Our Most Popular Shows
Listed below are some of our most popular shows grouped by grade level. See the catalog below for descriptions of each show and more titles.
Recommended Grade Level Shows
PreK-2nd The Little Star That Could, Tonight's Sky
2nd-5th Family of the Sun, Take Flight
Middle School Ice Worlds, Impact Earth, Sunstruck, Dawn of the Space Age
High School Black Holes, Digital Universe
All Tonight's Sky, Wildest Weather, From Dream to Discovery, Space School
Attack of the Space Pirates
Attack of the Space Pirates
Hidden somewhere in the vast reaches of space is an alien technology so powerful that it threatens the very galaxy itself. A gang of rogue pirates will stop at nothing to find that technology and unleash its awesome power against the rest of the universe. Now, only one valiant ship stands between the pirates and their total domination of space. It’s a race against time for the Starship Intrepid as it seeks to find the alien technology first while defending itself against the attack of the space pirates!
Recommended for ages 8 and up
School visits: grades 3-12
Limited availability: July - September 2018
Black Holes
Black holes
Black Holes takes you on a journey through one of the most mystifying, awe-inspiring phenomena in the universe. What is a black hole? Where do they come from? Where do they go? How do we find them? Is there one in Earth's neighborhood? Explore the latest scientific knowledge on black holes in a show that is visually immersive.
Recommended for ages 12 and up
School visits: Grades 7-12
Cosmic Origins
Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
Since its launch in 1990, unique tools aboard the Hubble Space Telescope have resulted in amazing deep-space images and discoveries. Learn how astronomers are using the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph (added to Hubble in 2009) to answer questions like: How do stars and galaxies form? How were the elements created in stars and supernovae?
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
School visits: Grades 7-12
Digital Universe
Digital Universe
Come on board for the ultimate trip in space-time! Digital Universe graphics uses actual scientific data in this three-dimensional mapping of the known universe--with regular updates of new data. We leave Earth orbit to travel among the stars of our Galaxy, then leave our Milky Way Galaxy to travel through galaxy clusters, all the way out past the quasars and primordial galaxies to the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation zone, 13.8 billion light-years away from us, beyond which we cannot see further in space and time.
Recommended for ages 12 and up
School visits: grades 9-12
Dynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth explores the inner workings of Earth’s great life support system: the global climate. 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.
Recommended for ages 10 and up
School visits: grades 6-12
Extreme Planets
Extreme Planets
For centuries, humanity has wondered whether we are alone in the universe. The 1995 discovery of the first planet orbiting another star, since followed by the discovery of hundreds of extra solar planets, brings us closer to knowing the answer. Extreme Planets looks at what makes a planet “Earth-like”, and explores distant worlds that might fit the conditions we seek. From water worlds to molten landscapes, inhabitable moons to planets with multiple suns, these exotic worlds aren’t just science fiction anymore!
Recommended for ages 12 and up
School visits: grades 6-12
Limited availability: October - November 2018
Family of the Sun
FAmily of the Sun
Experience the solar system as you never have before, from the Sun to the distant edge of the Oort cloud. Travel to planets, moons, comets and trans-Neptunian objects. Enjoy an aurora on Saturn, see the relative positions of planets in their orbits around our star, understand eclipses and more in the engaging live presentation.
Recommended for ages 6 and up.
School visits: Grades 2-5. Currently only available for field trip groups on Fridays.
From Dream to Discovery
Journey from NASA’s test facilities all the way to Pluto and experience the excitement of today’s space missions.
Immerse yourself in the adventures and extremes of spacecraft engineering—from the design of missions like the James Webb Space Telescope and New Horizons, to the rigors of testing, launch, and space operations.
When humans dare to dream, we create truly amazing things.
Recommended for ages 6 and up.
School visits: Grades 2 and up
From Earth To the Universe
From Earth to The Universe
Take a journey through the solar system and the universe beyond. Learn how telescopes and space probes have changed our understanding of planets, moons and other celestial objects.
Recommended for ages 6 and up
School visits: grades 1-12
Ice Worlds
Ice worlds
Explore the critical relationship between ice and life - a tale of friend and foe, enabling, challenging, supporting and adapting - that has developed over millions of years. Will other ice worlds of our solar system have life? Can they help us understand Earth's changing polar habitats? For answers, Ice Worlds explores the two poles of Earth and the other ice worlds nearby.
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
School visits: Grades 5-8
Available in our traveling planetarium.
Impact Earth
Impact earth
Narrated by astronaut Tom Jones, Impact Earth illustrates the differences between asteroids, meteors, and comets, and how each can benefit (or harm) Earth. It dramatically demonstrates the effects of some famous impacts, discusses ways that humans discover asteroids and comets and how we might try to deflect objects that may be on a collision course with Earth.
Recommended for ages 8 and up
School visits: grades 5-12
Available in our traveling planetarium
Infinity Express
infinity express
The universe is slowly offering up its secrets as shown in this remarkable blend of science, art and entertainment. Powerfully narrated by actor Laurence Fishburne of "The Matrix" fame, Infinity Express will take you on an exciting journey of discovery. From the exploration of our solar system to the mapping of the universe, Infinity Express will funnel you towards humanity's mission to explore what lies beyond Planet Earth.
Recommended for ages 8 and up
School visits: grades 4-12
Available in our traveling planetarium
Life Under the Arctic Sky
In our first show to combine astronomy with anthropology (the study of human culture), learn about the Sami in northern Norway, 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. How are the seasons affected by being that close to the Northern Pole? How is life affected? Learn about the Sami’s relationship with their reindeer, the Northern Lights, and more in this beautiful show.
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
School visits: Grades 4-12
Space Junk
Fifty years after launching our dreams into space, we’re left with a troubling legacy: a growing ring of orbiting debris that threatens the safety of Earth’s orbits.
Space Junk is a visually explosive journey of discovery that weighs the solutions aimed at restoring our planet’s orbits.
Experience mind-boggling collisions, both natural and man-made. Soar from the stunning depths of Meteor Crater to an unprecedented view of our increasingly crowded orbits – 22,000 miles above earth. Join us as foremost expert Don Kessler, the “Father of Space Junk,” guides us through the challenges we face in protecting them, forging a new age of space discovery.
Recommended for ages 10 and up
School visits: Grades 5-12
Limited availability: July - September 2018
SPACE SCHOOL
From a habitat hidden deep underwater in Florida, to the world's most amazing swimming pool, dive into the underwater world of outer space! SPACE SCHOOL is the incredible story of how astronauts train underwater to live and work in space. From microgravity simulation at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab, to living under the sea at Aquarius Reef Base, astronauts spend a lot of time training underwater. SPACE SCHOOL is a fascinating and beautifully filmed live-action fulldome film.
Recommended for ages 5 and up
School visits: Grades PreK-12
SUNSTRUCK
Sunstruck
This exciting show on solar science, created by the Michigan Science Center in collaboration with NASA and narrated by noted science fiction author Mike Shepherd, shares the wonders of our own personal star, the Sun. The Sun's incredible energy has supported life on Earth for millennia, but it also poses threats to the way of life our 21st century technology has enabled. In Sunstruck, you will travel to the distant future to discover the Sun’s connection to our universe’s cosmic cycle of life and death.
Recommended for ages 8 and up
School visits: Grades 5-12
Take Flight
Join uniquely-animated brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright for a full-throttle adventure through the history and into the future of aeronautics!
Learn about the four forces of flight — lift, weight, thrust and drag — with demonstrations by the Wright brothers and share observations and discoveries with Leonardo da Vinci as he creates his “flying machine.”
Along the way, you’ll meet Bessie Coleman, the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn an aviation pilot’s license; break the sound barrier with Chuck Yeager; and take an exhilarating flight across the Atlantic Ocean with Amelia Earhart. Will you become a famous aviator? “Take Flight” could be your first step!
Recommended for ages 8 and up
School visits: Grades 2-6
The Amazing Telescope
the amazing telescope
Take a voyage through time and space and discover how a simple adjustment to a child's spy glass revealed an infinite and perplexing universe never before imagined. This amazing journey features two students who encounter an astronomer at a local star party and discover not only how telescopes work, but how they have enabled us to make some of the most incredible cosmic discoveries of the past few centuries. Then - learn where you can find some fascinating objects with a small telescope or binoculars in the current night sky with a Discovery Center educator as your guide.
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
School visits: Grades 5-12
Available in our traveling planetarium
The Little Star That Could
The Little star that could
The Little Star That Could The Little Star That Could is a story about Little Star, an average yellow star in search for planets of his own to protect and warm. Along the way, he meets other stars, learns what makes each star special, and discovers that stars combine to form star clusters and galaxies. Eventually, Little Star finds his planets. Each planet is introduced to audiences with basic information about our Solar System.
Recommended for ages 4 to 10
School visits: Grades PreK-2
Tonight's Sky
tonight's sky
Since this show tells you all about the current night sky plus the latest exciting information about space, it's NEVER the same show twice! Is that a star or a planet? What is Orion hunting? What is a gibbous moon? What does the Milky Way look like? Hold on to your seat as you become part of the spectacular current night sky. This Planetarium program helps you get started observing the wonders of the sky from your own backyard. Our Digital Sky® projection system allows us to travel thousands of light years from Earth.
Recommended for ages 5 and up
School visits: Grades PreK-12
Available in our traveling planetarium
To Space and Back
to space and back
Space exploration, humanity's greatest adventure, is helping us discover a universe of unimaginable scale and beauty, while reaching down into our home world and influencing the way we live. This international award-winning show will take us to the far reaches of the known universe and bring us home forever changed.
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
School visits: Grades 3-12
Wildest Weather in the Solar System
Join National Geographic on a spectacular journey to witness the most beautiful, powerful, and mysterious weather phenomena in the solar system. From a storm the size of a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb, to a 400-year-old hurricane, to a dust tempest that could engulf entire planets, you’ll be glad you live on Earth!
Audiences will fly through the thick atmosphere of Venus, magnetic storms on the sun, liquid methane showers on Titan, and anticyclones whirling at hundreds of miles per hour on Jupiter. Packed with eye-popping visuals, high-end CGI, and cutting-edge science.
Recommended ages: 6 and up.
School visits: Grades K-12