Come to the Challenger Learning Center Downtown Digital Dome Theatre and Planetarium and enjoy a free planetarium show on Saturday, May 5 at 10 a.m. The free planetarium show is coordinated with the monthly Democrat "Sky Guy" column and is presented by the Tallahassee Astronomical Society.
The May sky over Tallahassee will be reviewed including prominent constellations, stars, and planets.The constellations Gemini, and Canis Major and Minor and will be highlighted for "Learning Constellations." Learn how to find the Orion Nebula, the brightest nebula in the sky, in the “Binocular Object-of-the-Month." The reflection nebula M78 is the "Messier Object-of-the-Month."
While you are here stay for the 11:00 AM planetarium show at one-half off the regular price for those attending the 10:00 am free planetarium show.
We offer a monthly planetarium show created by popular planetarium instructor Bill Skelley and the Tallahassee Astronomical Society. As do the skies over Tallahassee, the content will change monthly. The morning and evening visible skies will be showcased, including prominent constellations, stars and planets, and each show will include a different “Learning Astronomy” topic. Additionally, visitors will learn about the “Constellation of the Month,” “Binocular Object of the Month,” and “Messier Object of the Month.” The show allows for audience interaction including question-and-answer sessions.
One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure begins on Sesame Street when Elmo’s friend, Hu Hu Zhu, visits from China. Together, Big Bird, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu locate the Big Dipper, the North Star and the Moon in the night sky. Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu want to learn more about the Moon, so Big Bird suggests that they use their imagination to travel there. Once on the Moon, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu quickly learn that the Moon has a very different environment than Earth. They discover there is no air on the Moon and learn that without air there can be no trees, animals, flowers or, to their disappointment, flying kites or playing soccer. Realizing this makes them homesick, so they use their imagination to take them back to Sesame Street. Back on Earth, Big Bird, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu realize that even though they live in two different countries, they still share the same sky.
From the edge of space and time, through vast fields of wondrous galaxies, to the majesty of our solar system, this show will take audiences on a grand tour of the universe and let them experience its most provocative secrets. A joint effort between Evans Sutherland and the Clark Planetarium, The Ultimate Universe is a journey from the edge of the universe through space and time to reach our home planet, witnessing the major components of the cosmos along the way.
They lurk in the universe like cosmic dragons, unseen voids with the energy of a million suns. They can devour entire stars, and once in their grasp, nothing, not even light, can escape. Few mysteries in the universe have the power
and awe of the black hole. Only now are we on the verge of understanding their true nature. What are they? How are they made? Is the earth in danger of being pulled into one?
Narrated by film actor John de Lancie ("Q" in the Star Trek TV series), this immersive digital theater program incorporates some of the most visually stunning three-dimensional effects ever created for the dome. Designed for all
audiences, this full-length production features 3-D simulations of black holes and the strange physical and visual effects they can create. With the help of science advisors from around the country, audiences will be able to see and feel what it might be like to approach the supermassive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, or speculate on the existence of "worm holes," theoretical portholes in space and time.
Imagine a world where an ocean of molten rock breaks against a pitch black shoreline of hardened lava...a place where a seething hot and swollen star hangs perpetually over the horizon, and night never falls. Imagine a world where the rocks glow in luminescent shades of pink, blue and green under a madly spinning burned-out star...a planet where auroras perpetually dance across the starry sky. These may sound like the products of a wildly creative imagination, but they’re not. Scientists now believe that places like these, and places even more incredible, may actually exist throughout the universe. Now, armed with the latest scientific methods of detection, we are combing the skies, looking for planets that may be like Earth. And what we are discovering are places so strange and exotic that they defy the imagination. Come join us on an immersive voyage of discovery as we tour the Universe in search of these truly Extreme Planets.
Embark on an outstanding adventure as two children spend a night touring all the planets
in our solar system alongside their ship's navigator, a rather plucky astronomy book. You will visit each planet and learn fun and interesting facts about them!
Secret of the Cardboard Rocket was produced with state of the art 3-D animation and a 5.1 soundtrack
with spectacular effects created at George Lucus' Skywalker Ranch.
The Little Star That Could is a story about Little Star, an average yellow star in search for planets of his own to protect and warm. Along the way, he meets other stars, learns what makes each star special, and discovers that stars combine to form star clusters and galaxies. Eventually, Little Star finds his planets. Each planet is introduced with basic information about our Solar System.
Orion takes a lighthearted and imaginative look at the myths and stories associated with the constellation Orion,
the great hunter of the winter sky. Accompanied by narrators Aesop the Owl and Socrates the Mouse, we follow Orion's
adventures as he grows to manhood, battles mythical beasts, foils the plot of an evil king and wins the heart of
Artemis, the beautiful moon-goddess. By the end of the story, we learn how the constellation Orion was placed in
the sky, forever turning overhead throughout the seasons.
From breathtaking landscapes to violent volcanic eruptions to the sheer beauty of Saturn's rings, explore the planets and moons of the solar system in a majestic journey through our celestial neighborhood. Audiences will travel down to the surface of the planets, and experience what life would be like from those brave new worlds. Our journey begins as we follow a comet as it travels through interplanetary space and ends on the icy world of Pluto.
Dark Side of the Moon comes to life in all its glory, in this full dome digital presentation that truly has to
be seen to believe. Lose yourself in the waves of colors, images, animations, and fractals that dance along to this
epic masterpiece. Presented in full dome digital video and 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, this is the ultimate way
to enjoy this classic album!
Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall is one of the most creative productions in the history of rock music. "Another Brick in the Wall," "Comfortably Numb," "Hey You," and others epitomize the story of an antihero caught between war and desire in the 20th century. Come experience these songs and others all choreographed to stunning digital imagery under the planetarium's 360-degree multimedia dome.
Lose yourself in Pink Floyd’s rock ‘n’ roll masterpiece Wish You Were Here. In addition to the title track, such classics as “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” and “Welcome to the Machine” come to life in enthralling graphics and soundscapes, painting a deeply personal picture of loss and hope. This new full-dome music and light show interprets this classic album through mesmerizing HD graphics. This is not a laser show, but the next generation of computer generated imagery.
The DDD will rock with U2! This new, much-anticipated, music entertainment show features one of the greatest bands of the last two decades. U2 is an immersive digital experience, offering rich computer renderings and abstract visuals choreographed to the band's award-winning music.
This intense and revolutionary entertainment program brings down the house with hits
from some of the most popular bands in the history of Rock and Roll. This show features full dome 3D animations
and digital visualizations choreographed to some of your favorite tunes from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Doors,
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Midnight Oil, U2, and Metallica.
See these masters of rock in a unique mind-blowing experience!
