Beginning Tuesday July 5, Utah Museum of Natural History will host Planetary Explorations, taking campers on an exploration of the Earth, moon and stars. They will investigate how and why the Earth and moon move through the solar system and create models to explain their observations of the night sky. Kids will have the opportunity to work with Clark Planetarium education staff and meet astronomers on visits to the University of Utah’s Physics Department.

The four day camp (7/5 – 7/8/2011) is $195 and registration is available online.

Summer camps make learning fun with hands on activities and team building exercises.

Next up on our list of summer adventures is the Mission to Mars/Bizarre and Amazing Plants Camp (7/11 – 7/15/2011). For this camp our education staff will be at Red Butte Garden to teach kids about life on Mars. Through experimentation and discovery, they will learn about the mysterious red planet. There will also be an afternoon session about other-worldly plants like the Corpse Flower and Dragon Blood Tree.

This camp is for 5th and 6th graders and is available for $235.

Also at Red Butte Garden is the Out of this World Science/Weather Watchers Camp. During the week of July 18 (7/18 – 7/22/2011) campers explore “out of this world science” and weather activities. They will spend the first part of the day with our education staff learning how to build comets, design spacecrafts and perform a variety of other exciting experiments. In the afternoon, they learn about the physical world by discovering how Utah’s unique weather affects local plants and animals.

This camp is for 3rd and 4th graders and is available for $235. Registration for the Red Butte Gardens camps is available here.

In August, Clark Planetarium and Discovery Gateway partner for the Summer Science Adventure Camp (8/2 – 8/4/2011). Here kids will receive hands-on training that inspires teamwork, creativity and innovation. They will be challenged to see the world differently, whether it is looking at something a thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, or as large as galaxies in the universe.

This three day camp is for 5th and 6th graders and is available for $195 (Clark Planetarium and Discovery Gateway members receive 15% off). To register, email reservations@clarkplanetarium.org.

Clark Planetarium will be hosting a series of events during the day and the Salt Lake Astronomical Society (SLAS) features a star party at the Stansbury Park Observatory Complex that evening.

Events start at 12:30 p.m. with $1 admission to any show in the Hansen Dome Theatre until 6:45 p.m. Discounted show tickets will be available at the ticket window on the day of the event.

Clark Planetarium’s education department, Salt Lake County Library Services, University of Utah Physics and Astronomy and SLAS will provide free hands on demonstrations and activities at the planetarium from 1 – 4 p.m. with a chance win a free telescope courtesy of Celestron.

Please see below for a complete schedule of Astronomy Day events.

Show Schedule:

12:30 p.m. Secret of the Cardboard Rocket ($1 admission)

1:30 p.m. Black Holes ($1 admission)

2:30 p.m. Violent Universe ($1 admission)

3:30 p.m. Ultimate Universe ($1 admission)

4:30 p.m. Guest Lecture on the WISE infrared telescope by John Elwell ($1 admission)

5:30 p.m. Saturn Jewel of the Heavens ($1 admission)

6:45 p.m. Gateway to the Stars presentation by Mike Murray ($1 admission)

Free Activities:

1 – 3 p.m. Solar viewing outside Clark Planetarium

1 – 4 p.m. Science demonstrations and activities at Clark Planetarium

9:00 p.m. Star parties at Stansbury Park Observatory Complex and University of Utah South Physics Observatory.

*NOTE: Star parties are weather permitting.

Clark Planetarium will provide science programming on Saturday, March 5 from 1 -4 p.m. Guests will participate in experiments and activities that center around air and air pressure.  You will learn what causes air pressure, how it affects the weather and how strong air pressure is. Our education staff will also show you a ton of cool hands-on experiments and an activity you can try at home.  Other activities will include designing your own kite and meeting local meteorologist Ralph Patterson.

The UMFA is located on the University of Utah campus in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building at 410 Campus Center Drive.  All artful activity afternoon activities are free to the public.  For more information on this event or other events in this series, please visit the UMFA website.

Clark Planetarium/Red Butte Gardens Camps:

Mission to Mars/Bizarre and Amazing Plants Camp

July 11 – 15

5th – 6th grade (full day camp) $235

During the week of July 11 through 15, Clark Planetarium will be at Red Butte Gardens to teach campers about life on Mars.  Through experimentation and discovery, campers will learn all about our mysterious planetary neighbor.  This will be followed by an afternoon session about some seemingly other-worldly plants such as the Corpse Flower and the Dragon Blood Tree.

Out of this World Science/Weather Watchers Camp

July 18 – 22

3rd – 4th grade (full day camp) $235

During the week of July 18 through 22, campers will learn to explore “out of this world science” and Weather Watchers activities.  Campers will spend the first part of the day with our education staff learning how to build comets, design spacecrafts and perform a variety of other exciting experiments.  During the afternoon, they will continue learning about the physical world as they discover how Utah’s unique weather affects our local plants and animals.

For more information on our camps partnering with Red Butte Gardens, click here.

Clark Planetarium/Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum Camp:

Summer Science Adventure Camp

August 2,3,4

4th – 5th grade (full day camp) $195

Our Summer Science Adventure Camps give kids hands-on training that will inspire teamwork, creativity and innovation.  Campers will be challenged to see the world differently, whether it is looking at something a thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, or larger than galaxies in the universe.  This three day camp will be jam packed with activities, games, and fun filled experiences.

Please email reservations@clarkplanetarium.org for more information on our camp partnering with Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum.

A good Science Fair project involves a journey of discovery, driven by curiosity.  My First Weather Kit does just that.  Learn all about extreme weather with this complete weather station. Explore why we have hurricanes and typhoons, why global warming makes ocean levels rise and more as you become a weather expert! ($19.95)

 Another fun activity for young science enthusiasts is our Volcano Making Kit. Make a volcano with the plaster and mould provided, paint in the lava flow and landscape, then create your eruption by mixing baking soda and vinegar. ($9.95)

For older students, curiosity shines through our Solar Energy Laboratory. Build a solar energy laboratory and conduct more than 25 energy conservation experiments.  Use a solar collector, solar heater and other tools to collect and measure energy. ($9.95)

If your child is a fan of MythBusters, the kits below should definitely peak their interest…

Have a blast working with the Power of Air Pressure Kit and answer questions like, ‘Will your stomach really explode if you don’t belch?’ and ‘Can air alone support a train?’ while witnessing the power of air pressure in action by building a marshmallow launcher. ($19.95)

Take the lead through an exploration of aeronautics with the Forces of Flight Kit. We are surrounded by flying object every day, but can you explain the science behind it.  Learn and experiment to find the answers to questions like, ‘Can a plane really steer itself?’ ‘What would happen if an astronaut didn’t wear a space suit?’ Experiments include flying a model helicopter and launching a rocket. ($19.95)

With the Weird World of Water Kit, you will experiment to learn just how strong a whirlpool is, discover whether it’s possible to walk on water and test the limits of water’s power by building and launching a water-powered rocket! ($19.95)

Come down and visit Planet Fun for an array of these and other activities. We look forward to seeing you and good luck with those science fair projects!

Together you will enjoy the ultimate romantic evening.  No waiting in lines at a restaurant or driving around town to several destinations.  The Valentine’s Date Night package helps you avoid all the complicated details to help make the night special so you’ll be able to enjoy excellent food, outstanding entertainment and each other’s company.  Limited space is available, so be sure to book your reservation as soon as possible.

Date:  Monday, February 14, 2011

Cost:   $99 per couple ($105.29 with sales tax)

Time: Dinner served from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Location: Megaplex 12 at the Gateway

Click here for a detailed menu and ticketing information.

EVE will run December 29, 30 and 31.  Tickets can be purchase in advance at participating Fresh Market and Maverik locations. Participants can ride TRAX to EVE for FREE courtesy of Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper.

Guest’s time traveled to the 1970’s to be entertained with go-go dancers, groovy decorations and great disco hits.  Restaurants from around Salt Lake gathered to indulge our guests with some of their most popular and decadent dishes.

Silent auction and opportunity boxes were filled with over 200 prizes from local businesses and community partners and the live auction featured spectacular opportunities for once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  We completed our evening with a trip down memory lane with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon cosmic light show.  The party atmosphere and benevolence of all who attended made for a highly enjoyable and rewarding event.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who helped make this event possible.  Your generosity is critically important to our ability to provide science education programs to the community.  We are very proud to announce that with your help, over $80,000 was raised to support the Clark Planetarium mission of creating presenting stimulating educational programs that share astronomy and space exploration in our community.

Please remember our sponsors when shopping for products and services.

Boeing

Riester

L3 Communications

Utah Division of Arts and Museums

Overstock.com

Discover

Mary Beth Clark

Michael Clark

Senator Jake Garn & Kathleen Garn

Mountain West Small Business Finance

Evans & Sutherland

Pat & Boyer Jarvis

KSL

Sterling & Danette Poulson

Richards Brandt Miller Nelson

Zions Bank

ATK

Wells Fargo

Restaurant Sponsors

Bacchus Event Services

Whole Foods

Café Niche

Z’Tejas

Costa Vida

Donovan’s Steak & Chop House

Tucano’s

Lion House Restaurant

Dolcetti Gelato

We are always grateful for volunteers, sponsors and in kind sponsors. If you would like more information on ways to support Clark Planetarium, please contact clyman@slco.org

It began in 2009 when NASA centers in Maryland and California hosted events to celebrate the successful arrival of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft into lunar orbit. These events provided opportunities for the public to observe the Moon.  The overwhelming public response inspired them to do the event again on a much larger scale. Other astronomy organizations have joined in making it an international effort.

So, join in and observe the Moon on September 18th! Look for it in the southeast at sunset. Use binoculars or a telescope if you have them. Try to identify several of the roundish darker regions. These are large impact basins that have been filled by dark lava. When observing through a telescope, the best place to look is near the day-night line, called the terminator. Here, long shadows allow surface details like mountains and craters to stand out.

Don’t have a telescope? The Salt Lake Astronomical Society will host a free public star party (weather permitting) at the Stansbury Park Observation Complex (SPOC) on Saturday September 18. (They will also hold a “sneak preview”, the night before at the Taylorsville Harmons, 5454 S Redwood Road). Both observing sessions run from dusk to 11:00 p.m. Directions to SPOC

Hosted at Clark Planetarium by board members and staff, this fundraising event features delicious food from some of Salt Lake’s best restaurants, live and silent auctions and we will close out the evening with a presentation of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon cosmic light show.

Proceeds from the event benefit Clark Planetarium’s community outreach initiatives focusing on space science education. Since 2003, the planetarium has worked with community and state educators to provide unique and valuable astronomy education programs for students, teachers and the general public.

Design provided by RIESTER

“Community support for our programs is vital to our ability to create and support science education programming to Utah school children. Our facility, staff, exhibits and advanced technology allow us to place students and their teachers in the model, making difficult concepts easier to understand. ” said Seth Jarvis, director of the planetarium.

Each year more than 75,000 school children are served through Clark Planetarium visits and the AstroVan outreach program. The Dark Side of the Moon fundraising gala will give attendees the opportunity to experience the educational exhibits and programs in a fun, party-like atmosphere while helping to fund the planetarium’s educational mission.

The Dark Side of the Moon gala will be held at Clark Planetarium on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010 from 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $100 ($125 if purchased after Sept. 17) and can be purchased online.

1970’s party apparel is encouraged and all guests will receive a string of pearls compliments of Overstock.com.