The Planetarium is the perfect place to bring your group for an outing. These cultural stories are recommended for grades 1 and up, and can be scheduled on any week day.
Grades 1 & up
Legends of the Night Sky: ORION
Accompanied by narrators Aesop the owl and Socrates the mouse, we follow Orion’s adventures as he grows to manhood, battles mythical beasts, foils the plot of an evil king and wins the heart of Artemis, the beautiful moon-goddess. By the end of the story, we learn how the constellation Orion was placed in the sky, forever turning overhead throughout the seasons.
Grades 2 & up
Daughter of the Stars
The earliest inhabitants of North America had legends about the sky quite different from their Mediterranean and Asian counterparts. These stories of great beauty, wisdom and humor depict the formation of the world the Indians knew.
Grades 4 and up
From Earth to the Universe
The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths and awe for as long as there have been people. A desire to comprehend the Universe may well be humanity’s oldest shared intellectual experience. Yet only recently have we truly begun to grasp our place in the vast cosmos. To learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience From Earth to the Universe.
Tales of the Maya Skies
Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee, Lila Downs, narrates, as Tales of the Maya Skies brings us back to the ancient jungles of Mexico, where the Maya built cities and temples aligned to movements of the Sun, Moon and planets. They made sense of an ever-changing world by observing, recording and predicting natural events such as solstices, solar eclipses, weather patterns, and planetary movements.
These observations, in combination with a sophisticated mathematical system, allowed them to develop a precise calendar system; their measurements of the length of the solar year were more accurate than measurements the Europeans used as the basis of the Gregorian calendar. The Maya also predicted eclipses, were able to forecast seasonal change and developed the concept of mathematical zero, enabling them to predict events into the future.
Tales of the Maya Skies weaves together this rich combination of science, culture, and legend, immersing viewers in the sounds and sights of an ancient way of life.
Grades 5 & up
2012: End of the World? NOT!
December 21, 2021...the end of the world? Did the Mayans predict the end of time thousands of years ago? Will increasing solar activity destroy our planet by next December? Is a killer asteroid inbound during 2012? Is the magnetic field of our planet going to flip in 2012, wrecking havoc on the Earth? Sort out the science from the hype as we explore some of the many rumors surrounding the coming of the 2012 winter solstice in this all-new planetarium show.
Astrology: A Story of You
Many know their zodiac sign but few know what they mean. This show will introduce you to the history of Astrology and the stories it told. Learn how ancient astrologers wrote a story of you!
Light Years from Andromeda
A beam of light leaves the Andromeda Galaxy and travels across the void of intergalactic space. On a planet located in a nearby galaxy, intelligent life evolves.
As the light speeds across the light years, over the course of centuries, the primitives on the planet from cultures and civilizations begin to wonder about the universe surrounding them. Their awareness of the night sky increases as the beam of light draws nearer to their planet. When the light reaches the Earth, some of the dependents of the early hunters have just escaped the bonds of their world's gravity, and visited the moon. In modern times, scientific study of space helps the planet's current inhabitants to understand the properties of light, and the ways that understanding shapes our further knowledge of the universe.
Grades 6 & up
Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
Watch the birth of a Black Hole, zip through a wormhole, journey past the event horizon and experience the formation of the Milky Way! Mathematical equations, cutting edge science and Einstein’s theories fill in holes along the way, providing the most complete picture yet of this mysterious phenomenon. Can you feel the pull? Narrated by Liam Neeson.
