Schuele Star Shows Canceled Through Friday

Please help us get the word out! All Schuele Planetarium programs Wednesday - Friday, (July 7 - 9, 2010) are CANCELED due to Summer Camp. We'll resume our normal star show schedule on Saturday, July 10. Thanks for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience!

5th Annual Globe at Night Campaign

Globe at Night, the annual 2-week campaign that helps to address the issue of light pollution is returning in less than a week! The loss of dark skies, caused by "light pollution," is a concern on many fronts: safety, energy conservation, cost, health and effects on wildlife, as well as our ability to view the stars. How can you help?

From March 3 - 16, you can join people all over the world and record the brightness of your night sky. You simply match the appearance of the sky (toward the constellation Orion) with star maps of progressively fainter stars found online. Submit your measurements online with your date, time and location. A few weeks later, organizers release a map of light-pollution levels worldwide.
 
Over the last four Globe at Night campaigns, volunteers from more than 100 nations have contributed 35,000 measurements. To learn more about participating, head over to the Globe at Night website. For children's activities, check out http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/DarkSkiesRangers.

With half of the world’s population now living in cities, many urban dwellers have never experienced the wonder of pristinely dark skies ...and maybe never will. Your measurements can make a world of difference!

StarLab Visit In the News & Disney Volunteer Days

Some nice pictures and a description of our StarLab in action made the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram today. Schuele Planetarium Director Jay Reynolds took the starry sky dome and astronomy lessons on the road to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County last night.

The story, linked here, centers around a volunteer who helped with our portable planetarium and earned a Disney day in the process. By the way, Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is also participating in the Disney program. (Photo above is from the Chronicle Telegram's Chuck Humel. His complete slide-show is at this link.)

Thanksgiving Weekend Hours & Programs

A reminder that Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day and will close early at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25. On all other days throughout the weekend, we will be open normal hours from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Catch a free, family-friendly Meet An Animal program all about Squeezers (Boas and Pythons) on Friday at 3 p.m.... and check out the Schuele Planetarium star show line-up for Saturday. There's something for all ages!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Labor Day Weekend Schedule

It will be a busy weekend in Bay Village with soccer players from all over the region in town for a tournament. Lake Erie Nature & Science Center will welcome visitors on our usual schedule, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, but please note that we will be closed Monday, September 7 for the Labor Day holiday.

We have a full day of slate of public star shows in the Walter R. Schuele Planetarium on Saturday, including a new topic for our Monthly Skyquest,"There's a Lot to See in September!" The planetarium staff will answer a ton of questions about the late summer night sky over Northeast Ohio: Why can't we see Saturn anymore? Where are its rings? Is that Jupiter? Can you really see Neptune? What does all of this have to do with a triangle of summer?

This is a time of transition in the night sky, with a great deal to see with our eyes, binoculars and telescope. If the weather cooperates, we'll have telescopes out in meadow for free, guided viewing after the 7 p.m. Skyquest Show. Please note that this marks the first night that the evening Skyquest shows will return to the 7 p.m. start time after moving to 8 p.m. for the summer.

Stop by and see us and enjoy the long weekend!

Rocket Camp Rocks!

The Walter R. Schuele Planetarium staff always has a ball leading our Rocket Camps and this summer has been no exeception. Families are invited to the launch and it's always fun to see the efforts of the kids pay off with a successful lift off!
We posted a few more photos over on our Facebook page.

If your child missed out, there's alway next summer! And, there's more space science fun on the fall planetarium schedule, including Laser Halloween!

Shooting Star Show Tonight

The weather forecast looks decent, so head on over to the Perseids party tonight at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. Bring the entire family to learn about the annual Perseids Meteor Shower at an 8 p.m. planetarium program. Then, walk across the street, spread out a blanket, look through a telescope and enjoy nature's show in the sky! Tickets for the program in the Walter R. Schuele planetarium are $3/person and the gathering to watch the shooting stars is free!
Speaking of sky shows, did you get a chance to see the great orange moonrise several days last week? This photo was snapped Saturday west of Sandusky.

Get the Inside Scoop on Orion-Ares I

If you enjoy keeping up with NASA's plans for future space exploration, you'll want to join us for a very special night in the Schuele Planetarium. The 8 p.m. Saturday, July 18 Monthly Skyquest program will feature Deputy Director Joe Baumeister of NASA Glenn who will provide the latest information about NASA’s replacement for the Space Shuttle, Orion – Ares I, including the test flight set for later this year.

Free tickets for this event are on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the presentation at 8 p.m. Although we love welcoming the little ones to planetarium programs like Twinkle Tots and Stellar Stars, this program is not suitable for small children. There will also be free telescope viewing at 9 p.m., weather permitting.

NASA Explorer School

Representatives from schools across the country who’ve been chosen as NASA Explorer schools paid a visit to Lake Erie Nature & Science Center’s Schuele Planetarium this month as part of their enrichment activities.
NASA Explorer Schools program is designed to bring engaging mathematics, science and technology learning to a select group of educators each year. Teams of teachers and education administrators from diverse communities across the country work with education specialists from NASA centers, including NASA Glenn, in an effort to encourage innovative science and mathematics instruction for 4th - 9th graders.








Here at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, two-dozen Explorer School participants enjoyed an interactive star show and heard first-hand how hands-on, informal science education can make a difference in bringing complex concepts to life. Schuele Planetarium Director Jay Reynolds, Planetarium Specialist Jessica Mazzola and three NASA representatives led the workshop.
For more on how you can enjoy a planetarium program, visit the Schuele Planetarium online. For more information about the Explorer Schools program visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/.

See Space Station Tonight Over NE Ohio

As long as the cloud layer doesn't thicken up much more, The International Space Station should be visible tonight. We have even better passes later this week, but the weather looks poor for those.

This week will be the LAST of the EVENING passes until EARLY JULY.

This is a time correction for ISS tonight - Please forgive the incorrect hours listed in earlier post and email:

Correct times for tonights pass are:

10:04 From the North West

10:07 ISS passes nearly directly over North Eastern Ohio 71 degrees (nearly as high as our Sun is on a hot Summer day)

10:08 Moving towards the South East

- Schuele Planetarium Director Jay Reynolds

NASA Cancels May 2 Stagazing Event

The NASA Glenn Visitor's Center issued a statement today canceling the May 2nd Stargazing Event:
"In light of the health issue and other contributing factors, out of concern for our general public, we are officially cancelling the Stargazing event that was scheduled for Saturday, May 2."-NASA Glenn Visitors Center
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center's Schuele Planetarium staff was a collaborating partner for the event and planned to take all of our programming for the day off-site to NASA. Because of the event cancellation, all May 2 Schuele Planetarium programs, including the 7 p.m. "Monthly SkyQuest" & telescopes, will now run on our usual schedule here at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center.
Check the public program schedule for the planetarium here.

Night Sky Alert! Double Feature Tonight

Skywatchers! Schuele Planetarium Director Jay Reynolds says there will be a man-made double feature in the night sky tonight! Here are his viewing instructions:
Space Shuttle (STS-119) will be visible at 9:03 p.m. tonight looking WEST, at 9:05 p.m., moving towards North North West (NNW) 25 degress off of the horizon.

Wait 9 minutes later, at 9:14 p.m. the Space Station will emerge from the WEST heading North North West (NNW) at 9:17 p.m., 25 degrees

Space Shuttle (STS-119)
9:03 p.m. WEST,
9:05 p.m., North North West (NNW) 25 degress off of the horizon.

Space Station
9:14 p.m. WEST
9:17 p.m. North North West (NNW) 25 degrees up from the horizon

Happy viewing!

Drop In Today for St. Pat's, Buzzards & Stars

You can add some St. Patty's Day or Buzzards Day flavor to your Lake Erie Nature & Science Center visit today (3/14/09) as we present a pair of programs that require no advance registration.
First up, Amy Leamon and Maggie Watson will have activities for all ages out in the Log Cabin for a St. Patty's Day-themed Drop In & Discover program. Stop by any time between 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. but please keep in mind that space in the Log Cabin is limited and we’ll take visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a $3 fee per child.

At 3 p.m., with the help of “Vern,” our live Turkey Vulture, we'll explore this strange bird's behaviors, including vomiting, bed-wetting and even nose-picking. We'll reveal all the misconceptions and fascinating truths about this commonly misunderstood animal, just in time for Sunday's Buzzard Day in Hinckley. Director of Wildlife, Dave Wolf, will also explain how Turkey Vulture's suddenly changed ancestors during this FREE, family friendly, Meet An Animal program.
And, as always, we'll have a full line-up of public planetarium shows starting with Twinkle Tots at 11 a.m. up through Monthly Skyquest at 2 p.m.

Holiday Hours

Lake Erie Nature & Science Center will be closing our doors early this Christmas Eve at 3 p.m. to spend time with friends and family. We hope you're doing the same! We'll be closed on Christmas Day as well. We'll also observe an early 3 p.m. closing on New Year's Eve with New Year's Day off. The rest of the Winter Break period, we'll be open for our usual hours (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) and we even have some extra fun planned in the Walter R. Schuele Planetarium where you and your family can enjoy the twinkling stars and special holiday laser lights and music. May your holidays be filled with joy & natural wonder!

Mars Lander Declared Dead

Schuele Planetarium Director and NASA Speaker's Bureau Representative Jay Reynolds reports that it's official! After 5 1/2 months of operation, Mars Phoenix Lander has stopped communicating with controllers on Earth.
Landing May 25th, on the edge of the Mars Northern Polar Ice Cap (the equivalent of Northern Alaska), this lander not only sent photos, but had a weather station and geology labs. Final results will be long coming, but safe to say, this area of Mars once was wetter, currently has water ice and the local soil has favorable chemistry for life to grab a foot hold. Here's the AP report.

Jay always shares the latest, cutting edge space science news and photos at all of our planetarium programs, so check out the schedule of public star shows and stop by.

'Rookwood' Owl Rides at Woolly Bear Parade

Our wonderful, Great-horned Owl, Rookwood, was one of the hits of the annual Woolly Bear Festival parade in Vermilion yesterday. Cleveland Plain Dealer photographer Lynn Ischay grabbed this great close-up of Rookwood as he perched on the arm of Schuele Planetarium Director Jay Reynolds, a long-time participant in the festival and parade. Rookwood and Jay got to ride in a fancy convertible, but it was Rookwood that was featured on the front of the PD's Metro section. More of Lynn's images from the Woolly Bear Fest can be found at Cleveland.com.

Star Gazing At NASA Glenn

We hope you've marked your calendar for a special astronomy event coming up in September. The NASA Glenn Visitor Center, in collaboration with the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center and the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association, is hosting the fifth annual Star Gazing event on Saturday, September 20. Learn about the stars and identify the constellations in the StarLab Dome. Look through solar and night telescopes, weather permitting. View pieces of the Moon and meteorites, plus kids' crafts, "Picture Yourself in Space" digital photographs and plenty of handouts -- all free!

Please note that because Lake Erie Nature & Science Center planetarium staff will be helping to lead Star Gazing Day activities at NASA, the regularly scheduled (and previously published) planetarium shows in the Walter R. Schuele Planetarium for September 20 are cancelled for the entire day.

Q:Best Place To View Perseids in 2008?

A: Inside the Walter R. Schuele Planetarium.
The peak of the annual Perseids Meteor Shower coincides with a full moon this year, making the "shooting stars" more difficult to see. The Schuele Planetarium will host its annual Perseids Night Viewing Party Tuesday night (August 12) at the height of the shower, but Planetarium Director Jay Reynolds says the best views may be inside during a special 7 p.m. star show. Reynolds discussed the Perseids today on WTAM-Radio. Check the Planetarium Public Shows listings on Lake Erie Nature & Science Center's website for information on Perseids-themed planetarum programming.

Laser Magic Kicks Off Memorial Day Weekend

Our Skylase laser light equipment has been installed in the Schuele Planetarium and we'll kick off our Saturday Laser Magic shows, starting tomorrow, May 24. The planetarium staff has announced music selections for tomorrow's line-up as well. If you missed them on our website, here's the rundown:

11:30 and 12:30 Shows

Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters – Weird Al Yankovic

Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby
Lobster Rock – B-52’s

Beach Boys Medley

1:30 Show

N Sync Pop

Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby

Lobster Rock – B-52’s

Beach Boys Medley

3 p.m. Show

Get This Party Started – Pink

N Sync Pop

Beatles Medley

Beach Boys Medley

Patriotic Selections: Summon the Heroes and God Bless the USA

8 p.m. Show

Rockin' Lasers including Pink Floyd

We hope you'll come on out and join us!

Full Dome Lasers To Light Up Planetarium

We're hearing a lot of good buzz about our all free Astronomy Day coming up this Saturday, May 10. Download a pdf schedule or check out details online and make plans to join us if you can.

Later in the month, we have a dazzling, new planetarium experience for our visitors! Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is excited to bring a limited run of award-winning, full-dome laser light shows to our Bay Village location in late May and June. The programs will feature Skylase laser technology, which combines animated lights, music and/or storytelling to create an experience that appeals to all ages.

Our public schedule of laser shows begins Saturday, May 24. You can visit the website page devoted to the Laser Lights for complete dates, times and details. You’ll note that our tickets will be priced very affordably compared to similar laser experiences available around the country.

One more FYI: if you're considering enrolling your K - 6 child in our June 17 - 20 Summer Space Camp, you're child will be happy to know that Skylase Lights will be on the roster of fun for that camp as well!