EAST KENTUCKY SCIENCE CENTER AND PLANETARIUM TO LAUNCH SOLAR QUEST

The East Kentucky Science Center and Planetarium will debut Solar Quest, a full-dome planetarium short feature, at 2 p.m., Saturday, February 8.

Located on the Prestonsburg campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College, the East Kentucky Science Center and Planetarium is one of a limited number of facilities to feature Solar Quest.

The show discusses the impacts of space weather and how the atmosphere and magnetic field protects all life on Earth. It also features the role of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and how scientists are using it as a way to help identify and predict severe space weather. Actual videos of the sun from SDO are used where the audience can actually see the large amount of energy being released.

Produced by the Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh, Pa., as a support program for Carnegie Science Centers Science on the Road school assembly program, the show highlights solar phenomena such as fusion and light energy as well as solar surface features and events.

Admission, which includes the exhibit hall and all planetarium and laser shows, is $6 for adults at $4 for students and seniors. Children, under the age of four, are free.

For more information, contact Steve Russo at (606) 889-4809 or email srusso0002@kctcs.edu.