Planetarium Holiday Show Opens Nov. 14

COMMERCE, Texas – “The Mystery of the Christmas Star,” a holiday favorite with Texas A&M University-Commerce audiences, will open on Friday, Nov. 14.

Shows will be at 7 and 8 p.m. on Fridays through Dec. 19 excluding Dec. 5 when the planetarium is closed for a university function.

“‘The Mystery of the Christmas Star’ is quickly becoming a favorite of our planetarium visitors,” said Cheri Davis, assistant director. “We have had such a great response from planetarium visitors in the Christmases past that we have decided to bring back a favorite rather than look for a new Christmas show,” Davis said.

The show offers a scientific view of what the star of Bethlehem may have been. The planetarium is a perfect place to study this because of its ability to exactly reproduce the skies as seen from Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago.

Reservations in advance are recommended due to limited showings and frequent sellout of seats during the Christmas season. To make reservations, call 903-468-8650 or email [email protected].

Admission to the 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.

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.

After the Dec. 19 shows, the planetarium will close for the holidays and reopen on Jan. 16 with “Ice Worlds.”