The planetarium holds shows most Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 6:30 and 8 p.m. throughout the semester, and are always free to everyone. Find their event schedule at www.bsu.edu/planetarium.
Instead, viewers can dive into the history of Halloween and how it was first recognized by the alignment of the stars 2,500 years ago.
The ancient Celts would hold festivals annually on Oct. 31 to celebrate Samhain, or the summer’s end festival. They knew it was time to celebrate Samhain when the star cluster Pleiades was directly overhead. Astronomers now recognize Halloween as the cross-quarter day between the summer and winter solstice.
Dayna Thompson started this Halloween show when she first became assistant director of the planetarium. Originally when she suggested the idea of connecting the stars with the holiday, it was not approved due to the loose connection it first had with astronomy.
After revising the program to revolve around the solstice, the show went on and is now in its second year.
For Thompson, however, this show is something special.
“It’s a magical time, and we can use it as a time to celebrate what we are passionate about," she said. "It kind of helps us understand that Halloween is more than just a gimmick, that there’s deeper roots to it and it ties into a lot more than what people think about.”
The show brings a diverse audience ranging from small children to students and adults. Alumni Cindy Dimberio, accompanied by her husband and two kids, drove down from Fort Wayne, Ind. to see the show.
“I’m still learning," Dimberio said. "I was never into astronomy when I was younger but now I am and it's good for all ages."
For students like senior chemistry major Ethan Gibson, the show complemented well what he had already learned.
“I thought it was interesting to know how people in different cultures back in the day used to celebrate [Halloween] and how they would use the constellations to determine when it was time to harvest," Gibson said.
Thompson said she loves putting on shows at the planetarium for people to learn more about science, and hopes to keep drawing in new people with events like the Halloween one.
“Its always nice to see new people, there’s a lot of people who haven’t been here before and I think that Halloween is something that grabs people and brings them in and hopefully they will come back," Thompson said. "Anything that will keep them excited and coming back. We love what we do and we love promoting science.”
Read More
Ball State men’s golf capture first Mid-American Conference Championship since 1986
By Nick Shelton / 17 hours agoMaintaining composure and following head coach Mike Fleck’s game plan throughout its three-day event at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Indiana, Ball State men’s golf captured the 2024 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in convincing fashion.
Delaware County boys golf tournament results
By Staff Reports / 22 hours agoThe 2024 Delaware County Boys Golf Tournament took place Saturday April 27th, and it was the Yorktown Tigers taking the championship.
Ball State women’s basketball seniors Estel Puiggros and Annie Rauch share a special friendship
By Elijah Poe / YesterdayNew roommates often text, call or direct message each other before moving in together, but Ball State women’s basketball seniors Estel Puiggros and Annie Rauch never did. Move-in day of their freshman year was the first time they spoke.
