Programs
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Living Worlds
Earth is a planet shaped by life. From the forests that help stabilize our climate, to the winds carrying life-sustaining water and oxygen to far-flung parts of the globe, the fingerprints of life are visible even from many light years away. Journey through space and time to examine life as an essential quality of our home planet Earth. Explore of the co-evolution of life and the ways it has transformed Earth’s surface and atmosphere over billions of years. See how light and color can help us spot a living world, even from great distances. Living Worlds encourages us to consider how a deeper understanding of our own planet can aid in the search for life across the cosmos, and to reflect on ways we can partner with our living world to ensure our continued survival. Narrated by Daveed Diggs.
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Lucia: The Secret of Shooting Stars
Vladimir, a polar bear and James, a penguin, travel into space aboard the Polaris to study polar auroras. Hit by a meteorite, they crash at the foot of a pre-Columbian pyramid and meet Lucia, a hummingbird who is passionate about rocks. She tells them about a legend evoking “stones of light”. Meteorites, shooting stars, these “stones of light” intrigue them all. Searching for answers, they board for the Moon, then the asteroid belt, and finally land on a comet nucleus. Observations and analyses will allow them to find answers to their questions about these objects and learn about the origin of the solar system.
Watch the trailer here!
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Magic Globe: A Story of the Seasons
On vacation at her grandpa’s, a little girl Mia accidentally discovers a mysterious piece of astronomical machinery. Edek, Mia’s eccentric uncle, tricks the girl into using the tool’s secret powers to change the world’s seasons. She quickly realizes the consequences of what they are going to do, but Edek doesn’t want to let the plan go.
Magic Globe is an engaging story designed to interest and challenge children from 5 to 12 years old. It has a clear educational structure with all science-related topics broken down into manageable chunks and naturally woven into the storyline. It allows children to recap knowledge they already have as well as learn multiple new concepts while following the story, which makes it perfect for mixed-ability audiences.
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Magic Treehouse: Space Mission
Travel with the brother-sister duo, Jack and Annie, in their Magic Treehouse, as they discover a note that asks them to answer a series of six questions about space. With the help of an astronomer, the Internet, an astronaut, books and the writer of the mysterious note, Jack and Annie are taken on a wondrous journey of adventure and learning.
This exciting voyage will carry visitors to the planets and far out into the Universe where Jack and Annie nearly get… Well, we don’t want to give it away. The adventure is just beginning!
Based on the popular book series by Mary Pope Osborne.
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Mars 1001
An international crew is about to embark on the first interplanetary journey in history, the first manned mission to the surface of Mars! Science reporter Miles O’Brien is reporting while events unfold for the crew on their daring 1001 day long mission. Witness firsthand their brave attempts to put human footprints on Mars and return safely to Earth. This journey will be extending our knowledge of Mars and will be determining whether or not mankind has a future among the stars. Experience the thrill of the grandest mission of exploration ever undertaken – humans going to Mars!
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Mars: The Ultimate Voyage
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? Discover how NASA research and training initiatives are preparing the next generation of astronauts who will head to Mars. Witness what it takes to embark on the first human mission beyond Earth’s orbit.
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Mayan Archaeoastronomy: Observers of the Universe
The night is an eye, both dark and bright! It forces us to look up and ask ourselves questions about our place in the Cosmos, our origins, and what is beyond the horizon. Using spectacular visuals and stunning sound, audiences tour six ancient Mayan temples: San Gervasio, Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, Edzna, Palenque, and Bonampak. Along the way they dive into Mayan knowledge of the sky exploring the movement of the Sun, the Moon and Venus. Find Balam the Jaguar constellation and explore how the Mayan’s created a calendar more accurate than the one we use in modern times. Journey back in time to explore how The Mayan’s used the sky to understand their world and their place in it!
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Messengers of Time and Space
Gazing upward with the unaided eye, the sky appears calm and tranquil. The universe, however, is an active place, where dynamic events can be observed unfolding — even on human timescales — including newly discovered asteroids, violent stellar explosions, and colliding black holes. Explore the intriguing new discoveries made by an array of specialized telescopes such as the Vera Rubin Observatory and other instruments, unveiling the Universe as never before.
Ages 10 and up
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Mexica Archaeoastronomy: Between Space and Time
Through impressive immersive scenarios, Mexica Archaeoastronomy: Between Space and Time illustrates the important role played by astronomical observation for the evolution of pre-Hispanic cultures in central Mexico. The Mexicas used the calendrical and astronomical knowledge inherited by their predecessor cultures to found the capital of their empire: Tenochtitlan. Vibrant colors, shapes and sounds transport the viewer to one of the most important cultures that, to this day, still lives in the heart and skin of the Mexican people. The program includes a tour of the night sky and an update on latest astronomy news.
Watch the trailer here!
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Moonbase: The Next Step
From the moment mankind first set foot on the Moon in 1969 we have dreamed of making a base there. In the next 10 years humans will return to the Moon with the Artemis missions and develop a sustained, strategic presence near the lunar South Pole. The Moon will become our first ‘staging post’ from which Mars and the rest of the solar system becomes tantalizingly closer. Prepare for a breath-taking lunar adventure! For ages 12 and up.
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Mystery of the Christmas Star
Journey back 2000 years to Bethlehem as we seek to discover a scientific explanation for the Star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus. Investigate possible dates for the birth of Christ and look at recorded sightings of significant historical and astronomical events during this timeframe. We’ll explore scientific explanations for celestial objects that could have been remarkable enough to cause the wise men to travel across the desert from Babylon to Bethlehem just to see a newborn King. Regardless of what the star was, the message of Peace on Earth and goodwill to all still rings true today!
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Natural Selection
Join the young Charles Darwin on an adventurous voyage of exploration circumnavigating the World with the HMS Beagle. In the 19th century in Victorian times many physical phenomena were already discovered and described by natural laws, but life’s most eloquent mechanism was still unknown: How could new species arise to replace those lost in extinction? Darwin explored the explanation for how life evolved and the factors which have shaped its development here on planet Earth. Come explore how he used evidence and reason to come up with the theory of Natural Selection.
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One Sky
One Sky is a collection of sky cultures around the world. It recognizes that all people around the globe share strong connections to the stars for navigation, time keeping, agriculture and storytelling. As active exploration of our universe continues today, we honor the cultures who first looked up and dreamed about our place in the cosmos. Everyone sees something a little bit different in the stars, but we all share One Sky.
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One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure
Explore the night sky with your favorite friends from Sesame Street in One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure. Follow along with Big Bird, Elmo and their friend from China, Hu Hu Zhu, as they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth. They explore the day and night sky, learn about the Big Dipper, the North Star, the Sun and the Moon. Along the way, they learn how the sky we see is shared by many people around the world. Children attending the show can interact as they watch, drawing constellations and counting the time it takes the sun to set.
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Phantom of the Universe
From the journey of protons racing through the world’s largest particle collider to up-close views of the Big Bang and emergent universe, and the nearly mile-deep descent to an underground experiment, Phantom of the Universe immerses audiences in the search for dark matter. Explore this mysterious matter and how we are using discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider to get closer to discovering the true nature of Dark Matter. View the first hints of its existence through the eyes of Fritz Zwicky, the scientist who coined the term “dark matter.” Explore the astral choreography witnessed by Vera Rubin in the Andromeda galaxy, and then plummet deep underground to see the most sensitive dark matter detector on Earth, housed in a former gold mine. Speed alongside particles before they collide in visually stunning explosions of light and sound at Large Hadron Collider at CERN, while learning how scientists around the world are collaborating to track down the constituents of dark matter. Executive Producer Michael Barnett of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory served as an advisor to PBS’s NOVA series Elegant Universe and the feature film Angels & Demons. Featuring narration by Academy-Award winning actress Tilda Swinton, Phantom of the Universe showcases imagery from CERN’s Media Lab.
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Polaris: The Space Submarine and the Mystery of Polar Night
A traveling penguin from the South Pole and a funny polar bear from the North pole meet on arctic sea ice. They become friends observing the night sky together and wondering why night is so long at the poles of the Earth. This mystery leads them on a scientific adventure by building an improvised spaceship to travel around the Earth to learn about seasons, visit Mars and Saturn to learn about ice in the solar system and how planets have similarities and differences which make them unique.
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Rising Star: A South African Astronomy Journey
Take an astronomical journey from our beginnings through the development of astronomy research in South Africa, and discover what the future of astronomy holds for the country. Dive into multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy with the many remarkable facilities such as Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and the most powerful radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, MeerKAT. See how astronomy can be a powerful force in the life of a nation, and inspire the next generation of explorers.
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Solar Superstorms
A fury is building on the surface of the Sun – high-velocity jets, a fiery tsunami wave that reaches 100,000 kilometers high, rising loops of electrified gas. What’s driving these strange phenomena? How will they affect planet Earth? Find the answers as we venture into the seething interior of our star. Travel into the tangle of magnetic fields and superhot plasma that vent the Sun’s rage in dramatic flares, violent solar tornadoes, and the largest eruptions in the solar system: Coronal Mass Ejections. Explore how the Sun influences our lives on Earth in numerous ways in the modern age. The program is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch of Star Trek and Dr. Strange fame.
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Space Aliens: Looking for Life in the Universe
One of the oldest question’s humans have asked since looking at the sky has been if life exists beyond our planet. Follow cosmic clues from the ocean floor to a journey across the galaxy! What might extremophiles here on Earth tell us about the ability of life to thrive in other locations in our universe? Learn how new discoveries of exoplanets and water in our own solar system plays into this cosmic quest for other life forms beyond Earth. Find out how scientist are using new tools to look for places where life might be possible in our own galaxy.
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SPARK: The Universe in Us
From the oxygen we breathe to the uranium that warms our planet’s core, we owe everything to the stars. SPARK: The Universe in Us is about our deep connection not just to Earth, but to stars millions of light years away—and billions of years in the past. Discover the celestial origins of the elements we all have in common. Along the way, you’ll enter the core of a giant star just before it implodes, experience the quiet demise of a star like the Sun, and see how colliding stars seed the Universe with the building blocks of life. Narrated by Diego Luna.
For ages 12 and up!
