Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells is pleased to announce that the New Jersey State Museum auditorium performances and Planetarium sky shows on the Second Saturday of each month, for a year, will be FREE to the public.  To kick off the free Second Saturday shows scheduled for October 10, the Planetarium will host a special showing of the science exploration show Extreme Planets for 4^th grade students of the Cadwalader School.

Media will have access to the Planetarium sky show during Friday event.
The year-long, free Second Saturday performances at the State Museum and Planetarium are made possible by a grant from the Merck Foundation.

Friday, October 9, 2009 at 11:30 a.m.

Extreme Planets - For centuries, humans have wondered whether we are alone in the Universe. Now, we are one step closer to knowing the answer. With the discovery of the first planet orbiting another star, we now know that planets are not unique to our Solar System. In fact, these "extra solar" planets now appear to be quite common.

Extreme Planets explores what makes a planet "Earth-like" and takes an immersive full dome tour of several worlds that just might fit the conditions we're looking for. From water worlds to molten landscapes, inhabitable moons to planets with multiple suns, these exotic worlds are not just science fiction anymore! Suitable for general audiences.