Adult Planetarium Programs at the Library Shows at 2 pm and 6 pm on Thursday, February 9th

Thursday, February 9th 2:00 p.m. in the Macon County Public Library Living Room, Planetarium program “IMPACT!” with SCC science chair & physics instructor Matt Cass introducing and leading a discussion on the reason behind some of NASA's current missions.

Impact! is a portable planetarium show that teaches about meteors, meteorites, asteroids, and comets. It includes results from recent NASA missions and about the dangers they can pose to life on Earth.
It shows dramatically the effects of the Chicxulub and Tungusta events, plus the Pallasite impact that resulted in the Brenham meteorite fall, and describes ways that asteroid hunters seek new objects in the solar system, and how ground penetrating radar is used to find meteorites that have survived to the Earth's surface. Narrated by astronaut Tom Jones, it also discusses ways that humans might try to deflect an asteroid or comet that is on a collision course with Earth.

Millions of asteroids and comets lurk among the planets -- left over bits and pieces from the solar system's formation four and a half billion years ago. Because of them, we live in a dangerous cosmic shooting gallery and impacts still shape the surfaces of the planets and moons. For instance, without warning on Feb. 15, 2013, an asteroid fragment struck Siberia and exploded over a populated area close to the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. Dozens of building- and car-mounted video cameras captured the meteor's descent and the shadows it cast, making it the most documented meteor event in history. There were no deaths, but about 1,500 injuries occurred, mostly cuts from glass that broke due to the force of the shock wave produced when the meteor broke up in the atmosphere. Sound waves from this explosion circled the Earth several times.

Thursday, February 9th, 6:00 p.m. in the Macon County Public Library Living Room, Planetarium Program “Back To The Moon For Good” with SCC science chair & physics instructor Matt Cass introducing the film and leading a discussion on where the upcoming administration might want to redirect NASA's missions.

This is an exciting, educational show narrated by award-winning actor Tim Allen. The 25-minute digital film highlights the history of exploring the moon and provides an insider's look at the teams vying for the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, the largest incentivized prize in history.
Back To The Moon For Good begins with a tour through the history of lunar exploration, tracing back to the 1960s and 1970s. We hear from some of the teams racing to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon and win the Google Lunar XPRIZE. The audience is taken on a successful launch, landing and tour of the lunar surface. The show ends with an enticing visualization of a future settlement on the moon.

The stunning visuals and compelling narrative of the show explain the importance of the Google Lunar XPRIZE in encouraging today's space entrepreneurs and innovators to collaborate toward building a new space economy while inspiring the next generation to "shoot for the moon."
The show was executive produced by Robert K. Weiss and Alexandra Hall, produced by NSC Creative, an award-winning computer animation studio, and written by Ryan Wyatt.

These planetarium programs are supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
This discussion series was funded by Pushing the Limits which is a reading, viewing and discussion program for adults in communities served by rural libraries, made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The program is the work of a team of library professionals, scientists, and filmmakers from organizations including Dartmouth College, the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, the Califa Library Group, Public Library Association, Dawson Media Group, Institute for Learning Innovations, Goodman Research Group, and Oregon State University.