Our Programs

Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium The Marshall W. Alworth offers FREE shows for both public and private groups. They are presented live by planetarium staff, members of the Arrowhead Astronomical Society, or visiting professors. Planetarium shows are fun and exciting for adults and children alike, and combine short presentations with stargazing. Using the Spitz A3P Star Machine, visitors are treated to the night sky as it would be seen that night. Show topics vary, and requests can be made for private shows.

Planetarium Programs

Stargazing Tonight: A general introduction to the night sky. Shows vary, and may include information about the Solar System, current astronomical events, or commonly asked questions about the night sky.

The Solar System: A tour of the first eight planets of our system.

The Universe in 30 Minutes: A humorous crash-course in pretty much everything.

The Lives and Deaths of Stars: Follows the evolution of a star, from birth in a stellar nursery to death in nova or supernova. Also includes information on black holes and planetary nebulae.

Trans-Neptunian Objects: Discusses objects in our Solar System beyond Neptune, including Pluto and the theoretical tenth planet, the Oort Cloud, and the Kuiper Belt.

Moons of the Solar System: Jupiter has 63 moons (give or take a couple) and Saturn has at least 60, some of these are similar to our Moon but others are strange places indeed. Some may even support life. Learn about some of the most interesting bodies in the Solar System.

The History of Astronomy Series: From the geocentric universe of Ptolemy to the heretical ideas of Copernicus and Galileo, to the jump to the modern framework of astronomy set forth by Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. This three-part series will introduce you to the science and philosophy of ancient Greece and take you through the evolution of human perspectives on the Universe.

I: The Universe of Aristotle and Ptolemy - A history of the science and philosophy of ancient Greece and the geocentric universe of Aristotle and the changes proposed by Copernicus.

II: The Life and observations of Galileo Galilei - Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy, and educated in Florence. Galileo became a professor with interests in Mechanics, Astronomy, Mathematics, Optics, and Natural Philosophy. In 1609 he heard of an invention by a Dutch optical instrument maker that made distant objects appear closer. Later that year Galileo built his first telescope and within another year made observations that would change our perception of the Universe forever.

III: From Newton to Hawking - Isaac Newton was one of the greatest minds in all of history. He founded the disciplines of modern physics, astronomy, and calculus. His quantification of the force of gravity was but one of his amazing accomplishments. Follow the development of modern astronomy through the minds of Newton and Einstein and end with the accomplishments of Stephen Hawking and the enigma of Black Holes.

The Solar System Series: The nine planets range from the hospitable to bizarre. From the searing heat of Mercury and Venus to the oceans of Earth and glaciers on Mars, the inner Solar System is strange and varied. However, the strange turns to bizarre in the outer Solar System with gas giants and frozen salt-water oceans on their moons. The Solar System series introduces you to the planets in our neighborhood and the far reaches of the outer Solar System

From Mercury to Mars: A tour of the Terrestrial Planets - The lifeless heat of Mercury, crushing atmosphere of Venus, and the ice caps of Mars all lend important clues to scientists seeking to understand the formation of the Solar System. Join us for a tour of these planets of the inner Solar System.

Strange Worlds of the Outer Solar System I: Fantastic Voyagers - In 1977 Voyager I and Voyager II were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, without much fanfare. Less than two years later, observations made by these two spacecraft opened our eyes to the bizarre world of Jupiter and its moons. Both craft went on to the ringed world of Saturn, and Voyager II continued onward to Uranus and Neptune. Both of these intrepid Voyagers are still sending back data and revealing the secrets of the outer solar system almost 30 years later. Join us for a journey into the outer Solar System as we visit these Strange Worlds.

Strange Worlds of the Outer Solar System II: Galileo and Cassini/Huygens - On September 21, 2003, the Galileo spacecraft plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere, deliberately ending its 14-year mission of discovery. Water on Europa, volcanoes on Io, and detailed information on the structure of Jupiter's atmosphere were but a fer of the secrets uncovered by this mission. Another mission of equal magnitude is now underway with the Cassini/Huygens spacecraft in orbit around Saturn. Learn about the new discoveries built upon the observations of Voyager I and II 20 years earlier.

The Race to Space Series: On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I into Earth orbit, ushering in an incredible race to space between the USA and the USSR, which culminated in the Apollo 11 Moon landing just twelve years later.

I: Sputnik and the Mercury Astronauts - The sound of faint radio signals from Sputnik I over the October 1957 sky sent a rush of urgency through the US military. Within a year the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was born. Follow the successes and failures of NASA during the early days of the Race to Space.

II: Gemini, Apollo, and the Moon - The goals of Project Gemini were to extend spaceflight up to two weeks, rendezvous and dock with other craft, and to perfect methods of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Gemini set the stage for Apollo and the journey to the moon. Relive the excitement of the Race to the Moon and the landing on July 20, 1969.

Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology Series:

The Life and Death of Stars - Born from clouds of gas and dust, stars live out their lives fusing hydrogen into helium. However, as they use up their fuel things start to get exciting. Small stars simply burn out and die, medium stars expand out into red giants and expel their outer envelope as a planetary nebula, while massive stars end their lives in one of the most cataclysmic events in the Universe, the Supernova. Learn about the life cycle of stars and their importance in the formation of virtually every element in the Universe.

Galaxies and Cosmology: In 1929 Edwin Hubble came to the startling conclusion that the Universe is expanding. His data showed that every galaxy in the Universe is moving away from every other galaxy. This observation meant one very important thing: if the Universe is getting bigger every day than it was clearly smaller in the past. This fact led others to propose a beginning to the Universe: the Big Bang. Join us for an overview of the history of cosmology and current ideas on the origin of the Universe.

In Search of Martians: Why go to Mars? Do Martians really exist? Evidence of flowing water and former oceans, glaciers, and blowing sand make Mars eerily Earthlike. The daily temperatures on Mars near its equator range from a low of about O degrees to highs in the 40's and 50's. Take a tour of the Martian surface and go up-close with recent video provided courtesy of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.

From the Earth to the Moon: Our perceptions of the Earth, Moon, and our place in the Universe have changed dramatically in the past 150 years. Explore our perceptions of the Moon in science fiction literature from the classic novels of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells through decades of sci-fi writers to the present day.

Einstein: Explore the life and works of Albert Einstein, the man who, while employed in a Swiss patent office, revolutionized our understanding of light, gravity, and the Universe.

Discoveries of Edwin Hubble: Prior to the work of Edwin Hubble, we believed the Universe consisted only of our own Milky Way galaxy. Peering endlessly, night after night, through the eyepiece of the giant telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory, Edwin Hubble made the critical observations that proved that our Milky Way is but one of countless galaxies that make up the Universe. Perhaps his most important discovery was the fact that the Universe is expanding, giving the prospect of both an end and a beginning to time itself. Study the man and his work as we explore the Discoveries of Edwin Hubble.

Star of Bethlehem: Around the time of the birth of Jesus there were several rare astronomical events that occurred over a period of many months and may have been interpreted to foreshadow the birth of the Messiah. Join us for a discussion of these events and a dark-sky presentation.

An introduction to astronomical events for 2008: Join us for a tour of what to expect in the night sky over the coming year. Where will you find the Planets? Comets anyone? Meteor showers (not a good way to get clean)?.

Southern Hemisphere Constellations and Points of Interest: From our vantage in North America we see only ½ of the night sky. Join us for a tour of what people “down under” routinely see.

Mars in 3D! The Martian rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have stereo vision. Come explore the surface of Mars in 3D using UMD’s Astrowall 3D projection system.

Finding Your Way in the Night Sky: Join us for a tutorial on finding your way around the night sky. We will show you how to use a planisphere and star charts to find celestial objects. We will also demonstrate Planetarium Software and send you home with a free copy of the program.

Cosmic catastrophes : Exploding stars, galactic collisions, asteroid and comet impacts and but a few ot the cosmic catastrophes that could impact us here on Earth. Join us for an introduction to the cataclysmic events that take place in our Universe.

The Science of astrology : Early civilizations were fascinated with the night sky but were unable to explain the complex motions of celestial objects. Many ancient scholars felt that certain astronomical events or alignments were responsible for natural phenomena on Earth such as drought and earthquakes. Out of these beliefs came the pseudo-science of Astrology. Join us for a history of the "science" of Astrology.

astronomical myths and legends : Join us for a tutorial on the myriad of myths and legends that have their origins in ancient astronomical observations.

astronomical superstitions : Observations of the night sky, particularly rare events such as eclipses, conjunctions of planets, and comets, spawned many superstitions in cultures around the world. Join us as we review many of these superstitions.

Northern lights : The auroras, or northern lights, have fascinated people since the dawn of time. Join us for an introduction to the cause and character of the Northern Lights.

American Indian Skies : American Indians have their own myths and legends of the night sky that differ greatly from the traditional stories we often hear. Join us for an introduction to the night sky as interpreted by early Americans.

Pluto: the dwarf planet : Pluto is different than the other eight planets. Explore the solar system and the oddities of Pluto that led to it current designation as a Minor Planet

Current NASA Missions : NASA has over 100 missions currently in operation. These missions include Earth-orbital satellites as well as planetary, solar, and even inter-planetary missions. Join us for a review of these space endeavors.

Galactic Collisions! : Our home, The Milky Way, is on a collision course with the Andromeda Galaxy. Galactic collisions are common and numerous examples exist. Join us for a discussion of gravity, galaxies, galaxy clusters, and a discussion of the ultimate fate of the Milky Way.

The Moon : Earth's moon is very unusual. Join us for a presentation of fact and ficion and the peculiarities of our moon.

Eclipses : Eclipses are recorded as far back in human history as there are records. Join us for a primer on solar and lunar eclipses and a bit of the long history surrounding them.

Exoplanets : Two hundred and twenty-eight planets have been identified around nearby stars. It now appears that most stars have planets. Some of these are located in the "sweet spot" where liquid water, an essential ingredient for life, exists.