Navajo star and constellation myths, including the story of the creation of stars, will be explored during a live astronomy show at Fiske Planetarium in March on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
John Stocke, a CU-Boulder professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences, will present "Navajo Skies" at Fiske Planetarium on Friday, March 7, and Tuesday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m.Ìý
The talk is based in part on Stocke's interviews with two Navajo singers, commonly called medicine men, years ago and includes excerpts from taped conversations with the men. The show delves into the relationship between the Navajo constellation depictions, the creation story and some basic ideals of Navajo life.
Stocke interviewed the medicine men at Gates Planetarium in Denver during the late 1970s as part of a research project he undertook while teaching at the Navajo Community College, now Diné College, in Tsaile, Ariz., in the heart of the Navajo reservation.
Admission for the show is $5 for adults, $4 for students and $3 for children and seniors. Tickets go on sale at 7 p.m. the night of the show. The Sommers-Bausch Observatory will be open to the public after the Friday evening show, weather permitting. Admission to the observatory is free.
For more information about Fiske Planetarium and other shows and programs it offers, call (303) 492-5001 or visit the Web site at .