Vanderbilt Museum and Reichert Planetarium reopen after brief hiatus

Vanderbilt Museum and Reichert Planetarium reopen after brief hiatus

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Reichert Planetarium will reopen this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, February 5 to 6, from noon to 4:00 pm.

Starting Friday, February 11, the Vanderbilt will be open Friday through Sunday, 12 to 4 pm, and on Friday and Saturday nights for Planetarium shows at 8:00, 9:00, and 10:00. Masks are required inside all buildings.

On Saturday, February 5, the Planetarium will premiere a new show, Exoplanets: Discovering New Worlds. Visitors will be transported to planets orbiting faraway stars. Discovering exoplanets is one of today’s scientific goals, and finding life on those worlds is the next challenge.

Although science has not yet found evidence of alien life, this exciting program speculates on the existence of such life and explores how scientists are currently searching for exoplanets and their potential inhabitants. Recommended for ages 12 and up.Exoplanets will be showing Saturday afternoons at 3:00 pm from February 5 through March 20.

Another new Planetarium show that premiered recently is Explore, an odyssey to the planet Mars, seen through the lens of human history and scientific development. This visually stunning full-dome film begins with a look at how scholars and scientists throughout the ages used the sky as a clock and calendar to measure the passage of time. Their charts and star catalogs informed the modern science of astronomy.

Dave Bush, director of the Reichert Planetarium, called Explore “one of the finest productions ever made available to our audiences. It’s truly an immersive masterpiece.”

Explore is an adventurous journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern space exploration. Experience the fascinating history of astronomy, geocentric and heliocentric models, the laws of planetary motion, and discover the principles of orbital maneuvers that enable satellites and space travel.

The museum is located at 180 Little Neck Road in Centerport. For more information, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.