The Abrams Planetarium is bringing the constellations to life this weekend.
At 2:30 p.m. on Saturday the planetarium is offering a free, special show called 'Star Safari' that pairs learning about the constellations with meeting their small animal counterparts brought from the Potter Park Zoo.
Apart from the special show, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the planetarium offers two shows up until July 26, according to the planetarium website.
One is called, 'Violent Universe'. It presents the forces that hold the universe together and occasionally try to rip it apart. Patrick Stewart of Star Trek provided the narration for the show, planetarium program assistant Shane Horvatin said.
"We have different programs run through the year," Horvatin said. "The constellations of the summer sky are different from the winter's."
The other weekend show is called 'Our Place in Space'. It shows the causes of day and night, as well as the variety of objects that make up the universe.
"This one is mostly designed for kids, but students are welcome to come and learn the basic things about the sky," Horvatin said.
Along with the shows, during the warmer weather the planetarium opens its doors for public observations. Small telescopes will be set up in the observatory parking lot. The approximate public observation date for this month is July 24.
The planetarium also accepts reservations for group visits from the community.
Horvatin said a great variety of groups visit the planetarium.
"There are various groups of people coming," he said. "Sometimes there are MSU students, sometimes there are daycare groups. They usually come in during the daytime or before our public shows start."
Electrical engineering junior Abby McQuade said she is interested in attending the shows to learn more about the night sky.
"I like stars," McQuade said. "I would love to go."
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