The Westminster College Planetarium will offer viewings of three shows for the spring semester.

"Extreme Planets," suitable for ages nine and up, explores the extreme environments on some of the recently discovered planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. 

"Natural Selection," suitable for all ages, takes viewers on Charles Darwin's historic adventure around the earth in search of new evidence to solve the mystery of life.

"Secret of the Cardboard Rocket," suitable for children aged five-10 and their parents, follows a young girl and boy who turn a cardboard box into a rocket for a daring adventure that introduces children to the solar system.  Viewers will learn what a planet is, how the planets differ from each other, and why Earth is a special place.

Details on all shows and times, which begin Feb. 17, are available at www.westminster.edu/planetarium.

Westminster's Planetarium is a 40-seat full-dome theater in the Hoyt Science Resources Center room 116.  The shows are displayed using the planetarium's digital 360-degree dome projector.

The programs are free and open to the public.  However, reservations are necessary due to limited seating and will be accepted until 4 p.m. the day of the show or until 4 p.m. Friday for Saturday or Sunday shows.  Reservations, including private showings for larger groups, can be made by contacting Westminster's Physics Department at (724) 946-7200 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m., e-mail physics@westminster.edu, or completing the online form at www.westminster.edu/planetarium.