Shawn Laatsch
@shawnlaatsch.bsky.social
Planetarium Director, astronomy outreach professional, dog dad, and love to play in the kitchen.
Some great programming this weekend at the Versant Power Astronomy Center astro.umaine.edu including a chance to unwind on Friday at 7pm after Black Friday shopping, and two programs on Sunday including The Great Solar System Adventure at 2pm and The Lumineers at 4pm.
Home - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine
Welcome to the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium! Our center offers numerous public programs and is the perfect spot for field trips, space-based birthday parties, or any o...
astro.umaine.edu
November 26, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Some great programming this weekend at the Versant Power Astronomy Center astro.umaine.edu including a chance to unwind on Friday at 7pm after Black Friday shopping, and two programs on Sunday including The Great Solar System Adventure at 2pm and The Lumineers at 4pm.
Cosmogenesis: The Story of Us! Follow Lotus as she finds her place in the world and in the Universe. This theatrical production is a collaboration with True North Theatre. Tickets at astro.umaine.edu/cosmogenesis... call 207.581.1341 or at the box office. Limited run, so get tickets now!
Cosmogenesis: The Story of Us - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine
Lotus, a 19-year-old dance student on a quest for meaning, struggles as she witnessesthe world around her falling apart. On the brink of giving up on college, she meets amentor who introduces her to ...
astro.umaine.edu
November 4, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Cosmogenesis: The Story of Us! Follow Lotus as she finds her place in the world and in the Universe. This theatrical production is a collaboration with True North Theatre. Tickets at astro.umaine.edu/cosmogenesis... call 207.581.1341 or at the box office. Limited run, so get tickets now!
Too many satellites! We are starting to see a serious concern in the number of items launched into orbit around our planet
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
Sounding the alarm: ESA introduces space environment ‘health index’
The congestion and pollution of Earth orbit is quickly getting worse. We need to be able to quantify how our behaviour impacts the orbital environment in the future. To this end, the European Space Ag...
www.esa.int
October 27, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Too many satellites! We are starting to see a serious concern in the number of items launched into orbit around our planet
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
The planetarium is having a live theatre performance in November! Details at astro.umaine.edu/cosmogenesis...
Cosmogenesis: The Story of Us - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine
Lotus, a 19-year-old dance student on a quest for meaning, struggles as she witnessesthe world around her falling apart. On the brink of giving up on college, she meets amentor who introduces her to ...
astro.umaine.edu
October 23, 2025 at 6:37 PM
The planetarium is having a live theatre performance in November! Details at astro.umaine.edu/cosmogenesis...
Tomorrow (Fri, Oct 24) join us for a "spooky treat" in our 7pm show - Phantom of the Universe! Discover the mystery of dark matter and dark energy and how astronomers are trying to track down these ghoulish "dark" items in space.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office.
Home - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine
Welcome to the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium! Our center offers numerous public programs and is the perfect spot for field trips, space-based birthday parties, or any o...
astro.umaine.edu
October 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Tomorrow (Fri, Oct 24) join us for a "spooky treat" in our 7pm show - Phantom of the Universe! Discover the mystery of dark matter and dark energy and how astronomers are trying to track down these ghoulish "dark" items in space.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office.
Reposted by Shawn Laatsch
Astronomers said this week they’ve discovered a new type of #supernova. It appears to be a massive star that exploded while trying to envelop a black hole companion in its outer layers. 🔭 Read about it at: buff.ly/idbiPkv
📸 Melissa Weiss/ CfA.
📸 Melissa Weiss/ CfA.
August 15, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Astronomers said this week they’ve discovered a new type of #supernova. It appears to be a massive star that exploded while trying to envelop a black hole companion in its outer layers. 🔭 Read about it at: buff.ly/idbiPkv
📸 Melissa Weiss/ CfA.
📸 Melissa Weiss/ CfA.
Reposted by Shawn Laatsch
Escape the heat and join us today in our nice air conditioning at 2pm for To Space and Back exploring space technologies that benefit us here on Earth.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office before the show.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office before the show.
July 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Escape the heat and join us today in our nice air conditioning at 2pm for To Space and Back exploring space technologies that benefit us here on Earth.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office before the show.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu or at the box office before the show.
Spending a day exploring Prague! Visited a few astronomical sights including the historic clock and Tyn Church where famous Tycho Brahe is buried.
June 14, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Spending a day exploring Prague! Visited a few astronomical sights including the historic clock and Tyn Church where famous Tycho Brahe is buried.
Reposted by Shawn Laatsch
A great new episode of Downtown, with singer & actress Amy Irving, music legend Peter Asher, American Nomads’ Matt Schneider, @chadfinn.bsky.social, @shawnlaatsch.bsky.social from Versant Power Astronomy Center, and more. Click below to listen:
richkimbally.podbean.com
richkimbally.podbean.com
May 1, 2025 at 11:05 AM
A great new episode of Downtown, with singer & actress Amy Irving, music legend Peter Asher, American Nomads’ Matt Schneider, @chadfinn.bsky.social, @shawnlaatsch.bsky.social from Versant Power Astronomy Center, and more. Click below to listen:
richkimbally.podbean.com
richkimbally.podbean.com
Reposted by Shawn Laatsch
"No president has ever accomplished these things in his first 100 days. Nice."
May 1, 2025 at 4:03 PM
"No president has ever accomplished these things in his first 100 days. Nice."
Join us for an epic trip from Earth to the edge of the known universe in VAST on Friday night at 7pm! Only two chances left April 18 and April 25.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
Home - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine
Welcome to the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium! Our center offers numerous public programs and is the perfect spot for field trips, space-based birthday parties, or any o...
astro.umaine.edu
April 17, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Join us for an epic trip from Earth to the edge of the known universe in VAST on Friday night at 7pm! Only two chances left April 18 and April 25.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
Exciting exoplanet news today - www.reuters.com/science/scie...
Scientists find strongest evidence yet of life on an alien planet
In a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life beyond our solar system, detecting in an alien planet's atmosphere the chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes.
www.reuters.com
April 17, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Exciting exoplanet news today - www.reuters.com/science/scie...
New programs start this weekend at the planetarium! Friday night catch VAST at 7pm, Sunday at 2pm Bebe Symphonique, and Sunday at 4pm Space Opera-Holst's Planets.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1818, or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1818, or at the box office.
Home - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine
Welcome to the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium! Our center offers numerous public programs and is the perfect spot for field trips, space-based birthday parties, or any o...
astro.umaine.edu
April 2, 2025 at 7:50 PM
New programs start this weekend at the planetarium! Friday night catch VAST at 7pm, Sunday at 2pm Bebe Symphonique, and Sunday at 4pm Space Opera-Holst's Planets.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1818, or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1818, or at the box office.
Check out our April programming and special events at the planetarium -https://mailchi.mp/galaxymaine/vast
April 1, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Check out our April programming and special events at the planetarium -https://mailchi.mp/galaxymaine/vast
Exoplanets have been discovered around Barnard's star (closest single star to Earth)
noirlab.edu/public/news/...
noirlab.edu/public/news/...
Planetary System Found Around Nearest Single Star - Gemini North’s MAROON-X instrument finds evidence for four mini-Earth exoplanets around our famous cosmic neighbor Barnard’s Star
Using in part the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, astronomers have discover...
noirlab.edu
March 12, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Exoplanets have been discovered around Barnard's star (closest single star to Earth)
noirlab.edu/public/news/...
noirlab.edu/public/news/...
Mars is know as the "Red Planet" but some new information might explain more about it and changes our perspective
www.youtube.com/shorts/oq6Eu...
www.youtube.com/shorts/oq6Eu...
Have we been wrong about why Mars is red? 🔴
YouTube video by European Space Agency, ESA
www.youtube.com
March 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Mars is know as the "Red Planet" but some new information might explain more about it and changes our perspective
www.youtube.com/shorts/oq6Eu...
www.youtube.com/shorts/oq6Eu...
Join us tonight at 7pm for Mayan Archeoastronomy and explore the way they interpreted the sky, built monuments like Chitzen Itza and Palenque, and more.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office before the show.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office before the show.
Home - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine
Welcome to the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium! Our center offers numerous public programs and is the perfect spot for field trips, space-based birthday parties, or any o...
astro.umaine.edu
March 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Join us tonight at 7pm for Mayan Archeoastronomy and explore the way they interpreted the sky, built monuments like Chitzen Itza and Palenque, and more.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office before the show.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office before the show.
Two chances left to catch The Chemistry of Life: The Invisible Inside at the planetarium - tonight (Feb 21) and Friday, Feb 28 at 7pm.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu
February 21, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Two chances left to catch The Chemistry of Life: The Invisible Inside at the planetarium - tonight (Feb 21) and Friday, Feb 28 at 7pm.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu
The Chemistry of Life - Friday, Feb 14th at 7pm! Join us on a journey into a seemingly invisible world – the world of molecules and nanoparticles. Embark on an extraordinary journey into our “inner universe”.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
February 12, 2025 at 3:44 PM
The Chemistry of Life - Friday, Feb 14th at 7pm! Join us on a journey into a seemingly invisible world – the world of molecules and nanoparticles. Embark on an extraordinary journey into our “inner universe”.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
Tickets at astro.umaine.edu, call 207.581.1341, or at the box office.
Valentine's Day is almost here! Need a fun time out for you and your special someone? Check out Cosmic Love at the planetarium on Feb 14th at 8:30pm. Tickets online or at the box office.
astro.umaine.edu/event/cosmic...
astro.umaine.edu/event/cosmic...
astro.umaine.edu
February 11, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Valentine's Day is almost here! Need a fun time out for you and your special someone? Check out Cosmic Love at the planetarium on Feb 14th at 8:30pm. Tickets online or at the box office.
astro.umaine.edu/event/cosmic...
astro.umaine.edu/event/cosmic...
My planetarium been getting a bunch of calls about the so called "planetary alignment" happening next week, but really it is a planetary parade where you can see the planets along the ecliptic. It is not overly special, but it is fun to observe. More info here - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
See January's "Planet Parade," plus Comet ATLAS Now Visible in Daylight
Catch four planets — Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars — in the evening sky. With good binoculars, Uranus and Neptune also become visible.
skyandtelescope.org
January 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
My planetarium been getting a bunch of calls about the so called "planetary alignment" happening next week, but really it is a planetary parade where you can see the planets along the ecliptic. It is not overly special, but it is fun to observe. More info here - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
Need a fun new background for your computer or phone - check these out
science.nasa.gov/multimedia/s...
science.nasa.gov/multimedia/s...
Science Explorers Poster Series - NASA Science
science.nasa.gov
January 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Need a fun new background for your computer or phone - check these out
science.nasa.gov/multimedia/s...
science.nasa.gov/multimedia/s...