DSNH

Show Descriptions

5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is creating the most detailed map of our nearby universe. Learn about the science, instrument, and people behind this global endeavor.

22 minutes | Ages 12+

Audio Tour of the Solar System

Experience the Solar System like never before--by traveling on a spacecraft that can turn the objects in space into sound!

35 minutes | Ages 10+

Big Astronomy

Big Astronomy tells the stories of the people behind the largest telescopes in the world.

25 minutes | Ages 10+

Climate Change in Our Backyard

Climate Change in Our Backyard illuminates the story of how and why our climate is changing.

20 minutes | Ages 12+

Constellations

Explore the night sky with this fun and engaging series of constellation stories from around the world.

25 minutes | Ages 5+

Cosmic Castaways

Discover fascinating details about stars, galaxies and the consequences of galaxy collisions.

35 minutes | Ages 8+  

Cosmic Colors

There’s a lot more to light, both in space and on Earth, than just what our eyes can see! Explore the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma waves and everywhere in between.

35 minutes | Ages 8+  

Cosmic Mashups

Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies and we're beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activate galactic centers.

20 minutes | Ages 12+  

Cosmic Spectrograph

Discover spectroscopy, the science of light, and learn how scientists study the Universe by deciphering clues hidden in light arriving from distant objects.

20 minutes | Ages 12+  

Cosmology

This immersive film describes our current knowledge of the beginning and eventual fate of the Universe, based on modern scientific and observational evidence.

20 minutes | Ages 12+  

Dark

Dark is a full dome movie that explains and explores the nature of dark matter, the missing 80% of the mass of the Universe.

20 minutes | Ages 10+ (adult-oriented)

Dark Matter Mystery

Join researchers around the world in the biggest quest of modern astrophysics. Discover how we know dark matter exists and why understanding it is so challenging.

20 minutes | Ages 12+

Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?

Could a massive space rock really have wiped out 75 percent of living species at that time, including the dinosaurs? Explore the impacts and cosmic collisions across the Solar System in Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?  

25 minutes | Ages 8+

Dinosaurs: A Story of Survival

A journey through time, exploring dinosaurs and the adaptations they developed over millions of years to help themselves survive, until the mass extinction event that many know as the end of their reign.

This show is brought to you, in part, by ZuZu For Kids!

25 minutes | Ages 3+

Distant Worlds: Alien Life

This film investigates the conditions required for life, beginning with planets and moons in our Solar System and venturing out to some of the newly-discovered exoplanets orbiting other stars.

52 minutes | Ages 12+

Drifting North: Into the Polar Night

Step out onto an ice floe in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and watch and listen as scientists race the fading light to set up one of the most ambitious international climate collaborations ever.

25 minutes | Ages 12+

Drifting North: The Arctic Pulse

Follow an international team of scientists from over twenty countries who embark on an epic year-long expedition to the Central Arctic.

25 minutes | Ages 12+

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Students will learn fact from fiction alongside an amusing character named Coyote as we discover the relationships between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. This program explores moon phases, eclipses, the moon landing, the Sun's role in our lives, and the patterns seen in the sky.

25 minutes | Ages 5-10

Einstein's Gravity Playlist

A digital planetarium show exploring the ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves.

27 minutes | Ages 12+

Exoplanets

As our planet-hunting techniques improve we are finding smaller and smaller exoplanets and increasingly similar ones to Earth. Sooner or later we are bound to discover another Earth.

27 minutes | Ages 12+

Forward to the Moon

Kari Byron from Mythbusters launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space.

26 minutes | Ages 12+

From the Earth to the Universe

This stunning voyage through space and time conveys, through sparkling sights and sounds, the Universe revealed to us by science. Revel in the splendor of the worlds in the Solar System, explore birthplaces and resting places of stars, and bask in the beauty of galaxies beyond our Milky Way.

30 minutes | Ages 10+

Galaxies

A brief introduction to the immense collections of stars called galaxies.

20 minutes | Ages 10+

George and Oatmeal Save Santa

A snowman and a planetarium wizard have to find Santa by learning about different places and constellations on the Earth.

20 minutes | Ages 2-8

Hot and Energetic Universe

Learn about how the highest energy light waves come from the most violent and spectacular events in the universe: supernovas, black holes, and the like. Filled with beautiful high resolution imagery of space.

30 minutes | Ages 10+

Light Echoes

Cosmic art created by dying stars.

5 minutes | Ages 5+

Losing the Dark

Starry skies are a vanishing treasure because light pollution is erasing our view of the Universe. Such pollution not only threatens astronomy, but also disrupts wildlife and even affects human health.

6 minutes | Ages 12+

Max Goes to the Moon

Max the dog and a young girl named Tori take the first trip to the Moon since the Apollo era.

35 minutes | Ages 5+

Mayan Archeoastronomy

A unique planetarium show intertwining science and mythology, transporting the viewer on a poetic journey describing the way the Maya viewed and understood the Universe.

20 minutes | Ages 10+

NASA's Journey to Mars

NASA's fleet of Mars robotic explorers are paving the way for human exploration of the Solar System in the coming decades. Generate excitement for space agencies like NASA, ESA, and the UK Space Agency--as humanity prepares for a monumental journey to Mars!

20 minutes | Ages 10+

One Sky

One Sky Project is an international collaboration focused on increasing understanding about cultural and indigenous astronomy, its historical and modern applications, and how our One Sky connects us all.

45 minutes | Ages 10+

One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventures

Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Elmo explore the night sky! Learn about the Big Dipper, the Moon, and the stars in this family-oriented adventure.

25 minutes | Ages 2-8

Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds

With the world's most powerful telescopes we explore more and more of the Universe and what we're discovering is surpassing the wildest expectations of scientists and science fiction writers.

30 minutes | Ages 10+

Phantom of the Universe

Dark Matter: what is it? What do we know about it? How do we learn about something we can't see? These questions and more answered in this documentary-style show. Narrated by Tilda Swinton.

30 minutes | Ages 10+

Rising Star

The film aims to excite audiences from around the world about South African astronomy, with the goal of popularizing Africa's numerous scientific achievements.

24 minutes | Ages 10+

Seeing!

In this documentary narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, learn about how we see things; from the biology of eyes to telescopes observing celestial objects far away.

30 minutes | Ages 10+

Solar Quest

A virtual reality roller coaster show set on various locations in our Solar System.

30 minutes | Ages 5+

SpacePark360

Take a wild ride through the Solar System!  Experience the Solar System at new heights with simulated roller coasters and more. 

32 minutes | Ages 5+

Simulated motion warning, for those who suffer from motion sickness.

Stargazers of Africa

From the dawn of time, Africans look to the skies above for inspiration and guidance. Join the Boonshoft Museum for a journey across this great continent to the stars above. Experience African tales from the Yoruba people, learn about Nabta Playa, the “African Stonehenge,” the temples of Egypt, creation stories, and more.

25 minutes | Ages 8+

Sunstruck

The Sun affects the Earth in many ways both benign and dangerous. Learn about the sun's life cycle and how our closest star affects us in this documentary-style show.

 20 minutes | Ages 8+

The Secret Lives of Stars

With narration by Patrick Stewart, learn about the life cycle of stars from formation in a nebula to death as a supernova or white dwarf.

25 minutes | Ages 10+

The Sky Tonight

A live presentation by an astronomer, this is a traditional planetarium stargazing show with stars, planets and constellations.

30 minutes | Ages 5+

Totality

Explores how eclipses occur, previously observed eclipses, and the sun and moon.

25 minutes | Ages 7+

Two Small Pieces of Glass

How do telescopes work and which secrets about the universe have they unlocked? Uncover the history of astronomical observing by delving into the history of today's most advanced telescopes.

20 minutes | Ages 10+

MOBILE PLANETARIUM

Explore the wonders of the night sky and pique students’ interest in astronomy by bringing StarLab to your school or community center. Help your students enhance the observational and exploratory skills deemed necessary for today’s students to create tomorrow’s work force by the Ohio Revised Science Content standards.

  • Program cost: $200 per program (minimum of 2 programs per booking, or $400). Mileage included within a 50 mile radius of the museum.
  • This portable planetarium requires an indoor room with clearance 11 feet high, 20 feet wide, and 30 feet in length. The planetarium is inflated using a fan, and although it is handicap accessible, most enter by walking through a low tunnel.
  • Programs typically last 30 minutes and accommodate approximately 25 students per session. Programming can be tailored to desired topics, but often involves an exploration of the evening sky. Please allow approximately 30 minutes at the beginning and end of programs for set-up and take down.
  • Topics that may be covered include:
    • Earth’s rotation and orbit around the Sun
    • Phases of the moon
    • Planets and constellations
    • Native American constellations
    • Mayan constellations
    • The Southern hemisphere sky
    • Weather patterns
    • Deep sky objects

For additional information about the Astronomy Department please contact 937-275-7431, ext. 122 or email astronomy@boonshoftmuseum.org.
To schedule a Universe to You or planetarium program, please contact 937-275-7431, ext. 125 or email education@boonshoftmuseum.org.