Nov. 17, 2012: Saturday matinee at the planetarium

Introducing the new "Saturday Matinee" series at the planetarium: shorter, but cheaper! All shows in the series will be 25-30 minutes long, with no time for additional live presentations or audience questions. The show length will be shorter, but the cost will also be 40 percent less! If you are looking for live interaction with expert presenters, we encourage you to attend one of our one-hour Friday night shows. The series continues with showings of "Fractals Rock!," "Nanocam" and "Natural Selection."

"Fractals Rock!"
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2-2:30 p.m.
UAA Planetarium (ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building, Room 220)

This presentation of "Fractals Rock!" will be 28 minutes long. As part of our "Saturday Matinee" series, it will consist solely of the prerecorded segments of fulldome "fractal zoom" animations with musical accompaniment.

Created from simple mathematical equations, "fractal zoom" animations can generate recognizable patterns of nature such as lightning, coastlines and seashells. The outcome of these equations--and introduced changes to the system--can lead the mind on a journey of imaginative creations from alien worlds to other dazzlingly complex abstractions. "Fractals Rock!" is an immersive experience, delving into patterns smaller than atoms or larger than the universe, accompanied by an original musical score in 5.1 surround sound.

"NanoCam"
Saturday, Nov. 17, 3-3:30 p.m.
UAA Planetarium (ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building, Room 220)

The planetarium show that shrinks you down to the size of an insect and flies you through the eye of a needle... "NanoCam: A trip into biodiversity" is a microscopic joyride into the five kingdoms of life. With the latest 3-D animation technology and based on real electron microscope imagery, this show offers a unique, motivating, didactic and funny approach to biology that has never been seen like this before.

Join Hugo and Marcos as they rush to finish an assignment before heading off to the big game. But when they find the NanoCam microscope simulator online, their tedious task turns into a fascinating voyage of discovery into worlds they'd never dreamed of before. This presentation of "NanoCam: A trip into biodiversity" will be 28 minutes long.

"Natural Selection"
Saturday, Nov. 17, 4-4:40 p.m.
UAA Planetarium (ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building, Room 220)

In Victorian times many physical phenomena had already been discovered and described by natural laws, but life's most eloquent mechanism was still unknown. Join the young Charles Darwin on an adventurous voyage of exploration circumnavigating the world with the H.M.S. Beagle. Hear Darwin himself reveal the simple and beautiful mechanism that explains the evolution of all life on Earth: natural selection.

This fulldome program was created by Mirage3D, the 3-D animation and film studio that brought you the planetarium favorite "Dawn of the Space Age." This meticulously produced presentation seamlessly brings together photo-realistic animation and real-world footage to immerse you in the wonder of Darwin's world. This presentation of "Natural Selection" will be 42 minutes long.

About tickets:
Ticket reservations for all shows are available online only at UAATix.com. Remaining tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the door on the day of the show. The planetarium will open for seating 30 minutes before the start of each show. You must be in the theater 10 minutes before the show starts. Reserved seats will be released after this time to stand-by customers. There is no entry after the show begins.

For more information, or to learn how to become a UAA Planetarium member, please visit the planetarium website.