TAMIU Live Presentation: “Aurora Borealis at its Peak During Solar Maximum 2025" Friday, Feb. 28
The Northern Lights are at their 11-year peak during Solar Maximum 2025, as solar explosions interact with Earth’s magnetic field.
Join Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium Director Peter Davis, an expert in the Aurora Borealis, for a live presentation explaining the science behind these stunning displays on Friday, February 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Planetarium.
The discounted admission for this live presentation will be $5 for general admission, as well as University faculty, staff, students and alumni, $5 for seniors 65 years and older, and $4 for children, ages 3-12. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the Planetarium’s box office.
The first 25 people attending this event will receive a free, glossy photo bookmark of the Northern Lights over the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska as a memento of the event.
“I lived for three decades in Northern Minnesota near the Canadian border where you often see the Northern Lights in the night sky,” Davis said, “You are invited to a live presentation about how and where to watch the awesome Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and how huge explosions on the Sun cause this awesome phenomena."
Davis continued, "Using my own photographs, and those of my friend Kevin Milani, I will explain what causes the aurora’s gorgeous colors and shapes, how to stay informed about when and where it will occur, and how to photograph the Northern Lights.”
This is a not-to-be-missed event since the aurora will be at peak activity and beauty this year during Solar Maximum 2025, Davis explained. It will be another 11 years until the Sun reaches its next peak in its activity cycle.
“Drawing on the knowledge gained during my decades-long fascination with and study of the Northern Lights, I will show the audience how and why beautiful, yet violent, plasma ejections from the surface of the Sun will affect us 93 million miles away, causing significant disruptions to Earth's technology, with power grid failures, satellite malfunctions, radio communication disruptions, and stunning auroras,” Davis said.
Afterward, at 7:30 p.m., the spectacular film, “Aurora: Lights of Wonder” filmed in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories of Canada, will be shown. This ground-breaking full dome (hemispheric) show was filmed in real time with digital surround sound, so the audience is transported to Northwest Canada to experience the glorious colors, constantly changing shapes, and mysterious, dance-like movements of the Northern Lights as if you were there in person.
Ticket prices for the film, “Aurora: Lights of Wonder” following the presentation are $5 for general admission, $5 for TAMIU University faculty, staff, students and alumni, $5 for seniors 65 years and older, and $4 for children, ages 3-12.
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. The Planetarium is a barrier free, accessible, air-conditioned facility with handicapped parking spaces near the door, curb cuts, ADA push plate door openers, and 8 wheelchair spaces in its dome.
For a schedule of the wide variety of shows that will be offered this spring, 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/.
For a campus map, visit https://www.tamiu.edu/map.shtml.
For more information, visit the Planetarium’s webpage at https://www.tamiu.edu/planetarium/index.shtml, call Davis at (956)326-3128 or email planetarium@tamiu.edu.
