ECSU Planetarium Star Shows
In My Backyard
Grade(s): PK-1
Length: 35 minutes
Explore the seasons, constellations, the planets, and the Moon. This show features the voice and
songs of children’s entertainer, Fred Penner.
Moon Witch
Grade(s): 1
Length: 18 minutes
The perfect entertainment for Halloween, Moon Witch is a delightful show that will keep both
children and adults spellbound in their seats. The setting is Halloween Eve and a young girl,
Diana, is scared by the moon. It's following her! Join her as she learns about moon phases, facts
and myths surrounding the moon and a brief history of man's first explorations of this silent,
distant world.
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Grade(s): 1-4
Length: 37 minutes
Embark upon an adventure in an imaginary rocket with two boys and the mysterious and magical
book, The Student's Astronomy Guide. You'll travel through our solar system visiting the planets:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
The Little Star That Could
Grade(s): 1-5
Length: 33 minutes
A star is born! But he has no name. Join him in his quest to find his name and planets to call his
own. Along the way, you'll learn about old stars, new stars, blue-white stars, supernovas, double
stars, the Milky Way and our solar system.
The Halloween Show
Grade(s): K-5
Length: 35 minutes
Join Holly Ween, a student witch, and Jack, a pumpkin comedian, for a night of family fun as they
explore Halloween History and traditions, the fall and winter constellations and the Phases of the
Moon.
The Mystery of the Missing Seasons
Grade(s): 3-6
Length: 30 minutes
Join Angelo as he and two aliens from the planet Dipnot discover the mystery of why we have
seasons. Students will learn about the tilt of the earth and how to recognize prominent seasonal
constellations.
Sandy, Pepper & The Eclipse
Grade(s): 3-6
Length: 16 minutes
What is an eclipse? Come and learn as Sandy the dog explains to her younger canine companion
the mysteries and wonders of solar eclipses. Teachers and parents alike will find Sandy's easy
narration helpful in teaching children about one of nature's many marvels.
Adventures Along the Spectrum
Grade(s): 4 - 7
Length: 40 minutes
Come and explore the light spectrum with the absent-minded Professor Photon. This entertaining
show will introduce to you the various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. With Professor
Photon, you can learn about radio, radar, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, and
gamma waves, and their importance in exploring our universe today. On this journey, you'll
discover pulsars and neutron stars, supernovae, active galaxies, black holes, and quasars.
More Than Meet The Eye
Grade(s): 4 - Adult
Length: 18 minutes
More than Meets the Eye compares images seen by the naked eye with the images of stellar
space seen by other equipment. Through the eyes of binoculars, low power telescopes, and the
photography of satellites such as Voyager and Pioneer, the audience will see planets,
constellations, nebulae, and glimpses of distant galaxies. This well-constructed show will spark
the imagination and encourage future stargazing.
The Power
Grade(s): 4 - 7
Length: 32 minutes
Why are galaxies called the "building blocks of the universe? How are they formed? Explore
these question and more with The Power.
Cosmic Catastrophes
Grade(s): 5 – Adult
Length: 35 minutes
Examine the possible causes of mass extinctions that occurred throughout Earth’s history as told
through the eyes of an alien race searching for a new home. You’ll explore the causes of
dinosaur - and possibly human - extinction linked to catastrophic events from space.
Destination: Universe
Grade(s): 5 – Adult
Length: 41 minutes
This show will take you on a journey from America's Space Station Freedom of the 1990's to
planetary engineering projects ten thousand years hence. Beneath our star-filled dome, you will
experience the panoramic vista of a moon base, probe the surfaces of Venus and Mars, delve
into the noxious clouds of Jupiter, float within a vast space colony, and discover the staggering
immensity of the Cosmos.
Voyager II at Neptune
Grade 5 – Adult
Length: 16 minutes
"All Aboard" for a Journey to the Stars! Join Voyager 2 as it tours the planets of our solar system:
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. You'll learn about the planet Neptune and its unique
features, all made possible by Voyager 2's powerful instruments and cameras. Experience the
excitement of discovery as Voyager 2 goes where no one has gone before.
Comets Are Coming
Grade(s): 6 - Adult
Length: 35 minutes
Experience the awe of a bright comet lighting the sky with its brilliant tail and discover the
fascination and mystery behind these traveling balls of ice, gas and dust. Throughout the
millennia, comets have both mystified and mesmerized mankind. Comets were once viewed as
evil omens during antiquity. It wasn't until 1700, when Edmond Halley predicted a comet's return
in 1758, that they became an object of scientific study. By 1835, people were studying Halley's
Comet through telescopes and by 1910 they had attached cameras to them to record the event.
Relive the awesome discoveries made with comets such as Halley, Shoemaker-Levy and HaleBopp.
Inner Space
Grade(s): 6 - Adult
Length: 35 minutes
Take a riveting journey inward, into the vast and mysterious universe of the human body. Come
face-to-face with the hidden realms inside our own bodies. Become eyewitnesses to a host of
fascinating processes, including the delicate interplay of neurons and the workings of the genetic
code. View firsthand the daily battle for health and discover how the immune system wages war
against parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Learn about medicinal interventions that boost the
body's natural defensive powers.
Life Beyond Earth
Grade(s): All Ages
Length: 33 minutes
Since man's first discovery of stellar space, the question, "Is there life beyond Earth?" has been
asked. Beginning with the Big Bang theory and the birth of life, explore the possibility of
extraterrestrial life as we search for life bearing planets and trace the evolution of life on Earth.
This show examines our own future exploration of space when we become the extraterrestrial.
Starlit Nights
Grade(s): All Ages
Length: 25 minutes
Want to gaze at the summer heavens, but from the relative comfort of an air conditioned room?
No problem. To the chirping sounds of a summer evening, this show will reveal the evening sky of
the summer season. From the Big Dipper and Ursa Major to Sagittarius and Scorpius, we'll also
explore the constellations.
Welcome to the Universe
Grade(s): All Ages
Length: 10 minutes
This brief impressive introduction to the Universe is suitable for all ages. You'll be tantalized by
glimpses of constellations, planets, nebulae and the Milky Way.
Star of Wonder
Grade(s): All Ages
Length: 35 minutes
Travel back 2,000 years to ancient Bethlehem. A remarkable star was said to have appeared in
the heavens, marking the birth of a great king. Join us as we try to uncover the science and
mystery of the Star of Bethlehem.
Tis the Season
Grade(s): All Ages
Length: 40 minutes
Explore the historical religious and cultural rituals practiced during the time of winter solstice:
Christian, Jewish, Celtic, Pagan, Nordic, Roman, Egyptian and Hopi. Remember the light-hearted
seasonal traditions from gift-giving and kissing under the mistletoe to songs about lords a-leaping
and ladies dancing and the custom of decking the halls with greenery and candles. You'll view a
few Northern winter constellations, and learn why we even have seasons. Explore the possible
astronomical explanations for a "Star over Bethlehem" -- comets, meteors, novae and
supernovae, and planetary conjunctions.