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!

Legends of Flight is playing daily in the ATK IMAX Theatre. A complete show schedule is available on our website.

Guests can get here by broomstick or car……or they can ride the Hogwarts Express (TRAX) to Station 9 ¾ (otherwise known to Muggles as the TRAX Planetarium Stop).  Once here, guests will step into Harry’s shoes and embark on a mystical journey filled with magic, scientific wonder and excitement.

Guest will be sorted into their respective houses using the powerful technology of our Science on a Sphere exhibit.  Guest will receive an acceptance letter and their house crest buttons.  From there, guest will be guided by their class schedule to an array of exciting activities.

Animal experts from Hogle Zoo and Living Planet Aquarium will be on hand for guest to get up close to and learn about some of their favorite magical creatures including owls, spiders, ferrets, birds and snakes.  Wizardry can be found around every corner as guests are mesmerized by fortune tellers and the talents of Century, the magician.  Learn the secrets behind some of the magical elements of Hogwarts with science demonstrations by our education team on air pressure, electricity and optical illusions.  And don’t forget to stop by our Hansen Dome Theatre for short presentations of some of our best Cosmic Light Shows.  Before you end the night, make sure you stop by Honeydukes for snacks made by the house-elves and don’t forget your photo booth souvenir.

Make sure you enter our costume contest for great prizes or enter for a chance to visit the new Wizardry World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  Tickets for our Harry Potter Premiere Party of $15.  Show tickets and Premiere Party tickets are sold separately.

The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) is an organization that works with manufacturers, planners, legislators, and citizens to use our light more efficiently. They promote one simple idea: Light what you need, when you need it.

Pete Strasser, Senior Technical Advisor for The International Dark Sky Association, will be conducting a free presentation on November 15, 2010 at 7:00pm. The presentation will be held at the Park City Library and Education Building (1255 Park Avenue, Park City, UT.) This presentation is sponsored by Wasatch Back Environmental Alliance, Park City Chamber/ Bureau and Park City Municipal Corporation.

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.

Misconception #2:   There are two days in the year when the Sun is directly over the North or South Poles of Earth.

During the Summer Solstice each year, the North Pole (and all areas north of 66° N) experience 24 hours of daylight, and the South Pole (and areas south of 66° S) experience 24 hours of darkness.  During the Winter Solstice each year, this effect is reversed with the South Pole experiencing daylight and the North Pole experiencing darkness.  It would be easy to assume that the Sun must be directly over the Poles when they experience 24 hours of daylight.  This, however, is not the case.

Earth’s rotational axis is pointed nearly at Polaris, the North Star, tilted about 23.5° from vertical relative to its orbit around the Sun. Earth maintains the same angle of inclination throughout its orbit.  Earth’s surface angle to the Sun, however, does change throughout the year.  As we orbit the Sun, the North Pole leans in the direction of the Sun for a portion of the year (summer) and it leans away from the Sun for a portion of the year (winter).

The Sun will never be directly above either of the poles and in fact only gets to a maximum height of about 23.5° above the horizon at either the north or south pole.  At the North Pole, the Sun is permanently above the horizon during the summer months and permanently below the horizon during the winter months causing night-less summers and day-less winters.  The reverse is true at the South Pole.  

To get the full picture, let’s look at some other locations around the world.  Take the Equator, for example. The day length is roughly 12 hours at the Equator all year long.   From the Equator to the Poles, all points in between experience different amounts of daylight depending on their distance from these locations (their latitude).  

So what does this have to do with the seasons?

As we orbit the Sun, Earth’s surface receives varying intensities and durations of sunlight. In Utah, June is when the Sun climbs high in the sky (about 73°) and our part of  Earth receives a strong concentration of sunlight.  Earth has more time (about 15 hours) to absorb the Sun’s energy during the day while there is less time at night (about 9 hours) for that energy to radiate back into space. This is when we experience our warm summer months.  In December, the Sun doesn’t reach nearly as high in the sky (about 26°), so the rays of light spread out as they cover the ground. Therefore, the Sun’s energy is less efficient at warming our part of Earth’s surface.  That fact, coupled with the fact that we have less hours (about 9 hours) to absorb the Sun’s energy and more hours (about 15 hours) for that energy to radiate back to space makes for our cold winter months.

In our next discussion, we will look at the next common misconception about the seasons and discuss some activities that you can do to help you better understand the seasonal changes here on Earth.

The Maya made sense of an ever-changing world by observing, recording and predicting natural events such as solstices, solar eclipses, weather patterns, and planetary movements. These observations, in combination with a sophisticated mathematical system, allowed them to develop a precise calendar system; their measurements of the length of the solar year were more accurate than measurements the Europeans used as the basis of the Gregorian calendar. The Maya also predicted eclipses, were able to forecast seasonal change and developed the concept of mathematical zero, enabling them to predict events into the future.

Produced by the the Chabot Space and Science center,  Tales of the Maya Skies open May 28, 2010 and will play at 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily. Tickets are available online.