海角社区 Planetarium Shows
"The Stars are for Everyone". Helen Sawyer-Hogg
We offer a number of multimedia astronomy programs that may be of interest to you and your students. Programs can be tailored to meet the needs of all age groups from 1st Grade through adult. Each show will also feature a look at the planetarium's night sky, highlighting the sky features for that particular time of year. Some of the shows we offer are described below.
| Program | Brief Description | Grade Level | |
|---|---|---|---|
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A Perfect Little Planet | Imagine the ultimate space vacation. Discover our solar system through a different set of eyes – a family from another star system seeking the perfect vacation spot. Fly over the surface of Pluto, our best known Dwarf Planet. Dive over the ice cliffs of Miranda. Sail through the rings of Saturn. Feel the lightning storms at Jupiter. And walk on the surface of Mars. Which destination would you choose? This is the solar system journey for space travelers of all ages. |
PreK - 4th grade. |
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Secret of the Cardboard Rocket |
Adventure through the solar system in the Cardboard Rocket! Travel with two children and their navigator, the talking astronomy book. Visit the Sun, the planets, the Moon and more. The narration track was edited in 2007 for the reclassification of Pluto to dwarf planet. References to "smallest planet," "ninth planet," and "last planet" were removed and Pluto is simply termed a planet in view of it being a new category of planet. |
PreK - 4th grade |
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The Accidental Astronauts |
Robo-kids Cy, Annie and their dog Armstrong get a lot more than they expected from their class field trip in an impromptu adventure. Travel along exploring the Sun, Earth and Moon, with a witty starship computer as navigator and guide. Race along on the surface of the Moon! Collect an asteroid sample in low gravity! Survive a solar storm! Find new appreciation for the unique beauty of Earth. Journey along with the Accidental Astronauts in this epic dome theater adventure. |
2nd grade and up. |
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Comets and Discovery |
The show takes the viewer on a journey of discovery. We follow two intrepid comet hunters in first-person: one, a modern explorer, the other, Caroline Herschel, the famous 18th century comet huntress that ruled the skies for many generations.
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2nd grade and above |
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The Case of the Disappearing Planet |
A radio announcement ...an excited phone call ... and our sly gumshoe, Skye Watcher, is on the case. Explore with Skye and discover what happened to the ex-planet Pluto as she tracks down clues that stretch back hundreds of years! Audiences will have great fun with this unique program that looks in the changing status of planets in our Solar System. | 3rd grade and above. |
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Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs? | Did a space rock six miles wide slam into the Earth 66 million years ago and wipe out 75 percent of all living species at that time, including the dinosaurs? Explore this impacts and cosmic collisions across the Solar System in this dynamic new show. Include footage from the first iridium layer found in Gubbio, Italy. | Grades 4 and up. |
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Oasis in Space | One of Spitz’s most popular and evergreen productions, Oasis In Space transports the audience on a startling and beautiful voyage through our universe, galaxy and solar system in search of liquid water, a key ingredient for life on Earth. | Grade 4 and up |
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Discover the Stars | On a clear, dark night, most of us, at one time or another, have gazed upon the stars and wondered about all those tiny points of light. Many of us are able to identify different patterns and constellations in the stars. But, what are those tiny points of light? This exciting program takes viewers beyond a simple observation of the night sky and delves into the fascinating lives of stars. |
4th grade and above |
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Extreme Planets |
For centuries, humanity has wondered whether we are alone in the Universe. Now, we are finally one step closer to knowing the answer. With the discovery in 1995 of the first planet orbiting another star, we now know that planets are not unique to our own Solar System. In fact, these “extrasolar” planets now appear to be quite common.ù This show explores what makes a planet “Earth-like” in the first place and take a tour of several worlds that just might fit the conditions we’re looking for. From water worlds to molten landscapes, inhabitable moons to planets with multiple suns, these exotic worlds aren’t just science fiction anymore! |
Grade 4 and above |
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Cosmic Collisions |
Narrated by Robert Redford, Cosmic Collisions invites audiences to experience an extraordinary vision of these forces that continue to affect our universe. |
5th grade and up |
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Cosmic Recipes | The famous astronomer Carl Sagan once said: “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” Though that may sound crazy, Sagan was onto something BIG! Want to know what? Pull up a chair at our Planetarium’s Periodic Table and learn the cosmic recipes that created everything in our world – even us! Discover how the Big Bang and the stars have cooked up the everyday elements we interact with every day—like the calcium in our teeth, the silicon in our smartphones, and even the carbon in our apple pies. Explore the world of chemistry—the protons, neutrons and electrons! See how tiny atoms relate to the mammoth stars! Connect the physical worlds of the small and large in this engaging and inspiring show. |
6th grade and up |
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Exploding Universe |
Out of devastating events in the cosmos comes new creation. Explosive phenomena are responsible for the way we see the universe today, and not all of them happen on a grand scale. When giant stars explode as “supernovas,” they seed the galaxies with heavy elements that make planets and life possible. Some collisions we’re only just now starting to understand. For example, when Black Holes collide, they can throw off some of the most energetic particles known, ripping and warping space as they go. But other “explosions” have profound effects as well, such as the beauty and power of supervolcanoes which have contributed to the transformation of our world into the life bearing oasis we now enjoy. The smallest of explosions, such as the forced impact of atoms, can echo the foundation events of the early universe. As the universe has transformed into the structure we live in now, even the most elementary particles have endured. This show follows the path of one of these “particles,” a proton, as it participates in nature’s astounding events of rebirth and renewal. |
Grade 6 and up. |
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Black Holes: The Edge of Infinity | Audiences will be dazzled with striking, immersive animations of the formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super-massive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy. | Grade 6 and up. |
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Journey to the Stars | Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and available to license for your digital planetarium, ‘Journey to the Stars’ reveals the fascinating story that connects us all to the stars. The dazzling ‘Journey to the Stars’ carries visitors through space and time to experience the life and death of the stars in our night sky, including our own nurturing Sun. Tour familiar stellar formations, explore new celestial mysteries, and discover the fascinating story that connects us all to the stars. ‘Journey to the Stars’ was developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org) in collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; GOTO INC, Tokyo, Japan; Papalote Museo del Niño, Mexico City, Mexico, and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. ‘Journey to the Stars’ was created by the American Museum of Natural History with the major support and partnership of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Science Mission Directorate, Heliophysics Division. |
Grade 6 and up |
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A Field trip to the Moon | Field trip to the Moon is a virtual journey created using NASA engineering models and scientific data. Like NASA's astronauts, you will come face-to-face with the challenges and excitement of launching from Earth's surface and journeying through space to land on the Moon. Along the way, you'll discover some of the difference between the earth and the Moon and what makes our planet unique and habitable. | |
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Mystery of the Christmas Star |
Journey back over 2000 years to Bethlehem as we seek to discover a scientific explanation for the star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus. This modern retelling of the Christmas story is sure to charm and captivate audiences of all ages. |
General audience |