Receive our RSS FeedContact Jo Procter, college news director; phone: (413) 597-4279; e-mail Jo.Procter@williams.edu
Planetarium Announces Spring Programming
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Feb. 19, 2008 -- Williams College astronomy students will host free shows on Friday nights this spring to introduce the public to the wonders of the universe at the Milham Planetarium, located inside the Old Hopkins Observatory on the Williams campus. The shows are scheduled for Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m.: February 22, 29, March 7, 14, April 4, 11, 18, 25, and May 2, 9.
Audiences will be treated to shows from the high-precision Zeiss Skymaster ZKP3/B opto-mechanical planetarium projector. The Zeiss Skymaster is capable of demonstrating phenomena including: retrograde motions of the planets, phases of the moon, the varying temperatures/colors of stars, locations of neighboring galaxies, the mythological figures and zodiacal signs ascribed to constellations, the Southern Hemisphere's sky, comets, artificial satellites, and much more.
The show will also include the new 14-minute video "Colors and Motions of the Sun," made last summer by Williams students.
Astronomy students Anna Tsykalova '08, Will Jacobson '08, Marcus Freeman '10, and Charles Cao '09 will host the spring '08 shows.
Time permitting, attendees will also explore our Milky Way Galaxy via the Ansible MicroDome digital planetarium. The Ansible is based upon flight-simulator technology and can be used to fly (virtually) from planet Earth to anywhere within 1000 light years, in addition to many other features. This versatile digital planetarium complements the high-resolution capabilities of the Zeiss projector.
Professor Jay M. Pasachoff, director of the observatory at Williams, wrote the script for the video, which was made by students in the college's summer technology program. Jamie Sweeney '08 was the lead computer student; Allegra Hyde '10 and Peter Schmidt '08 also participated. Astronomy students filmed or recorded for the movie include Will Jacobson '08, Anne Jaskot '08, and Amy Steele '08, from Williams College, and Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium summer fellow Evan Tingle '08 (from Wesleyan).
The Hopkins Observatory, built in 1836-38 by the first professor of astronomy at Williams College, Albert Hopkins, is the oldest extant observatory in the United States. Shows will last about 50 minutes.
For reservations (recommended), contact Barbara Swanson at (413) 597-2188. Others will be admitted as space permits. Large groups should call for special appointments.
The Hopkins Observatory is on a small hill on the north side of Main Street east of Spring Street in Williamstown and just east of Lawrence Hall Drive. The planetarium shares parking with the Williams College Museum of Art.
A campus map showing the Hopkins Observatory's location can be found on the web at www.williams.edu/home/campusmap/ or at 829 Main Street, Williamstown, MA inhttp://maps.google.com />
***
For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Public Affairs (413) 597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/home/campusmap/
END
Audiences will be treated to shows from the high-precision Zeiss Skymaster ZKP3/B opto-mechanical planetarium projector. The Zeiss Skymaster is capable of demonstrating phenomena including: retrograde motions of the planets, phases of the moon, the varying temperatures/colors of stars, locations of neighboring galaxies, the mythological figures and zodiacal signs ascribed to constellations, the Southern Hemisphere's sky, comets, artificial satellites, and much more.
The show will also include the new 14-minute video "Colors and Motions of the Sun," made last summer by Williams students.
Astronomy students Anna Tsykalova '08, Will Jacobson '08, Marcus Freeman '10, and Charles Cao '09 will host the spring '08 shows.
Time permitting, attendees will also explore our Milky Way Galaxy via the Ansible MicroDome digital planetarium. The Ansible is based upon flight-simulator technology and can be used to fly (virtually) from planet Earth to anywhere within 1000 light years, in addition to many other features. This versatile digital planetarium complements the high-resolution capabilities of the Zeiss projector.
Professor Jay M. Pasachoff, director of the observatory at Williams, wrote the script for the video, which was made by students in the college's summer technology program. Jamie Sweeney '08 was the lead computer student; Allegra Hyde '10 and Peter Schmidt '08 also participated. Astronomy students filmed or recorded for the movie include Will Jacobson '08, Anne Jaskot '08, and Amy Steele '08, from Williams College, and Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium summer fellow Evan Tingle '08 (from Wesleyan).
The Hopkins Observatory, built in 1836-38 by the first professor of astronomy at Williams College, Albert Hopkins, is the oldest extant observatory in the United States. Shows will last about 50 minutes.
For reservations (recommended), contact Barbara Swanson at (413) 597-2188. Others will be admitted as space permits. Large groups should call for special appointments.
The Hopkins Observatory is on a small hill on the north side of Main Street east of Spring Street in Williamstown and just east of Lawrence Hall Drive. The planetarium shares parking with the Williams College Museum of Art.
A campus map showing the Hopkins Observatory's location can be found on the web at www.williams.edu/home/campusmap/ or at 829 Main Street, Williamstown, MA inhttp://maps.google.com
***
For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Public Affairs (413) 597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/home/campusmap/
END
top