‘Imiloa Astronomy Center brings back its popular Thursday evening program “A 3D Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe,” this time focusing on Galaxies and Large Scale Structures for a five-week run starting September 1, 2011.    The live planetarium program, hosted by Shawn Laatsch, ‘Imiloa planetarium manager, uses the 3D stereoscopic projection capability in the ‘Imiloa planetarium to “fly” participants out into space on a unique and engaging tour of the universe that astronomers are discovering with the observatories of Maunakea and other space based missions.
     The program will be offered weekly, starting on September 1, on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. through September 29.  Audience may wish to add dinner to their evening as ‘Imiloa’s Sky Garden Restaurant is open Thursday nights for dinner starting at 5 p.m.  The restaurant, which specializes in Chinese cuisine in the evenings, is also open on Friday and Saturday nights.
     Laatsch will begin by exploring our solar system, flying by Jupiter and Saturn, and moving outward to our local celestial neighborhood.  Travelling outward audiences will explore the Milky Way as our home galaxy, and then take a look at its place in the Local Group of galaxies. The journey will continue into inter galactic space exploring the Virgo cluster of galaxies, Tully Data Base, Sloan Digital Sky Survey and to the farthest extent that our astronomical instruments are able to show us.  Take a virtual 3D flight through the cosmos in a new and exciting way. Feel as if you are "jumping off the Earth" as you voyage through time and space.