Cabrillo
Planetarium
The Cabrillo Astronomy Department has a small planetarium
below room 706 in the Natural and Applied Sciences 700 building. It is used
to demonstrate the motions of the earth and sky for astronomy students, and
also for planetarium shows for community groups. The projector is an old Spitz
A3P, upgraded in 1990 with a zenon light source. The original hard wooden chairs
were taken out and replaced by the volunteer efforts of the Cabrillo Astronomy
Club, especially Tom Trumbull, with padded chairs salvaged from a remodelled
court room in San Jose.
Planetarium Shows
I
offer 1-hour planetarium shows on the solar system for community groups. Because
of my schedule, these shows are only available to be scheduled on Monday afternoons
after 1pm. The show is given live, and includes slides on the solar system including
the sun, planets, moons, comets, meteors, and a few special effects. These shows
are available to schedule by emailing me at rinolthe@cabrillo.edu.
You can also call my office at 479-6506, but emailing is much preferable to
phone tag, for me. Please leave your name, email address, and desired start
time and date. I'll then post your reservation on the schedule shown below.
There are 47 seats and no more than 47 people may be in the planetarium at one
time. There is a $50 charge payable on arrival for all groups,
regardless of size. I can give you a receipt at the time of the show, if you
would like one. The shows are suitable for all ages and groups from pre-school
on up to high school have been accomodated.
Location, Parking.
The planetarium is in the 700 Building, on the upper
campus. It's labelled "planetarium" on the outside door - 706 - which
is also my office door. Click here
for a map. You may park in most of the parking lots on campus. Day permits are
$2 and can be bought at the yellow automated parking permit dispensers in the
parking lots. There is a bus stop on Soquel right below the bookstore, and also
at the top of the upper campus next to the 700 building parking lot.
The Show
The show starts with the sun setting in the west. As
the lights dim, Brian Eno's "On Land" accompanies the first stars
of the evening sky. I point out some constellations and show how the sky moves
as the earth rotates. Then we begin our slide show of the solar system, with
pictures presented on the domed ceiling. Starting with the sun and Mercuryon
through and all the planets as seen by the early spacecraft which travelled
the solar system. We let the kids add their own spin to the wierd moons of the
outer solar system, trying to guess what they looked like to the astronomers
who first saw these pictures. In between we talk a bit about "mayhem from
asteroids", including Apophis in our possible future. The slides conclude
with pictures of some of the brightest comets of the 20th century, and asteroid
impacts of the past. I then show the stars spinning through the night, pointing
out upcoming constellations, and finally ending with dawn and sunrise. If there's
time, I will take a few concluding questions.
Fall '08 Schedule
Nov 17 -- open
Nov 24 -- open
Dec 1 -- 1:15pm
Home School group
Dec 8 -- 1:15pm
Pacific Charter School
Dec 15 -- open
Spring '09 Schedule
Feb 23 -- open
Mar 2 -- open
Mar 9 -- open
Mar 16 -- open
Mar 23 -- open
Mar 30 -- open
Apr 6 -- open
Apr 20 -- open
Apr 27 -- open
May 4 -- open
May 11 -- open
May 18 -- open
back to Rick's Home Page
I
offer 1-hour planetarium shows on the solar system for community groups. Because
of my schedule, these shows are only available to be scheduled on Monday afternoons
after 1pm. The show is given live, and includes slides on the solar system including
the sun, planets, moons, comets, meteors, and a few special effects. These shows
are available to schedule by emailing me at rinolthe@cabrillo.edu.
You can also call my office at 479-6506, but emailing is much preferable to
phone tag, for me. Please leave your name, email address, and desired start
time and date. I'll then post your reservation on the schedule shown below.
There are 47 seats and no more than 47 people may be in the planetarium at one
time. There is a $50 charge payable on arrival for all groups,
regardless of size. I can give you a receipt at the time of the show, if you
would like one. The shows are suitable for all ages and groups from pre-school
on up to high school have been accomodated.