Season Features the Popular "A Walk Around the Winter Hexagon"
Santa Monica College's John Drescher Planetarium continues its Friday evening events in winter 2025 with free, live virtual shows presented online at smc.edu/planetarium. The winter shows will explore the different types of galaxies, present an update on Mars robots Perseverance and Curiosity, provide a quick tour of the Moon's 'seas' and craters, and consider the latest definitions of 'space' and 'astronauts.' Winter shows also include the popular "A Walk Around the Winter Hexagon," with spectacular images.
The Friday evening shows are at 8 p.m. and are preceded by a streamlined virtual digest of the popular Night Sky Show at 7 p.m., offering the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. The shows include the chance to chat with the planetarium lecturers and ask questions.
Planetarium lecturers are currently using the Zoom platform to present shows while SMC's new planetarium and observatory are under construction. To attend the online shows, the Zoom software must be installed on the viewer's computer. A free download is available at zoom.com.
The winter 2025 shows are:
• Friday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "Deep Sky Deep Dive: Galaxies" - Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Originally called "spiral nebulae," galaxies like the Milky Way contain hundreds of billions of stars and come in many shapes and sizes. Tonight's show explores the different types of galaxies and how these distant marvels are studied. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.
• Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "The Robots of Mars" - Lecturer Sarah Vincent. The Red Planet is "inhabited" by robots. Curiosity and Perseverance are currently exploring its dusty surface, but they are just the latest in a long line of robotic explorers. Tonight's show dives into the history and evolution of the robots of Mars. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.
• Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "Luna: Earth's Natural Satellite" - Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Tantalizingly close, yet so far away, Earth's constant companion inspires dreams and exploration with its familiar face. Tonight's show provides a quick guided tour of the Moon's mare (Latin for "sea") and craters. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.
• Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. (starting with The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "A Walk Around the Winter Hexagon" - Lecturer Jim Mahon. The winter sky offers a bounty of bright stars surrounding its signature constellation, Orion the Hunter. Embedded in the Sword of Orion is the mighty Orion Nebula, the large area of star formation closest to the solar system. Using spectacular images, tonight's show explores the Orion and Rosette nebulae, several beautiful star clusters, Barnard's Loop, red giant Betelgeuse, Sirius (the brightest star in the skies of Earth), the Crab Nebula, and other treasures of this rich area of the winter sky. Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.
• Friday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m. (following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m.): "Space: The Karman Line and Beyond" - Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Earth's thin atmosphere is home to all currently known life in the universe...except the astronauts in the International Space Station. These temporary inhabitants of space spend months above the atmosphere in freefall. Tonight's show investigates how we define space and the changing definition of "astronaut." Free. Zoom at smc.edu/planetarium.
More information is available online at smc.edu/planetarium or by calling 310-434-3005. All shows subject to change or cancellation without notice.
Santa Monica College (SMC) is a California Community College accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
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