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27
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28
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29
|
30
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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.
The maximum hourly rate typically reaches 20.
The Orionids are related to the eta Aquarids, a southern hemisphere meteor shower in May.
Both are created by debris along the orbital path of Halley's Comet.
Earth comes close to that path twice a year, once in May and again in October.
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1
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2
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3
WWU A103
6:00PM
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4
Cedar Tree Montessori
10:00AM
Sputnik, first human craft in space, launched from Russia 1957
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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 Admin
7:30PM
|
10
|
11
WWU A103
6:00PM
|
12
|
13
WWU FIG
1:00PM
|
14
Chuck Yeager breaks sound barrier, 1947
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15
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16
|
17
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18
|
19
WWU A103
6:00PM
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20
Orionid Meteor Shower
|
21
WWU Fall
Family Open House
7:00 & 8:30PM
|
22
WWU Fall
Family Open House
12:00, 1:30,3:00,
& 4:30 PM
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23
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24
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25
WWU
Compass to
Campus
|
26
WWU
Library
2:00PM
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27
WWU A103
6:00PM
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28
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29
Jupiter at Opposition
Jupiter
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30
|
31
Vatican admits errors in trial of Galileo, 1992
Galileo
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One rather interesting star in the autumn sky is Mira, a variable star
in Cetus. At its brightest, as bright as the North Star. At its dimmest, invisible
to the naked eye. The whole cycle takes about 330 days.
M31, The Andromeda
Galaxy is a collection of stars and gas much like our own Milky Way,
2.6 million lightyears away.
galaxies
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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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In the south, the bright lonely star Fomalhaut shines in solitary splendor.
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1
Cornerstone
Christian
10:00AM
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2
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3
Laika the Dog
First Earthling in space, 1957
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4
WCC A100
6:00PM
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5
|
6
Daylight Savings Time ends for most of America
time of day
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7
WCC A100
6:00PM
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8
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9
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10
WWU PAST
6:00PM
|
11
Tycho Brahe observes
supernova in Cassiopeia, 1572 (Brahe)
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12
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13
WCC A100
6:00PM
|
14
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe
5:00PM
Apollo 12 launched, 1969
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15
WCC A100
6:00PM
|
16
First message sent to M13 by Arecibo radioscope, 1974
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17
Leonid Meteor Shower
meteors
|
18
Gardenview
Montessori
Preschool
2:00PM
|
19
|
20
Edwin Hubble born, 1889 Hubble's Law
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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
Partial Solar Eclipse
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26
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27
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28
|
29
|
30
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The Leonid Meteor Shower peaks on the 17th.
The maximum hourly rate typically reaches 10 to 15.
This shower is notable for greatly enhanced activity every 33 years.
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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 Geminid Meteor Shower peaks on the 14th.
The maximum hourly rate typically reaches 80. The associated comet is unknown.
meteors
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
Whatcom Hills Wadorf School
1:30PM
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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
The Firs
2:30PM
|
8
|
9
|
10
Saturday
Science
Academy
1:30PM
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11
|
12
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13
Little Darling Preschool
10:00AM
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14
The Firs
2:30PM
Geminid Meteor Shower
meteors
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15
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16
|
17
First sustained powered flight at Kitty Hawk, NC
1903
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18
|
19
Orion takes center stage.
constellations
|
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21
Little Darling Preschool
10:00AM
Winter Solstice
05:30 UT
|
22
|
23
|
24
Apollo 8 sends greetings from lunar orbit
1968
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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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2010
2012
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