Astronomy prof. leads tour on stairway to heaven

Visitors were taken on a virtual tour of the universe by professor Courtney Seligman as he presented the first astronomy open house of the semester Friday, Aug. 28. The show started by Seligman introducing the digital-projection system and welcoming visitors to what he calls the "Seligman star theater."

The 3-D planetarium show, complete with stars, planets and a view of the universe beyond the stars, is projected onto the 35-foot diameter dome in D326. "I spent about 50 hours studying the program and learned most of the commands within the first semester," Seligman said.

Visitors walked out of the planetarium impressed and entertained. Xiamee Vang, a registered nursing major, said, "I liked the way he went over the stars and constellations and the last 20 minutes," referring to "Wonders of the Universe." That's the finale, which gives a short explanation of how the universe was created and takes visitors on a tour of the solar system.

After the planetarium show, visitors headed to the roof of the D Building at the LAC to view the moon, Jupiter and four of its largest moons.

Visitors ranged from students, family and friends to a Girl Scout troop. Kids are allowed to lie on the ground to get a better view of the whole dome.

Seligman said, "an article in The Beachcomber from September 2007 helped spread the word about the shows and the number of visitors increased during the following months." Seligman said he hopes that more people get informed about the open houses so that more shows become available throughout the semester.

Future shows are scheduled Sept. 25, Oct. 23 and Dec. 4 in D326 with a pre-show from 7:10-7:30 P.M. The planetarium show begins at 7:30 with a telescope viewing at 8:45 if weather permits. The planetarium show and telescope viewings are free but donations are accepted. Reservations may be made by visiting cseligman.com.