IN-PERSON PROGRAMS
PLANETARIUM
Pre-K and up
Average runtime: 1.5-2 hours
Number served per program: 10-60 students
The new FSU Planetarium features a pair of ultra-high contrast laser phosphor projectors, resulting in dramatically increased picture quality for both night sky scenes and fulldome films! Each show's sound effects and music are driven by a brand new 5.1 digital surround sound system that has been custom designed and professionally engineered for our dome. New content offerings include the classic night sky tour paired with a film, as well as opportunities for students to directly interact with content on the dome and become participants in the show itself.
Fulldome Films
Big Astronomy
27 minutes
Middle school and up
*Film available in Spanish
Take a journey through observatories used by professional astronomers in the gorgeous mountains of Chile, one of the best astronomical observing locations on Earth. Our planetarium is transformed into a giant observatory dome as astronomers investigate the Solar System and the distant observable Universe. Visit with the technicians from an array of STEM disciplines who build, maintain, and operate these huge instruments.
Fly Me to the Moon
49 minutes
Families, general audiences
An elaborate, animated film offering big adventure and comedy, set against the real story of our first visit to another world. Follow three young flies as they inadvertently stowaway aboard Apollo 11 and join Neil, Buzz, and Michael on their mission to pull off the very first moon landing!
We Are Guardians
25 minutes
Middle school and up
Our climate, our ecosystems, and the human-induced damage caused to both of them are explored in depth. Dive into a friendly introduction to the changes imposed upon our planet's climate, how we measure them, and what we can do about it. The film features approachable explanations, attractively animated visuals, and upbeat narration.
In Saturn's Rings
38 minutes
Grade 8 and up
Fly through lavishly arranged visuals as we visit distant galaxies, tour the planets of the inner Solar System, Jupiter, its moons, and - of course - Saturn's rings. "In Saturn’s Rings is a groundbreaking giant-screen adventure that takes audiences on a journey of the mind, heart, and spirit, from the Big Bang to the awe-inspiring rings of Saturn." The film makes no use of CGI - all imagery is from animated high-resolution photography. Narrated by LeVar Burton.
Atlas of a Changing Earth
25 minutes
High school and up
With a combination of satellite imagery and computer models used by climate scientists, we explore the disturbed natural systems that regulate our warming planet. Visit a beautiful arctic island and witness the real changes human activity has inflicted upon its glaciers. The consequences of rising sea levels are vividly depicted with animations of our cities submerging.
Undiscovered Worlds
27 minutes
Grade 8 and up
Do Earth-like planets exist elsewhere in the universe? Travel to distant stars and fly up close to exotic planets. Experience the science shifting our perspective on humanity’s place in the cosmos. Humans have long imagined exotic and intriguing worlds beyond our solar system. However, in recent years, science fiction has become science reality. Undiscovered Worlds reveals the methods used by astronomers to identify these alien wanderers, and explores the idea of what it means to be in a habitable zone around a star.
Sunstruck
21 minutes
Middle school and up
Dive into our closest star, the Sun, and encounter its magnetic field, the engine driving dark sunspots and solar flares. Discover the shield that protects us from the Sun's storms and see real aurorae towering in the sky.
Aurora Storm
11 minutes
General audiences
Our planetarium is transformed into a clearing in the Alaskan wilderness. As the sky fills with flowing green light, the narration fills our ears with stories illustrating the cultural significance of aurorae to indigenous peoples of the far north. The interactions between the solar winds and the Earth's magnetic field are described as one of the nature's most beautiful phenomena unfolds.
Phantom of the Universe
27 minutes
High school and up
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 cosmos, Phantom of the Universe is a fulldome planetarium show designed to immerse audiences in the search for dark matter." Beautiful visualizations and concise narration shed light upon a major open question in our study of the Universe.
Chaos and Order
40 minutes
General audiences
As the lights under the dome fade, complex and fantastic mathematical constructs fill the planetarium with wandering patterns of light and color. Fractals, simulations of colliding galaxies, and infinitely repeating patterns are paired with an ethereal soundtrack and no narration. Come relax with us.