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Planetarium

 

About


Buckle up and let’s take a trip to outer space. The Westminster College Planetarium is a 45 seat full-dome theater housed in the Hoyt Science Resources Center. Professors and other astronomical professionals take students and members of the community on a tour throughout the depths of outer space through multimedia astronomy shows free of charge.

The Westminster College Planetarium is open for in-person shows! If you have any questions or concerns, please email planetarium@westminster.edu.

 

 Request a Private Group Show

Address

Westminster College Department of Physics
120 Hoyt Science Resources Center
319 South Market Street
New Wilmington, PA 16172

 

Upcoming Planetarium Shows


October


Oct 25, 2024

6:00 PM

WC Planetarium - Halloween!
Hoyt 116

"What do you associate with Halloween? Trick-or-Treating, costumes… astronomy? After all, Halloween is an astronomical holiday! Learn the history of Halloween and how it fits into the seasons as a “cross-quarter day.” Also explore the night sky and learn what planets, constellations, and stars will be out on your Halloween evening."

This show is recommended for grades 3+ (ages 7 and up).

Please reserve a spot for the show here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/998572405947?aff=oddtdtcreator

November


Nov 6, 2024

6:00 PM

WC Planetarium - Drifting North: Into the Polar Night
Hoyt 116

Step out onto an ice floe in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and watch and listen as scientists race the fading light to set up one of the most ambitious international climate collaborations ever, MOSAiC. The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate launched in September 2019. Led by the German Alfred Wegener Institute, the mission froze an icebreaker into the Central Arctic Ocean, to better understand the remote region and the role it plays in global climate and weather patterns.

This show is recommended for grades 3+ (ages 7 and up).

Please reserve a spot for the show here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/998574442037?aff=oddtdtcreator

Nov 15, 2024

6:00 PM

WC Planetarium - Drifting North: Into the Polar Night
Hoyt 116

Step out onto an ice floe in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and watch and listen as scientists race the fading light to set up one of the most ambitious international climate collaborations ever, MOSAiC. The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate launched in September 2019. Led by the German Alfred Wegener Institute, the mission froze an icebreaker into the Central Arctic Ocean, to better understand the remote region and the role it plays in global climate and weather patterns.

This show is recommended for grades 3+ (ages 7 and up).

Please reserve a spot for the show here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/998575033807?aff=oddtdtcreator

Nov 20, 2024

6:00 PM

WC Planetarium: The Star of Bethlehem
Hoyt 116

Journey back in time to see the night sky 2000 years ago. What was it that brought the Magi from the East to a little town in Palestine? Who were the wise men? Were there just three? Did they come from Persia, Babylon or Ethiopia? Did they follow a visible star to Jerusalem? Was Jesus born 2005 years ago? Is December 25th his real birthday?

The Star of Bethlehem takes you to the time of mystery, in a planetarium show produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science that answers these questions and more, as audiences search for a celestial object that could have led the wise men to the Christ child. A planet was called a "wandering star." A meteor was a "shooting star." And a comet was a "hairy star" because its tail looked like a beard. These are all candidates in our search. See the new research of a triple conjunction that may have been the sign in the East of the new Messiah.

This show is recommended for grades 1+ (ages 5+).

Please reserve a spot for the show here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/998575505217?aff=oddtdtcreator

December


Dec 6, 2024

6:00 PM

WC Planetarium - The Star of Bethlehem
Hoyt 116

Journey back in time to see the night sky 2000 years ago. What was it that brought the Magi from the East to a little town in Palestine? Who were the wise men? Were there just three? Did they come from Persia, Babylon or Ethiopia? Did they follow a visible star to Jerusalem? Was Jesus born 2005 years ago? Is December 25th his real birthday?

The Star of Bethlehem takes you to the time of mystery, in a planetarium show produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science that answers these questions and more, as audiences search for a celestial object that could have led the wise men to the Christ child. A planet was called a "wandering star." A meteor was a "shooting star." And a comet was a "hairy star" because its tail looked like a beard. These are all candidates in our search. See the new research of a triple conjunction that may have been the sign in the East of the new Messiah.

This show is recommended for grades 1+ (ages 5+).

Please reserve a spot for the show here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/998576147137?aff=oddtdtcreator

 

Contact


For reservations or questions about the Planetarium, contact Katie Miller.

Katie E. Miller

Academic Administrative Assistant
Katie E. Miller