On the weekend of Oct. 13 and 14, the Edelman Planetarium in Science Hall hosted its second week of showcases for the month of October.

The Planetarium anchors a total of six shows every weekend, Friday through Sunday with two shows per day which are open to the public, and varies weekdays which are usually private shows rented out to schools as well as Rowan classes.

The Planetarium shows range from early to mid-day and each show is an hour long. Tickets can be purchased in advance off of the Rowan University website, for public shows prices are five dollars for adults and three dollars for children, seniors and students.

This weekend, the Planetarium put on a show called “Stars of Pharaohs.” Each public show, with the exception of family shows, include a constellation presentation, along with a premade video licensed to be run. The show gave insight to how science was utilized by the ancient Egyptians to tell time, create a working calendar, the establishment of astronomical development, as well as a recreation of some of the temples and tombs.

Benjamin West, a senior physics major here at Rowan, has been conducting shows at the Planetarium for three years now.

“I always liked astronomy, and got into working at the Planetarium by chance being asked to help out for doing tickets for a family weekend show,” he said.

West has put in a lot of work to conduct the beginning constellation presentation, which takes about twenty minutes of the total showcase.

Both families and students came out to see the show. Freshmen marketing major Jake Bohn freshman history and education major Mark Needhammer shared their thoughts on the presentation.

“I liked the beginning, when [West] was teaching us all about the stars because now I could have a different appreciation for it,” Bohn said.  

“It was really interesting,” Needhammer agreed. “Being a history, you learn about the religions of older societies and they all have something to do with the sky, so it’s great to learn more information about it.”

Both students, who originally came to fill a requirement for a class, agreed they would like to come back to the planetarium to see more of the shows in their free time. Students are highly encouraged to check out some of the showcases being played each weekend.