Mayborn Science Theater announces August shows
Special to the Journal
The Mayborn Science Theater recently announced its August show lineup which includes Saturday matinee and evening shows, weekday matinees, free shows during the Central Texas College open house, Laser Friday and a tour of the night sky. Tickets for the Saturday shows are $7 for adults, $6 for children age 3 to11 and free for theater members.
The Saturday matinees open at 11 a.m. with a double feature: “Legends of Night Sky: Orion” takes a lighthearted look at the myths and stories associated with one of the night sky’s most famous constellations, Orion, the great hunter of the winter sky. Then, “Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus and Andromeda” is filled with humorous and exciting characters including Perseus the mighty warrior, Pegasus the winged horse, Cetus the sea monster and the fearsome monster Medusa. The entertaining tale is designed to engage and stimulate a youngster’s interest in learning about the night sky.
At 12 p.m. is “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket.” This is the story of two youngsters who turn an ordinary cardboard box into a magical rocket. Join them and experience a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our solar system’s planets. With the help of an astronomy book that talks, the two adventurers spend a night exploring and learning interesting facts about each planet.
“Astronaut” takes you inside the making of an astronaut and how to become a part of the incredible journey of space travel. The audience will experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut, explore the amazing worlds of both inner and outer space, float around the International Space Station and maneuver through microscopic regions of the human body. Show time is 1:30 p.m.
At 2:30 p.m., follow the path of a single photon as it is produced in a distant star, before it travels across the vast expanse of space to land on someone’s retina with the show “Seeing: A Photon’s Journey Across Time, Space and Mind.” It explores some of the fascinating processes of the cosmos, from astrophysics to the biology of the eye and brain.
Another double feature is at 4 p.m. starting with “Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity.” The show takes you to a place from which nothing escapes, not even light, and where time and space literally come to end. Viewers encounter a range of spectacular cosmic wonders including a depiction of the beginning of the universe, endless seas of dust and gas drawn together by gravity to form the first stars, the collision of two galaxies that cross paths in the vastness of space and a virtual trip into the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It is immediately followed by the show “Dark: Understanding Dark Matter” which highlights the search for dark matter – the most pressing astrophysical problem of our time. The solution will help us understand why the universe is as it is, where it came from and how it has evolved over billions of years.
The Saturday evening shows start at 6:30 p.m. with “Cosmic Origins Spectrograph” which highlights the current research of Cosmic Origin Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope – the last instrument installed by the NASA astronauts. Spectrograph allows the audience an unprecedented view into the vast spaces between galaxies which surrounds our own Milky Way and an in-depth look at the exploration of this hidden universe as it decodes the secrets to the origins of the cosmos.
At 7:30 p.m. is the laser light show “Laser Green Day” which features some of the rock band’s biggest hits set to computerized graphics. Songs include “Welcome to Paradise,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Minority” and many others.
Weekday matinees are at 1:30 p.m. each Wednesday starting August 18 with “We Are Astronomers” and on August 25 is “Molecularium: Riding Snowflakes.”
During the Central Texas College open house on Saturday August 14, free shows will air starting at 9 a.m. with “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure. At 10 a.m. is “Kaluoka’hina: The Enchanted Reef.” “Mars: One Thousand One” is at 11 a.m. The laser light show “Laser Tribute” is at 12 p.m. The free shows conclude at 1 p.m. with Space Park Infinity.”
Laser Friday is August 27 and starts at 7 p.m. with “Laser Vinyl.” The show features some of the greatest classic rock artists including AC/DC, Aerosmith, Queen, Boston, Kiss, Journey, Van Halen and others. The rock music continues at 7 p.m. with “Laser Rock” featuring artists such as Rush, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, David Bowie and more. At 8 p.m., “Laser Metallica” highlights some the metal band’s biggest hits with songs from the “Black” album and “Master of Puppets.” Songs include “Fuel,” “Unforgiven,” Nothing Else Matters,” “Enter Sandman” and more.
Warren’s Sky Tour is Saturday, August 28 at 6:30 p.m. It offers a tour of the stars and constellations visible in the summer night sky. The tour preempts the regularly-scheduled show.
For complete show descriptions, directions, membership information and more, visit starsatnight.org.
