Planetarium Shows

This animated, fulldome show for audiences of all ages follows Elon, the hamster scientist, as he learns about the courage and wits you need to get in space and back when he finds a crater and a damaged robot in his backyard.

From New Orleans to New York City: a story of culture, creativity, and the music that shaped America. Join us for this cross-country adventure through the musical heritage of America and the cultural cities where America’s music was born. Narrated by Morgan Freeman.

Apollo 11: First Steps Edition is a thrilling cinematic experience showcasing the real-life moments of the first lunar landing. With never-before-seen 70 mm footage and newly-discovered audio recordings, the filmmakers reconstruct the exhilarating final moments of preparation, lift-off, landing, and return of this historic mission - one of humanity's greatest achievements and the first to put a man on the moon. Immersed in the perspectives of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, the mission control team, and the millions of spectators on the ground, viewers will vividly experience those moments, days, and hours in 1969 when humankind took a giant leap into the future. Viewers will marvel at the human ingenuity and the impulse that led us into space.

Preceded by Seasonal Sky Tonight.

This delightful claymation adventure explains one of the greatest geological events in the history of the earth: the separation of the supercontinent Pangaea. When two children embark on a geology field trip, they are thrown into a fantastic voyage in which they witness incredible geological wonders and explore the mysterious process that created our present-day continents.

If it weren't for a series of cataclysmic events, a comet impact being first on the list, our planet could well still be the domain of dinosaurs. Following Professor Rodolfo Coria, a world-renowned Argentinian paleontologist, we visit sites of major discoveries he has contributed to in Patagonia and travel back in time to see these amazing beasts come to life in 3D. Patagonia has given us the largest living animal to ever walk the Earth: the titanesque plant-eating Argentinosaur and its nemesis, the Giganotosaur, a bipedal carnivore that could easily challenge the famous T-Rex.

Narrated by Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges, Dream Big is a first-of-its-kind film for giant screen theaters, setting out to transform how we think about engineering. From the Great Wall of China and the world’s tallest buildings to underwater robots, solar cars and smart, sustainable cities, Dream Big celebrates the human ingenuity behind engineering marvels big and small and reveals the heart that drives engineers to create better lives for people around the world.

This educational and entertaining show explores the relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun with the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions, who has many misconceptions about Earth and its most familiar neighbors. You will discover solar and lunar eclipses along with the Moon’s orbit, craters, and phases.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

Visit a Moon colony in 2081 during a solar eclipse and experience an exciting ride across both the Earth and Moon as a grandfather tells his grandchildren stories of our planet. You will learn about eclipses, the ice age, the Earth’s water cycle, and the differences between our Earth and the Moon.

Follow the monarchs’ perilous journey, join hundreds of millions of real butterflies in the remote mountain peaks of Mexico, and discover the compelling true story of an intrepid scientist’s 40-year search to find the monarchs’ secret hideaway in this beautiful scientific adventure.

Ages 3+

NASA’s 21st-century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon. Using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before, NASA uses what they learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars. Join Kari Byron from Crash Test World and MythBusters as she launches on a journey beyond the Earth toward a sustainable future in space.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

Journey to the year 2132 as we follow Carina, a young woman stationed on Mars, as she communicates with her brother Aidan back on Earth. Experience living on a futuristic Mars colony and ride a rover across the Martian surface. Children and adults alike will learn about the differences between Earth and Mars and what it might be like to live and work on another planet.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

Narrated by LeVar Burton, In Saturn’s Rings is a groundbreaking adventure that takes audiences on a journey of the mind, heart and spirit, from the Big Bang to the awe-inspiring rings of Saturn.

In Saturn’s Rings is unique as it uses no computer-generated images. Instead, the film painstakingly employs multiplane photo animation created entirely in Adobe After Effects with image processing by over one hundred volunteers.

Over 7.5 million mostly unseen real images from the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Hubble Telescope Milky Way time lapses, and more are brilliantly brought to life in this ground-breaking epic immersive journey across space and time.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

Step off the beaten path and connect to your inner trailblazer in this cross-country journey to some of the most beautiful but little-known landscapes of North America.

From the wilds of Alaska and the lush coastline of Oregon, to the ancient canyons of the Southwest and the rolling hills of the Appalachian Trail, Into America’s Wild is a non-stop ride via kayak, train, bike, hot air balloon and more that explores the transformational allure of wild places and the human connection we all share with the natural world.

Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of ocean pioneer Jacques Cousteau, offers a breakthrough look at a secret world within the ocean that is perhaps the biggest story of all—that the smallest life in the sea is the mightiest force on which we all depend. Alongside marine biologist Holly Lohuis, he invites viewers to dive into this whole new world that will leave them in awe of the beauty and diversity of the oceans – the source of all life on our planet – and inspire an even stronger desire to protect what they have either seen for the first time or perhaps re-discovered along the journey. Narrated by renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean” introduces audiences to over 30 species, illuminating behaviors captured for the first time thanks to the development of new tools that allow underwater filming in ultra-HD 4K, slow motion, macro, and with motion control, and takes them to remarkable and vibrant environments such as the Bahamas, Fiji, and Bimini.

A mysterious “M” sends the intrepid Jack and Annie on a fun-filled journey to discover the secrets of the Sun, Moon, planets, space travel, and more. This beautifully produced show is a winner with Magic Tree House book series fans and all ages.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

The explorers and scientists in this digital program piece together archeological and genetic clues provided by their study of Egyptian mummies in order to reveal the mysterious world of the pharaohs. Through ambitious computer graphics and dramatic reconstruction, Mummies highlights one of the greatest finds in modern archeological history: the late 19th-century discovery of a cache of 40 mummies, including 12 pharaohs, among them Rameses the Great. The movie is narrated by Christopher Lee.

Join us for the ultimate off-trail adventure into America’s awe-inspiring great outdoors. Explore the wilds of America and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in this fulldome movie narrated by Robert Redford. You will journey through some of America’s most majestic wild places and discover a tapestry of natural wonders that will inspire the adventurer in all of us.

New technology is changing the way that scientists view the brain. At a microscopic level, researchers can visualize sparks of electrical activity in individual neurons and resolve motifs of neural connectivity that ultimately support consciousness, emotions, and complex thought. At a macroscopic level, researchers use clinical imaging technologies to identify, more precisely than ever before, brain regions that underlie the broad repertoire of higher cognitive processes.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

Elmo’s friend Hu Hu Zhu visits Sesame Street and discovers that Elmo can see the same star that he sees in China. He and the young astronomers will learn how to locate the Moon, the Big Dipper, and the North Star in the nighttime sky.

Preceded by Seasonal Sky Tonight.

Join Neil deGrasse Tyson on a journey exploring the life of a photon. Start from its creation in the belly of a star, travel across the galaxy and go all the way into the eye of a young stargazing girl. You will learn the structures of the eye and its functions while taking a ride on the optic nerve. Discover how the eye works and how technology has enabled us to restore vision and prevent a variety of diseases that affect sight in the show Seeing!

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

The discovery of a flying disc beneath the earth allows passengers to take off from the Earth and visit an entire solar system. The theater recreates the interior of an alien spaceship where a voice guides the journey and provides information on each galactic stop.

SpaceOpera is an artistic, philosophic, scientific, and cinematic experience all at the same time, a truly unique experience. The intergalactic journey in SpaceOpera is designed and harmonized entirely with Gustav Holst’s The Planets, Op. 32, which is one of his most beloved and admired works.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

How do STEM workers, including NASA professionals, cope with stress? Exercise is one way. Physical activity and fitness have been discussed in many NASA outreach efforts. However, outreach efforts regarding other branches of health: emotional, psychological, and social well-being are lacking. Given that jobs come with stress, a global understanding of the science of stress and learning a healthy way to cope with it helps with the well-being of employees, job productivity, employee retention, etc. Meditation is a powerful tool for maintaining psychological health and resilience. Since the planetarium offers a dark and quiet space for relaxation, it is the perfect place for meditation.

Leading scientists in observational and theoretical studies of black holes and galaxies, industrial experts in cutting-edge big technologies, and professionals in science dissemination have been brought together to set up research projects which will combine the latest state-of-the-art observations, numerical simulations and innovative analytic tools to compare theory with observation, and shed light on the physics of black hole formation in the context of galaxy evolution. This planetarium show presents the environments of the black holes in an impressive and understandable way to the audience.

The Life of Trees is an entertaining and educational fulldome experience that tells the fascinating story of the world of trees. The Life of Trees shows the importance of plants for life on Earth, how trees grow, how they transport water against gravity to the top of the crown, and how they enable diverse life on Earth by producing oxygen.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

What are stars made of? What's in our galaxy? Meet the Milky Way Gang and analyze and interpret data to find out how planets are born, why stars shine, and the difference between stars, planets, and moons. This fun and educational film is great for all ages.

Join two friends, 12-year-old Luke and a quirky robot named Alby, who knows all about Albert Einstein and his theories, on a magical journey through space and time. They not only uncover the secrets of gravity but also learn about friendship and imagination.

This show is preceded by a Seasonal Sky Tonight show.

Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope was produced to engage and appeal to audiences of all ages. The film traces the history of the telescope from Galileo's modifications to a child's spyglass — using two small pieces of glass — to the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy. It explores the wonder and discovery made by astronomers throughout the last 400 years.

The planetarium is transformed into a space transport vehicle as we buckle up our seatbelts and join the countdown for a live, immersive, and interactive adventure to uncover the latest NASA planetary discoveries throughout our solar system. Included are findings from the New Horizon spacecraft visit to Pluto.