Hi, you're listening to Cultivate
Curiosity, a.
Podcast that inspires the next generation
to stay curious.
Cultivate Curiosity is brought to you by
the Emerald Coast Science Center, a
nonprofit.
Interactive science museum and steam
educational facility in Fort Walton Beach,
Florida.
This podcast is perfect for anyone curious
about the world we live in because.
You never know what we'll talk about
next.
Hi, my name is Calli and I'm
an educator at the Emerald Coast Science
Center.
And hi, my name is Jacie
and I'm the social media coordinator here
at the Science Center. And on today's
podcast, we're going to be talking about
the centennial of the planetarium and
international observe the moon night. So
first, let's talk a little bit about
the planetarium. Since the beginning of
time, humans have been fascinated by the
starry sky and the secrets of the
universe. The sky was brought down to
Earth in October 1923, when the first
planetarium projector was unveiled in
Jenna, Germany. The first planetarium
opened to the public on May 7,
1925, when the Duchess Museum opened in
Munich. These key dates set the stage
for a celebration of the 100 year
history of the projection of planetariums.
From October 2023 to May 2025, the.
Planetarium Jenna and the Duchess Museum
in Munich are kicking off the 100
anniversary activities in a joint parallel
celebration. So both events will be
connected live throughout the event, and
the program is called Launch Event. You
can view the live stream of the
event on their website, which we'll have
linked in the description of the podcast.
So why are planetariums important?
Planetariums are an integral part of our
educational landscape. They show us the
universe, where we live, where we come
from, and how humans affect our planet.
The stars in our night sky, however,
are no longer the only topics.
Planetariums are science, theaters,
temples of culture and entertainment
venues. All in one planetariums fulfill an
educational mission and are committed to
culture. They are a place of inspiration
for children and young people. They
encourage younger generations to become
astronauts, provide a spatial view of the
Earth, and explain worldviews in a
historical context. Although planetariums
are often not part of the obligatory
curriculum throughout the world, their
contribution to scientific and social
education is enormous. Planetariums offer
constantly changing and varied programs.
They are the pinnacle of informal
education, an extracurricular place for
learning for children and adults alike.
Modern planetarium technology and modern
digital technologies work together to
offer visitors experiences and insights
that were unthinkable just a few years
ago.
And a few examples of this is
our planetariums here at the Emerald Coast
Science Center. So we offer quite a
few programs in our planetarium. So the
first one is our General Planetarium
Nights, which are held on the third
Thursday of the month. During our full
hours, our planetarium nights are shows
about space exploration and travel,
zodiac, constellations and other topics
about our solar system. Anyone can
purchase tickets to attend either our six
and 07:00 P.m. Showings. Then we have
our mobile planetarium. Our planetarium is
an inflatable dome, which means it is
mobile. Our mobile planetarium program can
be booked for in school presentations for
your next event, or even a party.
Our systems can provide lessons focused on
SSA standards for grades K through twelve.
Then we have our special feature shows,
which we offer a variety of special
shows for all ages that can cover
topics that include Arabian myths, African
stories, Norse mythology, native American
folklore, and even Spooky secret. So if
you're looking for something geared
towards ages 21 and older, our Sordid
Secrets of the Stars specialty show shares
the sizzling stories behind our
constellations.
So we actually have our Spooky secrets
on October 26, right?
Yeah. So I'll be out doing that
show with one of my coworkers, and
it's actually a newly updated show. So
we'll have some new references to
mythologies or even some spooky stories
like monsters, goblins, or even vampires.
So definitely check out our website. We
will have a five, six, or 07:00
P.m. Showing. And the 07:00 P.m? Showing
is a little bit more spooky. So
it's for some older aged kids.
Yes, but it's welcome to all families
to come and enjoy together. So the
last thing we have with our planetarium
show is actually a new program that
we're doing. We just started it this
past year. It's called Global Soundscapes.
So, Global Soundscapes is a highly
interactive presentation that is hosted
inside our planetarium that guides
audiences through the groundbreaking new
science of soundscape ecology. So this is
a recent addition to our programs that
we offer in our planetarium, and we've
had a lot of fun learning about
the sounds of our world inside of
it. So to learn more about our
planetarium programs, please feel free to
check out our website.
All right, so now that we've talked
a little bit about the planetarium, let's
talk about International Observe the Moon
Night. So international. Observe. The moon
night will take place on Saturday, October
21. You can join lunar observers around
the world in learning about lunar science
and exploration, making celestial
observations, and honoring cultural and
personal connections to the Moon.
So, believe it or not, observing the
Moon is something you can do no
matter the weather, time of day, or
the location you are viewing it from.
So we interpret the word observe very
broadly. So there are so many ways
to celebrate and observe our Moon for
international Observe the Moon night. So
here are ten of NASA's favorites. So
up first we have look up. So
this is the simplest way to observe
the moon is to look up at
the sky. So the Moon is the
brightest object in our night sky, the
second and brightest in our daytime sky,
and it can even be seen all
around the world. So international Observe
the Moon night is always held near
a first quarter moon which means that
the near side of the moon is
about half illuminated. A first quarter
moon is great for even observing as
it rises in the afternoon and is
high above the horizon in the evening.
And with the naked eye, you can
see dark gray seas of cooled lava
called mare.
Another way that you can observe the
Moon is peer through a telescope or
binoculars. With some magnification help,
you will be able to identify details
of the Moon. The line between night
and day on the Moon, called the
Terminator, is ideal for seeing lunar
craters and mountains, since very long
shadows heighten the contrast of the
features. Another way is to photograph the
moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter,
or LRO for short, has taken more
than 20 million images of the Moon,
mapping it in stunning detail. You can
see featured captioned images on LRO's
camera website, which we'll have linked.
And of course, you can take your
own photos from Earth as well.
Another thing you could do is relax
on your couch. So is it cloudy?
Luckily, you guys can observe the Moon
from the comfort of your own home.
So check out NASA's Live Streams pages
for live feeds of the moon and
featured international observer of the
moon night events. Or you can take
and process your own lunar images with
the Micro Observatory robotic telescopes.
Then you can also use the touch,
the topography. So this is where you
observe the Moon through touch. So if
you have access to a 3D printer,
you can peruse NASA's Library of 3D
models and lunar landscapes. This
collection of Apollo resources features 3D
print models of the Apollo landing sites
using topographic data from the LROs and
the Celine mission. On the Apollo Eleven
model near the center, you can actually
feel a tiny dot where the astronauts
Neil Armstrong and Buz Aldrin left the
Lunar Descent Module.
You can also make and admire your
own moon art, enjoy artwork of the
Moon and create your own. Submit photos
of your artwork, paintings, poetry,
sketches, jewelry to NASA's Flickr Gallery
or share them on social media using
the hashtag Observe the Moon.
Or you can listen to the moon,
so treat your ears to the international
Observe the Moon night. Several NASA
podcasts feature the Lunar Science
Exploration and History, including NASA's
Curious Universe, Houston, we have a
podcast from the Johnson Space Center,
NASA Explorers Apollo, which features
personal stories from the Apollo era to
now and Gravity assists with NASA Chief
scientist Jim Green. The third season's
all about the Moon. And if you
prefer listen to music, make a playlist
of moon themed songs.
You can also take a virtual field
trip. Plan a lunar hike with Moontrek
moontrek is an interactive moon map made
using NASA data from our lunar spacecraft.
Fly anywhere you'd like on the Moon.
Calculate the distance or the elevation of
a mountain to plan your lunar hike
or layer attributes of the lunar surface
and temperature. If you have a virtual
reality headset, you can experience moon
trek. In can also see the Moon
through the eyes of a spacecraft. Visible
light is just one tool that we
use to explore our universe. NASA's
spacecraft contain many different types of
instruments to analyze the Moon's
composition and environment. Review the
Moon's gravity field with data from the
Grail spacecraft, or decipher the maze of
this slope map from the laser Ultimator
on board LRO. This collection from LRO
features images of the Moon's temperature
and typography.
You can also continue your observations
throughout the year. International Observe
the Moon Night is the perfect time
to start a Moon journal, see how
the shape of the moon sometimes seems
to change over the course of a
month, and keep track of where and
what time it rises and sets. To
check your work, visit Dial a Moon
where you can plug in any date
of the year to see the Moon
phase. Observe the Moon all year long
with these tools and techniques. We hope
you use one or multiple of these
ideas to celebrate the Moon on
International Observe the Moon Night.
We'll have NASA's website page that shows
different events going on all around the
world linked in our podcast description so
you can see what is going on
in your local area.
So that seems to be it for
our podcast episode today. Thank you all
for listening and definitely let us know
if you guys are going to do
anything for International Observe the
Moon Day or to even celebrate the
centennial of the planetarium. We'll see
you guys in two weeks.
Bye.
Thanks for listening to this week's
episode of Cultivate Curiosity.
If you have any questions, feel free
to email us at socialmedia@ecscience.org.
Tune in for our next episode in
two weeks.