Seminole State’s Emil Buehler Planetarium co-hosts nationwide Solarbration
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Written by: Susan Leavens
One trip around the cosmos is never enough, that’s why the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Planetarium at Seminole State College of Florida is teaming up with astronomers and planetariums from all over the country to co-host a Solarbration.
Telescopes from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Central Florida Astronomical Society, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and the Feynman Observatory will all point to the sky on Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. EDT. From YouTube Live, everyone will focus in on the brightest star in the sky: the sun.
The nationwide live-streaming party is in honor of International SUNday, an annual event held on the Sunday nearest to the summer solstice with the goal of bringing together a wide array of experts and equipment from different locations.
Planetarium Manager Derek Demeter tells us, “the sun is our most important star in the sky. It gives us life on Earth and what better way to celebrate it than showing our guests an amazing view through the telescope. We will be able to look at large plumes of gas shooting off the sun, the boiling of its surface, sunspots and so much more! Our star is like a living breathing organism, constantly changing."
Whoever attends this amazing event will not only learn a lot, but see a lot as well. “Solarbration guests will have the opportunity to see the sun through different telescopes and filters, and to also see the sun in the way that heliophysicists study it,” said Amy Oliver, head of public affairs for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. “We'll be talking about sun science too, so our guests can expect to learn about sunspots, magnetic fields, space weather including aurorae and other cool things about the sun.” She applauds the hard work of our team at the Emil Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College for their commitment to launching and maintaining programming virtually throughout the pandemic. She knew that our team would be a great co-host for their nationwide events.
To participate in the Nationwide Livestream Solarbration Party, tune in on YouTube Live from any device on June 20 at 10:30 a.m. EDT and enjoy your guided tour of the sun.
Nationwide Livestream Solarbration Party
Saturday, June 20
10:30 a.m. EDT
Bookmark this event at cfa.harvard.edu/flwo/youtube
Located on Seminole State’s Sanford/Lake Mary Campus, the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Planetarium at Seminole State College of Florida offers live, interactive shows and full-dome video presentations. For more information on the Buehler Planetarium and upcoming events, visit the planetarium website, like the planetarium on Facebook and follow it on Twitter and Instagram: @seminoleplanet.