DWARF PLANET EXPLORATION, TELESCOPE BUYING, & MORE AT SMC PLANETARIUM IN OCTOBER

The Santa Monica College John Drescher Planetarium is pleased to present three special feature shows – including a telescope viewing session – on Friday evenings in October. The shows are:

• “Special Observing Event: 10-Day-Old Moon!” on Oct. 3. Come take a look through the eyepiece at the waxing, 10-day-old gibbous Moon and its prominent craters, and catch a glimpse of some double stars and other fascinating wonders in the sky.

• “2015: Dwarf Planet Exploration!” on Oct. 10 and 17. Come preview the DAWN spacecraft’s first close encounter with Ceres – the largest object in the main asteroid belt – and this summer’s New Horizons flyby of Pluto, the first “Trans-Neptunian Object” discovered.

• “Holiday Telescope Buyer Survival Guide” on Oct. 24. Considering a telescope as a holiday gift for someone newly star-struck? Find out how to shop for a telescope – and in time to do it BEFORE the good suppliers sell out of the best starter instruments!

The feature shows are at 8 p.m. and are preceded by “The Night Sky Show” at 7 p.m., offering the latest news in astronomy and space exploration, a family-friendly “tour” of the constellations, and the chance to ask astronomy-related questions.

The John Drescher Planetarium, which features a Digistar projection system, is located near the elevators on the second floor of Drescher Hall (1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica). Tickets are available at the door and cost $11 ($9 seniors and children) for the evening’s scheduled “double bill,” or $6 ($5 seniors age 60+ and children age 12 and under) for a single show or telescope-viewing session.

Please call (310) 434-3005 or see http://www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or http://www.smc.edu/planetarium for information. All shows subject to change or cancellation without notice.