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We are delighted to welcome visitors
back to the Planetarium!
Please make note of our health and
safety guidelines.
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All persons ages two and older are required to wear
masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.
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Hand sanitizer stations are located in the Planetarium's
lobby, as are the restrooms with soap and water for washing hands.
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The Planetarium's HVAC system uses MERV 13 filters and
brings in fresh air to the room.
Information
about RVCC's COVID response and protocols can be found here.
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Public Shows on Saturdays
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What better way to restart things than
with our Halloween and Hogwarts programs!
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Spooky Skies
Saturdays,
Oct. 23 and 30, 3:00 and 7:00
pm
This
Halloween, come to the RVCC Planetarium to witness spine chilling
tricks and treats of Spooky Skies! Spooky Skies takes viewers back to
medieval Ireland to explore the roots of the Halloween holiday, then
goes into the heavens to draw parallels between some celestial
objects and famous monsters. What does a werewolf have on an
inescapable Black Hole; a noxious, deadly planet like Venus; or a
crushing, dangerous supernova? (Recommended for ages 8 to adult)
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Fright Light
laser concert (family version) Saturdays, October 23 and 30, 4:00 pm
The Witches
and Ghouls continue to haunt the planetarium. They love our laser
songs, including “The Adams Family Theme Song,” “Monster Mash,” and
“Ghostbusters.” (recommended for ages 6-adult)
Fright Light
(PG-13) Saturdays, October 23 and 30, 8:00 p.m.
Not for
young viewers or those easily scared! Features songs including
“Alive” by Meatloaf, “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, and “The Devil
Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band. (Recommended for
ages 13 to adult)
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The Skies over
Hogwarts
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Friday,
October 29, 7:00 & 8:00 pm
Join our
eclectic group of witches and wizards as they guide you through a
"Harry Potter"-themed tour of the night sky. Learn how J.K.
Rowling used astronomy as the inspiration for some of her characters'
names. (Recommended for ages 8 and older)
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Admission: $10
per person for one show
$18 per person
for two shows on the same day
Reservations
are recommended. Call 908-231-8805 or email the Planetarium.
Please arrive
20-30 minutes before the show to pay for your tickets.
The closest
parking lots are #9 and #1.
Late arrivals
are NOT admitted to the Planetarium's theater once a show has
started.
Masks are
required indoors for everyone ages 2 and older regardless of
vaccination status.
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Private Shows / Field Trips
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You can
schedule a private show in the Planetarium for your group of 1-75
people.
Weekdays:
10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm
Saturdays:
1:30 pm, 5:00 pm
Weekday
evenings will be considered on an individual basis.
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Choose an astronomy show or a laser
concert!
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Rockin' Rocket Ride
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Magic Tree House: Space Mission
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Accidental Astronauts
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From Earth to the Universe
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Black Holes
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Exploding Universe
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Tonight's Sky and more!
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The Best of Pink Floyd
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The Beatles
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Led Zeppelin
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Grateful Dead
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Queen
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Rock of Ages (music from the movie/Broadway show)
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Pop Rock (family-friendly)
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Laser Magic (family-friendly) and more!
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All Mars missions are paused for a couple weeks. Why
would something this big happen?! Well, not for a bad reason, as you
might think. Learn why a special conjunction doesn't let scientists
communicate with their robots abroad. And learn what conjunction even
means!
Check this
week's Star
Talk for more information.
It's also
available in Spanish!
New episodes
are uploaded to our YouTube Channel each Sunday.
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Explore the Universe with RVCC
Planetarium
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Watch our YouTube channel for weekly updates on what's visible in the sky
as well as activities you can do at home.
Do you miss
the Planetarium? Take
a tour of the exhibits.
Join our Facebook
Group for regular posts about astronomy news, activities,
virtual tours, satellite passes that you can see in the real sky, and
more!
Follow us on Instagram to see pictures we take at the 3M
Observatory and other news.
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Virtual Field Trips
Teachers, Principals, Science
Supervisors, Scout Leaders, Home School coordinators, Senior Center
managers, and Parents! Schedule virtual
field trips for your students and clients. Programs are led by a
live Planetarium Educator and always include time for Q&A. Scheduling is flexible. We can present
during the school day, after school, or evenings.
Number of attendees: up to 30 per
session
Fee: $75 for a 45-minute program
$100 for Magic Tree House: Space Mission
The Planetarium will provide a
password-protected Zoom link before your date. We can also schedule
programs on Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. You can also invite the
Planetarium to join your preferred platform.
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· Rockin' Rocket Ride: Our popular show has an online version. Join us on an
adventure into space to learn about the Sun, Moon, and planets.
(Grades PreK-K)
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To the Moon and Back: Begin with a story about the Moon, then watch the Moon
change shape in our virtual sky, and pretend to be astronauts who can
travel there. (for PreK-Grade 2)
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Magic Tree House: Space Mission Join Jack and Annie as they look for
answers to questions about space. Together, we’ll explore some
of those topics to see if we find similar answers. (Grades
K-4)
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Our Solar System: go on a tour of the planets in our solar system (Grades
K-12)
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Tonight's Sky: identify stars and constellations we can see tonight
and learn some constellation stories that go along with them. (Grades
K-12)
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Patterns in the Sky: The Sun observe the Sun's rising and setting
positions through the year. (Grades 2-12)
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Patterns in the Sky: Moon Phases Why and how does the Moon's shape
change? (Grades 2-12)
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True or False, Astronomy Version: Some statements seem obvious, but are
they? We'll explore statements like "brighter stars are closer
to us" and "the Moon is only visible at night."
(Grades 5-12)
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Youth and Teen Programs
Virtual and In-Person
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RVCC has a
variety of virtual and in-person programs for grade school to high
school students.
We have
Black Rocket & Super Science Programs for Kids to increase
knowledge in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math).
Enrichment programs include English and writing courses, Journalistic
Writing, Workshops for Young Writers, and more. RVCC will be working
with the High Level 5th Quarter Training program to provide a
health & wellness camp. SAT/ACT prep courses will also be
available for this summer.
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Venus is low in the SW at dusk. It sets
about two hours after sunset, around 8:20 pm.
Jupiter and
Saturn are in the
south after sunset. Jupiter is the brighter of the two.
The Summer
Triangle, made by the brightest stars in the constellations Cygnus,
Aquila, Lyra, is passing overhead at sunset. If you are in a very
dark location, without light pollution, you may see the Milky Way
Galaxy as a hazy band of light through this asterism.
The autumn
constellation Pegasus, the Flying Horse, is rising in the eastern sky
in the evening.
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The Big Dipper
is sweeping low in the northern sky this time of year, but
Cassiopeia, the zig-zag group of five stars representing a queen on a
throne, is up high.
Follow RVCC Planetarium on Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for weekly updates about sky events.
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Moon Phases
First Quarter October 12
Full Moon October 20 - Hunter's Moon
Third Quarter October 28
New Moon November 4
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Have you ever
wondered when is the best time to look for the Moon? It's in the sky
roughly half the day, but which part of the day? Where do you look?
The Moon is
constantly orbiting the Earth. Each day, it rises about 50 minutes
later than it did the day before.
The following
are guidelines. You can look up exact rising and setting times on
websites like https://www.timeanddate.com/
The Full Moon
is opposite the Sun. It rises in the East at sunset and sets in the
West at sunrise.
The Third
Quarter Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon.
The Waning
Crescent Moon is easiest to see in the east before sunrise.
The New Moon
rises with the Sun and sets with the Sun.
The Waxing
Crescent Moon is easiest to see in the west just after sunset. Can
you find it before sunset?
The First
Quarter Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight.
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Please Consider Making a
Tax-Deductible Donation to the Planetarium
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Support from the community has
repeatedly played a key role in our success at the RVCC Planetarium.
We are proud to offer affordable, educational field trips and
engaging public events for our community. Your continued support
helps us to provide innovative, educational experiences for our
diverse audiences. Donations made to the Planetarium on Giving Day
and throughout the year help support new and exciting programs and
help us maintain and upgrade our equipment.
Thank you for your support!
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