Astronomy / Planetarium Open Houses

Long Beach City College Astronomy Open Houses

More About Our Open Houses
The LBCC Planetarium / Visiting the Planetarium / Open House Flyer
2009 @LBCC Video: View on YouTube / Download zip file
Newspaper Articles: 2009 LBCC Viking / 2008 LBCC Viking / 2007 Long Beach Beachcomber

The planetarium is undergoing repairs, but barring unforeseen problems, these should not affect the December 4 open house, so reservations are still being taken for that show.

Long Beach City College Astronomy Open Houses
Presented by Courtney Seligman, Professor of Astronomy, Long Beach City College
Free admission, open to all
Reservations recommended (email courtney@cseligman.com), but not required
Fall 2009 / Spring 2010 Shows (all Friday evenings):
December 4, February 19, March 26, April 23

7:10 - 7:30 pm (during seating): Pre-show astronomy presentation in D326
7:30 - 8:50 pm: Planetarium presentation in D326
8:55 - 9:45 pm: Telescope viewing on roof of D Building, weather permitting
(It can get very cold on the roof; dress warmly for telescope viewing)

Important Information / Planetarium Etiquette
     On-campus parking requires an LBCC parking permit (regular or 1-day; see warning at http://cseligman.com/planetarium/visit.htm#parking).
     Donation envelopes are available at the door for those who wish to make a donation to the LBCC Foundation, which provided most of the funds for the planetarium. There is no requirement that you make a donation; but if you choose to do so, please indicate account #1156 on your check or donation envelope to show that it was in connection with a planetarium show.
     Reserved seating starts about 7:10 pm. Individuals without reservations may be seated at the same time, if there are unreserved seats. Reserved seating ends about 7:25 pm, at which time anyone may enter, subject to seating availability (see Standby Seating for more information).
     During full-dome presentations, the planetarium is completely darkened. As a result, there is no entry during planetarium presentations. If necessary, you may leave the planetarium, but you will not be able to return until the show is over. Also, all laptops, cell phones, and other devices which emit light must be turned off.
     No food or drink is allowed in the planetarium, save for bottled water.
     The best seating is inside the circular footprint of the dome, near the central aisle, but not so close to the planetarium projector that it blocks your view. If you can comfortably view the top of the dome and the area above the operator's console, you should have a good view of the entire show.
     No photography is allowed during presentations. The deliberate or inadvertant use of flash photography not only spoils the show for everyone else, but is completely pointless. All that a flash photograph shows is the blank white dome that is visible when the lights are on.

Telescope Facilities
      The rooftop observatory consists of a 12 foot diameter dome which houses a permanent pier, originally used (from 1974 to 1998) to hold a 14-inch-diameter telescope, which is no longer in proper working order. We have purchased a new telescope, but installing it will require some modifications to the mount, and the dome leaks when it rains; and until these problems are dealt with, the 14-inch telescope will remain in storage.
      We also have two mid-size (8 inch diameter) telescopes, which are stored in the telescope dome, and carried outside for use. These telescopes are not used in the lecture class, which is, as its name implies, lecture only. However, they are used in the lab class, for observations from the roof of the D building.

Rooftop Access
      Normal rooftop access is through a service stairwell on the north side of the building, opposite the third floor elevator exit. When I am holding a rooftop Open House, the door will be open or ajar, so that you can go up the stairs and out onto the roof. Once on the roof, there is a padded pathway to the west through a maze of pipes and vents, which is partially lighted. You can follow this path to the west end of the building and the telescope dome. Please do NOT stray from the pathway, as there are a number of small drains and other pitfalls on the roof. Also, please do NOT open or go through any doorway other than those needed for roof access, or play with any of the equipment on the roof, as some of it is dangerous and/or expensive, and if someone damages the equipment or is injured, use of the rooftop facilities may be revoked.
      It is also possible to reach the roof by means of the elevator on the south side of the building (the North elevator only goes to the third floor, but the South elevator goes all the way to the roof). However, rooftop access requires a special key, available only to staff members. As a result, individuals who cannot use the stairs and need to use the South elevator must ask me to escort them to the roof, prior to the start of rooftop observations.

Aerial photo of D Building