The planetarium offers two shows every Friday night to give the public an opportunity to view different aspects of the evening skies.

The first show each Friday, from 6 to 7 p.m., is an examination of the night sky. The first three Fridays, Sept. 3 through Sept. 17, will feature a "Summer Sky Show" with the "Autumn Sky Show" beginning Sept. 24.

The second presentations, each beginning at 7 p.m., are as follows:

• Sept. 3 -- "The Voyager Encounters," in which narrator Patrick Stewart shares the results of Voyager 1 and 2's visits to our solar system's outer planets and their moons.

• Sept. 10 -- "The Quest to Detect Gravitational Waves," in which Caltech scientist Peter Shawhan will talk about the efforts to track gravitational waves, a form of temporary distortions of the geometry of space time caused by the sudden acceleration or change in the shape of massive astrophysical objects, as proposed by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

• Sept. 17 -- "Autumn Sky Preview" will offer a glimpse of the stars, constellations and other deep sky objects that appear in the autumn sky every year. The show will also explain the upcoming lunar eclipse expected to be visible in the Los Angeles area on Oct. 27.

• Sept. 24 -- "The Search for Life in the Universe" -- in which narrator Leonard Nimoy poses the question "Are we alone in the universe?" -- explores attempts by humans to establish contact with extraterrestrial civilizations.

Student admission for planetarium shows is $3 for one show and $5 for both shows. General admission is $5 for one show and $8 for both shows.

Tickets are available at the University Student Union box office Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by calling the box office at (818) 677-2488.