Planetarium Programs
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Climate Change in Our Backyard
As humans develop a much larger picture about our Earth as a whole, we are beginning to see it as a complex, interconnected, remarkable world, and one that people have impacted directly. Explore the role of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, the natural temperature variations that the Earth has experienced over millions of years, and how humans are affecting our planet today.
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Cosmic Colors
From northern lights to garden flowers, color fills our lives and “Cosmic Colors” explains how we use the rainbow to see, understand and explore our universe. Visitors learn more about the electromagnetic spectrum, the Northern Lights and get a tour of the night sky!
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Cosmic Mashups
What do you see when you look up into the night sky? Stars. Planets. The Milky Way galaxy. They’re all up there and have been enthralling humankind for our entire existence. But there is more to the night sky that we can’t see. Uncover the awe of imploding stars, galactic collisions and the monstrous blackholes found at the heart of galaxies.
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Cosmic Recipe
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 cooked up everyday elements such as the calcium in our teeth, the silicon in our smart phones, and even the carbon in our apple pies in The Cosmic Recipe.
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Dawn of the Space Age
Experience the exciting beginnings of space travel, from the launch of Sputnik 1 to the Apollo landings on the Moon, and from the assembly of the International Space Station to the first private space flights. Trace the initial competition of political systems for supremacy in space, and the peaceful collaboration between nations today. Join in the vivid, historically accurate reconstruction of humans first steps into the cosmos. Learn about the men and women who braved the risks of space travel. Witness their courage, their passion and their perseverance in “Dawn of the Space Age”.
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Dream to Fly
Have you ever dreamt you were flying? Have you ever thought how wonderful would it be to fly free as a bird? Discover the mystery of flight with Leonardo da Vinci, Montgolfier brothers, Wright brothers and other inventors. Experience the adventure with powerful images and music, an immense and challenging dream, for which mankind has strived since the beginning of history. Dream to Fly explores the history of flight and its most important milestones on our route to conquering the skies—both in terms of technological breakthroughs, as well as our perceptions on flying itself. The dream to fly has raised the man even further – into the outer space.
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Dynamic Earth
Explore the inner workings of Earth’s climate system with visualizations based on satellite monitoring data and advanced supercomputer simulations. This exciting program follows a trail of energy that flows from the Sun into the interlocking systems that shape our climate: the atmosphere, oceans, and the biosphere. Audiences will ride along on swirling ocean and wind currents, dive into the heart of a monster hurricane, come face-to-face with sharks and gigantic whales, and fly into roiling volcanoes. We explore the relationship between Earth and the Sun, life and the carbon cycle, Earth’s climate control system, and how human activities are changing our planet. Come learn how dynamic planet Earth really is!
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Earth Moon, and Sun
Earth, Moon, & Sun is a fast-paced full dome demonstration of lunar phases, eclipses, day and night, the sun and other puzzling events with the help of a confused coyote. This program beautifully illustrates basic concepts like moon phases and seasons. Based on the trickster of Native American lore, Coyote is constantly corrected in his misunderstandings of how things work. A live tour of the Maine sky and its beautiful constellations completes this micro-unit of astronomy.
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ECLIPSE: The Moments of Wonder
Join us for an immersive view of eclipses, the most spectacular sights in the sky! Explore the nature of these special celestial alignments and get prepared to safely observe them. Experience the awe and wonder with stunning images of both solar and lunar eclipses captured by a world-renowned astro-photographer from locations around the globe. The program includes information on how to observe the April 2024 solar eclipse visible in Maine.
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Einstein’s Gravity Playlist
What are gravitational waves? How are these ripples in space-time created? Albert Einstein predicted there existence in 1916, and a century later, scientists detected these waves using incredibly precise laser technology here on Earth. See the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Lucia, a PhD student in physics, on an exploration of gravitational waves and their importance in helping understand the universe.
