STARGAZERS INVITED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SKY.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

Amateur astronomers can enjoy a live, interactive tour of the night sky Saturday when California State University, Northridge, opens its planetarium to the public for the first time.

At Valley College, stargazers can enjoy free monthly public lectures exploring different scientific themes. And later this summer, extraterrestrial buffs can learn how scientists might determine whether life exists on other planets during an extension course taught by a rocket scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Even though Griffith Observatory is closed for renovations until 2005, San Fernando Valley residents can still get their fill of ``star stuff'' and learn about the marvels of the universe.

``We need to do this in people's neighborhoods so they can feel connected with (the universe),'' said David Falk, planetarium director and chairman of the earth science department at Valley College. ``It's something for everybody to enjoy and participate and learn about.''

At CSUN, planetarium visitors can view constellations, gaze at new photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope and participate in a question-and-answer session with JPL astronomer Bob Korechoff following Saturday's 7 p.m. show. The campus observatory also will be open for public viewing.

CSUN planetarium coordinator Christopher McGowan, who decided to open the facility to the public, encouraged residents to visit.

``It's one of the few places people can go and learn about the universe at large,'' McGowan said. ``It's particularly important, because we get caught up in so many worldly things - family life, problems nationally or locally, that it's one of those refuges to go and reflect on the much bigger picture.''

Although scientific information is abundant, the public often doesn't have a way to put it in context, said Kevin Grazier, an investigation scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.

In July, Grazier will teach Hunting for E.T.: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life, a UCLA Extension course that will cover such topics as the origin and evolution of life on Earth, necessary conditions for life, how many civilizations might exist in the galaxy and the SETI project, an acronym for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

Although Grazier said his UCLA extension class won't be ``The X-Files 101,'' he does plan to reveal how science myths can be disproved using a basic knowledge of physics.

Aspiring astronomers can also learn more about the universe by attending free monthly lectures hosted by Valley College and JPL. Andre Bormanis, story editor for the television show ``Enterprise,'' recently kicked off the event with a discussion of the scientific reality behind the Star Trek series.

Bormanis said while the show tries to be realistic in its depiction of star clusters and nebulae, dramatic license is taken. The show also likes to play with the fact that new discoveries occurring all the time in science overturn long-held beliefs.

``It's easy to be fooled,'' Bormanis said. ``The important lesson that everybody needs to know about science is its real value: the way it makes us question our own prejudices and examine the blinders that we all walk around with, that shape our perceptions of the world.

``Science is about asking questions. It's about not treating any one idea as established, sacred fact but recognizing that there may well be better ideas and better theories that explain even more of the world to us,'' Bormanis said.

STARRY-EYED?

Here are just a few of the celestial programs available:

--California State University, Northridge's ``First Light'' show will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Donald E. Bianchi Planetarium in Science Building 3 near the center of the campus. Tickets for the show are $5 for adults and $3 for students and can be purchased at the CSUN Student Union box office Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by calling [phone].

--``Hunting for ET: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life'' will be offered from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays between July 10 and Aug. 14 in Room 5200 of the Math and Sciences Building at UCLA. The course is $210 for credit; $170 for noncredit. For more information, call [phone].

--Valley College offers free Sunday night lectures each month at its planetarium. The next one is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. June 23. For more information, call [phone].

--The Ventura County Astronomical Society hosts a public star party, 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Charles Temple Observatory at Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark.

--The S.A.G.E. Planetarium will host a dark sky party Saturday at the Poppy Reserve on Lancaster Road between 170th St. West and 110th St. West. For more information, call planetarium director Jeremy Amarant at [phone].

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Christopher McGowan is one of the principal organizers of First Light, an astronomy program open to the public so people can experience CSUN's planetarium and observatory.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2) JPL scientist Kevin Grazie, who worked on the Saturn Mission, will teach The Hunt for ET, a UCLA Extension class scheduled for July.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

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STARRY-EYED? (see text)