Orion Featured At SMC Planetarium In January

The Santa Monica College John Drescher Planetarium launches 2015 with a special feature show and two telescope-observing events on Friday evenings. The January shows are:

• Starbirth in Orion’s Sword on January 9 and 16. Explore the massive Great Orion Nebula and learn about recent discoveries that reveal the hundreds of stars and potential planetary systems forming within!

• Special Observing Event: Orion and the Winter Hexagon – with a Special Guest on January 23. Come view the winter sky, including the bounty of bright stars surrounding its signature constellation, Orion the Hunter – and as a special guest, Jupiter! – through a variety of telescopes, with guidance from the planetarium director.

• Special Observing Event: A Gibbous Moon and Jovian Clouds and Moons on January 30. Follow up last week’s moonless observing night with a look through a variety of telescopes at the 11-day-old gibbous Moon and several of its large craters, and at Jupiter at a time when all four of its Galilean moons will be visible.

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 ofDrescher 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.

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