Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium

OneRepublic: Future Looks Good
2022-09-04 16:00 - 17:00, 2022-09-11 16:00 - 17:00, 2022-09-18 16:00 - 17:00, 2022-09-25 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Versant Power Astronomy Center, 167 Rangeley Rd, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Grammy Award band OneRepublic will rock the planetarium with stunning visuals, and out of this world imagery. Future Looks Good show features a compilation of songs from Dreaming Out Loud, Native, Waking Up and Oh My My albums, along with sneak peaks at the upcoming Human album set for release this year.
Tickets are $9 for general admission.
Music programs may contain explicit lyrics, and are intended for adult audiences. All music programs may contain bright flashing lights and fast-moving images, which have been known to trigger seizures with those with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Star Dreaming
2022-09-09 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-09-16 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-09-23 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-09-30 19:00 - 20:00
Explore the mysteries of the universe with Max and Lucia as they travel deep into the Australian Outback to visit the site of the world’s largest radio telescope and the planet’s oldest living culture. Discover the SKA (Square Kilometer Array) radio telescope and the questions it hopes to answer. Enter the Ancient land of the Yamaji people, Aboriginal Australians who have shared star stories for more than 60,000 years. Discover how much the scientific and ancient world have in common, for we all live under one sky – a shared sky, in Star Dreaming.
Watch the trailer here!

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at (207) 581-1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Life of Trees
2022-09-11 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-09-18 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-09-25 14:00 - 15:00
In The Life of Trees a cheeky ladybug called Dolores and a quirky firefly called Mike take the audience on an adventurous journey of exploration into the wondrous world of trees. Attend the Creepy Crawlies Educational Institution to find out how trees live and their importance to the wider environment.
On the excursion Delores and Mike zip around a tree, and in doing so, playfully learn its secrets: How do plants get their food from the Sun? How do they grow? How does water get from the roots to the top of the crown? And how does all this make life on our earth possible?
The Life of Trees is a perfect planetarium show for the whole family that raises the awareness of protecting the natural environment in which we live.
Watch the trailer here!

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Polaris: Mystery of the Polar Night
2022-09-13 10:00 - 11:00
A traveling penguin from the South Pole and a funny polar bear from the North pole meet on arctic sea ice. They become friends observing the night sky together and wondering why night is so long at the poles of the Earth. This mystery leads them on a scientific adventure by building an improvised spaceship to travel around the Earth to learn about seasons, visit Mars and Saturn to learn about ice in the solar system and how planets have similarities and differences which make them unique.

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Black Holes
2022-10-01 10:00 - 11:00
The attraction of Black Holes is more than just gravitational. These mysterious graveyards of dead stars have fascinated generations. “Black Holes” explores the history, physics, and mystery of these reality-bending phenomena. Experience the bending of light, the skewing of perception, and the dizzying descent into a black hole.
Trailer

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

EXO: Are We Alone?
2022-10-01 11:30 - 12:30
Humankind has always sought to understand the mysteries of the Universe and speculated about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Today we know of thousands of exoplanets — planets located outside our Solar System — that offer valuable information about our own planet, its origins and life on Earth. We’re on the cusp of making some fascinating discoveries. But how will they change our lives?
Watch the trailer here!

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Explore!
2022-10-01 13:00 - 14:00
Mars… For centuries it’s been an object of human fascination. Once mysterious, soon this red world may become our new home. This became possible due to daring individuals like Johannes Kepler: fascinated with the world, striving toward discovery and embracing challenges it may bring. It is our duty to continue their work… Explore, Dream Discover. Take an adventurous journey with humankind: from ancient Mesopotamia to modern space exploration! Experience the fascinating history of astronomy, geocentric and heliocentric models, Kepler laws of planetary motion, and discover the principals of orbital maneuvers which enable satellites and space travel.

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Big Astronomy - People, Places, and Discoveries!
2022-10-01 14:30 - 15:30
Big Astronomy – People, Places, and Discoveries! will take audiences to cutting-edge telescopes in the remote mountains of Chile and introduce the people who make sure these instruments operate day and night, unlocking the secrets of the universe. Explore ALMA, VLT, and the new Vera Rubin Observatory (formerly LSST) and how these incredible facilities are changing our view of the cosmos.
Watch the trailer here!
Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Secrets of the Universe
2022-10-01 16:00 - 17:00
Travel with scientist Manuel Calderon De La Barca Sanchez as he journeys to the largest machine ever built, the greatest scientific instrument ever created, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
There, he joins a global team working to uncover another amazing breakthrough in this new world of technology-driven physics. We get an inside look at the machine and come to understand just what it means to do science, teaming up for the flag of humanity to solve the universe’s greatest mysteries.
We don’t stop with the Large Hadron Collider, though. The machines we’ve built are as diverse as the secrets we’re looking for, and the people looking for them. We travel to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory (LIGO), the amazing project that recently confirmed Einstein’s century old prediction of the existence of gravitational waves.
Humanity is at the edge of unprecedented scientific discovery, and we can all be a part of it!
Watch the trailer here!

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at (207) 581-1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
2022-10-01 19:00 - 20:00
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon immerses theatergoers on a journey of our universe centralized on sensational visuals and artistic interpretation. Experience music from this internationally acclaimed rock band at the Versant Power Astronomy Center!
Tickets are $9 for general admission.
Music programs may contain explicit lyrics, and are intended for adult audiences. All music programs may contain bright flashing lights and fast-moving images, which have been known to trigger seizures with those with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

We Are Stars
2022-10-02 11:00 - 12:00
What are we made of? Where did it all come from? Explore the secrets of our cosmic chemistry, and our explosive origins. Connect life on Earth to the evolution of the Universe by following the formation of Hydrogen atoms to the synthesis of Carbon, and the molecules for life. Explore the lives and deaths of stars. Narrated by Andy Serkis.
Watch the trailer here!

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Incoming!
2022-10-02 12:30 - 13:30
Asteroids and comets have collided with our planet throughout its history, changing the course of life on Earth and shaping the world we know today. Real-time data from current NASA missions help audiences explore the past, present, and future of our Solar System. Take a journey through the dynamic story of our cosmic origins. Discover what these impacts from above can teach us—and how scientific advances may allow us to find and track cosmic threats before they reach planet Earth. Narrated by George Takei.
Watch the trailer here!
Tickets for planetarium programs are $6 for Adults, $5 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $4 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Spooky Space
2022-10-02 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-10-09 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-10-16 14:00 - 15:00
Looking for cosmic fun this Halloween season? Would you like to meet the spectacular stars of Halloween? Monsters, zombies, and ghosts — and their far more terrible counterparts in space? Oh yes, space has its monsters: Black holes, zombie stars, and spectacular ghostly nebulae! Explore these “spooky” wonders of the night sky here at the planetarium. Learn about the celestial origins of Halloween and how it is an astronomical holiday.

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Monster Mash: A Halloween Spooktacular!
2022-10-02 16:00 - 17:00, 2022-10-09 16:00 - 17:00, 2022-10-16 16:00 - 17:00
You do not have to wait until 3 a.m. to experience the true terror of the witching hour! Take your “Spooky Scary Skeletons” out of the closet and join us at the Versant Power Astronomy Center for a month-long “Monster Mash”! We will “Put a Spell on You” for the entire month of October with a menacing myriad of modern and classic Halloween tunes set to planetarium visuals that will surely haunt the very depths of your soul! Muahahahaha!
Tickets are $9 for general admission.
Music programs may contain explicit lyrics, and are intended for adult audiences. All music programs may contain bright flashing lights and fast-moving images, which have been known to trigger seizures with those with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 207.581.1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Living Worlds
2022-10-07 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-10-14 19:00 - 20:00
Earth is a planet shaped by life. From the forests that help stabilize our climate, to the winds carrying life-sustaining water and oxygen to far-flung parts of the globe, the fingerprints of life are visible even from many light years away. Journey through space and time to examine life as an essential quality of our home planet Earth. Explore of the co-evolution of life and the ways it has transformed Earth’s surface and atmosphere over billions of years. See how light and color can help us spot a living world, even from great distances. Living Worlds encourages us to consider how a deeper understanding of our own planet can aid in the search for life across the cosmos, and to reflect on ways we can partner with our living world to ensure our continued survival. Narrated by Daveed Diggs.
Watch the trailer here!

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at (207) 581-1341, or at our ticket box office prior to the show.

Magic Tree House: Space Mission
2022-10-11 10:00 - 11:00
Travel with the brother-sister duo, Jack and Annie, in their Magic Treehouse as they discover a note that asks them to answer a series of six questions about space. With the help of an astronomer, the Internet, an astronaut, books and the writer of the mysterious note, Jack and Annie are taken on a wondrous journey of adventure and learning.
This exciting voyage will carry visitors to the planets and far out into the Universe where Jack and Annie nearly get… Well, we don’t want to give it away. The adventure is just beginning!
Based on the popular book series by Mary Pope Osborne.
Watch the trailer here!

Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets may be purchased in advance online, by phone at (207) 581-1341, or at the ticket box office prior to the show.

Defending the Dark
2022-10-13 19:00 - 20:00
The skies of Maine, outside the bright lights of its relatively major metropolises, are the most beautiful in the northeast because there’s so little human-made light, and we can see the stars and planets in their full glory. Defending the Dark is Tara Roberts Zabrriske’s lovely film that is both a celebration and a history of and homage to Maine’s beautiful dark skies and the people who work hard to keep it that way.
Dark Sky Maine ( https://darkskymaine.com/) is sponsoring this program which will include a tour of Maine’s night sky in the planetarium. Nancy Hathaway, President of Dark Sky Maine and Tara Roberts Zabrriske will answer questions following the program.
Please RSVP to secure your FREE ticket here!
