A&M-Commerce Planetarium Show on Saturn to Start July 11

COMMERCE, Texas – Starting Friday, July 11, the new show, “Destination Saturn,” will start at the Texas A&M University-Commerce Planetarium.

Running through Friday, Sept. 5, “Destination Saturn” will feature the planet that has been considered the crown jewel of the solar system, a symbol of all that is exotic and wonderful about the universe.

A robot named Cassini-Huygens has becomes planet Earth’s eyes and ears a billion miles from the sun, the first spacecraft ever to orbit the ringed planet.

This is not just a show about the Cassini mission – it’s the three-dimensional tour of the Saturnian system that audiences will want to experience.

Admission to the Friday night shows is $3 for those under 18 and A&M-Commerce students with ID, $3.50 for university employees and senior citizens, and $4 for all others. A discount of $1 per person will be offered if tickets are purchased at the same times for two shows viewed on the same day.

Wednesday matinees are also featured in July. The children’s show will be at 1 p.m. with the 2 p.m. show featuring “one of our favorite oldies,” said planetarium director Dr. Kent Montgomery.

Admission for the matinee is $3 per person/per show, cash at the door, no reservations. A discount of $1 per person will be offered if tickets are purchased at the same time for two shows viewed on the same day.

In July, there was no matinee on July 2 and no Friday night show on July 4.

Each planetarium show begins with brief remarks by a member of the planetarium staff, who displays the Commerce night sky on the planetarium’s 40-foot dome and points out the current visible constellations, stars, and planets.

The audiences see the shows using the planetarium’s state-of-the-art Digistar 3, an all-digital projection system. Viewers enjoy immersive theater viewing with tilted seats and 10-speaker surround sound during the shows, which last about an hour.

Reservations are urged and can be made in advance by calling 903-468-8650.