The Angelo State University Planetarium will present two full-dome public astronomy shows during its early spring 2016 schedule beginning Thursday, Feb. 4, in the Vincent Nursing-Physical Science Building, 2333 Vanderventer St.

Solar Superstorms
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Dynamic Earth
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Courtesy ASU

Each Thursday from Feb. 4 through March 3, “Solar Superstorms” will run at 7 p.m. and “Dynamic Earth: Exploring Earth’s Climate System” will run at 8 p.m. All the shows are open to the public and there is no admission charge for “Dynamic Earth.” Admission prices for “Solar Superstorms” are $3 for adults and $2 for children, active military and senior citizens. ASU students, faculty and staff are admitted free.

“Solar Superstorms” takes viewers into the tangle of magnetic fields and superhot plasma that vent the sun’s rage in dramatic flares, violent solar tornadoes, and the largest eruptions in the solar system: coronal mass ejections. The show features one of the most intensive efforts ever made to visualize the inner workings of the sun, including a series of groundbreaking scientific visualizations calculated on the giant new supercomputing initiative, Blue Waters, based at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois.

The award-winning “Dynamic Earth” explores the inner workings of Earth’s climate system. With visualizations based on satellite monitoring data and advanced supercomputer simulations, this cutting-edge production follows a trail of energy that flows from the sun into the interlocking systems that shape our climate: the atmosphere, oceans and the biosphere. Audiences will ride along on swirling ocean and wind currents, dive into the heart of a monster hurricane, come face-to-face with sharks and gigantic whales, and fly into boiling volcanoes.

“Dynamic Earth” was funded by ASU’s Hispanic Serving Institution-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (HSI-STEM) grant, so there is no admission charge.

For more information, call the Planetarium between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at 325-942-2136 or go online to www.angelo.edu/dept/physics/planetarium.php. A recording of the show schedule is also available by calling 325-942-2188.

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