Spring into The Bishop for Fun and Fascinating Programs

April 9, 2021 – Sarasota

There’s so much happening at The Bishop this month it’s hard to know where to begin! We’ve been excited to follow along on Perseverance’s journey to Mars as the rover explores the Red Planet looking for signs of ancient life. Earlier this week, NASA reported that its helicopter, Ingenuity, emerged from its first unprotected night of frigid temperatures and is doing well. We’re watching this mission closely and looking forward to seeing the helicopter fly. If you’d like to do a feature on Ingenuity’s historic flight attempt, schedule an interview with our resident NASA Solar System Ambassador and Planetarium Manager, Howard Hochhalter.

Later this month, we’re hosting “Seeing Stars at The Bishop.” This program combines a live star talk with a special night-time viewing opportunity where guests will be able to see some cool night-sky features, including the Beehive Cluster and the first double star ever seen through a telescope in the 1600s. We’re also bringing our popular monthly program that offers a live guided tour of the night skies back into The Planetarium for an in-person show.

But it’s not all about the stars — April 22 marks the 51st Earth Day and we have plenty of Earth-themed programs this month celebrating our favorite planet (details are below). And don’t miss our current special exhibition, Badlands to Bradenton: Lessons from the Field. The exhibition showcases the real-life fossil digs we lead for Manatee County teachers, including the fossils they’ve found and the lessons they bring back from the Nebraska Badlands. If you’d like to interview some of the teachers who have been on one of our Badlands expeditions, just give me a call! (This museum-curated exhibition, generously sponsored by the Toomey family, is open through June 6 and visiting is included in the price of admission.)

For a full listing of events, visit https://bishopscience.org