General Audience
Birth of Planet Earth - 25 minutes
Scientists now believe that our galaxy is filled with solar systems, including up to a billion planets roughly the size of our own. The film employs advanced, data-driven, cinematic-quality visualizations to explore some of the greatest questions in science today: How did Earth become a living planet in the wake of our solar system's violent birth? What does its history tell us about our chances of finding other worlds that are truly Earth-like? Produced by Spitz Creative Media, NCSA's Advanced Visualization Lab, Thomas Lucas Productions, Inc., in association with Tellus Science Museum. This project has been made possible with support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Greater Philadelphia Film Office; funded in part by the National Science Foundation.
Dinosaurs at Dusk - 41 minutes
Take to the skies and discover the origins of flight. Dinosaurs at Dusk is a learning adventure of a father and his teenage daughter Lucy who share a fascination for all things that fly. You'll travel back in time to meet the pterosaurs and the ancestors of modern-day birds: the feathered dinosaurs. Lucy and her father will navigate from continent to continent to look for clues for the origins of flight until time runs out and they experience first-hand the cataclysmic last day of the dinosaurs. Science content includes topics such as continental drift, proper motion of stars, asteroids and impacts, extinctions and the convergent development of flight among species. Please note that since this is a longer show, we might will not have time for the Q and A session if it is chosen.
Secret Lives of Stars - 27 minutes
Not all stars are created equal. Some are massive. Others are tiny; almost insignificant. The specific characteristics of a star will determine what type of life it will lead, how long it might live and even the type of death it will die. We will witness the amazing variety of stars and peer into their secret lives. Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart of TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men films. Winner of 4 Telly Awards.
Dynamic Earth - 24 minutes
Narrated by Liam Neeson, the award-winning Dynamic Earth explores the inner workings of Earth's climate system. With visualizations based on satellite monitoring data and advanced supercomputer simulations, this cutting-edge production follows a trail of energy that flows from the Sun into the interlocking systems that shape our climate: the atmosphere, oceans, and the biosphere. Audiences will ride along on swirling ocean and wind currents, dive into the heart of a monster hurricane, come face-to-face with sharks and gigantic whales, and fly into roiling volcanoes.
Kids Shows
Solar System Tours - 17 minutes
Solar System Tours is a guided tour of the solar system in which students enjoy close-up views of all the planets on the Sky Theater's dome. Students experience wonders from the Sun to the edge of the solar system, including reclassification of Pluto.
Zula Patrol - 25 minutes
While on a routine fossil-hunting expedition, The Zula Patrol turns up evidence that the villainous Deliria Delight has been travelling back in time to Earth's prehistoric past to illegally dump her company's toxic trash. The Zula Patrollers must find and catch her. In the process, our heroes learn all about the formation and development of Earth, and the life forms who call it home.