Planetarium Director: Ed Megill

NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS

12/21/11

The Winter Solstice occurs at 9:30 PM PST. "Sol" refers to the Sun and "stice" means to stand still. Each day before the Winter Solstice the Sun appears a little lower in the sky at noon. The Sun’s altitude at Noon on the Winter Solstice, as seen from Sonoma County, is just 28 degrees above the southern horizon. After the Winter Solstice the Sun appears a little higher each day at noon. This results in increased daytime hours each day (until the Summer solstice) and is considered the beginning of the natural new year.

12/24/11

The New Moon occurs at 10:06 AM PST.

12/31/11

The First Quarter Moon occurs at 10:14 PM PST.

1/4/12

This is the time of year, actually at 5 PM PST today, when the Earth is officially at "perihelion" or closest to the Sun, about 91.4 million miles. “Peri” refers to being near and “helion” refers to the Sun. The average distance between the Earth and Sun is a little less than 93 million miles. In early July the Earth reached aphelion or its most distant point from the Sun, about 94.5 million miles.

1/8/12

The Full Moon occurs at 11:30 PM PST.

1/16/12

The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 1:08 AM PST.

1/20/12

This evening starts our first spring semester 2012 planetarium show "OLD SOL - OUR SUN" and runs through Sunday January 29th and again from Friday February 10th through Sunday February 19th. The weekend of Friday, February 3rd we present February's "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" program; no other shows will be given that weekend. For specific details, dates, and times for this and other shows and programs offered this school year see our public shows web page.

1/22/12

The New Moon occurs at 11:39 PM PST.

1/30/12

The First Quarter Moon occurs at 8:10 PM PST.

2/3/12

Tonight we present February's "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" program. Although admission to the "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs is free, donations to support SRJC's Planetarium are gratefully appreciated. There will be no planetarium shows on Saturday February 4th or on Sunday February 5th. For specific details about our "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs and other shows offered this school year see our public shows web page.

2/7/12

The Full Moon occurs at 1:54 PM PST.

2/14/12

The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 9:04 AM PST.

2/17/12

This is the last weekend to see our first spring semester 2012 planetarium show "OLD SOL - OUR SUN." For specific details, dates, and times for this and other shows and programs offered this school year see our public shows web page.

2/21/12

The New Moon occurs at 2:35 PM PST.

2/24/12

This evening starts our second spring semester 2012 planetarium show "NEBULAE, CLUSTERS; THE SUMMER SKY" and runs through Sunday February 26th and again from Friday March 9th through Sunday March 25th. The weekend of Friday, March 2nd we present March's "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" program; no other shows will be given that weekend. For specific details, dates, and times for this and other shows and programs offered this school year see our public shows web page.

2/29/12

The First Quarter Moon occurs at 5:21 PM PST.

3/2/12

Tonight we present March's "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" program. Although admission to the "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs is free, donations to support SRJC's Planetarium are gratefully appreciated. There will be no planetarium shows on Saturday March 3rd or on Sunday March 4th. For specific details about our "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs and other shows offered this school year see our public shows web page.

3/8/12

The Full Moon occurs at 1:39 AM PST.

3/11/12

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 AM this morning. Don't forget to move your clocks forward one hour before retiring Saturday evening. Recall the saying "Spring forward - Fall back".

3/19/12

The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 11:14 PM PDST.

3/19/12

The Vernal, or Spring, Equinox occurs at 11:14 PM PDST. The Vernal Equinox is the time when the Sun passes through the Celestial Equator along its upward path toward the Summer Solstice. "Equinox" means equal night. At the time of Equinox, the Sun is essentially above and below the horizon an equal amount of time for all locations on planet Earth. The Vernal Equinox marks the official beginning of our Spring season and in Sonoma County at 12:00 Noon you will find the Sun 51.5 degrees above our southern horizon.

3/22/12

The New Moon occurs at 7:37 AM PDST.

3/23/12

This is the last weekend to see our second, and last regular, spring semester 2012 planetarium show "NEBULAE, CLUSTERS; THE SUMMER SKY." Our "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs will be presented on the first Fridays of April and May. Our regular specific subject planetarium shows will resume in our Fall 2012 semester. For specific details, dates, and times for this and other shows and programs offered this school year see our public shows web page.

3/30/12

The First Quarter Moon occurs at 12:41 PM PDST.

4/6/12

Tonight we present April's "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" program. Although admission to the "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs is free, donations to support SRJC's Planetarium are gratefully appreciated. There will be no planetarium shows on Saturday April 7th or on Sunday April 8th. For specific details about our "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs and other shows offered this school year see our public shows web page.

4/6/12

The Full Moon occurs at 12:19 PM PDST.

4/13/12

The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:50 AM PDST.

4/21/12

The New Moon occurs at 12:18 AM PDST.

4/29/12

The First Quarter Moon occurs at 2:57 AM PDST.

4/30/12

If you’ve been noticing a very bright object in the western early night sky, you most likely have been observing the planet Venus. How bright Venus, or any other planet, appears depends on two factors: how much of the illuminated surface is visible to us from Earth and the distance between that object and Earth. Today Venus is at that optimum balance of visible surface area and distance. This means that Venus is as bright as it gets. The only two objects that can appear brighter, as seen from Earth, than Venus is the Sun and the Moon.

5/4/12

Tonight we present May's "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" program. Although admission to the "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs is free, donations to support SRJC's Planetarium are gratefully appreciated. There will be no planetarium shows on Saturday May 5th or on Sunday May 6th. This is the last of the "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs for our spring 2012 semester. Our "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs resume on the first Friday of September 2012. For specific details about our "FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SKY" programs and other shows offered this school year see our public shows web page.

5/5/12

The Full Moon occurs at 8:35 PM PDST. If this Full Moon appears very large there is nothing wrong with your vision. This is the largest Full Moon of 2012 with a distance between the Moon and Earth of only some 222,000 miles. You can also expect large tides at this time, as the tidal force of the Moon increases with the decrease in Moon-Earth distance.

5/12/12

The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 2:47 PM PDST.

5/20/12

The New Moon occurs at 4:47 PM PDST.

5/28/12

The First Quarter Moon occurs at 1:16 PM PDST.