Rainy Day Nature: Planetariums in the DC Area

Some friends of ours are making an effort to learn a little astronomy, since their four year old seems to be taking a natural interest in the stars and planets (hi Solomon!). But it's awfully chilly to be outside at night right now, even if the darkness does start nice and early. Which led us to say, hey, aren't there a couple of planetariums around DC? Turns out, there's more than a couple.

We've been to the one in the Rock Creek Nature Center (5200 Glover Road, NW; 202-895-6070). It's a small 75-seat space but the rangers do a nice job of putting together a variety of programs. In general, they have the following schedule of 45-60 minute, age-rated shows (check this week's exact topics here):

• Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00: ages 5+
• Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00: ages 7+
• Wednesday afternoons at 4:00: ages 4+

Tickets to Rock Creek Planetarium shows are free and can be picked up at the information desk in the Nature Center a half hour before the show.

There's also the Einstein Planetarium at the Air and Space Museum (1-877-932-4629). With a 70-foot dome and 233 seats, it's a totally different experience from the planetarium at Rock Creek Park. Their website touts that "you'll feel the sensation of zooming through the cosmos, enveloped in color saturated moving images and spine-tingling sound." They offer 25 minute shows every half hour, from 11:00 to 5:00.  Tickets for these shows are $8.75 for adults, $7.25 for youth. But there are also FREE shows at 10:30 AM on selected days, including Saturdays (see schedule).

In addition to the two planetariums we knew about, we were surprised to discover that several local school systems have planetariums. These are used primarily for school groups, but also offer programs for the public. 

Prince George's Howard B. Owens Science Center in Lanham (9601 Greenbelt Road; 301-918-8750) has a 55-foot dome with 174 seats -- the largest planetarium in Maryland. Public programs are on the first Friday of every month during the school year. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students and seniors. (Power Point slide of this spring's programs here.)

Arlington's 70-seat David M. Brown Planetarium (1426 N. Quincy St.) offers a kid-oriented public program on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons during the school year (it appears to be the same show every time; see schedule).  They also hold a program on the first Monday of the month that focuses on the current night sky and includes an interactive talk with the planetarium director, followed by the opportunity to use outdoor telescopes if weather permits. Tickets for all events are $3 for adults, $2 for children and seniors.

At 24 feet wide and just 42 seats, the Montgomery College planetarium (about 7651 Fenton Street; see directions) is pretty tiny. But it was an exciting find, since it's right down the street from us! It's open to the public for free shows once a month or so during the academic year, on Saturday nights at 7:00 (see schedule). Compared to several other planetariums, the show topics appear to be more adult-oriented (Space-Time Invariance and Quantum Gravity, anyone?). Shows are followed by the opportunity to use telescopes outdoors, weather permitting.

Even smaller, the Alexandria planetarium at TC Williams High School (3330 King St., 703-824-6805) has just 35 seats available, so they require advance registration for their monthly hour-long shows (see schedule).

Have you been to any of the shows at these planetariums? Leave a review in the comments section -- it'll take us a while before we make it to all of them!

Like the photos in this post? Mouse over for credits; a click takes you to the photographer on Flickr.

Links: Back from Costa Rica Edition

We've been back from Costa Rica for a week and a half, but it feels like we're just now adjusting back to being home. It was beautiful -- there was ocean, there were mountains, there were waterfalls, and there were lots and lots of critters. We sat for hours and watched monkeys swing through trees. We tromped around in the rain and looked for quetzals. And we couldn't walk long distances because we kept stopping to look at birds. And that's the way we like it. Costa Rica doesn't have the same edge as some other places in Latin America that we've travelled to -- there's no "if I eat this, will I be puking my guts out tomorrow?" and a lot less visible poverty. Sometimes it feels a little like Disneyworld, full of tourists. But it's no Disneyworld -- that beauty is real, and they've done a great job of protecting it. Our pictures are here.

Have you taken our survey yet? We'd love your feedback on the Natural Capital. This is your chance to tell us what you missed -- and what you didn't -- while we were gone. And you can win some of our favorite native plant seeds for filling it out!

Other things that caught our eye this week:

• Wha? A meteorite hit a doctor's office in Lorton,VA this week. See the footage, or check out this Q&A with Smithsonian experts from NMNH.
• Does Spending Time Outdoors Prevent Myopia? (NPR)
  
• Scientists Reject Mountaintop Mining Methods (NYTimes)
  
• Update your Netflix queue...All-Time Top 10 Environmental Films (Audubon Magazine Blog)
• MD General Assembly may take a hatchet to environmental programs protecting the Bay.
• There are some fun links in this story from the National Wildlife Federation for Squirrel Appreciation Day.
  

And a quote for your week:

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, & behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." - Charles Lindbergh

See you out there!

LOOK FOR: Squirrels (It's Squirrel Appreciation Day!)

I'll admit it: we here at Natural Capital headquarters have a love-hate relationship with squirrels. They're fun to watch, chasing each other around our yard -- especially when they leap heroically from tree to tree. It's adorable when they squat on their hind legs to nibble on a tasty morsel. It's not so adorable when that tasty morsel is a tomato from our garden, somehow lugged all the way across our yard and nibbled on in front of our sliding glass door, seemingly just to taunt us. And it's been years since we've attempted to keep a birdfeeder -- the birds don't have a chance against our squirrels (and the English sparrows, but that's a complaint for another day).

But today is Squirrel Appreciation Day, or at least, wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove of Asheville, NC, thinks it should be. It seemed like a fitting time to reflect a little on these furry sometimes-friends.

The squirrels you see running around in woods and yards in the DC are generally Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). They've got brownish grey fur with white-tipped hairs, and lighter grey bellies.

Except when they don't have grey fur at all: the Washington, DC, area has a unique genetic diversity amongst its Eastern grey squirrels. In the early 1900's, several Canadian squirrels were released on the grounds of the National Zoo, probably in an effort to boost the local population (which had been depleted from hunting).

Those Canadian squirrels were the same species as our locals, but they looked different -- they were all black, not grey, possibly as an adaptation to gather a little extra heat in the winter. These black squirrels have integrated with our local squirrel population, and slowly increased their range -- you can now see their offspring throughout the area.

It's easy to see squirrels, and everyone knows what they look like. But do you know what they sound like? Listen to these clips -- they're probably familiar sounds. But you may have thought the chirps and chatters were birds when you heard them. Keep an eye out the next time you hear one of these noises in the woods -- you'll probably be able to find a squirrel perched in a branch, unhappy about your presence or some other happening in the area.

Do you have any good squirrel stories? Post them as a comment for Squirrel Appreciation Day!

Like the photos in this post? Mouse over for credits; a click takes you to the photographer on Flickr.