Home How to Apply --Forms DVHS Planetarium Weather News FAQ Student Projects --Project List --CTAG Cardboard Planetarium --EBCUE Physics Videos --Mars Global Surveyor --Journal of Research and Outreach --Science Fairs and Competitions Courses --Astronomy and Space Science --Astronomy and Physics Research --Planetarium Production Partners and Funding Quick Links

---

 

Director Raymond Kuntz STAFF 2007-2008 Nick Pollard, Karla Flores, Doug Bahr, and JM Santiago and various volunteers

---

 

Fall 2007- Spring 2008 Show Descriptions

Show Schedule (Calendar format)

Apr. 29th – Larry Cat
May. 6th – Pick a show night
May 13th – BLACK HOLE WORKSHOP AND BLACK HOLE SHOW
May 20th – Earth’s Wild Ride
May 27th – Hubble Vision
June. 3rd – Larry Cat
June 10th – Pick a show night

The Deer Valley High School Planetarium has been offering shows for the past several years starting with a cardboard planetarium in 2002, and using a Starlab in 2003, and now with our own fixed planetarium which has been in operation since 2004! We began doing limited shows in December 2004 while the finishing touches were made. To date over 6,000 visitors have seen shows in one of our planetariums (November 2006).

We are open to the public. Our current show schedule starts shows at 8 PM and has star observing at 9 PM on Tuesdays when school is in session.

 

Planetarium Scripts released

Here are copies of the English and Spanish scripts presented at the planetarium this year. This work is released under the GNU public license; you may copy and modify it for your needs, but please cite us as the source and let us know if you found it useful.

These are basically planetarium operator's scripts for a "What's up?" program in any standard live-performance planetarium.

English winter script

Spanish winter script

English spring script

Spanish spring script

---

 

Contact Info

To contact us, please call 925 776 5555 x 7779, or send an email to dvhsplanetarium"at"mac.com. We now have dedicated voice mail in the planetarium, so someone will call you within a day or two. Our mailing address is 4700 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, CA 94531, attention: Raymond Kuntz.

 

---

About the Planetarium

The DVHS Planetarium is a fixed, fiberglass planetarium located in the DVHS library which can accomodate 25-30 elementary students. We also have a Starlab inflatable planetarium which can accomodate a similar number of students and can come to your school.

DVHS Planetarium Show Information

Shows during the winter of 2004-2005 will start at 6:00 PM and last about 40 minutes to an hour. After daylight savings time starts in April, shows will start at 8 PM and last 40 minutes to an hour. Each show will begin with a presentation by a student showing their research results. Students from Planetarium Production and Astronomy and Space Science will assist and eventually conduct the shows.

Reservations are requested for groups larger than 5 since our seating is extremely limited. Please send an email to astronomyteacher"at"mac.com to make a reservation. Special shows for groups on alternate dates can be arranged.

There is no charge for a show, but a $1.00 donation will be gladly accepted . Donations will be used for spare parts, supplies, and field trips.

December's shows will be used for training purposes to show Astronomy and Space Science students how to operate the planetarium. As our show schedule becomes more specific, we will post details here.

2003-2004 Schedule and Report of Shows

How to request a Starlab show

Planetarium shows in the district's portable Starlab can be requested by sending an email to astronomyteacher@mac.com. Shows are generally available to schools in the Antioch Unified School System. We need to know:

The name of your school and your name
Contact information (phone and email)
How many students will be served (the Starlab can hold 25-30 elementary students)
What topic(s) you want covered.
Where the students should set up the dome (usually a cafeteria or library or multi)
How long should one show last (we recommend 30 -40 minutes)
How many shows are expected.

Our schedule is easiest for our students if they do not miss class, which means we prefer to do shows in the morning on odd days at DVHS. These happen every other day, and since the schedule can change, please give us a range of dates and let us try to meet your needs so our students do not miss other classes besides planetarium production.

Please list alternate dates and request dates at least one month in advance. We request a donation of $1 per student outside the district to help defray expenses and maintain equipment. There is no charge for shows inside the district.

Show themes include:

• Tonight's Sky
• The Solar System
• The Sky is Falling (in progress)
• Galaxies

Shows can be custom designed to meet the standards you need the most help with. When you write to us, tell us what you need and we'll try to accomodate you.

Directions

The Deer Valley High School Planetarium is located at Deer Valley High School in Antioch, California.

From San Francisco, the East Bay and Contra Costa County:

 

Map of 4700 Lone Tree Way
Antioch, CA 94531-8486

1. Take Highway 4 East from Concord through Bay Point and Pittsburg. We are located about 10 miles east of the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station.
2. Take the Hillcrest exit in Antioch. Turn right at the top of the ramp.
3. Hillcrest becomes Deer Valley Road (Hillcrest branches off to the left; if you go straight you stay on Deer Valley Road.)
4. Turn left on Lone Tree Way (about 3 miles).
5. Deer Valley High School is on the right and easily visible just a few hundred yards down the street.
6. To get to the Planetarium, go past the school and turn right on Sagebrush. Pull into the back parking lot and enter the planetarium from the back of the library.

Stay tuned to this web page for future announcements and information about planetarium shows and schedules.

Rules for Planetarium Visitors

For the benefit and enjoyment of all our visitors, we ask that you:

1. Turn off cell phones during shows.
2. Do not try to enter the planetarium late or leave early as it will spoil the dark adaption of our other visitors
3. Do not touch the dome surface or attempt to move around in the dark. If you require assistance, simply ask.
4. Do not use flashlights, laser pointers, or lighted cell phone displays during the show.
5. Do not touch any projector or other electronics equipment. The parts of the planetarium are very expensive!
6. Do not bring very young children (preschool age) who may be frightened of very dark places. The planetarium can get quite dark.
7. Do not go downstairs into the library unless accompanied by a planetarium worker.
8. Use restrooms in house 3 or even better, before you visit. The restrooms are far away and often are locked in the evenings.
9. Do not bring food or drinks into the planetarium.

Staff From Previous Years

Staff 2006-2007

John Dawson, Nick Pollard, Vita Guido

Staff 2005-2006
David Cisneros, AJ Amora, Brielle Hinckley, Jennifer Shankey, Jason Cava, John Michael Santiago

Staff 2004-2005

Barry Parker, Brielle Hinckley, Robert Johnson, Mike Weber, Kyle Hornbeck

Staff 2003-2004

Laura Grace, Arielle King, Ryan O'Leary

Jeff Adkins, Director
astronomyteacher@mac.com

Cheryl Domenichelli, Assistant Director
cheryldomenichelli@antioch.k12.ca.us

4700 Lone Tree Way
Antioch, CA 94531

The ESPACE Academy is sponsored in part by a grant from the California Department of Education's Specialized Secondary Program.