Closed today. Open again on Tuesday, April 28, 9:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Planetarium Shows for Educators

We are thrilled to invite K-12 educators to embark on an educational journey beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere.

Schedule a show for your group

Our Planetarium is dedicated to fostering a passion for science, astronomy, and space exploration through captivating and immersive shows tailored specifically for educators and their students. Step into the universe as we blend captivating visuals and educational expertise, igniting curiosity and inspiring the next generation of explorers.

All shows are available to schedule for school groups, offering a unique cosmic experience for K-12 students. Join us on this celestial journey – where learning reaches new heights!

The Little Star That Could

Poor Little Star is new to the universe and just wants to see what else is out there. Judging by the reactions of the other stars he meets, he is destined to be nothing more than average. On his journey of discovery, Little Star learns what makes each star special. For some, it is their color and temperature; for others it may be their planets, or their stellar companions. Along the way, he discovers that stars can combine to form larger groups, like star clusters and galaxies. Eventually, Little Star finds his planets who tell them a little about themselves and give him his special name, the Sun.

Cartoon hamster flying in a home-made aircraft

3-2-1 Liftoff!

What happens when a robot from space crashes into a down on his luck hamster engineer’s junkyard? An opportunity to learn occurs, that’s what! Elon needs to get his new friend, Number Eight, back to her spaceship. He will have to call on his engineering skills and ability to problem solve to get Eight back before her ship leaves orbit. Adding to the challenge, Elon can’t understand Eight’s language. Students will gain an understanding of experimentation and problem solving via this entertaining program.

Open Captioning Available

Humpback Whales

Humpback Whales is an extraordinary journey into the mysterious world of one of nature’s most awe-inspiring marine mammals, captured for the first time with IMAX® cameras. Join a team of researchers as they unlock the secrets of the humpback and find out why they sing their haunting songs, and why these intelligent, 55 foot, 50-ton mammals migrate up to 10,000 miles round-trip every year

Open Captioning Available

The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness

Wild. Vast. Magical. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, is the wildest place left in North America. Lying in the northeast corner of Alaska, it is home to arctic foxes, wolves, caribou, musk oxen, polar bears, numerous species of birds, and indigenous peoples. This film, produced by National Geographic's Florian Schulz, gives the first-ever cinematic account of this little known land. It is here where some of the world's greatest wildlife spectacles unfold against a stark, yet beautiful landscape. Discover how we are all connected to this place and the importance of protecting it.

Open Captioning Available

Legends of the Starry Realm / Live Sky Tour

Ride through the clouds to the rescue of the beautiful Princess Andromeda. Stalk the evil Minotaur in the bewildering twists and turns of King Minos’ terrifying Labyrinth. Travel with Orpheus and his magical harp through the heat and sulfurous fumes of Hades in search of his beloved Euridice. Sail in an ancient ship beneath a sky filled with legends that have transcended time.

Open Captioning Available

Space Oases

We live on a watery planet and water is essential to life as we know it, but is Earth the only place in the solar system where water exists? Come along as we set out in search of water, from the hellish surfaces of Mercury and Venus, to the gaseous giants, like Jupiter and Saturn, and out to the far reaches of the system. Will we find water in unexpected places? Are there worlds more watery than our own? Space Oases will expand your students' knowledge as we trace water through the solar system.

Open Captioning Available

Movie poster style image of an underwater cave diver swimming in a cave

Ancient Caves

Paleoclimatologist Dr. Gina Mosely studies the long-past climate of our planet. She is particularly interested in when ice ages transitioned to warmer periods, called interglacials. But how, exactly, does one study a climate that no longer exists? The answer is caves.

Ancient caves preserve a record of the past climate within the formations, including stalactites and stalagmites. Adding to the challenge, many of the best caves for this kind of science are currently flooded.

Students will discover how Dr. Mosely uses cave formations to study the ancient climate and the dangers involved for those who risk their lives cave diving to bring her samples from deep within the Earth.

Open Captioning Available

The Great Solar System Adventure / Live Sky Tour

Gather around everyone! The Great Schiaparelli is about to take you on a grand adventure through the solar system. Many wonders await you, but so do great perils. Each incredible planet holds fascinating features and traits to make it unique and dangerous in its own way. Discover the heavy, thick, hot Venusian atmosphere that, without protection, would instantaneously flatten and melt you like an uncooked pancake. Attempt to land on Mars, which barely has an atmosphere to speak of. Get blown about by 1,600+ mph winds in Neptune's upper atmosphere. Yes, discover the wonders of the solar system and see if your students can survive it all.

Open Captioning Available

Dark Biosphere

What is life? Can it truly be defined? Life, as we know it, needs water, a source of carbon, minerals, and a source of energy to survive. These things exist elsewhere in our solar system and beyond. Does this mean life can exist beyond Earth? This show explores extremophiles on Earth and what their existence means in the search for life beyond our planet. Life’s building blocks exist throughout the universe and can spread from place to place. Could living organisms spread from planet to planet? Might life have migrated to Earth? This thought-provoking show looks at the nature of life, our origins, and what it might mean.

Open Captioning Available

An artist rendition of a black hole in space

Black Holes: Unknown Horizons / Black Hole Tour

Black holes are some of the most mysterious and intriguing objects in the universe. Ranging in size from just a few solar masses to billions of solar masses, they all possess the property that once inside their Schwarzschild radii, gravity is so strong that not even light can escape. Explore the formation of black holes, their nature, and how they may ultimately dictate the fate of the universe.

Open Captioning Available

A fade in of the Stonehenge historical site, along with Earth with outer space in the background

Dancing Among the Stars

Our planet is in constant motion. Though few realize it, our planet's constant motion carries us an amazingly fast ride. Earth's rotation about its axis and revolution around the Sun give rise to what we experience day in and day out, year in and year out. This show examines the so-called dance of our planet in space and how we can see the evidence for that dance in what we experience through observing the sky, both day and night, and our experience of the repetitive seasons. This is an excellent show that teaches the fundamentals of our planet's motions.

Open Captioning Available

Big Bird from Sesame Street pointing at the sky

One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure

Join Sesame Street's Big Bird, Elmo, and their friend from faraway China, Hu Hu Zhu, as they learn about the sky in this fun adventure. The three sky watchers learn about sunsets and finding starry patterns like the Big Dipper in the night sky. Students are encouraged to use their imaginations and actively participate in this program

T. REX

Behold, the G.O.A.T! That's “Greatest Of All Tyrants,” Tyrannosaurus rex, a.k.a. “T. rex.” This giant screen film explores how new discoveries shape our current understanding of one of the most fearsome dinosaurs to walk the Earth. This ultimate predator is steeped in myth, mystery, and misinformation. T. rex, the movie, will shed light on paleontologists' latest understanding of its titular star. From digging T. rex fossils in the Hell Creek Badlands to stepping back in time, via CGI, Tyrannosaurus rex will come to life on the planetarium dome and give insight to the origins and life of this so-called “king of the tyrant lizards” on the prehistoric continent of Laramidia.

Open Captioning Available

Galello's head enlarged over a Planetarium with the night sky in the background

Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope / Live Sky Tour

In 1609, Galileo first turned his crude "spy glass" telescope skyward. Four centuries later, the telescope has evolved into modern wonders of technology like the Hubble Space Telescope. Join two young sky watchers and their astronomer friend as they explore the universe and learn why telescopes are such important tools of science.

One Step Beyond: A Journey to Mars

One small step was just the beginning. Now, we take one step beyond – driven by curiosity, bound for Mars, and ready to write the boldest chapter in human exploration.

Experience the thrill of launch, the challenges of life in space, the cutting-edge technology of NASA’s Artemis program, and the search for life that could transform how we see our planet, our past, and our place in the cosmos – as we prepare for humanity’s biggest step yet: setting foot on Mars.

Open Captioning Available

Dark sky illuminated by green northern lights

Arora / Live Sky Tour

The Northern and Southern Lights, better known as the aurora borealis and aurora australis, are among Earth's most fascinating natural phenomena. Steeped in many mythologies, these ethereal lights dance across polar skies in ghostly fashion. Discover what generates the aurora here on Earth and on other planets and moons. Come, be captivated by Arora, the Icelandic goddess of the dawn and the aurora, and her tales of herself and her sisters. Behold the wonder and beauty of the aurora as seen from Iceland!

Open Captioning Available

two kids and a dog standing in front of a spaceship

The Accidental Astronauts

Follow the adventures of Cy, Annie, and Cy's dog Armstrong as they embark upon an unexpected journey into space! This wonderful Earth, Sun and Moon adventure show is written by award-winning children's author Kristyn Crow.

Open Captioning Available

Beyond the Sun: In Search of a New Earth / Live Sky Tour

Celeste is a curious girl, and with the help of her new friend Moon, she is about to learn about
exoplanets (planets that orbit other stars). Moon also teaches her how astronomers can detect
these planets, measure their size, and sense their surface conditions. Moon explains to Celeste
what a planet must be like in order to have the possibility of life.

Open Captioning Available

Birth of Planet Earth / Live Sky Tour

The Solar System's formation from a huge cloud of gas and dust is tough for students to visualize. This show does an incredible job of explaining and depicting how the Earth was born. See the solar nebula collapse, countless dust particles clump into larger bodies, and asteroids coalescing into protoplanets. Observe the Earth-Theia collision that formed the Moon. Four and a half billion years roll by as today's solar system comes into being and students gain an understanding of how our Earth formed.

A live sky tour follows the program, featuring constellations, planets, the moon and other items of interest currently visible in the sky, with tips for finding your way around in the heavens on the next clear night, and stories about the stars.

An educator's guide with classroom activities is available for this program upon request.

Open Captioning Available

Two kids standing next to each other on top of a DNA cell structure

Cell! Cell! Cell! The Ex-CELL-ent Adventures of Raj and Sooki!

Join Raj and Sooki's ex-CELL-ent adventure as they examine the mircoscopic cells that make up all of us. Explore the human cell from within. Students will learn about the various parts of the cell and their functions; genetics, including egg fertilization and the genes that go into making each one of us unique; and the specialization of cells.

Multiple photos of different colorful objects

Cosmic Colors: An Adventure Along the Spectrum / Live Sky Tour

The universe is awash in radio waves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, microwaves, x-rays, and gamma rays pouring forth from various celestial objects. Learn about the electro-magnetic spectrum and common, everyday application of these forms of energy in this fast-paced adventure.

Clear night sky with the galaxy and stars visible

Deep Sky / Live Sky Tour

For all its splendor, a starry sky is but a sliver of the universe, most of which is too distant and dim for the human eye to see. Telescopes and sensitive digital detectors reveal a "deep sky" of stellar birth and death, star clusters, distant galaxies, galactic collisions, the large-scale structure of the universe, and a background of cosmic radiation echoing across time.

Open Captioning Available

A little girl making an origami dinosaur

Dinosaurs: A Story of Survival / Live Sky Tour

Celeste wants to fold an origami dinosaur for a class presentation, but can't figure it out. Luckily, her good friend Moon is here to help with all things dinosaur. Together, they will travel back in time to a very different Earth and discover many, many, dinosaurs. Little dinosaurs? Got 'em! Big dinosaurs? Got 'em! Feathered dinosaurs? Got 'em! Join these two friends as they explore the nature of dinosaurs and what led to their extinction. Or, did some survive? Discover what a chicken has to do with a dinosaur!

Open Captioning Available

The open sky with a hot air balloon and planes over the ocean

Dream to Fly

Have you ever dreamt that you were flying? Explore humankind's quest for flight from the ancient myths of Aladdin's flying carpet and the kites of ancient China to Leonardo da Vinci's scientific study of wings and the pioneers of actual flight. Learn how history also shaped the early days of powered aviation with the advent of world wars. This poetic and visually stunning show takes you on a journey from the time when humans could only dream of flying to our modern day world where all one needs to fly is a ticket.

A grandfather and a girl running towards a car

GranPa & Zoe – Mission: Light / Live Sky Tour

A typical day for GranPa and Zoe in the Australian outback is interrupted when GranPa's old nemesis, Bogbog, attempts to block sunlight from reaching the Earth. Exploring and utilizing different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, can GranPa and Zoe foil Bogbog's diabolical plan, reveal the nature of color and light, and save the day?

Concepts: Electromagnetic spectrum, color, light waves, energy.

Open Captioning Available

Legends of the Night Sky: Orion / Live Sky Tour

The legend of Orion, the mighty hunter, comes to life! From his humble beginnings to his daring hunting exploits and romances, Orion and his faithful hunting dogs, Sirius and Procyon, move from adventure to adventure. Eventually, having earned the scorn of Apollo, Orion battles Scorpius, the scorpion, in a fight to the death. Discover how, upon his demise, Orion was spirited into the winter sky for all to see, along with his two faithful companions.

Open Captioning Available

A hero rescuing a girl chained to a rock

Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus and Andromeda / Live Sky Tour

The classic Greek story of the princess and her hero come to life! Poor Andromeda is being sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus for the sins of her mother, Cassiopeia. Just what led to this calamity? Where is her father, Cepheus, in all this? It all sounds so terrible; she needs a hero. Never fear, for Perseus is almost here! But, before rescuing Andromeda, Perseus must survive the petrifying Gorgon, Medusa. Will the story end happily? Join us to find out.

A pocket watch with different light orbs surrounding it

Life's Question / Live Sky Tour

Life flourishes on Earth, but can it exist elsewhere? What are the essential elements of life, as
we know it? How did these elements come into being? What conditions are favorable to life?
Life’s Question delves into these mysteries and others to explore not only the origins of life on
Earth, but also the possibilities for finding life beyond our shores. Discover the six crucial
CHNOPS elements that comprise and drive terrestrial life.

Open Captioning Available

Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker

Meet the Whiskers, a family of endangered Australian sea lions. Baby Otto has no one looking out for her, other than her mother. Then again, maybe there is somebody else; Ranger Dirk Holman is charged with preserving this species along Australia's rugged southern coast.

This coming-of-age tale follows Otto and her mother as they struggle to survive, and follows Dirk as he travels to California to learn the secrets of the California sea lion's dramatic recovery. Will Dirk gain the knowledge needed to preserve the Australian sea lion? Will Otto survive the harsh realities of life off the southern Australian coast?

Discover the answers in this film that is sure to engage your students.

Open Captioning Available

Multiple animals from Africa standing in a field

Serengeti: A Journey to the Heart of Africa

Come explore the African Serengeti in this beautiful giant screen film. Encounter one of the world's oldest and most vibrant ecosystems, whose story is told through the million-animal, ever-moving migration of the wildebeest. Here, each creature, from the smallest insect to the largest land mammal, has an important role to play. What series of events happened to create this incredible ecosystem? Can we learn its intricacies to save and protect the Serengeti? Come see how this extraordinary place came to be.

**Please note: This film includes scenes of predation in the wild.

Open Captioning Available

Solar Superstorms / Live Sky Tour

Our star, the sun, goes through an 11 year cycle, ranging from relative quiescence to a substantial sunspot activity and eruptions of prominences across its surface. During solar maximum, the sun can discharge floods of charged particles into space by way of coronal mass ejections. Most never cross our planet's path, but those that do can affect space weather around the globe and spawn beautiful auroral displays. While most geomagnetic storms are relatively harmless, occasionally the sun spews forth a storm of particles so extreme it becomes a superstorm, with the potential to wreak havoc on our technologically dependent society. Discover the nature of our star and the danger it can pose.

Open Captioning Available

The Sun: Our Living Star / Live Sky Tour

The sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years, providing the energy that drives the winds, our weather, and all life. The passage of the sun's fiery disc across the sky - day by day, month by month - is how civilizations have tracked time. As a typical dwarf star, the sun consumes 600 million tons of hydrogen each second and is 500 times as massive as all the planets combined. Discover the secrets of our star and experience never-before-seen images of the sun's violent surface in an immersive format.

Unseen Universe / Live Sky Tour

Look at the night sky and you are seeing the universe as humankind has for nearly all of history. The visible light that our eyes detect has revealed much about the universe. Yet, it is only the tip of the iceberg: radio, infrared, ultraviolet, x-rays, and other wavelengths of the electro-magnetic spectrum carry a wealth of information about planets, stars, and galaxies. The relatively recent capability of detecting energy from across the spectrum, together with the added power of interlinking telescopes continents apart, is finally lifting the veil on the secrets of our unseen universe. Discover these technologies and their revelations on this journey into the realm beyond what our eyes can see.

Open Captioning Available

A satellite in space and a shooting star

Violent Universe: Catastrophes of the Cosmos / Live Sky Tour

Few things appear more peaceful than a quiet, starry sky. Yet, terrific, unseen forces shape the cosmos: galaxies collide, supernova explosions rip stars apart, black holes in the hearts of galaxies devour whole stars, and asteroids and comets streak earthward.

We Are Stars / Live Sky Tour

The carnival, with all of its rides and attractions, has come to town and the most incredible experience is the Time Master's odyssey through space and time. Within the Time Master's tent lies a whimsical overview of the history of the universe, starting with the Big Bang and ending in our present time.

Discover how various processes inevitably progressed to the point that life arose on one small planet orbiting a yellow star. The Time Master's array of mechanical devices demonstrate key scientific concepts in simple terms, making it easier for one life form, humans, to understand where they came from. Sprinkle in a little humor along the way and this steampunk-themed show leads to the discovery that we are all made of stars.

Open Captioning Available

More Educator Resources Planetarium

Planetarium Shows for Educators

Schedule a show for your group

Filter Shows