Planetarium and geology museum to host Nov. 9 open house

Augustana College's John Deere Planetarium will be open to the public on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, for the annual fall open house. The planetarium, located at 820 38th Street, will be open from 7-8:30 p.m., with indoor and outdoor programs led by planetarium director Dr. Lee Carkner. Admission is free.

The evening's events will include a planetarium show where the wonders of the night sky will be presented on the facility's 30-foot dome. Views of astronomical objects, including the Moon and the planets Jupiter and Saturn will be provided via the telescopes of the Carl Gamble Observatory. In addition, the Getz-Rogers Gallery, where images of celestial objects and a quarter-ton piece of the Canyon Diablo meteor are on display, will also be open to the public.  

The Fryxell Geology Museum, which features one of the best collections of minerals and fossils in the Midwest, will also be open to the public. Highlights in the museum include a wall of glowing, fluorescent rocks, a cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, and a complete 22-foot long skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a large crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica.

The observing areas are unheated, so visitors are encouraged to dress appropriate to the weather. In the event of cloudy sky conditions, telescope views may not be possible, but the indoor programs will still be offered.