By Lookout Staff

September 20, 2024 -- The Santa Monica planetarium will come down to earth next month with a pair of shows exploring citizen science and the most sensitive communication system on Earth.

The John Drescher Planetarium also will continue its "Deep Sky Deep Dive" series with two shows that explore exoplanets and neutron stars, event organizers said.

The free, live virtual shows take place Fridays at 8 p.m. and are preceded by a streamlined, virtual digest of the popular Night Sky Show at 7 p.m. that offers the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.

Next month's lineup kicks off Friday, October 4 when planetarium lecturer Sarah Vincent presents “Exploring Citizen Science,” a look at projects that give the public an opportunity to contribute to active scientific research.

"Citizen scientists have been named in research papers, and citizen science projects have even been embedded in video games," organizers said.

"From cataloging galaxies to sorting RNA, citizen science projects are a fun way to explore favorite STEM fields."

On Friday, October 11, Vincent presents “Deep Space Network (DSN),” which is capable of maintaining 24-7 communication with spacecraft spread across the solar system from its home in Pasadena.

"Ever wondered how NASA 'talks' to spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter or Mars? The DSN is the conduit through which almost all solar system science passes."

The lineup resumes Friday, October 18, when Vincent presents “Deep Sky Deep Dive: Understanding Exoplanets,” a look at planets beyond Earth’s solar system.

A relatively new discovery, the first exoplanet was confirmed in 1992. "Since then, with the help of missions like Kepler and TESS, more than 5,000 exoplanets have been confirmed."

The least massive is about twice the size of the moon, while the most massive is some 30 times the mass of Jupiter.

The first detection of an exoplanet in 1988 intensified interest in finding planets that orbit in a star's "habitable zone," making it conducive to supporting extraterrestrial life and eventually leading to headlines proclaiming “Water World Discovered.”

Vincent will explore where the exoplanets are, how they form and what they can teach about Earth and its solar system.

The October lineup concludes on Friday, October 25 with another “Deep Sky Deep Dive" presented by Vincent, this one focusing on Neutron Stars, which "wear many faces -- pulsar, magnetar, stellar corpse.

The show explores what neutron stars are and "reveal some of the different forms of this enigmatic deep sky object," organizers said.

Planetarium lecturers are currently using the Zoom platform to present shows while SMC’s new planetarium and observatory are under construction.

To attend the virtual shows, the Zoom software must be installed on the viewer’s computer. A free download is available at zoom.com.

"The shows include the chance to chat with the planetarium lecturers and ask questions related to astronomy and space exploration," planetarium officials said.

More information is available online at smc.edu/planetarium or by calling 310-434-3005. Shows are subject to change or cancellation without notice.