Vanderbilt Museum photo
Every Saturday and Sunday
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium offers free earth science and astronomy demonstrations all day for young children each Saturday and Sunday.
This Saturday only, October 10, the Museum will change its open hours to 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (to accommodate a late-afternoon wedding on the grounds). Regular hours are 12:00 to 5:00 pm.
Dave Bush, director of the Planetarium, said the demonstrations, which are included in the price of admission, are performed by Vanderbilt educators.
“Although the planetarium theater remains closed, we are happy to be able to share these Earth and space science toolkits with families,” he said. “This is yet another opportunity to explore, learn and have fun while visiting the museum.”
One demonstration shows how clouds are created in the atmosphere. A few drops of isopropyl alcohol are placed in a clear soda bottle, and the bottle is pressurized, Bush said.
When the pressure is released, a cloud is formed by condensation. (See photo at left.) This shows that clouds can form when the atmospheric pressure is low.
