Parkland Presents
Office: M159 Office Phone: 217/351-2568 Show Hotline: 217/351-2446 planetarium@parkland.edu
Office Hours:Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4 pm
Show Hours:Fridays, 7 pm and 8 pmSaturdays, 1 pm and 2 pm
Second through fourth grade
Browse through our show listing and make a reservation to get started on scheduling your show. These shows are designed for students in elementary school. We do some outreach to schools, though availability is limited. While you are on campus, consider taking the kids just across the perimeter drive and walking the scale model solar system!
Grades: 3 – 7
Fulldome Presentation
Show Guide
Grades: 5 and up
Take a journey across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Discover the many reasons for color— “why the sky is blue” and “why Mars is red.” Journey inside a plant leaf and the human eye. Investigate x-rays and see the actual color of a dinosaur. Get ready for an amazing adventure under a rainbow of cosmic light!
Grades: 2 – 6
Explore the relationships between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun with the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions who has many misconceptions about our neighbors in space. His confusion makes us think about how the Earth, Moon and Sun work as a system as we distinguish between myth and science. Examine how the Sun rises and sets and how the Sun shines, then learn about craters on the Moon, phases and eclipses. Lastly, we look at past exploration of the Moon. Originally produced by the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in North Carolina. [Note: This is a different show from "Sun, Moon, and Stars" which is a live show for K-1.]
Grades: 1 and up
Did a space rock six miles wide slam into the Earth 66 million years ago and wipe out 75% of all living species at that time, including the dinosaurs? Explore the impacts and cosmic collisions across the Solar System in this dynamic show. It includes footage from the first iridium layer found in Gubbio, Italy.
Grades 1 – 4
Digital Remaster
Learn all the sky watching basics with the fun radio DJs from “Radio Aahs.” Meet Aahsie and the gang as they happily explain the causes for day & night, moon phases, and the difference between comets and meteors. A great introduction to the night sky!
Grades: 3 and up
Discover the science of flight through the eyes of a young girl and her grandfather as they explore how birds, kites, planes, and models fly. Learn about the history and future of flight and how NASA is discovering new and safer ways to travel with the help of future engineers and aviators—like you!
Grades: 2 – 5
A jungle adventurer uses a magical camera to take visitors on an exciting safari through the Solar System. The Sun, Moon, planets, and dwarf planets come to life, taking on unique personalities and describing their own characteristics and eccentricities. Learn about the planets and the current status of Pluto. A great solar system show!
While attending a star party, two teenage students learn from a female astronomer how telescopes have helped us understand our place in the universe. In their conversations, we hear about the history of the telescope and some of the discoveries that have been made using this device. Learn how telescopes work and how they reveal Jupiter's moons, the rings of Saturn and spiral galaxies. This show was produced for the International Year of Astronomy (2009) but we now have a fulldome version to share.
Facebook
Twitter