Chemeketa planetarium to screen short film about telescopes through June
Chemeketa Community College will hold a screening in its planetarium of the short film “Two Small Pieces of Glass” about the role of telescopes throughout history every Friday through June 6.
The story follows two teenagers who attend a star party and learn about how telescopes work and their important role in exploring the world around them. The film also shows how historical figures, including astronomer Galileo Galilei, have used telescopes to advance science and human curiosity for centuries. The trailer is available on YouTube.
The show is “a good introduction to star parties and observing through telescopes,” said Christopher Claysmith, who teaches astronomy at Chemeketa and helps run the planetarium. He thinks the screening will be helpful for families to appreciate observing space this summer.
All shows include a brief introduction that explores the night time sky over Salem.
Chemeketa usually has weekly shows throughout the year except for the summer, when the planetarium is in maintenance, Claysmith said. The first screening of “Two Small Pieces of Glass” was last week.
“Sometimes we have a pretty large turnout, sometimes we don’t. When the weather is nice, fewer people seem to come to the planetarium … but for the most part, we are happy for whoever comes,” he said.
The planetarium can seat 60 people and has several projector systems, one of which can project videos and simulations over the full dome, Claysmith said. The planetarium is located in Building 2, Room 171 on the Chemeketa campus, at 4000 Lancaster Dr. N.E. Parking is available in the blue parking lot.
Shows start every Friday at 7:30 p.m. but doors open at 7:10 p.m. and there is entertainment until the show starts. Adult tickets cost $5 but children and Chemeketa students can purchase them for $4. Chemeketa does not accept credit cards and tickets are only sold at the door. Seats cannot be reserved and there is no admission after the show has started.
For more information about the planetarium or this show, those interested can call the college at (503) 399-5248 or email [email protected].
Alan Cohen is an intern at the Salem Reporter and an undergraduate at Willamette University. Born and raised in Spain, he has also been involved in student journalism for three years, and is passionate about bringing a voice to underrepresented communities through ethical reporting.
