Past Events
Past Lecture & Lunch Series Below:
Why Black Holes Matter
Paul Souder, Professor of Physics, Syracuse University
When Einstein first predicted Black Holes they were not accepted as possible. We now know they are real. Professor Souder explained how they affect space and time around them and what happens when anything gets near them.
Visit Asteroid, Return Sample
Beth Ellen Clark Joseph, Professor and Chair
Physics and Astronomy, Ithaca College
The Osiris-Rex mission to the asteroid Bennu is destined to take a sample of the asteroid and return it to earth. The sample will reveal conditions in the solar system when it formed. Beth described the project and her position and responsibilities for this project.
Latest Discoveries about Exoplanets
Maryame El Moutamid
Research Associate, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science
Life on other planets? How the latest technology has allowed us to discover over 4000 planets orbiting distant stars and the things we are learning about these recent discoveries.
Past Special Events
Transit of Venus:
In 2012, the Planetarium planned a special show for the Transit of Venus with two telescopes outside and science teachers on hand to explain what the viewer was seeing. Inside, a PowerPoint presentation on the dome explained the history of Venus transits and their importance to science. There were over 250 participants, one of the largest events in the Planetarium’s history.
Solar Eclipse:
A partial eclipse of the sun drew about three hundred people to the Planetarium in 2017. A telescope with a sun filter stood outside the Planetarium for close up views of the event with a couple sun spots visible as a bonus. Inside there was a live feed from NASA tracing the total eclipse event as it became visible across the country and a presentation of the Director’s experience at a 1979 total eclipse in North Dakota.
Photo by Kevin Rivoli, Auburn Citizen
Total Eclipse of the Moon:
During a total eclipse of the moon a camera mounted on a telescope captured an image projected on the screen outside the observatory in 2004. Inside the observatory, our telescopes also offered detailed views. This was a public event attended by thirty people. Notice the shadow of the earth darkening the moon’s image on the lower left of the photo below. That is the moon in the upper left.
Solar Eclipse Public Programs at the Southern Cayuga Planetarium
Have you ever experienced nighttime during daylight hours? Have you ever seen the sun change behind the shadow of the moon? If not, your chance is coming up on April 8, 2024, in Central New York. A total solar eclipse passes through our area in the afternoon on this special day. In the words of Alan Ominsky, past director of the planetarium, “The eclipse is the most spectacular astronomical event you will see in a lifetime, but you need to be in the right place at the right time to experience it.” This event will not come to central New York again in your lifetime. The Friends of the SCCS Planetarium is offering three public programs describing the importance of the eclipse and what is happening at each phase. The dates are Friday evenings March 15 and 22, and Saturday March 30, 2024, at the Southern Cayuga Central School Planetarium.
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