Take an up-close tour of the solar system through a free show at the Allen F. Blocher Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
“Gods of the Solar System” will be offered at 2 p.m. Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, 10, 17 and 24. Free of charge and open to the public, the show presents the mythology, history and characteristics of the planetary bodies in the solar system, many named for mythical gods such as Jupiter and Neptune.
On Monday evenings, the free “Night Sky” program is offered at 8 p.m. in the planetarium to look in detail at objects in the current night sky.
Planetarium seating is first come, first served for up to 55 people.
The Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory telescope is open for free viewings from 8:30-10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday evenings if the skies are clear and the temperature is above 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Groups of 15 or more may schedule a special showing of any planetarium program for $25 per group. To learn more about showings or to check if the observatory is open, call 715-346-2208 or go to www.uwsp.edu/physastr/plan_obs.
The planetarium and observatory are located on the second and fourth floor, respectively, of the UW-Stevens Point Science Building at the corner of Reserve Street and Fourth Avenue. Parking is available in Lot D behind the building and is free in all university lots after 7 p.m. and on weekends.
Photo courtesy UWSP. A new show at UW-Stevens Point’s Blocher Planetarium begins Oct. 20, taking a tour of the planetary bodies in the solar system and how they were named after mythical gods.
NEW! “The Kobishop Collection: Reflections of the Arctic” will be on display Oct. 28 through Nov. 22 in the lobby of Albertson Hall, the university library, 900 Reserve St., Stevens Point. A free closing reception will be held in the lobby at 5 p.m., Nov. 22.
Owned by the late Stevens Point native Mae Kobishop and hosted by the UW-Stevens Point Museum of Natural History, the collection features artifacts such as an Inuit spirit mask, soapstone carvings, a three-part mouth drill, male and female masks and more. Kobishop purchased the traditionally crafted items from native residents while working as an administrator in the Alaska Native Health Service from 1961 to 1967.
The university’s Museum of Natural History is open and free to the public, when the library is open. To learn more, go to www.uwsp.edu/cols-ap/museum.
NEW! “The 39 Steps” will be offered at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1-2 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 3, at the Helen Connor Laird Theater, 2000 W. Fifth St., Marshfield. The show is appropriate for junior high school-age audiences or older.
“The 39 Steps” is a comedy spoof on Hollywood’s 1930s “whodunit” movies and adapted from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film of the same name. Actors include UW-Stevens Point students Carly Rhyner and Lauren Gierl. Community members Andrew Spencer, Edgar Ausbourne, Mark Van Over and Ed Krall complete the six-member cast.
The story takes Richard Hannay (played by Spencer), falsely accused of murder, on a trip through England and Scotland searching for answers to the mystery of “The 39 Steps.”
General admission tickets are $12. UW-Stevens Points students may attend for free with their student I.D. To order tickets, go to www.tickets.uwsp.edu or call and leave a message at 715-389-6534. Tickets also can be purchased at the theater’s box office one hour before each performance.
