TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium Presents Summer Telescope Viewing Session, Show on Constellations

Stargazers enjoyed a summer cosmic showtime at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU).

TAMIU's Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium presented the last of two, free public telescope viewing sessions on Friday, July 19 on the west lawn of the  TAMIU Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library. A previous session was offered on June 14.

Before the viewing session, guests enjoyed a "Live Tour of the Summer Constellations" presentation by Planetarium director Peter Davis at 8 p.m. on the same night, inside the Planetarium.

During Davis' presentation, participants had the opportunity to see the constellations, planets, and stars visible in Laredo’s current night sky inside the Planetarium dome, and learn how to locate them in the sky.

"We heard legends from many ancient cultures that led them to draw and name these patterns in the stars," Davis said, "Participants received a free star chart describing the planets and constellations that are currently visible in Laredo’s night sky."

At the end of the presentation, participants headed outside for a free telescope viewing. The telescope viewing sessions provided attendees with a venue to enjoy the cool night skies this summer as they appreciated amazing close-up views of the Moon, planets, and other beautiful celestial objects visible in Laredo’s night sky, Davis said.

 “Participants had the opportunity to view these gorgeous celestial objects magnified through the Planetarium’s 9.75-inch telescope,” he said.

Aside from the two constellation presentations and telescope viewings, the Planetarium encourages families to make the most of this summer by visiting the Planetarium to view its various educational shows.

"We encourage you to escape the heat and cool off while enjoying an inexpensive, entertaining, educational, full-dome planetarium show that all your family members, from preschoolers to teenagers, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents can enjoy together," Davis said.

The TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium’s immersive, award-winning shows on nature, animals, the Earth’s environment, and outer space feature 360-degree wrap-around visuals, surround sound, and comfortable theater seating, all in an air-conditioned environment.

"A variety of refreshing, ice-cold beverages and tasty snacks can be purchased for $2 apiece from our Ticket Booth, which can be consumed inside the dome during the Planetarium show," Davis said.

Family Matinee shows are offered every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Discount matinee admission prices are $5 for adults, and $4 for children 3 to 12 years old.

Evening shows are on Thursdays  at 6:30 p.m. and Fridays at  6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon shows are offered at 1 and 2 p.m. For a schedule of the wide variety of shows that will be offered this summer, visit the “Now Playing” page of the Planetarium’s website at https://www.tamiu.edu/planetarium/showschedule.shtml  or the Planetarium’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/txamiu.planetarium/.

Admission prices for public shows are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, teachers, military veterans, TAMIU faculty, staff, students, and alumni, and $4 for children 3 to 12 years old.

Located under a distinctive glass pyramid, TAMIU’s Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium is part of the TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center on the east side of TAMIU's campus. Free parking is available next to the Planetarium at the west entrance to the LBV Science Center at Entrance 2 on University Boulevard.

For a TAMIU campus map, visit https://www.tamiu.edu/map.shtml. 

For more information, call the Planetarium Office at 956.326.3128, or email planetarium@tamiu.edu.

Registration for Fall 2024 at TAMIU is now underway. View the registration schedule here: https://www.tamiu.edu/registrar/registration

To learn more about the University’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration. 

The first day of classes for the Fall 2024 semester is Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.  

More of the University’s story is available on its social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube and online at tamiu.edu.