Culver City Observer -

Santa Monica College's John Drescher Planetarium continues its Friday evening events in May 2024 with free, live virtual shows presented online at smc.edu/planetarium. This month's friendly shows will look at ground-based observatories, the Kuiper Belt and Oort cloud, astrophotography, and SpaceX competitors. This month will also feature "Supernova," the first show in the new Deep Sky Deep Dive series.

The Friday evening shows are at 8 p.m. and are preceded by a streamlined virtual digest of the popular Night Sky Show at 7 p.m., offering the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. The shows include the chance to chat with the planetarium lecturers and ask questions.

Planetarium lecturers are currently using the Zoom platform to present shows while SMC's new planetarium and observatory are under construction. Free Zoom software is available for download at zoom.com.

The May 2024 shows are:

• Friday, May 3, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "Great Ground-based Observatories" - Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Tonight's show explores three pivotal, ground-based observatories of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Mt. Wilson shaped modern cosmology, Keck Observatory searches for exoplanets, and Vera C. Rubin will search for dark matter. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.

• Friday, May 10, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "Solar System Survey Part 9: Kuiper Belt and Beyond" - Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Tonight's exploration of the solar system takes a look at its outer reaches - the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud of icy debris. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.

• Friday, May 17, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "Astrophotography 101" - Guest Lecturer David Pinsky - Avid astrophotographer David Pinsky shares skills and tips for capturing breathtaking images of the night sky. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.

• Friday, May 24, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "Competition for SpaceX" - Planetarium Lecturer Jim Mahon - SpaceX has set the bar for relatively low-cost space flight. Can Boeing, ULA, and others catch up? Who are the new space race competitors? Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.

• Friday, May 31, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): Deep Sky Deep Dive: "Supernova" - Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. When Carl Sagan said, "We are made of star-stuff," he was not just waxing poetic; he was stating a fact. Launching the new Deep Sky Deep Dive series, tonight's show shines light on how stellar death became human life. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.

More information is available online at smc.edu/planetarium or by calling 310-434-3005. All shows are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Photo credit: Amy Williams Photography