Planetarium hosts weekly astronomy flicks

By William Chamberlin
The Guardsman

The astronomy club hosts its own movie every Monday at 4:30 p.m. in the Ocean campus Science Building planetarium followed by a lively discussion on the scientific issues of the film as they relate to modern society.

What began as a chance happening in the 2009 fall semester has become an evolving weekly astronomy club production.

When it was presented to City College astronomy professor Melinda Weil that the school could purchase the rights and have the San Francisco debut of the film “Blast!” it seemed like a great opportunity. The film, about telescopes that are lifted out of the Earth’s atmosphere with weather balloons, had its debut at City College.

“We wanted to make it a permanent fixture in the astronomy club,” said astronomy club president Jacquelyn Parsons.

Due to the amount of fog and rain in San Francisco, observation nights in the planetarium were already scarce. Showing a movie in the planetarium became more common than ideal conditions to view the solar system.

Any City College student can attend the regular screenings and discussions providing an academic break and unique perspective.

“School can be pretty stressful,” City College student Carlos Arellano said. “I went there for an hour between class. It was relaxing and pretty sweet.”

The first Monday of the month is dedicated to hosting original episodes of Star Trek which are followed by a conversation about its relation to modern science. Any other commentary is welcome.

The astronomy club’s main goal is to get more students involved in the appreciation and fun of the sciences.

“The sciences are so isolated,” astronomy treasurer Aaron “Gonzo” Gonzales said. “One of the reasons we do this is to show how all the disciplines tie in with one another.”

The event has been able to continue with support of college staff. Astronomy department Chair Lancelot Kao approved the event and professor Jim Gibson brought the first episode of Star Trek and hosted the first discussion.

Currently, Gonzales is in charge of deciding which movies will be shown, aside from the staple first of the month Star Trek episode. Gonzales tries to select films that relate, in some fashion, to the sciences and provides a format for a discussion.

The event, only in its sixth week, has been catering to a small crowd of about eight individuals but is open to the public and free to attend.