Clarion University’s Donald D. Peirce Planetarium will host Stars Over Clarion at 7 and 8 p.m. Oct. 6, continuing the first Thursday of each month when the university is in session. The show guides audiences through the month’s night sky and highlights any important celestial events that are happening during that month.Star lore from other cultures around the world is also mentioned.
The third year celebration of Stars over Clarion will take place Nov. 3. Returning for the celebration is Clarion alumnus Will Snyder, who created Stars Over Clarion in the fall of 2013. He continued to host the program until December 2015 when he took a job as a planetarium director in North Carolina.
The celebration, like all other Stars of Clarion showings, is free and open to the public.
Around the holidays, the planetarium gets festive with both the Halloween Laser Spooktacular and Seasons of Light.
Starting at 7 and 8 p.m. Oct. 26 and 30, the Halloween Laser Spooktacular kicks off Week of Lasermania.
"(Lasermania) started because I wanted to provide a unique experience for elementary school children," said Dr. Sharon Montgomery, professor of physics and planetarium director. Montgomery said. "I was also told that autistic children are especially moved by the laser shows and I wanted to try and do something special for them."
Spooktacular combines laser caricatures of Halloween celebrities with a sing-along of Halloween favorites "Monster Mash," "Ghostbusters," "Purple People Eater" and a selection of pop and rock songs. Subsequent shows include Laser Beatles, Oct. 27, and Laser Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Oct. 28.
A family double feature is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 29. Laser Safari leads audiences on a tour through the African Serengeti and South America's Amazon Rainforest with the chance to see hyenas, lions and other safari creatures. Following the journey through the safari, at 8 p.m. audiences can enjoy a pop rock concert with Laser Pop Rock.
The Classic Rock Double Feature begins at 7 p.m. Oct 31. Laser U2 gives audiences three decades of fun with songs including "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Vertigo" and more. At 8 p.m., get ready to rock with Laser Led Zeppelin and his songs including "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love."
Tickets for all Lasermania shows are $5 per person ($8 for double features), free for children under three and available one hour before each show.
Making its seasonal return at 7 and 8 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11, Seasons of Light guides audiences through the history and development of winter holiday customs throughout the world. Also featured are historical recounts of religious and cultural winter solstice practices, lighthearted rituals of gift giving and mistletoe kissing and holiday hits. Admission is free and open to the public.
For more information on any of the planetarium events, call 814-393-2085 or visit the planetarium on Facebook at facebook.com/ClarionUniversityPlanetarium.