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Planetarium Show Descriptions

Visitors candidly sitting down and enjoying one of our shows in the 70-foot full dome planetarium.

Fly through space in our Full-Dome Planetarium

Chabot’s full-dome planetarium shows let you to explore everything from Earth to the frontiers of the Milky Way Galaxy, all from the comfort of a climate-controlled theater. During general admission hours, enjoy planetarium shows every hour, on the hour.

Schedule is subject to change. 

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Show Descriptions

5000 Eyes: Observing the Universe with DESI

(30 min) 5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI is a full dome film about the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) which is creating the most detailed map of our nearby universe using a unique instrument which can measure the spectra of many galaxies at once. Experience the largest structures in the universe as never seen before by flying through a portion of DESI’s initial data. Dive into modern cosmology, plus the scientific background and motivation for building a Fiske Planetarium large map of galaxies. And, take a trip to Kitt Peak to see footage of the telescope in action while getting to know the amazing people from all over the world making this research possible.

Asteroid Mission Extreme

(25 min) Asteroid: Mission Extreme takes audiences on a journey 65 million years in the making to discover how asteroids are both a danger and an opportunity for those of us on planet Earth. The danger of course lies in the possibility of a cataclysmic collision; the opportunity is the crazy idea that asteroids could be stepping stones to other worlds — veritable way stations in space — allowing us to penetrate the deepest realms of the universe. The challenges are enormous, but the idea could ultimately save humankind. Explore with us the possibilities in Asteroid: Mission Extreme. Ages 6 and up.

Astronaut

(23 min) What does it take to become an astronaut? In this show, you will find out as you experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut, explore the amazing worlds of inner & outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Narrated by Ewan McGregor. All ages.

NSC Creative

Big Astronomy

(26 min) Big Astronomy explores three observatories located in Chile, at extreme and remote places. It gives examples of the multitude of STEM careers needed to keep the great observatories working. The show is narrated by Barbara Rojas-Ayala, a Chilean astronomer. Ages 8 and up.

California Academy of Sciences

Einstein’s Gravity Playlist

(23 min) Einstein’s Gravity Playlist is an original planetarium show that explores the ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916, and a century later, scientists detected these waves using incredibly precise laser technology here on Earth. In this show, viewers follow Lucia, a PhD student in physics, on an exploration of how gravitational waves are formed, how they move through the universe, and how scientists like her work to hear them. Ages 8 and up.

Forward To The Moon

(28 min) Kari Byron from Crash Test World and MythBusters launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space. NASA’s 21st century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon. All ages.

Watch Trailer

From the Earth to the Universe

(32 min) 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. Ages 14 and up.

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage

(25 min) Ever wondered what it will take for astronauts to travel to the Moon, Mars and beyond? On this long journey, what challenges will astronauts face? How will they stay motivated and healthy on their spacecraft so far away from Earth? The new, Bell original planetarium show Mars: The Ultimate Voyage, explores these questions and more. Ages 8 and up.

The work for the original planetarium production was funded by a NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) Award 80NSSC20M0028 to the Bell Museum through the Regents of the University of Minnesota.

Passport to the Universe

(19 min) Narrated by Tom Hanks, in “Passport to the Universe” you can fly beneath the rings of Saturn, into the heart of the Orion Nebula, and out into the vastness of space to experience stunning cosmic destinations as never before possible. Ages 6 and up.

Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt For Dark Matter

(25 min) An exciting exploration of dark matter, from the Big Bang to its anticipated discovery at the Large Hadron Collider. The show will reveal the first hints of its existence through the eyes of Fritz Zwicky, the scientist who coined the term “dark matter”. This show is narrated by Tilda Swinton, a British actress. Ages 8 and up.

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Sunstruck

(21 min) Explore the sun in all its glory in this fulldome show. Sunstruck takes us on a journey to discover the wonders of our magnificent sun and investigate how our star has supported life on Earth for millennia. This program includes information on the structure of our sun, the source of its energy, and how solar activity impacts our world. All ages.

Michigan Science Center

Tales of the Maya Skies

(35 min) Through the magic of technology and imagination, you are about to take a trip across time and space to visit a world as it no longer exists today: the world of the ancient Maya civilization! The great pyramid and other stone observatories and structures in the ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula have been laser-scanned and recreated digitally to enable your journey. You will see Chichen Itza perhaps as it looked a thousand years ago when the Maya civilization of the ancient world was at its peak. You will also learn about Maya culture’s advanced understanding of space, time, and mathematics that allowed them to understand the world as few ancient cultures have. All ages. 

 Chabot Space & Science Center

Waiting Far Away

(10 min) An explorer of the cosmos has traveled too far…and can’t find home. Become lost on a journey through the majestic, humbling, and solitary beauty of space and time reimagined. All ages. 

Charles Hayden Planetarium

Bay Aerial

(12 min) Take a supersonic spin around Bay Area skies! This ten-minute flight of fancy begins at our home port, Chabot, and covers a lot of ground……from the sky above! To Mount Diablo in the east, the Santa Cruz Mountains to the south, Point Reyes up north, and back home again across the East Bay. All ages.

Cosmic Dance

(35 min) Got restless feet? You’re in good company: the Sun, Moon, planets and stars also have those ants in their pants and can’t keep their feet moving to the beat of their ageless cosmic dance. Two-step, tango, break dance, and dosey-doe your way across the solar system in this live immersive show! We’ll cover a few basics of the dance of the planets, whose motions across the sky puzzled and bewildered Earthly onlookers for millennia.

Inspired by Space

(35 min) Astronomy discoveries and art often go hand in hand. See through the eyes of pioneers in space exploration: astronomers who’ve dared to draw what they saw. We’ll take a look at how art inspires future scientific discovery, and how scientific discovery inspires art. With an expert guide and cutting-edge astronomical visuals, the Cosmos 360 series reveals the workings of the Universe from new perspectives.

Lunaverse

(16 min) Lunaverse” explores the nature of Earth’s moon: its motion and phases, lunar and solar eclipses, tides, and the Moon’s origin. The story unfolds as a conversation between a curious young child and the Moon—Luna—over the course of a night, from moonrise to moonset. All ages.

The Home Galaxy

(35 min) It’s been called a river in the sky, a tree of life, a celestial spine, and even a spray of mother’s milk, but since Galileo made the telescopic discovery that is made up of countless hosts of stars and mysterious, dark, brooding clouds, we have come to know The Milky Way as our galactic home among the cosmos. Come and explore Via Lactea, The Milky Way, from its sprawling spiral arms to the ultimate heart of darkness-the supermassive black hole that resides at its center.

Universal

(12 min) Fly through the heart of an ancient cluster of stars, and take a swing around the luminous remains of a dying star. Cruise by alien planets that orbit a nearby star, surf past the brilliant rings of Saturn, and more. ‘Universal’ is a quick un-narrated voyage through the universe that carries the viewer from the vast realm of intergalactic space to several stellar wonders of the Milky Way Galaxy through an intriguing and nearby extraterrestrial planetary system, and onward to home, to Earth. This show’s dialogue is all textual and is preferred for those hard of hearing. All ages.

When Things Collide

(31 min) Movies, mythology, and popular culture paint many pictures of the ways that our world might end. How does science shed light on world-ending planetary disruptions past and future? We’ll fly to celestial sites of devastation and disaster, exploring how these events shape our Universe, and could even threaten life on Earth.

Year of the Dwarf Planet

(35 min) Everyone’s favorite underdog among the planets, Pluto has been an icon of dark mystery and murky expectation…until now. In July 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made a historic encounter with the dwarf planet, giving us our first close look at its face and its entourage of moons. Come and join us as we witness this epic journey of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft.

Zodiac Tours

(38 min) Come on a tour of the Zodiac, the group of ancient constellations visited by the Sun and planets as they wander along their roadway in the sky. Be dazzled by fabulous facts and fantastic fables of these notable star patterns, and discover what hidden celestial treasures they hold.