Cosmic and Spooky come together for the 2nd annual Halloween event at the Planetarium
The poster for the Halloween event at the planetarium at UMD found on their website. Courtesy of Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium
The Cosmic and Supernatural come together for a night at the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium for a Halloween event on October 30th looking to continue an annual event for the 2nd year containing activities for all ages.
On October 30th from 6-8 pm, the UMD’s own planetarium will be hosting an event free to the public. It will be kid-friendly as well. The event is in its second year, with the planetarium putting the event together in about a week last year for the first time, according to Jessica Herrington, the Planetarium Director.
Herrington said last year that even though they put everything together in only a week, they were extremely happy with the turnout, with around 150 showing up for the event. They are looking forward to this year, pointing out that they had more time to plan and there will be a greater number of activities for people to do. Even though there will be some changes, Herrington emphasizes that the spirit of the event will be the same. So if you attended last year don’t worry, it’s essentially the same event, just bigger and better.
Speaking of those events, they include planetarium shows, spooky activities, telescope viewing (weather permitting), and lots of candy in addition.
Herrington ensures that there will be many kid-friendly activities so everyone can come, because the primary goal of the event is that they want people to have fun, but also want to create a community presence so people know that the planetarium is here and active. Some of those spooky activities that will be great for all ages include magic potions, alien slime, hissing cockroaches, and many more also.
On top of the activities, there will also be four planetarium shows that will occur as well, Herrington said.
There will be the History of Halloween, which will look at the history of Halloween itself, and explore how the date of October 31st is very astronomical. Monsters in the Sky will explore things in the sky such as stars and nebulas that are Halloween related or themed. Spooky Star Stories to Tell in the Dark will contain stories about constellations from cultures all around the world that are from spooky origins.
Finally, perhaps one of the biggest shows of the night will be “Are UFOs real?” This is a special presentation given by Bob King, also known as Astro Bob. Astro Bob is a popular blogger who is a retired photographer and photo editor who worked for the Duluth News Tribune for 39 years before taking up his blogging and astronomy passion.
According to his website, he has been fascinated by the sky ever since he was 11, and has now written some books based on his passion, and is a regular contributor to many organizations such as the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), and KUMD.
As a bonus, multiple clubs and organizations on campus, such as Chemistry/Biochemistry Club, Physics Club, and faculty/staff from the Outreach Committee with some of their students are all either bringing fun activities or helping to run activities.
There are not too many opportunities for people to learn about one of the most popular holidays in America from such a unique lens. Look to stop by the Planetarium anytime between 6-8 pm on October 30th to take part in this free event. If not, look for it in future years where it will hopefully be going on for many years to come.