Science at Sunset: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Science at Sunset A Galaxy Far Away Event

SOLD OUT 
Saturday, May 4, 2024
1601 E University Blvd.
5:30PM to 10:00PM

Explore this May the Fourth Be With You event in Tucson on Star Wars Day! This evening features costumes, trivia, and planetarium presentations about distant planets that resemble those in a galaxy far, far away. Science exhibits, special activities, and a brief laser show to John William's Imperial March and Cantina Band compositions are included with your tickets.

Schedule of Events

Jango Fett on Vacation

5:30PM - Activities

Science Exhibits and Stargazing

Reveal the marvels of the universe through science exhibits, special may-the-fourth themed activities, and telescope stargazing (telescopes out from 7:30PM to 9PM, weather permitting).

star wars costumes

6PM - Costume Contest Entry

Show us your force spirit!

For those entering the costume contest, 6PM is the time to get your picture taken for the audience to decide a winner later in the night. Prizes include a trophy, two passes to a future Laser Light Music Night at Flandrau, two passes to The Loft Cinema, and a $25 Fox Restaurants Concepts gift card. Winner will be announced following trivia in the planetarium.

Exoplanet Lecture

6:30PM - Exoplanet Talk

In A Galaxy Not So Far Away...

Take a seat in the planetarium for "JWST Brings Us The Atmospheres of Transiting Planets" with Everett Schlawin, PhD, Steward Observatory. Learn more about the guest speaker below.

movie posters sci fi

8:00PM - Star Wars Trivia

Original trilogy questions with prizes for the winner!

Head back into the planetarium for a mobile phone based round of Star Wars trivia! Hosted by Nick Letson. Winner gets a trophy, a $25 gift certificate to JoJos, $25 gift card to Prep & Pastry, two passes to the The Loft Cinema, and other prizes TBA.

laser cannon

8:30PM - Short Laser Light Show

Lasers choreographed to "Cantina Band" and "Imperial March" 

Lasers will dance on the ceiling to John William's classic cantina song from A New Hope and his villainous classic from The Empire Strikes Back.

Out There the Quest for Extrasolar Worlds

9:00PM - Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds

Fulldome Film in the Theater

Adventures await in the universe, with strange planets surpassing even our widlest expectations. Join us on a journey into the cosmos and explore planets beyond our solar system.

About the Guest Speaker

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schlawin

Everett Schlawin is an Assistant Research Professor at Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona. He studies the atmospheres of transiting planets that orbit distant stars and the instruments that make those measurements possible. He is a member of the James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam team, led by Marcia Rieke, which supports near infrared imaging and spectroscopy on the JWST observatory. Everett obtained his PhD in Astronomy from Cornell University in 2015 and his Bachelors in Physics from Oberlin College in 2009.

Lecture abstract: NASA and ESA's premier infrared observatory, JWST, has peered into the atmospheres of planets with unprecedented precision and "sniffed" out new molecules - both the expected fundamental ones and the surprising ones. Dr. Schlawin will describe recent research performed by JWST on hot gaseous planets, sub-Neptune "in-between" planets and the preliminary constraints on terrestrial planets over the first 1.5 years of science operations.