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Page 1 of 7 Southern Skies Social
Please join us on Wednesday May 29 from 5pm to 9pm for for our monthly Southern Skies Social at the south Austin staple House Wine.
 This casual event is always a great opportunity for folks south of the river to network with fellow Austin Planetarium members and supporters to catch up on all the recent news. House Wine offers a unique, intimate atmosphere that always has a great selection of fine wine and savory foods.
Meet the staff and Board Members of the Austin Planetarium, so you can learn about the progress we have made and the many ways you can become involved. House Wine graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us. As always this event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there! Opal Divines Speaker Series
On Tuesday May 14, from 5pm to 9pm, the Austin Planetarium will host another fun and informative Speaker Series discussion at Opal Divines! This month's topic will be the History of Science.
At the Marina Location at MOPAC and Parmer, Austin Community College Astronomy and Physics Chairman, Professor James Heath Ph.D. will discuss the history of Science and the multitude of ways it has affected our human history and how it will inevitably change our lives in the future. Come join us and Professor heath for a stimulating discussion.
As always it will also be a great opportunity to learn about our progress and the many ways you can become involved and support the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. Admission is always free. Opal Divines Speaker SeriesNext Tuesday evening on April 9 from 5pm to 9pm, we are meeting once again at Opal Divines Marina location for our monthly speaker series. This month’s speaker is Executive Director Torvald Hessel and the topic is quite different in subject than we have talked about before: Longitude.  For many centuries, Longitude was an enormous problem to solve. In day-to-day life this is not a big issue, but when you are traveling across the world on sailing ships, figuring out longitude can be a difficult task, and can mean literally the difference between life and death.
As it turns out, the quest to discover the best way to measure longitude is a harrowing story with many twists and turns; and yes even villains and heroes. Come join us next Tuesday for this free event!
Membership Drive Party!On Friday March 29 from 5pm to 9pm, we are hosting a very special event. The Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center has been able to take many steps in order to grow into a world-class facility because of YOU and your generous support and passion. You helped us reach 25,000 Central Texas school children with our mobile planetarium. You helped us with imperative day-to-day expenses. And your memberships and donations will help us achieve our primary goal of opening a facility which will educate and entertain hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, as well as having a lasting impact on our youth. We exist because of you! But we need even more help. So please invite your friends and join us and our sponsors (Pioneer Wine Company, Wines of Uruguay, David Mayfield Selections, Keller Williams Realty and Swing Blade) for a free party and membership drive. Enjoy complimentary red and white wines from Texas's Tranquilo Cellars and Uruguay's Pizzorno and Marichal wineries. We will provide an assortment of cheeses and other hors d'oeuvres, sponsored by Keller Williams. And to top it off: there will be live music by Swing Blade; a newly-formed Austin-based string jazz quartet. The band plays a variety of music including classic jazz, standards from the Great American Songbook, Latin numbers, and gypsy swing tunes; so there is no excuse not to come!
There are a number of different membership levels from which to choose. From the Individual membership to becoming a Founders Circle member, there is a level for everyone. And the first 10 people to join at the Family level or higher will receive a complimentary bottle of wine! So please join us at 2516 Timberline Dr. in Rollingwood for this fun and free event!
Upcoming Events!It has been a very busy March! We have 3 big events remaining this month and would love for you to join us. Earth Hour: March 23, 7:00pm to 9:30pm. Join us and the rest of the world's population to create more awareness on climate change with the Austin Astronomical Society (AAS) and the University of Texas at Austin's Astronomy Students Association. This is a worldwide event that encourages everyone to turn out their lights for one hour to take a stand against climate change. This event is in front of Austin City Hall. There will be telescopes and a showing of the movie “The City Dark,” as well as our own Discovery Dome mobile planetarium. Weather-dependent event: will be cancelled in case of rain, heavy clouds, and/or high winds.
Southern Skies Social. Next Wednesday March 27 from 5pm to 9pm at House Wine located at 408 Josephine Street. Enjoy a savory glass of wine and a delectable food with like-minded individuals in this unique and intimate atmosphere. You can learn of our progress and discover the many ways you can be a part of the Austin Planetarium. House Wine also graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us! It is a free event, too! Cheers!
Membership Drive Party. On Friday March 29 from 5pm to 9pm invite your friends and join us and our sponsors (Pioneer Wine Company, Wines of Uruguay, David Mayfield Selections, Keller Williams Realty and Swing Blade) for a free party and membership drive at 2516 Timberline Drive in Rollingwood. Enjoy complimentary red and white wines from Texas's Tranquilo Cellars and Uruguay's Pizzorno and Marichal wineries. We will provide an assortment of cheeses and other hors d'oeuvres, sponsored by Keller Williams. And to top it off: there will be live music by Swing Blade; a newly-formed Austin-based string jazz quartet. The band plays a variety of music including classic jazz, standards from the Great American Songbook, Latin numbers, and gypsy swing tunes; so there is no excuse not to come! Opal Divines Speaker SeriesOn Tuesday March 12, from 5pm to 9pm, the Austin Planetarium will host another fun and informative Speaker Series discussion at Opal Divines! This month's topic will be the History of the Earth. At the Marina Location at MOPAC and Parmer, Austin Community College Geology Professor, Ronald Johns will discuss the history of the little blue marble that we call home: Earth. How did it form? What is made of? How could life form here? Come join us and Professor Johns for a stimulating discussion. As always it will also be a great opportunity to learn about our progress and the many ways you can become involved and support the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. Admission is always free. Explore UTPlease join us on Saturday March 2 from 11:30am to 4:00pm for a fun day at our mobile planetarium. Come visit the Austin Planetarium's mobile planetarium, the Discovery Dome. We will alos have a working model of a Mars rover along with more hands-on science activities. The event will be the Anna Hiss Gymnasium on the UT campus. Southern Skies Social
Please join us on February 27 from 5pm to 9pm for for our monthly Southern Skies Social at the south Austin staple House Wine. This casual event is always a great opportunity for folks south of the river to network with fellow Austin Planetarium members and supporters to catch up on all the recent news. House Wine offers a unique, intimate atmosphere that always has a great selection of fine wine and savory foods. Meet the staff and Board Members of the Austin Planetarium, so you can learn about the progress we have made and the many ways you can become involved. House Wine graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us. As always this event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there! Star Party!
Please join us on February 15 from 5:30pm to 9:30pm for another Star Party at ACC's Round Rock campus. It will be a fun and educational night for all. There will be many hands-on activities, an informative public talk and time to view the night sky.
From 5:30-7:30 the Austin Planetarium will be deploying our always-popular mobile planetarium, the Discovery Dome. ACCHaoS will also have many hands-on experiments and activities to enjoy, too. From 7:00-8:00, Dr. Jim Heath will present a public talk entitled: "What's Up With Pluto?" And finally from 7:30-9:30, the observation deck will be opened for a guided viewing of the night sky through ACC telescopes!
It is a family-friendly free event! Opal Divines Speaker SeriesOn Tuesday February 11 from 5pm – 9pm, the Austin Planetarium will present another fun and informative Opal Divines Speaker Series discussion at this north Austin staple. Our topic of discussion this month will be comets. At Opal Divine’s Marina location at MOPAC and Parmer, Austin Planetarium's Executive Director, Torvald Hessel, will discuss all things comets. What are comets? What are they made of? Where do they come from? Mr. Hessel will lead a lively discussion on these questions, as well as commenting on the once-in-a-lifetime arrival of Comet ISON later this year while enjoying great food and drink. As always it will also be a great opportunity to learn about our progress and learn about the many ways you can get involved and support the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. Please stop by and meet fellow supporters. Admission is free. Mars Rock Dedication
On August 6, 2012 NASA successfully landed the MSL Curiosity on Mars. Explore Mars, a non-profit, dedicated to human exploration of Mars helped NASA manage the global communications strategy and launched getcurious.com as a portal for all things Curiosity. As part of that campaign, large 1-ton rocks were delivered to cities across the country, and on Sunday, January 20 at 2pm, we will permanently dedicate one of those rocks in Austin at the Capitol Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. Please join us for this special and free event. The dedication ceremony will be from 2-2:45 with a reception to follow. Our mobile planetarium, the Discovery Dome will be part of the celebration, as well as, a working model lunar rover. Torvald Hessel, Austin Planetarium's Executive Director, will also lead a tour of the solar system and the universe with the amazing software called Uniview.
Come be part of history! It will be a great chance to celebrate a spectacular human achievement. You can also meet fellow Austin Planetarium members and meet our board members, as well as, board members from Explore Mars.
Hello 2013!We hope everyone had a safe and happy 2012 holiday season. We're excitedly looking forward to 2013 and expect great things for the Austin Planetarium this year! Please note that Opal Divine's Speaker Series will not happen on January 9. Our first speaker series event will be on Tuesday, February 12 from 5pm to 9pm. Our next event will be our Southern Skies Social at House Wine January 30 from 5pm to 9pm. Come network with fellow Austin Planetarium members and catch up on all the great news that has been happening this past month. Meet the staff and Board Members of the Austin Planetarium, so you can learn about the progress of the Austin Planetarium and the many ways you can become involved. There will also be live music, so there is no excuse not to come! House Wine graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us. As always, this event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
Goodbye 2012!
The end of another great year is coming to an end. We certainly hope your 2012 has been as positive and productive as ours has been! We sincerely hope you enjoyed our last event of the year at House Wine this past Wednesday. A fun time was had by all! Since we understand how everyone will be busy as busy can be this holiday season with good food, presents, friends and family, we have decided to take a short break. Please join us for our next event, Southern Skies Social at House Wine on January 30, 2013 from 5pm to 9pm. We will have some great announcements to make, so don't miss it. Our next Opal Divine's Speaker Series will return on February 12, 2013 from 5pm to 9pm their Marina location at MOPAC and Breaker Lane. Southern Skies Social!Happy Thanksgiving! After you have recovered from too much food, please join us next Wednesday on November 28 from 5pm to 9pm at House Wine for our last Southern Skies Social of 2012. This casual event is always a great opportunity for South Austinites to join in the fun without having to leave their neck-of-the-woods. House Wine offers a unique, intimate atmosphere with a great selection of elegant wines and savory foods. Come network with fellow Austin Planetarium members and catch up on all the great news that has been happening this past month. Meet the staff and Board Members of the Austin Planetarium, so you can learn about the progress of the Austin Planetarium and the many ways you can become involved. There will also be live music, so there is no excuse not to come! Also, House Wine graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us. As always, this event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
We will be back for both our Opal Divines Speaker Series and our Southern Skies Social in 2013. Dates and times will be posted at www.AustinPlanetarium.org, and as always, we will announce them on our newsletter. 2012 was such a great and productive year for the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. We could not have accomplished what we did without your generous support. Thank you so much, here’s to a better 2013 for us all!
Star Party!Please join us on November 16 from 5:30pm to 9:30pm for another Star Party at ACC's Round Rock campus. It will be a fun and educational night for all. There will be many hands-on activities, an informative public talk and time to view the night sky. From 5:30-7:00 the Austin Planetarium will be deploying our always-popular mobile planetarium, the Discovery Dome. ACCHaoS will also have many hands-on experiments and activities to enjoy, too. At 7:00, Dr. Jim Heath will present a public talk, entitled: "The Discovery of Uranus and Neptune". And finally from 8:00-9:30, the observation deck will be opened for a guided viewing of the night sky through ACC telescopes! It is a family-friendly free event!
Austin Planetarium's Speaker Series
On Tuesday November 13 from 5pm – 9pm, the Austin Planetarium will present another fun and informative Opal Divines Speaker Series discussion at this north Austin staple.
 Please join us at Opal Divine’s Marina location at MOPAC and Parmer for a topical discussion led by an industry professional (speaker TBA) from the scientific and technology world over fun, food and drink.
As always it will also be a great opportunity to learn about our progress and learn about the many ways you can get involved and support the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. Please stop by and meet fellow supporters. Admission is free. Also, mark your calendar: our next event will be our Southern Skies Social at House Wine on November 28!
Southern Skies SocialNext Wednesday on October 31 from 5pm-9pm please join us at the South Austin wine bar House Wine.  The Southern Skies Social is always a great opportunity for South Austinites to join in the fun without having to leave their neck-of-the-woods. House Wine offers a unique, intimate atmosphere with a great selection of elegant wines and savory foods.
Come network with like-minded individuals and catch up on all the great news that has been happening this past month. Meet the staff and Board Members of the Austin Planetarium, so you can learn about the progress of the Austin Planetarium and the many ways you can become involved. Also, House Wine graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us. As always, this event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there! Also, mark your calendar: our next event will be our Opal Divine's Speaker Series on November 13!
Star Party at ACC!
On Friday, October 19 from 5:30pm - 9:30pm we will party with the stars!
 The Star Party will be a fun and educational night for all. Please join us at Austin Community College's Round Rock campus, where there will be many hands-on activities, an informative public talk and time to view the night sky.
The Austin Planetarium will be presenting videos featuring Neil Armstrong and the Moon Landing, as well as bringing our Magic Planet from 5:30 - 7:00. ACCHaoS will have many hands-on experiments and activities to enjoy. At 7:00, there will be a public talk, entitled: "The Nature of Science: What It Can and Cannot Do", presented by ACC professor, James Heath. And finally at 7:30, the observation deck will be opened for a guided viewing of the night sky through ACC telescopes! It is a family-friendly free event.
Also, mark you calendar: our next event will be our Southern Skies Social at the South Austin wine bar House Wine on October 31 from 5pm-9pm. It's so dark out there!
On Tuesday October 9 from 5pm – 9pm, the Austin Planetarium will present another fun and informative Opal Divines Speaker Series discussion at this north Austin staple. Our topic of discussion this month will be dark matter and dark energy.
 At Opal Divine’s Marina location at MOPAC and Parmer William Corley will discuss dark matter and dark energy. What is dark matter? Is dark energy powerful? How much of it is in the universe? How does it effect our planet? Mr. Corley will lead a lively discussion on these questions and many more while enjoying great food and drink.
As always it will also be a great opportunity to learn about our progress and learn about the many ways you can get involved and support the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. Please stop by and meet fellow supporters. Admission is free. Southern Skies Social, September 26!
It's the final Wednesday of the month again, so please join us at the South Austin wine bar House Wine from 5pm-9pm.
The Southern Skies Social is always a great opportunity for South Austinites to join in the fun without having to leave their neck-of-the-woods. House Wine offers a unique, intimate atmosphere with a great selection of elegant wines and savory foods. Come network with like-minded individuals and catch up up on all the great news that has been happening this past month. Meet the staff and Board Members of the Austin Planetarium so you can learn about the progress of the Austin Planetarium and the many ways you can become involved.
Also, House Wine graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us. As always, this event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
Women In Science, September 23On Sunday, September 23 from 2pm-4pm please join us at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for the fun and inspirational Women In Science program. It is part of the annual Austin Museum Day. This event is aimed to encourage young women (and boys, too!) to pursue careers in science. The program will present many informative and interactive exhibits and will offer you the chance to speak with many women working in astronomy, biology, ecology, mathematics, chemistry and engineering where you can ask them about their careers one-on-one. We will be deploying Austin Planetarium Discovery Dome, too. The ever-popular mobile planetarium is a great way to introduce a future astronomer to the wonders of the universe though a variety of live presentations and educational videos. You will also be able to talk with Lucia Brimer, the Austin Planetarium's degreed astronomer and teacher, and ask her career questions regarding astronomy. We hope to see you there. This is a free event, too. Austin Planetarium Speaker Series, September 11Tomorrow, September 11 from 5pm – 9pm, our new Austin Planetarium Speaker Series at Opal Divine’s Marina location at MOPAC and Parmer will present Russ Finney, Austin Planetarium Board Member and owner of one of the largest private meteorite collections in Texas. Enjoy great food, drink and conversation at this north Austin staple. The founder of meteoritecollector.org, Russ Finney has been collecting and photographing meteorites for more than 10 years. We are delighted that he'll be here to share his collection and expertise with us. It will also be a great opportunity to learn about our progress and learn about the many ways you can get involved and support the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. Please stop by and meet fellow supporters. Admission is free. Southern Skies Social, August 29th!It's the final Wednesday of the month again, so please join us at the South Austin wine bar House Wine from 5pm-9pm.
 The Southern Skies Social continues to be a great opportunity for South Austinites to join in the fun without having to leave their neck-of-the-woods, and House Wine offers a unique, intimate atmosphere with a great selection of wines and foods. Come network with like-minded individuals and catch up up on all the great news that has been happening this past month. Meet the staff and Board Members of the Austin Planetarium to learn about the progress of the Austin Planetarium and the many ways you can become involved. We will also be displaying a 3-D model of the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center and surrounding downtown Austin neighborhood! Also, House Wine graciously donates 10% of our guest related proceeds back to us. As always, this event is free, family-friendly and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
Let's talk about Mars baby!
Tuesday August 14: Flash FundraiserTomorrow on August, 14 from 5pm - 9pm, please join us for another fun and informative Flash Fundraiser at Opal Divine's Marina location on MOPAC and Parmer. Our main topic of discussion will be the exciting news of the NASA Curiosity Rover's successful landing on Mars! Enjoy great food, drink and conversation at this north Austin staple with fellow supporters. Torvald Hessel will lead a discussion of the significance of Curiosity's landing on the Red Planet and what implications the 2 year mission might have on our everyday lives. It will also be a great opportunity to hear about our progress and learn about the many ways you can get involved in the Austin Planetarium, Science Museum and Technology Center. Cheers! Touchdown Confirmed!After these words were uttered from the control room of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, hundreds of scientists and engineers erupted from their seats cheering, hugging and crying. They had accomplished the near-impossible and landed an automobile-sized rover on the surface of Mars in a way that only a science fiction writer could imagine. After decelerating from over 13,000 miles per hour to zero in just 7 minutes, the Sky Crane landing in the Gale Crater came off without a hitch. And we were there cheering with those brilliant men and women from JPL and the rest of the world to witness history. Now for the next two years the Curiosity's mission will be to assess if Mars ever had or could have a habitable environment. Our Landing Party at ND Studios was quite a success, too! From 4pm - 8pm the kids had a wonderful and educational experience with the Austin Planetarium's Discovery Dome and enjoyed astronaut ice cream. Later that night, the adults danced to Jean Claude Van Jamme and DJ "the8thchild" and took a journey through the universe with Austin Planetarium's Executive Director, Torvald Hessel, and some amazing software, UniView, before watching NASA's live feed of the Mars' landing itself. It was a great night to say the least. The Austin American-Statesmen and KVUE were on hand to report the night's great successes, too. Sunday August 5th: Mars Landing Party! This Sunday we are Landing on Mars! Join us at ND Studios to witness another historic leap for mankind! We will be celebrating the landing of NASA's Curiosity Rover live! We will have children's activities in the afternoon and a great party with live music and speakers in the evening. And all this for free!
“Get Curious” with us and celebrate NASA’s current mission to Mars. The rover, Curiosity, will be landing at approximately 12:30am (Sunday night, August 5/Monday morning, August 6). We are partnering with the “Get Curious” campaign to host two landing parties funded by NASA at ND Studios at 501 N. IH-35. We have split up the event in two separate parties: one family friendly with science activities, including our mobile planetarium, for the kids. The second event is more adult oriented with live music, speakers and of course the landing LIVE! The details: 4:00 pm-8:00 pm
The Austin Planetarium will be your host for this first party. We will be commemorating the event for children with exciting and educational activities from the Austin Planetarium and other non profits and organizations, like Texas Space Grant Consortium that will have "Mars Bingo". A robotic replica of the Curiosity Rover will be on hand. We will even have some free snacks (real astronaut ice cream) and drinks. Of course, Austin Planetarium's Discovery Dome, our mobile planetarium, and our Magic Planet will be set up as well! Colorful, inflatable aliens, real astronaut ice cream and other goodies will be available for purchase. 9:00 pm - 1:00 am
At 8, Explore Mars and Phillips & Company will take over hosting duties and we will switch gears and let the party begin! We will have science speakers, live feeds from NASA updating us on the status of the lander (including the landing LIVE at 12:30 am) and we will have live music by the awesome band: "Jean Claude Van Jamme". Bring your friends, come celebrate this Martian Mile Stone with us (how long is a Martian Mile anyway?), the event is free and parking is nearby!
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