The Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium is hosting a Starlight Date Night event on March 13 for couples to enjoy an hour of star talk and a laser light music show.
It’s the first event that the planetarium, 1601 E. University Blvd., has hosted that combines astronomy and a laser show. The set list will include a wide variety of music, such as songs by Taylor Swift, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, The Beatles and Billie Eilish.
The planetarium is known for using its dome to hold educational but entertaining presentations about the night sky. During this event, visitors will feel like they’re immersed into the vastness of space from the comfort of a recliner.
“It’s really just a way to reach out to people, get them introduced to science, but also have that date night factor that kind of brings maybe new people in who aren’t interested in science or astronomy,” said Nick Letson, the manager of marketing at Flandrau.
People are also reading…
A couple in the planetarium looking up at the dome.
People attending the event, which begins at 5:30 p.m., will also get to see the stars, constellations and planets up close and personal. After the show in the planetarium, telescopes will be taken out to the UA mall for stargazing.
“You definitely hear lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ when people look through that telescope,” said Letson. “Maybe they can see the details on the moon.”
The blood moon will be visible later that night at 3 a.m., so “it is an opportunity for us to talk about things like phenomena like lunar eclipses,” said Letson. “I think it puts them in touch with something bigger than themselves, something beautiful and orderly in the galaxy when our world is so disorderly sometimes and our lives are so stressful.”
He said people enjoy special events like this at Flandrau because they are able to build a cosmic connection.
Arizona is known as a dark sky state in part because of the Sonoran Desert. Its remote location, low population density and high elevation viewing points make it a great place to observe the night sky with minimal interference from artificial light.
A couple in the planetarium looking up at the dome.
Planetarium Manager Shiloe Fontes hopes some attendees at the Starlight Date Night event will take advantage of those dark skies after the event is over.
“You can stargaze on your own,” she said. “Take what you learn in the dome and apply it to that.”
Tickets to the event are available at flandrau.org for $25 per person.
