SPACE CAMP
James Madison University’s Outreach and Engagement and the Department of Physics and Astron­
omy are excited to announce two week-long summer space camps open to all middle-school age
students! The camp will be led by Shanil Virani, the director of the John C. Wells Planetarium. The
first is a week-long residential space camp where campers will spend the week at JMU July 6–13. The
residential camp will be for rising seventh-, eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders. The second is our day
space camp that will be held July 21–25, 2014, for rising fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.
John C. Wells
PLANETARIUM
Registration will begin in the spring, and will require a $25 deposit. To be notified when registra­
tion opens, please fill out our notification form online. More information about the camps also will
be posted at www.jmu.edu/outreach/spacecamp.shtml.
Using JMU’s unique facilities such as the John C. Wells Planetarium and Science on a Sphere® — a
sphere-shaped visualization tool developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
— camp-goers will get a perspective of Earth and other planets like an astronaut would. They will
engineer solving challenges like light pollution and building rovers that would successfully land on
another planet.
901 Carrier Dr.. MSC 4502
Harrisonburg, Va. 22807
100028
JOHN C. W ELLS
Pl a neta r ium
We seek to inspire and excite the next generation of scientists and engineers. This exciting camp
will demonstrate to students that science is constantly changing, constantly uncovering new clues
about why our universe is the way it is and not some other way. We will ask questions and then use
the scientific method to try to answer them! We will investigate the size and scale of our solar
system, learn about the robotic exploration of it, and learn about our own planet Earth and our
fragile environment! Special summer camp visitors include WHSV-TV 3’s Aubrey Urbanowicz and
perhaps even a NASA astronaut!
THE UNIVERSE IS YOURS TO DISCOVER
About the John C. Wells Planetarium
Carl Sagan liked to say, “We are all made of star stuff.” The oxygen that we breathe, the car­
bon in our body, the iron in our lungs, all the stuff that you, I and the world are made up of can
be traced to massive stars that then exploded in a fantastic explosion! Come to a special public
presentation where Dr. Jolie Cizewski from Rutgers University will tell us about explosions in the
cosmos and how the periodic table was formed!
The John C. Wells Planetarium is a $2 million, state-of-the-art hybrid facility, the only one of its
kind in the world. It hosts both an Evans & Sutherland Digistar 5 digital projection system and
a Goto Chronos opto-mechanical star projector that provides visitors with a superior and realistic night sky. Our digital system allows us to present unique full dome movies as well as project the multi-wavelength universe on the dome. Our Goto Chronos starball allows us to project
an authentic night sky for any location on the Earth’s surface, across the past 100,000 years.
The Planetarium has 72 seats, offers free Saturday afternoon public shows but is also available
for use mid-week by school groups and community groups (i.e., church groups, girl guides/boy
scouts, etc.) at no charge. See www.jmu.edu/planetarium/Reservations.shtml to see our current
schedule to determine availability. Fill out the reservation request form to book your group! The
planetarium is also available for private functions (i.e., weddings, birthday parties, etc.). Please
email the planetarium director at planetarium@jmu.edu for further details.
Pluto: Planet or Pretender?
Find Us Online or on Social Media
PUBLIC SCIENCE TALKS
All presentations are FREE and perfect for the young scientist or engineer in your family!
Explosions in the Cosmos: How the Elements Were Made
Thursday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m., Miller Hall, Room 1101
Dr. Jolie A. Cizewski, Distinguished Professor of Physics, Rutgers University
Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m., Wilson Hall Auditorium
Dr. Heidi Hammel, Executive Vice-President, AURA, Inc.
Dr. Heidi B. Hammel will tell the story behind the current debate about Pluto’s planethood. She
will describe Pluto’s history, and also talk about future exploration of Pluto. There will be oppor­
tunities for audience participation during a hands-on simulation of our solar system’s struc­
ture. At the end of the talk, we will recreate the vote by astronomers that took place in Prague
in August 2006 that removed Pluto from the ranks of the planets. Come and see how you would
have decided the Pluto vote if you had been in Prague! This talk will be suitable for all ages.
Pulsars, Magnetars, and Black Holes (oh my!):
The Wickedly Cool Stellar Undead
Visit our website (www.jmu.edu/planetarium) to stay up-to-date on
new events, learn about new discoveries and join our mailing list. Like
the John C. Wells Planetarium on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and
check out our videos on YouTube where we tackle popular misconceptions about astronomy! Join the conversation!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jmu.planetarium
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jmuplanetarium
YouTube: www.youtube.com/JMUplanetarium
Website: www.jmu.edu/planetarium
Thursday, April 17, 7 p.m., Wilson Hall Auditorium
Dr. Scott Ransom, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
The biggest stars burn the fastest and brightest, and when they die, they do so spectacularly,
exploding as supernovae and leaving behind some of the most fantastic objects in the uni­
verse: neutron stars and black holes. In this talk, Dr. Ransom will discuss how these crazy
objects are created, some of their amazing properties and why we (probably!) don’t need to
worry about them too much here in our cozy homes on Earth.
P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y O F T H E J O H N C . W E L L S P L A N E TA R I U M A N D B Y K AT I E L A N D I S
The John C. Wells Planetarium is amazing.
SOLAR
OBSERVING
It offers visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience not available
Come see our sun like you’ve
never seen it before! Every Sat­
urday afternoon that is sunny,
we will have our solar telescopes
set up outside Miller Hall where
we invite visitors to view our sun
safely through these special telescopes. You will see our sun as
the active, dynamic star that it is
rather than the pale, yellow dot
drawn by elementary school children in their pictures. The views
are incredible! Solar observing is
weather-dependent.
at any other planetarium in the world. “We’re the only planetarium
in the world with a HD digital movie capability and a GOTO Chronus
star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night
sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the
earth,” says planetarium director Shanil Virani.
STAR PARTIES: COME OBSERVE THE NIGHT SKY!
Star parties take place at Astronomy Park, 45 minutes after sunset. See our website (www.
jmu.edu/planetarium/StarGaze.shtml) to get information regarding location, parking and
how we will communicate to the public if the observing will take place or not.
On the last Thursday of every month (unless otherwise specified), we will be hosting a public
star party at Astronomy Park located behind the Physics/Chemistry Building on JMU’s East
Campus. We will have our telescopes set up about 45 minutes after sunset and invite everyone to come out and look through our telescopes. Throughout the course of the year, you
can expect to see Mars, Saturn with its majestic rings, Jupiter and its Galilean satellites,
as well as the Moon and binary stars! You will be amazed! Free! Great for kids! Since observing
can only take place if skies are clear, make sure you check our Facebook page, our Twitter
feed (www.twitter.com/jmuplanetarium) or our website (www.jmu.edu/planetarium) for
additional information like time and weather updates.
Star Party Dates
n Sept. 26 n Oct. 24 n Nov. 21 n Jan. 23 n Feb. 27 n March 27 n April 24
n No Star Parties in May, June, July and August because of late sunset times
SATURDAY SHOW SCHEDULE
September
January
April
nF
light Adventures
n Flight Adventures
n Ice Worlds
n Microcosm:
Origins of Life
October
n One World, One Sky:
Big Bird’s Adventure
nB
lack Holes:
The Other Side of Infinity
November
n Legends of the Sky: Orion
n Cosmic Castaways
March
n One World, One Sky:
Big Bird’s Adventure
n Exoplanets: Worlds of Wonder
n
In Search of Our
n Comets and Discovery
Cosmic Origins
December
n Molecularium
n Secrets of the Sun
June
Using the latest data from multi­
ple planet-hunting missions including
Kepler, Exoplanets: Worlds of Wonder
follows mankind’s first Space Probe as it journeys
outside our solar system to the many new worlds
astronomers are discovering beyond. Audiences will
explore Gas Giant planets caught in a deadly dance
with their host stars, frozen Rogue planets hurling
through space, molten rocky worlds now known to
science and new planets orbiting within the Goldi­
locks Zone, the habitable region around a star where
Earth-like worlds may exist. (20 minutes)
n Planetary Visions
n Seven Wonders
Flight Adventures
The Adventure Within
n Dawn of the Space Age
February
May
n Exoplanets: Worlds of Wonder
n Stars of the Pharaohs
SCHEDULE: n 1 p.m. family show n 2:15 and 3:30 p.m. feature show. No public
events in July or August. All shows are FREE. No tickets or reservations required.
SATURDAY SHOW DESCRIPTIONS
A live star talk follows all Saturday matinée shows.
Black Holes: The Other
Side of Infinity
There’s a place from which nothing
escapes, not even light, where time
and space literally come to end. It’s
at this point, inside this fantastic
riddle, that black holes exert their
sway over the cosmos ... and our imaginations. Zip
through other-worldly wormholes, experience the
creation of the Milky Way Galaxy, and witness the
violent death of a star and subsequent birth of a
black hole. Mathematical equations, cutting-edge
science and Einstein’s theories fill in holes along
the way, providing the most complete picture yet
on this mysterious phenomenon. Can you feel the
pull? (25 minutes)
Cosmic Castaways
There are places where the night sky
has no constellations. No Orion, no
Big Dipper, nothing but a few lonely,
faraway stars and a few faint, ghostly
patches of light. Most stars lie within
the crowded boundaries of galax­
ies, traveling with their brothers and sisters in a
vast galactic family. But some find themselves on
their own, deep within voids between the galaxies.
These are the cosmic castaways. (25 minutes)
Exoplanets:
Worlds of Wonder
Comets and Discovery
The show takes the viewer on a
journey of discovery. We follow
two intrepid comet hunters in firstperson: one, a modern explorer;
the other, Caroline Herschel, the
famous 18th-century comet hunt­
ress who ruled the skies for many genera­
tions. With both, we learn how they each
searched the skies, made their discoveries
and reported them for other astronomers to
bear out. We also learn about what people
thought comets were and their importance to
them. (20 minutes)
Dawn of the Space Age
Re-live the excitement of the early
days of space exploration, from the
launch of the first artificial satel­
lite Sputnik to the magnificent lunar
landings and privately operated
space flights. Be immersed and
overwhelmed with this most accurate historic
reconstruction of man’s first steps into space.
Who were the men and women who took part in
these death-defying days? Witness their drive,
their passion and their perseverance to explore
in Dawn of the Space Age. (30 minutes)
Dreams of flying, model aircraft and
a young girl and her grandfather
come together in this multi-media
planetarium show about the sci­
ence of aeronautics. Learn about
famous inventors and aviators of the
past and the pioneers who first revealed the four
forces of flight. See images of aircraft past, pres­
ent and future and imagine where flight might
take us. (22 minutes)
Ice Worlds
The delicate balance between ice,
water and the existence of life has
been a topic of exploration and dis­
covery in science for generations. In
travels to the Arctic and Antarctic
regions of our planet, we’ll exam­
ine the ecosystems that live and thrive there
and see how their survival is connected with our
own. Beyond Earth, we’ll see how the existence
of ice shapes the landscape and the natural
systems on other planets and moons in our solar
system. (30 minutes)
In Search of Our
Cosmic Origins
About 400 years ago, in Padua, Italy,
Galileo observed the sky with a new
instrument, the telescope, and our
view of the world was transformed.
Now, follow the young astronomer
Ariane in the show In Search of our Cosmic Ori­
gins to discover how astronomers are continuing
Gali­leo’s quest to understand the universe. Ariane
takes us on a journey from ALMA’s unique site high
in Chile’s Atacama region, through our Milky Way
and onward to some of the most distant galaxies,
seen as they were in the early universe. Closer to
home, we learn about the formation of stars and
planets, and how ALMA will help us answer ques­
tions about our origins. ALMA is the leading tele­
scope for observing the cool universe — the relic
radiation of the Big Bang, and the molecular gas
and dust that constitute the building blocks of
stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself.
Legends of the
Night Sky: Orion
Molecularium
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s
Molecularium is an exciting new
animation, in a planetarium set­
ting, created to spark interest
in the atoms and molecules that
constitute our world. Via pioneer­
ing digital dome technology, viewers are com­
pletely immersed in a captivating virtual world.
(20 minutes)
Legends of the Night Sky: Orion is
the world’s first traditionally ani­
mated full dome movie. Legends
takes a fun-filled and imaginative
look at the stories and legends about
Orion, the great hunter of the winter sky. Leg­
ends: Orion is an ideal show for family audiences
and younger viewers. Greek mythology will never
seem the same once you’ve seen all this produc­
tion from AudioVisual and Spitz Creative Media.
(24 minutes)
Origins of Life
Microcosm:
The Adventure Within
Best described as “an adventurous
tour of the solar system,” this pro­
gram is a perfect mix of fantastic
fun and tack-sharp content. This
is the solar system show for our
theater. Kids love it and adults do,
too! With its whimsical, flying robot main char­
acter, Toggle, and the interactivity of the oper­
ator with the show and the audience, this is a
treat for all who attend. (36 minutes)
At the Center of Miniaturized Medi­
cine in the year 2053, you’ll shrink
down to the size of a microbe and
get injected into a patient who is suf­
fering an infection from a mysterious
virus. Produced in cooperation with the University
of Utah Medical School, this high-speed immer­
sive adventure is not only exciting, but educational
as well. Traveling from the base of the eye to the
interior of the heart, you’ll explore exotic ports of
call in CMM Probe Alpha with its robotic outboard
scout vehicle. As you piece together the clues
the virus has left behind, you’ll race against time
to save the patient on your roller-coaster ride
through the body. Laser battles, genetic weapons,
and lots of surprises along the way make this a
show audiences will want to experience again and
again. (17 minutes)
One World, One Sky:
Big Bird’s Adventure
Follow Sesame Street’s Big Bird
and Elmo as they explore the night
sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a muppet from
Zhima Jie, the Chinese co-production
of Sesame Street. Together, they
take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the
moon, where they discover how different it is from
Earth. (27 minutes)
Starting with the Big Bang, in
chronological order the show
deals with the prebiotic chemistry
in the universe, the formation of
stars, formation of solar systems
and the first life on Earth. Origins
of Life covers the great extinctions as well as
our search for primitive life beyond our planet.
(30 minutes)
Planetary Visions
Secrets of the Sun
An intimate look at the role the sun
plays in the life of our solar system.
From the nuclear forces churning
at the heart of the sun to the mass
ejections of solar material into the
surrounding space, we will experi­
ence the power of the sun and its impact on
the planets and ultimately life on Earth. We will
trace the life cycle of the sun itself, going back to
its beginnings and moving forward in time to its
eventual death. (20 minutes)
Seven Wonders
Turn back the pages of time and
witness the ancient wonders of the
world as they appeared thousands
of years ago. Travel to Egypt to
visit the Lighthouse of Alexandria
and the Great Pyramids, to Per­
sia to see the original Mausoleum, to Babylon to
explore the fabled Hanging Gardens, to Greece
to tour the Temples of Zeus and Artemis, and
to Rhodes to stand in the shadow of the tower­
ing Colossus. We will investigate the theories
of how these wonders were created, and get
a glimpse of some of the universe’s greatest
wonders. (20 minutes)
Stars of the Pharaohs
Travel to ancient Egypt to see
how science was used to tell time,
make a workable calendar and
align huge buildings. You’ll learn
about the connection the ancient
Egyptians felt with the stars and
various astronomical phenomena. And thanks
to the time Digital Theater’s production team
spent on location in Egypt taking photographs
and measurements, you’ll see some of the
most spectacular temples and tombs of the
ancient world recreated in their original splen­
dor. (40 minutes)
HOLIDAY SHOWS
Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 29–Dec. 21,
7 and 8:30 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 1–22, 2 p.m.
Mystery of the
Christmas Star
Produced by Evans & Sutherland
Digital Theater, Mystery of the
Christmas Star allows audiences to
journey back 2,000 years to Beth­
lehem in pursuit of a scientific
explanation of the star the wise men followed to
find the baby Jesus. This modern retelling of the
Christmas story is sure to charm and captivate
audiences of all ages.
Special Shows: First
Night Harrisonburg
The John C. Wells Planetarium is
pleased to partner with First Night
Harrisonburg and offer familyfriendly activities on New Year’s
Eve 2013! At 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.,
please join us to see Sesame Street’s One
World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure. Please
join us to see Exoplanets: Worlds Of Wonder at
7 p.m. and Comets and Discovery at 7:30 p.m.
For more information, including a schedule of
events for First Night Harrisonburg, please
visit our website.