Planetarium opens to the public for spring open house

Augustana College's John Deere Planetarium will be open to the public on Saturday night, May 11, for the annual Spring Open House for an evening of stargazing and space shows.

The planetarium, located at 820 38th St., will be open from 8:30-10 p.m., with indoor and outdoor programs led by planetarium director Dr. Lee Carkner. Admission is free.

The evening’s events will feature views of the mountains and craters of the Earth’s Moon from Augustana’s telescopes. The event will also include a planetarium show and an opportunity to visit the Carl Gamble Observatory. 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. The museum is housed in Swenson Hall of Geosciences, located next to the planetarium.

Museum highlights include a wall of glowing, fluorescent rocks; casts of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull; and a complete 22-foot long skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a large, crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica.

The planetarium's observing areas are unheated so dress appropriately for the weather. In the event of cloudy sky conditions, telescope views may not be possible, but the indoor programs will still be offered.