Rowan’s Edelman Planetarium hosts summer programs

The Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University will offer one final special observing open house on Wednesday, June 1, starting at 8 p.m. and going to at least 10 p.m.

Three bright planets will be available for excellent viewing with Rowan telescopes. As twilight fades, Jupiter is beaming brightly high in the southwest. Mars, normally shining at only medium brightness, is much closer to Earth than usual right now (only 47 million miles away) and temporarily looks almost as bright as Jupiter. The Red Planet can be found low in the southeast. A bit lower and farther to the left is ivory Saturn. All three will provide great views in a telescope.

The sky will not be dark by 8 p.m.; indeed, there is still a wisp of twilight visible at 10 p.m. Jupiter and Mars are quite visible even in strong twilight; however Mars will be too low in the sky for viewing until at least 9 p.m.

Visitors should park in Lot C on Carpenter Street in Glassboro near the Rowan football stadium. Walk back through the middle of the campus and look for signs for Science Hall. Take the elevator in the western corner of the building to fourth floor, where people will direct visitors to the 16-inch telescope in the observatory and to other telescopes outside on the observing deck.

Those wishing a quick introduction to the current sky, especially the three planets, before going up to the observing deck may stop in at the planetarium theater at either 8 or 8:30 p.m. for a free 15-minute presentation of what to expect. The theater is on ground floor on the north side of Science Hall.

This event is free and open to the public. If clouds prevent this event on Wednesday, the department will attempt to hold this on Thursday night, June 2.

Music of the Spheres

The retiring planetarium director, Keith Johnson, will host a final show in June called “Music of the Spheres” in the theater on Wednesday, June 15 at 2 p.m. The show will offer a variety of musical selections, ranging from Rachmaninoff to The 5th Dimension, from Widor's  Toccata to the jazz number “Star Eyes.” British philosopher Eric Idle will provide a musical explanation of humans’ place in the cosmos, taken from his group's scientific presentation The Meaning of Life.

Each piece will be accompanied by animated and dramatic visuals powered by Rowan’s SciDome projection system. This half-hour of astro-entertainment is primarily intended for the Rowan community, but it is open to the public. The event is free.