New Planetarium show “Two Small Pieces of Glass” opens September 12 with special guest speaker!

The Detroit Science Center is excited to open a brand new show in our Dassault Systèmes Planetarium on Saturday, September 12!

Trace back through time and learn how Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope has helped us uncover the greatest mysteries of the Universe for the past 400 years! Follow two students to a local star party in this fantastic show to learn about the history of telescopes and how they work, along with the major discoveries made by these instruments. This new show features amazing visuals and a stunning soundtrack by the London Symphony Orchestra. Two Small Pieces of Glass is part of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy.

In addition to being one of the first to see the film, opening day viewers will have the opportunity to hear a special guest speaker! At 1:00pm, science journalist, author and speaker Andrew Chaikin will give a talk entitled "A Guided Tour of the Moon.” This talk will utilize new software to give a guided tour to the Apollo Landing Sites and major features of the moon. Chaikin will guide viewers to the site on the moon where they can witness a new crater being made as the LCROSS spacecraft crashes a rocket stage into the moon on October 9, 2009.

From 2:00pm to 3:30pm he will be signing his book Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon (Hardcover - May 28, 2009). The book will be available for sale for $16.50. Read more of his work here at his blog.

There will be a special members only showing of Two Small Pieces of Glass at 11:00am. Members attending this show will be given first crack at getting tickets to the Andrew Chaikin talk! For more information, click here or call 313.577.8400.