To Find Detailed Scheduling of Planetarium Programs, Please Visit the Calendar.
MAIN FEATURE
“The Transit of Mercury featuring ‘Solar Quest.’”
Main Feature: September 3 – November 10, 2019
Tuesday – Friday: 4 PM
Saturday – Sunday: 1 PM, 4 PM
A transit of Mercury across the Sun is an event that happens when Earth and Mercury are in just the right positions for an alignment with the Sun.
Bays Mountain Planetarium is proud to present “The Transit of Mercury featuring ‘Solar Quest.’” In this live and interactive program, visitors will explore the small, rocky world of Mercury from its rare glimpses in the twilight skies to recent explorations by the Messenger spacecraft. The powerful nature of our Sun is presented through a short segment entitled “Solar Quest,” which was produced by the Buhl Planetarium at Carnegie Science Center. A live activity demonstrating the relative sizes and distances of Mercury, Earth and Sun highlights why transit events are somewhat rare occurrences. Information about how to observe this event safely is included.
“The Transit of Mercury featuring ‘Solar Quest’” was written and produced by Bays Mountain Planetarian, Jason Dorfman. The live content is rich with great full-dome animations, use of the Carl Zeiss ZKP-4 star projector, and a fun activity!
Show length ~40 min.
ALTERNATE FEATURE
“Appalachian Skies – Fall”
Alternate Feature: September 7 – October 27, 2019
Saturday – Sunday: 2 p.m.
“Appalachian Skies – Fall” will take visitors on a majestic tour of the evening sky using the spectacular Carl Zeiss ZKP-4 star projector instrument. Its fiber-optic generated star field is stunning and a pleasure to see. You don’t want to miss it! Produced in house and led by planetarium staff, learn what fascinating constellations will be easily visible. Marvel at their ancient lore. Find out what planets are easily seen as well. Visitors will take this knowledge home and be able to locate these sights for themselves.
Show length ~35 min.
“Under the Milky Way”
Alternate Feature: November 2 – December 31, 2019
This is a great show that highlights our very own Milky Way galaxy. We look into the structure of our galaxy and how it was formed. We also look back, starting with an ancient Chinese star lore story, to our continuing understanding of what our galaxy is and how large it is.
The show’s second feature is a live presentation utilizing some of the wonderful capabilities of our Carl Zeiss ZKP-4 star projector as well as our digital projection system. We’ll highlight our current night sky, but relate it to our show’s topic. Learn about some other celestial delights found within our galaxy. We conclude our program by transforming our position on earth and travel down to the southern hemisphere and spy the two largest dwarf galaxies that orbit us, the Magellanic Clouds.
Show length ~35 min.
“Einstein’s Gravity Playlist”
Main Feature: November 12, 2019 – March 13, 2020
This program explores the ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916, and a century later, scientists detected these waves using incredibly precise laser technology here on Earth. In honor of this long-anticipated detection, the scientists who created the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017. In this show, viewers follow Lucia, a PhD student in physics, on an exploration of how gravitational waves are formed, how they move through the Universe, and how scientists like her work to hear them.
Einstein’s Gravity Playlist was created through a collaboration between Montana State University’s eXtreme Gravity Institute, the Department of Physics, the School of Film and Photography, and the School of Music.
A tour of our current night sky using our stunning Carl Zeiss Starmaster ZKP-4 star projector is included.
Show length ~35 min.
“Appalachian Skies – Winter”
Alternate Feature: January 4 – March 1, 2020
“Appalachian Skies – Winter” will take visitors on a majestic tour of the evening sky using the spectacular Carl Zeiss ZKP-4 star projector instrument. Its fiber-optic generated star field is stunning and a pleasure to see. You don’t want to miss it! Produced in house and led by planetarium staff, learn what fascinating constellations will be easily visible. Marvel at their ancient lore. Find out what planets are easily seen as well. Visitors will take this knowledge home and be able to locate these sights for themselves.
Show length ~35 min.
“Discover the Stars”
Alternate Feature: March 7 – April 26, 2020
On a clear, dark night, most of us, at one time or another, have gazed upon the stars and wondered about all those tiny points of light. Many of us are able to identify different patterns and constellations in the stars. But, what are those tiny points of light? This exciting program takes viewers beyond a simple observation of the night sky and delves into the fascinating lives of stars.
When we look up at the night sky, we can see that stars vary in brightness and have many different colors. The program reveals what is similar to all stars and what makes them unique. In “Discover the Stars,” we explore the many facets of a stars’ life. One of which is to venture deep into a giant molecular cloud to witness the birth of a new star. Stars also do not last forever. The program looks at the different ways that stars end their lives and the astronomical wonders that are left behind.
A tour of our current night sky using our stunning Carl Zeiss Starmaster ZKP-4 star projector is included.
Show length ~40 min.
“Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?”
Main Feature: March 14 – August 31, 2020
Did a space rock six miles wide slam into the Earth 66 million years ago and wipe out 75 percent of all living species at that time, including the dinosaurs? Explore these impacts and cosmic collisions across the Solar System in this dynamic show. The show includes footage from the first iridium layer found in Gubbio, Italy.
This program was produced by the Milwaukee Public Museum.
A tour of our current night sky using our stunning Carl Zeiss Starmaster ZKP-4 star projector is included.
Show length ~40 min.
“Appalachian Skies – Spring”
Alternate Feature: May 2 – June 28, 2020
“Appalachian Skies – Spring” will take visitors on a majestic tour of the evening sky using the spectacular Carl Zeiss ZKP-4 star projector instrument. Its fiber-optic generated star field is stunning and a pleasure to see. You don’t want to miss it! Produced in house and led by planetarium staff, learn what fascinating constellations will be easily visible. Marvel at their ancient lore. Find out what planets are easily seen as well. Visitors will take this knowledge home and be able to locate these sights for themselves.
Show length ~35 min.
“Comets & Discovery ”
Alternate Feature: June 29 – August 31, 2020
This show is much more than a straight narrative about comets. The show takes the viewer on a journey of discovery. We follow two intrepid comet hunters in first-person. One, a modern explorer. The other, Caroline Herschel. The famous 18th century huntress that ruled the skies for many generations. With both, we learn how they each searched the skies, made their discoveries, and reported them for other astronomers to bear out. We also learn about, depending on the century of the observer, what people thought comets were and their importance to them. We are using green-screen technology, 3-D environments, and good ol’ fashioned still art. Together with a captivating script and sumptuous score, this is a great show for the whole family.
We are also incorporating two live sequences to enhance the learning and fun. The first will be an activity to involve and engage the audience to learn more about the parts of a comet, the path a comet takes, and the dust and ion tails that splay out in their correct directions as the comet orbits the Sun. The second sequence will use a facility’s star projection system and focus on any upcoming comets to see in the sky and how to view them.
Show length ~40 min.
“Europe to the Stars”
Main Feature: September 1 – late winter, 2020
“Europe to the Stars” takes the viewer on an epic journey behind the scenes at the most productive ground-based observatory in the world, revealing the science, the history, the technology and the people.
Discover the European Southern Observatory in a story of cosmic curiosity, courage and perseverance; a story of observing a Universe of deep mysteries and hidden secrets; and a story of designing, building and operating the most powerful ground-based telescopes on the planet.
The show focuses on the essential aspects of an astronomical observatory, while offering a broader view of how astronomy is done. From site-testing to locating the best places in the world for observing the sky, to how telescopes are built and what mysteries of the Universe astronomers are revealing.
The show is followed by a quick tour of the current night sky with our Carl Zeiss ZKP-4 optical star projector.
Show length ~45 min.
“Appalachian Skies – Fall”
Alternate Feature: September 5 – November 1, 2020
“Appalachian Skies – Fall” will take visitors on a majestic tour of the evening sky using the spectacular Carl Zeiss ZKP-4 star projector instrument. Its fiber-optic generated star field is stunning and a pleasure to see. You don’t want to miss it! Produced in house and led by planetarium staff, learn what fascinating constellations will be easily visible. Marvel at their ancient lore. Find out what planets are easily seen as well. Visitors will take this knowledge home and be able to locate these sights for themselves.
Show length ~35 min.
Tickets are $5.00 per person. Children ages 5 and under will be given a free pass with a paying adult.
Park Association members enjoy free passes!
Tickets are available on the day of the program and can only be purchased at the gift shop.
Group rates to regularly scheduled public shows are $4.00 per person. The group must have at least 15 people, including children of all ages, and no other discounts may be used with group rates. Groups must make reservations in advance by calling 423-229-9447. The tickets will be released if not purchased within 30 minutes of show time.
Planetarium theaters are unique, educational spaces and are far different than a movie theater. As such, we have some rules that are common for the planetarium theater community that we do enforce.
Food, drinks, gum, and candy are not allowed in the theater.
Also, due to safety measures, we do not allow anyone to enter the theater once the doors have closed. The theater is extremely dark inside. If you leave during a program, you cannot re-enter.
Thank you for your understanding.
Directions
Directions
