EIGHTH GRADE OPTIONS: 

Birth of Planet Earth: ~25 minutes: Birth of Planet Earth tells the twisted tale of our planet’s origins. Scientists now believe that our galaxy is filled with solar systems, including up to a billion planets roughly the size of our own. The film employs advanced, data-driven, cinematic-quality visualizations to explore some of the greatest questions in science today: How did Earth become a living planet in the wake of our solar system’s violent birth? What does its history tell us about our chances of finding other worlds that are truly Earth-like?

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sKx2FzqN4E

Violent Universe ~ 25 minutes: Comets, asteroids, and meteors hurtling through space. Stars collapsing under their own gravity. Infernos of nuclear energy releasing their deadly radiation across the universe. Witness the raw power of the cosmos in this thrilling show that gives you a front-row seat to watch as worlds collide! Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men films. Telly Award Finalist.

Trailer: https://shows.es.com/Shows/ViolentUniverse

Ice Worlds ~ 25 minutes: The delicate balance between ice, water and the existence of life has been a topic of scientific inquiry for generations. In travels to the Arctic and Antarctic regions of our planet, we'll examine the ecosystems that exist and thrive there and learn how their survival is connected with our own. Beyond Earth, we'll see how the existence of ice shapes the landscape and the natural systems on other planets and moons in our Solar System. Winner of five Telly Awards. Narrated by Academy Award nominated actress, Emily Watson. Produced in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, with the support of the National Science Foundation.

Trailer: https://shows.es.com/Shows/IceWorlds

Stars: Powerhouses of the Universe- ~25 minutes: Every star has a story. Some are as old as time, faint and almost forgotten. Others burn bright and end their lives in powerful explosions. New stars are created every day, born of vast clouds of gas and dust. Through every phase of their existence, stars release the energy that powers the Universe. Journey to the farthest reaches of our galaxy and experience both the awesome beauty and destructive power of STARS. Narrated by Mark Hamill

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbzmLRzau4g

Secrets of the Sun ~ 25 minutes: An intimate look at the role the Sun plays in the life of our Solar System. From the nuclear forces churning at the heart of the Sun to the mass ejections of solar material into surrounding space, we experience the power of the Sun and its impact on the planets and ultimately life on Earth. We trace the Sun's life cycle, going back to its beginnings and moving forward in time to its eventual death.

Trailer: https://shows.es.com/Shows/SecretsOfTheSun

From the Earth to the Universe ~ 25 minutes: 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. From Earth to the Universe takes the audience out to the colorful birthplaces and burial grounds of stars, and still further out beyond the Milky Way to the unimaginable immensity of myriad galaxies. Along the way, the audience will learn about the history of astronomy, the invention of the telescope, and today’s giant telescopes that allow us to probe ever deeper into the Universe.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=472qiW3JAEk

Journey to the Center of the Milky Way ~ 6 minutes: What lies at the heart of our galaxy? For twenty years, ESO’s Very Large Telescope and the Keck telescopes have observed the center of the galaxy, looking at the motion of more than a hundred stars and identifying the position of an otherwise invisible object — the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

Embark on a Journey to the Center of the Milky Way and during seven minutes travel faster than light, from the driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile right to the center of our own galaxy, where a black hole is consuming anything that strays into its path. 84 million stars will appear in front of your eyes, each hiding mysteries waiting to be solved. Are there planets around them, perhaps with moons? Do they have water? Could they harbor life?

Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhE3GbbiGvY&t=21s

Black Holes – the Other Side of Infinity: ~23 minutes: Currently in distribution to more than 100 theaters worldwide, Black Holes: the Other Side of Infinity is one of the most successful fulldome shows ever produced. Narrated by Academy-Award nominated actor Liam Neeson, this cutting-edge production features high-resolution visualizations of cosmic phenomena, working with data generated by computer simulations, to bring the current science of black holes to the dome screen. Audiences will be dazzled with striking, immersive animations of the formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super-massive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Trailer: http://www.dmns.org/planetarium/current-shows/black-holes-the-other-side-of-infinity

OTHER OPTIONS: 

Ancient Skies Ancient Mysteries ~ 25 minutes long: The stars have been a source of mystery and wonder for people all around the world. Ancient cultures that lacked our current scientific understanding did their best to interpret and understand the movements and patterns of objects in the sky. By studying their observations, some cultures developed calendars; others predicted future events; and still others worshiped the magical objects in the sky. In this show we will look at these very different interpretations of astronomical cycles and events, and explore the Mayan prediction that the world will end on December 21, 2012.

Trailer: https://www.spitzcreativemedia.com/shows/ancient-skies-ancient-mysteries/

Magic Globe ~ 30 minutes long (Grades 3+): On vacation at her grandpa’s, a little girl Mia accidentally discovers a mysterious piece of astronomical machinery. Edek, Mia’s eccentric uncle, tricks the girl into using the tool’s secret powers to change the world’s seasons. She quickly realizes the consequences of what they are going to do, but Edek doesn’t want to let the plan go. Magic Globe is an engaging story designed to interest and challenge children from 5 to 12 years old. It has a clear educational structure with all science-related topics broken down into manageable chunks and naturally woven into the storyline. It allows children to recap knowledge they already have as well as learn multiple new concepts while following the story, which makes it perfect for mixed-ability audiences.

Trailer: https://www.spitzcreativemedia.com/shows/magic-globe-a-story-of-the-seasons/

NASA: Future of Space Exploration ~ 10 minutes long (ALL AGES)

NASA: International Space Station ~ 10 minutes long  (ALL AGES)

NASA: Journey to Mars ~ 10 minutes long  (ALL AGES)

IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System ~ 25 minutes

Citizen Sky: Epsilon Aurigae ~ 6 minutes

Field Trip to the Moon: ~20 minutes: Take your audience on a virtual trip to our closest neighbor in space with the AMNH’s Field Trip to the Moon. Feel the ground shake beneath you as you experience a thrilling NASA rocket launch, and orbit the Earth to get an astronaut's view of a sunrise in space. Field Trip to the Moon is a virtual journey created using NASA engineering models and scientific data. Like NASA's astronauts, you will come face-to-face with the challenges and excitement of traveling through space to land on the Moon. Along the way, you'll discover some of the differences between the Earth and the Moon and what makes our planet unique and habitable.

Ltd: Losing the Dark – ~ 8 minutes long:  Losing the Dark is a "public service announcement" planetarium show, a collaboration of Loch Ness Productions and the International Dark-Sky Association. It introduces and illustrates some of the issues regarding light pollution, and suggests three simple actions people can take to help mitigate it.