Digital Dome Programs
Digital Dome Shows with Content Alignment
Atlas of a Changing Earth
This is the story of how a revolution in one of the most basic of all human enterprises – the making of maps – is shedding new light on our planet's evolution in the wake of rising global temperatures. Using stunning, latest-generation imagery from space, "Atlas of a Changing Earth" takes viewers into the dynamic processes causing coastal glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica to melt, and explores how rising seas could threaten coastlines the world over. These striking new images are produced by the confluence of satellites and supercomputers, revealing Earth in a degree of precise detail scarcely imagined a generation ago.
Recommended for upper elementary and older audiences
Tales of A Time Traveler
Time travel like never imagined! Explore ancient civilizations. Witness the birth of the universe. Journey to the edge of a black hole. In Tales of a Time Traveler, you will discover that time is not so easily defined. Time is illusive, impossible to hold. It can't be owned. It can't be stopped. Time travel surrounds you – from the biological clock in your brain and the changing shadows on a sundial, to the history of life on Earth. Then the story expands to the lives of stars, the time scale of the Big Bang, and the distortion of time by gravity.
Narrated by David Tennant
Great for all audiences
Stars of the Pharaohs
Travel to ancient Egypt to see how science was used to tell time, make a workable calendar, and align huge buildings. You'll learn about the connection the ancient Egyptians felt with the stars and various astronomical phenomena, and experience some of the most spectacular temples and tombs of the ancient world recreated in all of their original splendor.
Telly Award winner. Narrated by John Rhys-Davies, of the Indiana Jones films and The Lord of the Rings films.
Ideal for upper elementary and older audiences
Earth, Moon, Sun
Coyote has a razor-sharp wit, but he's a little confused about what he sees in the sky. Join this amusing character (adapted from American Indian oral traditions) in a fast-paced and fun fulldome show that explores lunar phases, eclipses and other puzzles. Engaging and immersive, Earth, Moon & Sun™ also examines how humans learn through space exploration. A perfect show for school audiences! Audiences age 5-11.
Educators guide available.
Natural Selection
Natural Selection celebrates the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. In Natural Selection we will join Darwin on his voyage with the HMS Beagle to the Galapagos Islands where he was inspired to develop his later theory of transmutation by natural selection. From the comfort of Down House in Kent, Darwin himself will explain the mechanism of natural selection to the audience, and support it by showing many beautiful examples in nature. The thrill of a scientific discovery, the adventure of science and the beauty of nature are central in this show.
Educators guide available.
Recommended for upper elementary and older audiences
Edge of Darkness
The film features amazing scenes of places never before seen gathered by key space missions that culminated with groundbreaking discoveries in 2015. It features a spectacular flight though the great cliffs on comet 67P, a close look at the fascinating bright "lights" on Ceres, and the first ever close ups of dwarf binary planet Pluto/Charon and its moons.
Narrated by Hayley Atwell, Agent Carter, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the ABC television series.
Recommended for upper elementary and older audiences
Two Small Pieces of Glass
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.
Great for all audiences
Distant Worlds
The night sky is a view of infinity. Does alien life exist out there? Nothing we can ask about the universe is so important for our understanding of the world.
In the show we examine the conditions for a habitable zone starting the journey in our own solar system. Then we imagine a tour to some of the recently discovered exoplanets orbiting other stars in the Milky Way. What might be essential for life on distant moons or planets and how could we detect it?
In this show we get an impression of the importance of telescopes, Mars rovers like “Curiosity” and space probes for these challenging studies.
Recommended for upper elementary and older audiences
Making a Star and Her Entourage
The Making of a Star and Her Entourage traces the evolution of humankind’s understanding of the universe. Discover the long journey beginning with the Earth-centered model of the universe in which the Sun was considered a planet to our current understanding that the Sun is a star centered in the Solar System and is one of billions that reside in the Milky Way.
Recommended for upper elementary and older audiences
Oasis in Space
Take the audience on a rich and fascinating journey through our celestial neighborhood, as we look for one of organic life’s key ingredients – liquid water.
Why is Venus considered the hottest planet in the Solar System? Is Saturn the only Solar planet with rings? And what can possibly hide under the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon, Europa? These and more questions are answered, as we visit the Sun in its cradle, the Earth as it used to be, the neighboring planets as they are today, and maybe even a yet undiscovered world which awaits our visit in the future.
Recommended for 3 grade and higher
Cosmic Adventure
This high speed adventure for family audiences takes you on a roller coaster ride from the Moon through our solar system, galaxy and beyond. You’ll be immersed in some of the most amazing sites in the universe. It’s a ride you will want to take again and again!
Narrated by Nancy Cartwright.
Recommended for elementary students
Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries
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 worshipped 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 of the end of the world that they expected to occur on December 21, 2012.
Recommended for upper elementary and older audiences
Let it Snow (seasonal)
Let It Snow features a new variety of festive classics from Frank Sinatra and Chuck Berry to Burl Ives and Brenda Lee, and includes a stunning multi-media finale by the Trans Siberian Orchestra. The soundtrack is visually enhanced with thematic animation and all-dome scenery in the audiovisual setting of the Acheson Planetarium. The 32-minute program is a fun and entertaining experience for all ages, especially families.
Recommended for all audiences
What’s in the Sky?
An interactive preK lesson about sky objects. Learn the names of sky objects, the difference between nighttime and daytime objects, and an introduction to the solar system all with hands-on activities and time for exploration.
Living in Balance: Anishinaabe Star Knowledge
Living in Balance: Anishinaabe Star Knowledge highlights Anishinaabe stories of constellations and moons in relation to contemporary insights about environmental changes. Teachings shared by Native Skywatchers Carl Gawboy, William Wilson, and Dr. Annette S. Lee are narrated by Aarin Dokum with Anishinaabemowin translations by Alphonse Pitawanakwat set to art by Elizabeth LaPensée.
Education Guide available.
Recommended for elementary and older audiences
Living Worlds (Coming 2024)
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. The newest original, all-digital, planetarium show from the California Academy of Sciences invites you to journey through space and time to examine life as an essential quality of our home planet. Narrator Daveed Diggs takes you on an exploration of the co-evolution of life and our planet, revealing the ways in which life has transformed Earth’s surface and atmosphere over billions of years. Along the way, you’ll see how light and color can help us spot a living world, even from great distances. As we ponder what forms life might take in the Solar System and beyond, 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.
Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Global Soundscapes: Mission to Record the Earth
Immerse yourself in the amazing sounds of our planet!
Through giant screen images, surround sound, and live presentation, Global Soundscapes takes you on an ear-opening journey into the science of sound and the emerging field of soundscape ecology.
Embark on a mission to investigate the dramatic soundscapes of Costa Rica’s rainforests, Hawaii’s coral reefs, and Mongolia’s vast grasslands.
- Learn about the tools that scientists use to record and analyze sounds.
- Explore basic acoustics through interactive activities and incredible slow-motion footage of pulsating musical instruments, vibrating vocal chords, and slobbering “raspberries.”
- Discover what soundscapes tell us about the health of our planet.
The show is interactive. Educator guide available.
Can be modified for all ages.
Birth of Planet Earth
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?
Narrated by Richard Dormer.
Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Dinosaurs at Dusk
Take to the skies and discover the origins of flight in Mirage3D's latest fulldome production. Dinosaurs at Dusk is a learning adventure of a father and his teenage daughter Lucy who share a fascination for all things that fly. You'll travel back in time to meet the pterosaurs and the ancestors of modern day birds: the feathered dinosaurs. Lucy and her father will navigate from continent to continent to look for clues for the origins of flight until time runs out and they experience first-hand the cataclysmic last day of the dinosaurs. Science content includes topics such as continental drift, proper motion of stars, asteroids and impacts, extinctions and the convergent development of flight among species.
Recommended for all audiences
Dark Universe
Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Dark Universe brings audiences to the cutting edge of cosmic exploration to reveal the breakthroughs that have led astronomers to confront two great cosmic mysteries: dark matter and dark energy.
In stunningly detailed scenes based on authentic scientific data—including a NASA probe’s breathtaking plunge into Jupiter’s atmosphere and novel visualizations of unobservable dark matter—Dark Universe celebrates the pivotal discoveries that have led us to greater knowledge of the universe and to new frontiers for exploration.
Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Black Hole First Picture
Following the story of two young astronomers, you will embark on a journey around the world. From the enchanting Atacama Desert in Chile to the remote expanses of the South Pole, you will travel to the fascinating sites hosting the radio observatories part of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). It was this global network of observatories — which includes the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX), co-owned and co-operated by ESO — that, through years of observations carried out in unison, achieved the unimaginable: capturing images of the invisible supermassive black holes lurking at the heart of the Messier 87 and Milky Way galaxies.
Recommended for upper elementary and older audiences.
Supplemental lesson on black holes available.
Other Content
- Zygote Body
- https://www.zygote.com/
- Medically accurate 3D anatomy models. Special add-on formatted to display on the 360 degree surface of the dome. Models are dynamic and can be manipulated to serve the educational outcomes.
- STEAM Library within Digistar (select examples)
- Biology
- Blood type inheritance
- Corrective lenses
- Visual illusions
- Phyllotaxis
- Physics
- Atwood’s machine
- Elevator weight
- Interactive pendulum
- Lens and mirror simulations
- Magnetic field simulator
- Michelson-Morley experiment
- Total internal reflection
- Space-time grid
- Prism refraction
- Chemistry
- Boyle’s Law
- Dalton’s Law
- Stoichiometry
- A large collection of 3D molecules and an interactive periodic table are also included.
- Engineering
- Steam engines
- Projectile motion
- Balance beam
- Tipping angles
- Four-stroke engines
- Robot movements
- Art
- Color angles
- Basics of color theory
- Rotation patterns
- Spirographs
- Mathematics
- 2D vector addition
- Audio frequency graphs
- Connect four game
- Cosine & sine theta unit circles
- Function graphing
- Fundamental law of fractions
- Pie charts & fractions
- Interactive unit circle
- Basic multiplication
- Sine-cosine wave
- Biology