The Westminster College Physics Department will present "The New Cosmos" April 3-5 and 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. in the planetarium (room 116) of the Hoyt Science Resources Center.

The program is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested due to limited seating. Because of the nature of the program, no one will be admitted once the show has begun.

The 40-minute multi-media show, originally produced at the Buhl Planetarium of the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh and adapted by Westminster students, features narration by author and futurist Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

Clarke looks at the 20th century, which some have suggested might be called the century of astronomy, since more has been learned about space in that time than ever before. The presentation takes viewers to the far reaches of the universe to examine how astronomical discoveries of the last century have changed the view of the cosmos.

Included are explorations of Mars; an understanding of the life and death of stars, illustrated with pictures from the Hubble space telescope; discoveries about distant galaxies; observations from the beginning of the universe; and a brief look at the future of space exploration.

At the conclusion of the show, there will be a brief exploration of the current night sky and what to look for as summer approaches.

Contact Westminster's Physics Department at (724) 946-7200 or e-mail physics@westminster.edu for additional information or to make a reservation.