Commerce, Texas  — The Texas A&M University-Commerce Planetarium invites the public to featured presentations of two movies: A Starry Tale and Seven Wonders.

A Starry Tale begins July 27 and will be shown at 7 p.m. followed by Seven Wonders at 8 p.m. which is narrated by Sean Bean, Boromir from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The shows are presented on Fridays and will continue through Sept. 7, 2012.

Constellations and movement of the sun, moon and planets will be presented. An associated story from Greek mythology is provided with beautiful animations including the tale of Astraea, the goddess of justice, who is closely related to the constellation Libra.

“Constellation names were created thousands of years ago and they have been handed down generation after generation,” Cheri Davis, assistant director of the Texas A&M University-Commerce Planetarium. “A Starry Tale focuses on select constellations and stories associated with them.”

Viewers travel back in time to explore the Seven Wonders of the World.  In Ancient Egypt, they visit the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Great Pyramids, the Mausoleum in Persia, and the fabled Hanging Gardens in Babylon. The journey continues to Greece to see the temples of Zeus and Artemis and then to Rhodes to stand in the shadow of the towering Colossus.

“The shows begin with brief remarks by the planetarium staff, who presents the Commerce night sky on the planetarium auditorium's 40-foot dome and points out the constellations, stars, and planets,” Davis said. “The audiences experience the shows using the planetarium's state-of-the-art Digistar 3, all digital projection system, and viewers enjoy immersive theater viewing with tilted seats and 10-speaker surround sound during the shows.”

The showings last about an hour, are open to the public, admission is $3 for those under 18 and college students with ID, $3.50 for university employees and senior citizens, and $4 for all others. A discount of $1 per person will be offered if tickets are purchased at the same times for two shows viewed on the same day.

For directions to the observatory and more information about the planetarium, go to: http://web.tamu-commerce.edu/communityOutreach/planetarium/observatory.aspx