Photo projected at the Halloween Planetarium show. Credit: Annie Laugen | Freelancer
Halloween is taking on a cosmic twist at Ohio State, where a planetarium show combines wicked celestial objects, storytelling and immersive visuals to bring astronomy to the spooky season.
“Cosmic Creeps and Celestial Treats,” created by Miqaela Weller, a graduate student in astronomy and astrophysics, will take place Friday at 6 p.m. in the Arne Slettebak Planetarium, located at the Smith Laboratory Observing Deck at 174 W. 19th Ave. The show explores mysterious astronomical objects, such as the Witches Head Nebula and Dark Wolf Nebula, and uses their appearances as inspiration for a Halloween-themed show. As of Thursday, tickets were sold out online.
“I want to build scientific literacy with my shows,” Weller said. “Astronomy is more approachable than maybe some other sciences because everyone has looked up at the stars at some point in their life.”
Weller also included the Screaming Skull and a Solar Jack-o-lantern in the show — a photo taken by NASA of the Sun, which resembles a pumpkin with an eerie face.
Unlike traditional planetarium presentations that focus primarily on educating audiences about astronomy, Weller said the? Halloween show blends scientific information alongside entertainment, offering an engaging introduction to the universe.
The Arne Slettebak Planetarium. Credit: Courtesy of Wayne Schlingman
Weller said her interest in starting planetarium shows began when she shadowed presentations during some of her graduate outreach responsibilities. Since then, she has designed and curated multiple shows, drawing inspiration from the enthusiasm of the younger audiences during school group visits.
For Weller, she said themed presentations offer an opportunity to reach audiences who may not know much about astronomy, and the Halloween concept serves as a bridge between science and amusement. She hopes that creating this connection will make learning about the universe more accessible for audiences.
“People enjoy themed experiences, so advertising a theme to a planetarium show gets people interested to come,” Weller said. “Then they can leave knowing more about the universe.”?
Bringing these presentations to life requires more than selecting astronomy images.
Behind the scenes, Weller said she begins her creative process by writing a script before developing visuals using imagery, original drawings and planetarium software. All of the audio used in the show is made by either Weller or her partner, Bob Connell, who she considers her own “voice actor.”
Instead of relying on artificial intelligence devices to insert her visuals, Weller said she incorporated visuals from online, and even drew a lot of the images included to maintain an original approach to the artistry of the planetarium shows.
Apart from seasonal entertainment, Weller said she hopes the show encourages audiences to appreciate the scale of the universe and the many cultures that have helped to interpret the night sky throughout history.?
