Vanderbilt Planetarium Premiers New Show

By Patrick Keeffe

The Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum will open its latest new show, Black Holes: Journey into the Unknown, on Saturday, February 15, at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m. Other regular showings are Tuesdays and Sundays at 2:00.

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush and presenting the latest scientific information, this new show brings to life all that is fascinating and extreme in the universe of black holes.

Witness what would happen if you got too close to one and see how a black hole is able to warp time and space. No longer the stuff of science fiction, the discovery of the black hole has been a triumph of modern science, an incredible journey from imagination to reality. Black Holes was produced in Australia by the Melbourne Planetarium, Scienceworks Museum and Museum Victoria. Because of the complex nature of the material, the show is recommended for ages 10 and up.

David Bush, technical and production coordinator for the Vanderbilt Reichert Planetarium, says “Black Holes is one of the best planetarium shows ever produced on the subject. It is incredibly fascinating, and presents astronomical facts in an understandable and artistic way.”

For details on each show, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org

SPECIAL SCHOOL WINTER-BREAK SCHEDULE

Monday, February 17 – Sunday, February 23

This week ONLY, the Museum and Planetarium will be open every day from 12:00 to 4:00. (Please note, however, that the last Mansion tour of the day and the last Planetarium show of the day each begin at 4:00.)

Guided Mansion tours begin at 12:30, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Show schedule: 12:00 – One World, One Sky; 1:00 – Solar System Odyssey; 2:00 – Black Holes; 3:00 – Stars; 4:00 – To Space and Back