Spring Break Adventures at LBV Planetarium March 13 -14

Visitors to the Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium don't have to go far to have an undersea adventure, learn the secrets of the sun, travel billions of years to the future or explore the planets and moons of the solar system. During spring break, the LBV Planetarium will be open to the public on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14.

For all four of the special show times, the LBV Planetarium has lowered its general admission ticket price to $4. As a special treat for visitors, each ticket holder will receive a free LBV Planetarium keychain, until supplies last.

“Kaluoka'hina, The Enchanted Reef,” scheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m., takes audiences on an underwater humorous adventure that is entertaining and exciting. This family entertainment feature film transports viewers to a tropical coral reef as Jake, a young sawfish and his buddy Shorty, a lively reef fish, try to restore the magic of their enchanted home after a volcanic catastrophe breaks the spell.

“Secrets of the Sun,” scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m., is an intimate look at the role the sun plays in the life of the solar system-from the nuclear forces churning at the heart of the sun to the mass ejections of solar material into surrounding space. Audiences will experience the power of the sun and its impact on the planets and Earth. The feature traces the life cycle of the sun, going back to its beginnings and moving forward in time.

“The Future is Wild,” scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m., shows audiences a glimpse at what the future might look like five million years from now. The show features a cast of strange and amazing creatures, ranging from tiny insects to eight-ton squids that have replaced human beings. It also explores how the climate might change with a massive new ice age and how the continents could move around creating a huge land mass. To make sure everything in the film is possible, the film is based on hypotheses from an international group of specialists in biology, climatology, and geology.

“New Horizons,” scheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m., allows audiences to explore the solar system from breathtaking landscapes to violent volcanic eruptions to Saturn's rings as they follow a comet as it travels through interplanetary space. The show takes viewers to the surface of all the planets and shows what life would be like on those worlds. On each of the exotic stops, real data and images from modern space probes are transformed into stunning 360-degree photo-realistic animation.

University offices will be open Monday-Wednesday, March 12-14, and closed for Spring Break Thursday and Friday, March 15-16.  Classes are suspended for Spring Break March 12-16.

The LBV Planetarium will be closed Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17. It will reopen to the general public on Friday, March 23.

For more information and show schedule, visit the LBV Planetarium's Web site at tamiu.edu/coas/planetarium or 956.326.2444 or e-mail planetarium@tamiu.edu

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu