Despite the various challenges presented around campus due to COVID-19, the Sunday night planetarium shows have been able to continue this semester.
The sessions, which are typically held inside the Shineman Planetarium, are now being held virtually via Zoom every Sunday at 7 p.m. While it may not be as immersive as sitting inside a 24-foot dome, the SUNY Oswego science department is still working hard to provide a rich and educational experience for all.
“We kind of got caught flat-footed in the spring,” said professor John Zielinski, who is hosting the shows in the month of October. However, he and his fellow professors did not have much difficulty finding alternatives for the fall semester.
“We have software that simulates the night sky, and we have another computer program that takes the images generated by that simulation and projects them on the dome,” Zielinski said. “You can run that type of sky-simulation software on any computer.”
In addition, the virtual shows are very similar to traditional planetarium shows, maintaining the same basic format.
“I project some slides, talk about things and give them some background, and then I show them images of the sky,” Zielinski said. “In the planetarium, it’s on the dome above them. Here it’s on a flat screen.”
The current show is “The Constellations of Fall: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.” The show will portray Autumn constellations such as Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Perseus and Pegasus. The planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will also be visible.
The autumn season is a great time for skygazing, as it features some of the most popular and well-recognized constellations. Many of the visible constellations, including Pegasus, Cassiopeia and Perseus, are among the 48 constellations recognized by second century astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. Currently, there are 88 active constellations, according to the International Astronomical Union.
The show will provide context on the constellations themselves and explore some of the mythology behind them. Many of the fall constellations are a major part of Greek mythology, as they are connected to the story of Andromeda. The show goes in depth on this story and how the constellations played a role in it.
In addition, the show will provide tips on how to stargaze locally, both on-campus and in the town of Oswego. Zielinski said the show is also set up in order to allow participants to observe the constellations from wherever they may be located.
“I show them a simplified map of what they would see in the night sky on that Sunday at 8 p.m.,” Zielinski said. “The show is normally over at 8 p.m., so if they walked right out after the show, what would they see?”
Zielinski’s diagram makes it easier for the viewer to piece together parts of the night sky, as he provides context on each constellation.
“Once I show them the diagram and identify what’s there, I show them that with the planetarium simulation software,” Zielinski said. “I show them the sky with lots of stars and how they would pick out Jupiter and Saturn from all these stars.”
Zielinski will also provide recommendations for affordable binoculars and telescopes, if “people are interested in going to the next step.”
The themes of the planetarium shows will change each month, with astronomy professor Scott Roby hosting the November shows. His topic is to be announced in the future. September shows were hosted by professor Richard Frieman, and can still be accessed via the Oswego Planetarium page on Facebook.
Questions from the audience are encouraged, per the event’s description. The link to access the show is https://zoom.us/j/95587129577.
Photo by Stephen Novak | The Oswegonian
