Astronomy Department School and Public Shows

School Shows

Bellevue Community College's Astronomy Department invites you and your students to experience the wonders of our solar system…

under our planetarium skies.

In our planetarium we are able to recreate the clear night sky, which enables students to explore the stars and constellations. After the current constellations are pointed out, the focus will shift to the Sun and the nine planets in our Solar System. The latest NASA images will be shown, and the nature of each planet discussed. This live presentation is suggested for second grade students and up.

•  Maximum number : Our planetarium seats 60. The total number of students, teachers, and chaperones may not exceed 60.

•  Times: All of our presentations are 45 minutes in length, and take place from 10:30am to 11:15am, Monday through Friday while school is in session. Presentations must begin at 10:30, so we suggest that each class arrive 10 minutes early.

•  Reservations : All shows are booked on a first-come first-served basis and must be made at least three weeks in advance. You may call 425-564-5282 for a recorded message about the shows and further information about booking a show.

•  Cost : The cost is $150 for the 45 minute Solar System presentation.
 

Available show topics:

The Sky Tonight (all ages)

            It may be raining or cloudy outside, yet at the BCC planetarium we can bring out the stars.  Enjoy the sky tonight with constellations, planets and the moon.  Learn about seasonal constellations and related stories, enjoy a meteor show and discover different stars in the sky.

 Solar System (all ages)

            Observe the planets up close and personal at the BCC planetarium.   Discover unique facts for each planet and how our solar system evolved.  What would we find if we landed a probe on some distant planet – come and find out!

 Galaxies (4^th grade and older)

            Earth lies in the Solar System at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.  Yet what other galaxies are the Milky Way’s neighbors in distant constellations?  And what do they look like?  Travel into the universe to learn more about galaxies and explore their neighborhood.

 Black Holes (2^nd grade and older)

There are monsters in space – great gravity engines that suck everything in its path.  They come alive from death – the death of a once live, vibrant star.   We call these space monsters black holes! Discover how black holes came into existence, what they are, and how they exist in space.  Will man ever get near a black hole, and if we could, what would it be like?

 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts Badge Requirements

In this program, specific requirements will be met for the Boy Scout’s Astronomy and the Girl Scout’s Sky Search badges.  The program will cover constellations, star color and magnitude, constellation seasonal variations in the sky, planets and moon phases.

Special shows can be arranged for evenings and weekends, providing a showgiver is available.  Topics can be any of the topics for the school shows, and other topics can be requested.  Cost for a special show is $250.  Additional shows given on the same night are $150 each.  To request a special show call the BCC science division at 425-564-2321.  The secretaries will write down your requested times and topics, and you will be contacted later about the availability of a showgiver.

Planetarium to feature public shows October 17, 31, 2008

Bellevue Community College’s Geer Planetarium will feature three 40-minute star shows at 6:00PM, 7:00PM, and 8:00PM on Friday, October 17th, and Friday, October 31st.  20 minutes of each show will be spent with a live operator pointing out the stars, constellations, and planets visible in the sky that night, followed by a 20-minute presentation entitled “New Horizons”.  In the “New Horizons” portion of the show, visitors will ride along with a  through the solar system and visit each planet in turn.  “New Horizons” showcases the planetarium’s new “Digistar 3” projector… only the fourth in the world to be installed in this sized dome.comet

 Because the planetarium must be totally dark during the show, no one will be admitted once the presentation begins.

The show is not recommended for children ages five and below.

The live portion of the show will be presented by Lisa Hill, who gives all the school planetarium presentations at BCC.  Lisa is a children's science writer and amateur astronomer.  For over 8 years, she has enjoyed teaching astronomy to elementary and middle school students.  Besides showing the stars and planets to engaging audiences, she has written books, curriculum lessons, plus developed educational activities teaching a wide variety of science topics.

 Bellevue Community College’s Willard Geer Planetarium was the first to be built in the Puget Sound region and, thanks to donors to the Bellevue Community College Foundation, is now the only one in the state using an advanced, digital system to project and move images on the planetarium’s domed ceiling.

The facility was the brainchild of Willard Geer, BCC’s first physics instructor and one of the inventors of color television.

Today the 60-seat planetarium is almost constantly in use as a classroom for more than 1,400 BCC astronomy students and 1,600 elementary and middle school students each year.

For more information about Geer Planetarium or the shows, call the BCC Science Division at 425-564-2321.

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Bellevue Community College Astronomy Department Content ©2008-10.
Comments or questions about this page may be sent to agoss@bcc.ctc.edu.  Last Updated 6/2/08