VBAS

All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.

Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.

Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.

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December 7 – Christmas Star

What was the star that the Magi saw? Join VBAS educator Beth Bero for this family-friendly program that explores the history, science and wonder of a special star.

Presented by Beth Bero

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December 14 – Christmas Star

Join us on the evenings of Dec 14 or 21 to hear a Special Presentation of The Star of Wonder. VBAS actors tell the Christmas Story told from the perspective of the Three Wisemen. The journey the Wisemen took that first Christmas comes to life as they detail their quest to find the Christ Child and answer a very basic question: what could cause that star to shine so brightly? Children 12 and under will receive a “goodie bag” of toys and candy. Be sure to arrive early as this particular show sells out early.

Presented by Don Reed, Tom Burleson and Jared Cassidy

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December 21 – Christmas Star

Join us on the evenings of Dec 14 or 21 to hear a Special Presentation of The Star of Wonder. VBAS actors tell the Christmas Story told from the perspective of the Three Wisemen. The journey the Wisemen took that first Christmas comes to life as they detail their quest to find the Christ Child and answer a very basic question: what could cause that star to shine so brightly? Children 12 and under will receive a “goodie bag” of toys and candy. Be sure to arrive early as this particular show sells out early.

Presented by Don Reed, Tom Burleson and Jared Cassidy

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December 28 – Standing Stones and Sungazers

In recognition of the Winter Solstice we will explore how we believe ancient civilizations marked the passage of the year through monu- ments, monoliths and markers and learn about the astronomical causes of all the motions.

Presented by Alex Hall

All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.

Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.

Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.

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November 2nd – History of VBAS

In honor of VBAS 70th Anniversary our program tonight will highlight some of the history of our organization.

Presented by Gena Crook

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November 9th – Magic Carpet

We can use the star projector in the planetarium to pretend to fly anywhere on Earth – like a magic carpet! Gena Crook will demonstrate the motion of the stars across the sky at the equator, the north pole, and the southern hemisphere. We will also watch how the sun changes positions at these locations. You may be surprised if you haven’t actually been to the equator or the north pole in person! This program will put the star projector to work and allow us to see its unique educational capabilities

Presented by Gena Crook

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November 16th – Why The Moon’s South Pole?

Why does everyone want to go to the moon’s south pole? What’s wrong with the moon’s equator or mid latitudes? Is it cold at the lunar pole? Will there be polar bears? Lunarians? Will they bring penguins for company? Isn’t it more difficult to get to the lunar pole than equator? And what’s wrong with the moon’s north pole? Are the people making these decisions lunatics? Why do scientists ask so many questions? Don’t you want to come to the show and find out

Presented by Naveen Vetcha

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November 23rd – Stars Fell on Alabama

“…and Stars Fell on Alabama, that night…” Why are those words in a song, and what do they mean? Join educator Beth Bero as we explore the history of Alabama’s intersections with outer space! We will travel through time from 80 million years ago to last week, and leave you with the tools to search for your own “Alabama Space Rocks.”

Presented by Beth Bero

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November 30th – NO SHOW!

Happy Iron Bowl!

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All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.

Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.

Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.

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October 5th – GHOSTLY PARTICLES: SPACE NEUTRINOS

As the days become shorter and the skies grow darker, we are reminded of the things that go bump in the night. Join us as we take a spooky journey through a universe filled with particles that can never be seen.
We will unmask ghostly neutrinos from the beginning of time, the heart of the sun, and the skeletons within. We will pass through strange quantum realms where one can be three, and then become one again.
We will learn how neutrinos are like ghostly souls escaping a dying star undergoing supernova, the universe’s biggest bump in the night.
Be warned!  Dark energy may abound in this realm, and the ultimate fate of the universe may hang in the balance!

Presented by Eric Silkowski

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October 12th – GHOSTLY PARTICLES: SPACE NEUTRINOS

As the days become shorter and the skies grow darker, we are reminded of the things that go bump in the night. Join us as we take a spooky journey through a universe filled with particles that can never be seen.
We will unmask ghostly neutrinos from the beginning of time, the heart of the sun, and the skeletons within. We will pass through strange quantum realms where one can be three, and then become one again.
We will learn how neutrinos are like ghostly souls escaping a dying star undergoing supernova, the universe’s biggest bump in the night.
Be warned!  Dark energy may abound in this realm, and the ultimate fate of the universe may hang in the balance!

Presented by Eric Silkowski

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October 19th – Spooky Skies!

Boo! We will take a curious and kid-friendly look at the darker side of the night sky. We will explore some ancient legends, check out some ghostly nebulas and learn how both ancient and modern people enjoyed scaring themselves with things in the sky! Costumes for ages 12 and under welcome.

Presented by Beth Bero

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October 26th – Spooky Skies!

Boo! We will take a curious and kid-friendly look at the darker side of the night sky. We will explore some ancient legends, check out some ghostly nebulas and learn how both ancient and modern people enjoyed scaring themselves with things in the sky! Costumes for ages 12 and under welcome.

Presented by Beth Bero

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All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.

Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.

Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.

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September 7th – Exploring Gravitational Waves

Over one hundred years ago Albert Einstein postulated that gravitational attraction between two bodies, such as Earth and the Moon, would cause ‘ripples’ of space. NASA Space Place explains: “Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by.” Join us as we all learn more about these waves together!

Presented by Gena Crook

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September 14th – Exploring Gravitational Waves

Over one hundred years ago Albert Einstein postulated that gravitational attraction between two bodies, such as Earth and the Moon, would cause ‘ripples’ of space. NASA Space Place explains: “Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by.” Join us as we all learn more about these waves together!

Presented by Gena Crook

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September 21st – Hairy Stars (Comets)

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) reaches its closest point to the Sun on Sept 27th and should become visible in the northern hemisphere skies during October. Some predictions have this comet becoming a bright naked eye object! Come and learn all about the history of comets, how we discovered what they are, and how they could hold clues to the origin of the solar system.

Presented by Alex Hall

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September 28th – Astronomy Day: Planetary Defense at NASA

Our Keynote Speaker will be Mr. Robert Landis of NASA. His topic “Planetary Defense at NASA” will be of interest to all visitors! Mr. Landis is currently assigned as a program executive to NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). The office was established to manage the Agency’s planetary defense-related projects and coordinate activities across multiple U.S. agencies (along with international efforts) to plan appropriate responses to the potential asteroid impact hazard. Since its original inception as the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program in 1998, PDCO efforts have discovered more than 98% of the nearly 30,000 NEOs currently known.

Presented by Robert Landis

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All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.

Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.

Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.

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August 3rd – Exploring the Milky Way

On a clear night in August, away from the city lights, a hazy band stretches across the sky. In this presentation, we’ll explore the Milky Way with our eyes, binoculars and a small telescope and discover what we know about our home galaxy.

Presented by Alex Hall

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August 10th – The Moon

A presentation about our natural satellite, the Moon, and how it is unusually large for a small planet like Earth, and how its origin may have been much different from the ~300 other known moons in our solar system. There will also be a discussion of all the various interesting features on the Moon, including impact craters, lava flows, mountains, and volcanic domes, that are even visible even in a small telescope.

Presented by Frank Schenck

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August 17th – Scale of the Universe

What is the biggest object you have ever seen? Is it a building, a geologic structure? Or maybe you have looked into the night sky and marveled at how big it is! Join VBAS as we consider the true scale of the universe with some mind-bending questions such as: “how big is time”?

Presented by Don Reed

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August 24th – Scale of the Universe

What is the biggest object you have ever seen? Is it a building, a geologic structure? Or maybe you have looked into the night sky and marveled at how big it is! Join VBAS as we consider the true scale of the universe with some mind-bending questions such as: “how big is time”?

Presented by Don Reed

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August 31st – The Planets

To our ancestors, they were the wandering stars that moved mysteriously among the fixed stars. Today our space probes send back close ups of these distant worlds. Come and learn how our quest to discover what these wanderers actually are helped reveal the truth about our place in space.

Presented by Alex Hall

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All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.

Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.

Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.

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July 6 – Summer Skies

Traveling across the summer sky can be just as much fun as a summer trip! Join retired educator Beth Bero in this family-friendly adventure in the night sky. We will explore summer constellations, legends, motions of the night sky and current sky events.

Presented by Beth Bero

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July 13 – Webb Space Telescope: The Journey So Far

Launched in December 2021, James Webb Space Telescope has revealed many unprecedented details of the universe during its initial two years of operation. Webb’s first images were released on July 12, 2022. Join us in a journey through space and time as we celebrate the anniversary of the first images. We will look at some of the recent images taken by JWST and learn what new things these images teach us about the cosmos.

Presented by Naveen Vetcha

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July 20 – Why is Lunar Science ‘Going South’?

Why does everyone want to go to the moon’s south pole? What’s wrong with the moon’s equator or mid latitudes? Is it cold at the lunar pole? Will there be polar bears? Lunarians? Will they bring penguins for company? Isn’t it more difficult to get to the lunar pole than equator? And what’s wrong with the moon’s north pole? Are the people making these decisions lunatics? Why do scientists ask so many questions?
Don’t you want to come to the show and find out?

Presented by Eric Silkowski

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July 27 – Summer Skies

What are we watching in the night sky this summer? I’m sure you have seen the Big Dipper and Orion, but have you successfully identified any other star patterns? We can help. We’ll be in the planetarium at 7:30 with a cool star projector and a dome shaped ceiling ready to point out summer constellations, tell stories, and just generally have fun looking at tiny points of light. Doors open at 7:00.

Presented by Gena Crook