On Friday, September 16, SUNY Brockport hosted the second planetarium show of the fall semester.  

During the show, viewers experienced a variety of images exploring and examining deep space. SUNY Brockport’s Physics laboratory supervisor Aaron Weaver showcased the newly upgraded projectors and technology from 2019. The projector that was used for this showing is called SCIdome IQ2400. Weaver captivated the viewers with this through many different photographs of various stars, planets and galaxies.  

The spectators were able to experience the night sky before the sunset, showing the stars and constellations in real time. The audience were then told the names of these different constellations and got to examine the shapes of them. They then had to try and guess the names and locations of a few stars and planets, like the Big Dipper and Little Dipper from certain star locations. Weaver also revealed galaxies, with and without infrared filters, showing the differences between each photograph.  

Questions were encouraged during this presentation, where a student asked if space dust is important.  

“Space is not empty, it is less dense,” Weaver said. “The dust is made from exploded stars and material. By looking and analyzing, you can find the structural history and how it is formed. It is like digging through history. It forms planets as well, not just stars.” 

For students who want to experience the night sky themselves outside the planetarium, Weaver recommends sitting outside Dailey Hall, when the sky is clear.