Planetarium shows to feature Jupiter
MHCC planetarium visitors will have an opportunity Monday to view the largest planet in our solar system at two evening planetarium shows. During May, Jupiter will be the closest it gets about every 13 months, Doug McCarty said in an email. He said it has dark belts and bands and a “gigantic cyclonic storm called the Great Red Spot which is larger than Earth.” He said all of the planetarium shows are live so that the audience can ask questions. “The planetarium star projector is always used to show the audience how to locate planets, galaxies and star clusters.” McCarty will show the audience where Jupiter is in the planetarium, and then if the sky is clear they will head outside to look at it through the college’s six-inch telescope. He said any time it’s clear on a show night he likes to take the telescope out, but even without it, Jupiter will still be visible with the naked eye. With the weather being good, there is more of a chance the sky will be clear. He said he took his own telescope out Tuesday night and saw Saturn, and Jupiter and its moons. MHCC’s planetarium is one of five in the state, and the only other planetarium in Portland is OMSI’s. Part of the allure of MHCC’s planetarium is the fact the shows are done live. McCarty said this gives them spontaneity. “It’s always slightly different,” he said. He said that both public shows have been selling out, and the Sky Theater seats 80. The program recently added the second show, and McCarty said it was because there was great interest from the public and he didn’t want to turn people away. He said, “If you are interested in learning about your home, the universe, it’s worth coming to a show.” He said people should expect to learn about the night sky, galaxies, black holes, the expanding universe and more. According to the MHCC website, the show will be Monday May 8 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $1. Children are welcome and the planetarium is wheelchair accessible.
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