“If you guys see anything really trippy or awesome, applaud and I’ll do more of that,” says Garth von Ahnen to an eager Saturday night crowd before he returns to the projection booth inside of the Fujitsu Planetarium.

If von Ahnen’s name sounds familiar, it is because he is the son of Karl von Ahnen. Karl has been projecting shows at the planetarium for more than fifteen years. Following in his father’s footsteps, Garth and co-worker Bill Lewis, sit behind rows and rows of buttons and knobs preparing their live visual accompaniment to The Beatles, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

The show starts a few minutes after 9 p.m.

The entire planetarium ceiling glows bright red and the title track to “Sgt. Pepper” begins. Slowly the red fades as the Infinium S Star Ball instantly transports us to a place amongst the stars. The Infinium S Star Ball is not only state of the art but also one of its kind in the United States. Once we are settled in the proper celestial heaven, Garth begins his handiwork with the HD24 Laser Projector, which is not-so-state-of-the-art. The old projector working in unison with the new S Star creates a unique super-hybrid-awesome show.

Bright and intense geometric shapes dance along to timeless classics such as “With a Little Help From My Friends,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and my personal favorite, “A Day in the Life.”

After an hour of enveloping the crowd’s consciousness, Garth and the crew raise the lights and thank the crowd. Outside in the lobby, small groups of friends from the audience discuss their favorite song, color and shape combinations.

Laser light shows have been a tradition at

De Anza College since the mid 1970s. Today, by combining fantastic displays of color with timeless musical greats like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and many other artists, the Fujistu Planetarium is able to not only maintain but improve on a great tradition.

The neatest aspect of the show is the fact that no two are alike; even though the music is standard, most of the laser manipulation is done live.

If you are interested in partaking in rock ‘n’ roll odysseys aided by almost hallucinogenic images, I highly recommend checking out these shows.

Astronomy shows and laser shows occur every Saturday from Jan. 17 through Mar. 21, with the exception of Feb. 14.

Shows geared toward younger crowds start at 5 p.m. and general audiences at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets cost nine dollars for adults and seven dollars for children 12 and under.

Schedules are also available at http://www.planetarium.deanza.edu.