McCallion Planetarium
presenter and producer
During my graduate studies at McMaster University I produced and presented public and private shows in the William J. McCallion Planetarium. Most of the shows were for K-12 students and the general audience. Over five years at the William J. McCallion Planetarium I presented live shows to thousands of people of all ages. In addition, I produced three original full-dome interactive shows.
Rust and stardust: the lives of the stars and the origin of the elements (2016)
4.5/5
Have you ever looked up in the starry sky and felt small and insignificant compared to the vastness of the cosmos? What you will learn in this show is that you are actually made of the exact same material as these sparky dots up there. Stars produce the elements that compose everything you see - yourselves included - while they are born, live and die in the cosmic ocean. Visit McCallion Planetarium this year and find out that you are literally made of stardust!
Star Wars: The Science Awakens (2017)
4.6/5
Is it possible to create a lightsaber? Is the Millennium Falcon really “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy”? How much energy would the Death Star require to destroy Earth? Can planets like Tatooine and Hoth exist in our Universe? How close are humans from creating robots like R2-D2 and C-3PO? Could the Force ever be a reality? Prepare yourself for a memorable Star Wars experience in a planetarium not far away from you. Visit McCallion Planetarium this year and May the Force be with you!
The golden dance of death (2019)
4.4/5
Gold is the most valued metal: it’s beautiful, useful as jewelry and quite rare. Tracing its source goes far beyond a mine: in the vastness of space, pairs of city-sized stars collide in a dance of death creating gold and other precious metals. Each of these cosmic fireworks can create as much as 100 Earths’ worth of gold! Two years ago, scientists observed such a collision for the first time. It was so massive and violent that it not only created a release of energy and light, but also ripples in the fabric of space and time. Visit McCallion Planetarium this year and find out how gold is created in the universe.
“The Science Awakens” gets media attention
In the news
The Science of Star Wars by Erica Balch (2017)
How to build a lightsaber and power up a Death Star: The science behind Star Wars by CBC News (2017)
