IUP Cejka Planetarium Offering Program About Total Lunar Eclipse and Program on How Humanity Has Learned to Live in Space

Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Cejka Planetarium in John J. and Char Kopchick Hall will host a program about the next total lunar eclipse on February 24, "Blood Moon: Total Lunar Eclipse," and a presentation titled "Working from the Final Frontier: How Humanity has Learned to Live in Space" on March 25.

Both presentations will begin at 7:00 p.m. and are free and open to the community.

The next total lunar eclipse is on March 3.

Nick Deardorff, professor and chairperson of IUP's Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences, will present the February 24 show. Jackson Sturrock, a 2022 IUP graduate and a teacher in the Marion Center Area School District, will present the March show.

The presentations are sponsored by the IUP Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences and the IUP Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Weather permitting, after-the-show telescope observing of the night sky (evening shows) or of the sun (daytime shows) will be available. Seating is limited; doors will open 15 minutes before each show. Groups that wish to attend are asked to call 724-357-2440 in advance of the shows.

The Cejka Planetarium, named in honor of the generosity of Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka, 1973 graduates of IUP, features a digital projector. It is located on the second floor of Kopchick Hall.

Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.