Look, up in the air, it’s a bird, it’s a plane!
No, it’s a planet – in fact, two celestial bodies currently shining brightly in the night sky.
Earth’s next-door planetary neighbors, Venus and Mars, are the subject of the fall public program at the M.T. Brackbill Planetarium at Eastern Mennonite University.
“The planet Venus is currently prominent in the southwest sky at sunset,” said planetarium director John L. Horst. “As Venus slowly sets, Mars rises in the east.”
Planetarium shows are 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16 and 23 and Nov. 6 and 20.
The D.R. Hostetter Museum of Natural History, next to the planetarium, with more than 6,000 artifacts and specimens on display, will be open for browsing 2-3:30 p.m. each time.
Admission to both attractions, in EMU’s Suter Science Center, is free.
Church, school and civic groups can arrange planetarium programs and museum tours by calling 540-432-4400 for appointments.