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Show 1 Legends appear at Hansen Planetarium by Rick Rrough Every time I go to a Hansen Planetarium show about star legends, leg-ends, I have the same question when they point out the star configurations that represent warriors, or bears or ancient maidens. I say, "Where? Where? All I see is a jumble of stars!" But the latest show, "Once Upon a Starry Night," can be enjoyed even if you're astronomically blind like me. It goes over old material. But it's of interest if you like ancient mythology. The setting is a beautiful rocky plateau in southern Utah where a camping party is settling down cheerfully for the night. The campout, apparently, is sponsored by the United Nations, since everyone is of a different nationality. The camp leader (who has the voice of Merlin Olsen) starts things off by talking about the stars and the legends behind them. Eventually, , everyone chips in with a story from the legends of his people. For instance, we hear the story, of the seven young Kiowa girls chased by their brother, who pretended to be a bear. Magically he became a bear and chased them to a large stump. The stump rose to the heavens to protect the sisters, and there the girls became the sewn stars ot the Big Dipper. The program looks at other portions of the night sky, such as the North Star. Milky Way and Pleiades. Sometimes this gets a little dry. as when the narrator pinpoints a star cluster and just rattles off the names it has received from various cultures. Other times, the visuals are very beautiful (like the illustrations of the Navajo Mother-Earth Father sky concept. ) A fitting climax is the illustrated myth of Phaethon, who drove the chariot of his father the Sun God. He lost control of the chariot, and the horses, rampaging across the heavens, hea-vens, threatened to destroy the universe until Phaethon was struck down. The program is at its best here, with effective voice readings and fiery special effects. Olsen's readings are pretty platitudinous. And the program doesn't have the depth of "Einstein" "Ein-stein" or "Star of Jerusalem." But the program should please Hansen fans. "Once Upon a Starry Night" plays weekdays at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4f30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturdays at 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. |