“The Zeiss Planetarium Sky” Williams College Planetarium Shows for Fall 2019

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, executive assistant; tele: 413-597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., August 15, 2019—Williams College invites the community to experience the wonders of our universe at the Milham Planetarium, located inside the Old Hopkins Observatory at Williams College.

Astronomy students at the college will host free shows for the public on Friday evenings at 8 p.m. beginning September 13 and running through December 6. Audiences will be treated to shows from the high-precision Zeiss Skymaster ZKP3/B opto-mechanical planetarium projector, installed in April 2005.

The Zeiss Skymaster is capable of demonstrating phenomena including: retrograde motions of the planets, phases of the moon, the varying temperatures/colors of stars, locations of neighboring galaxies, the mythological figures and zodiacal signs ascribed to constellations, the Southern Hemisphere’s sky, comets, artificial satellites, and much more.

Fall 2019 shows will be hosted by Williams College students, Peter Knowlton ’21, Christian Lockwood ’20, Duncan McCarthy ’21, and Patrick Postec ‘21. Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy Jay Pasachoff is director of the Hopkins Observatory.

The Hopkins Observatory, built in 1836-38 by the first professor of astronomy at Williams College, Albert Hopkins, is the oldest extant observatory in the United States. Shows will last about 50 minutes.

For reservations (required) contact Michele Rech at (413) 597-2188 or [email protected]. Others will be admitted as space permits. Large groups should call for special appointments.

The Hopkins Observatory is located on a small hill on the north side of Main Street, east of Spring Street in Williamstown and just east of Lawrence Hall Drive, on which planetarium patrons share parking with the Williams College Museum of Art. A campus map showing the Hopkins Observatory’s location can be found at www.williams.edu/map or at 829 Main Street, Williamstown, Mass., in http://maps.google.com.

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For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Communications 413-597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/map

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Published August 15, 2019