MAYAN ARCHAEOASTRONOMY: OBSERVERS OF THE UNIVERSE
The viewer goes on a poetic journey through how the Mayans have viewed and understood the Universe throughout their history. The story is populated with vivid characters, including the Sun God Kin, who controls the cycle of life, Kukulcán, the feathered serpent who gives the Mayans time itself, and Balam, the jaguar who carries the stars on its skin. The visuals are stunning, giving the viewer the impression of being inside a beautifully stylistic painting. This artistic interpretation of the Universe makes for a journey that will not be forgotten. The show was produced by Frutos Digitales in collaboration with the European Southern Observatory and financed by the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico, and is available in English and Spanish.
PHANTOM OF THE UNIVERSE
From the journey of protons racing through the world’s largest particle collider in Europe to up-close views of the Big Bang and emergent universe, and the nearly mile-deep descent to an underground experiment in South Dakota, this planetarium show is designed to immerse audiences in the search for dark matter. The hunt is on! Narrated by Tilda Swinton.
SUNSTRUCK
The Sun is humanity’s star! But what is it made of and how does it shine? Travel back to the beginning of the solar system and experience the birth of the Sun. Discover how it came to support life, how it also threatens life as we know it, and how its energy will one day fade away. Produced by the Michigan Science Center and NASA.
OUT THERE: THE QUEST FOR EXTRASOLAR WORLDS
For thousands of years, humanity thought that Earth was the center of the universe. Thanks to our curiosity, imagination, and the urge to explore we now know that planets like ours are nothing are nothing special in the cosmos. The Sun is just one ordinary star among hundreds of billions in our galaxy. With powerful telescopes, we search the skies for other worlds. What we have found so far has surpassed even the wildest expectations of scientists as well as science fiction authors. Most stars have planets – it turns out there are more common than we thought! A huge diversity of worlds is out there, just waiting to be discovered. But the big question remains – is there other life out there?
BIG ASTRONOMY: PEOPLE, PLACES, DISCOVERIES
It takes many people with diverse backgrounds, talents, and skills to run a world-class observatory. Meet a few of these people as they share the wonder of the sky—and the excitement of discovery. Explore the world-class observatories nestled in northern Chile’s mountains and learn why Chile, with its beautiful mountain ranges and clear, cloudless skies create an ideal environment for studying the cosmos.
EXPANDED VIEW
Expanded View introduces the electromagnetic spectrum and multi-wavelength observation with examples from Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra. Audiences learn how images are captured and what the colors tell us about composition of deep sky objects. Expanded View is intended to illustrate the importance of multi-wavelength observation by describing how NASA’s Great Observatories work together.