Ingram Planetarium’s show schedule changes seasonally, please review our calendar for information on upcoming programs. Private events and school groups on a field trips outside public hours may choose any program from our library, or consult with the planetarium staff to select the perfect show.
Admission to Sky Theater shows is FREE for Planetarium and Dual Museum/Planetarium members.
Non-member per-show admission: $10 adults (13-61), $9 seniors (62+), $8 children (3-12), and free for ages 2 and under. Group rates are available, please visit our School Group information page for more details.
For your safety, late arrivals will not be admitted to the theater after a show has begun.
A Place Like No Other
- Topics: Climate, Alaska, Wildlife, Marine Life, Glaciers
- Duration: 28 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 12+, families, grades 6-College
Full Description:
Alaska is a place like no other. For many people, a trip to Alaska is a life-long dream. For the people who live here, they depend on and protect an enduring way of life. But there are places in our state so remote, so wild, that few Alaskans have ever gone. Here in the planetarium, we’re going to take you to these places, to the remote wilderness to see iconic animals and landscapes that define the Last Frontier, places that make Alaska…Alaska.
Accidental Astronauts
Trailer: The Accidental Astronauts: An Earth Sun Moon Adventure! from Clark Planetarium Productions on Vimeo.
- Topics: Introduction to the Earth, Sun, and Moon
- Duration: 30 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 3+, families, Grades 1-4
Full Description:
Robo-kids Cy, Annie, and their dog Armstrong get a lot more than they expected from their class field trip in an impromptu adventure. Travel along exploring the Sun, Earth, and Moon, with a witty starship computer as navigator and guide. Race along on the surface of the Moon! Collect an asteroid sample in low gravity! Survive a solar storm! Find a new appreciation for the unique beauty of Earth. Journey along with the Accidental Astronauts in this epic dome theater adventure.
Funding for this film was provided by The Town of Sunset Beach through its Accommodation Taxes.
Apollo 11: Man’s First Step on the Moon
- Topics: Space Exploration; Humans in Space; Apollo
- Duration: 25 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 9+, families, grades 3+
Full Description:
Take a detailed look at the history leading up to the Apollo 11’s historic landing on the moon and experience the lunar landing in this full dome simulation. Also, reflect on humans next steps in space exploration.
Astronaut
- Topics: Astronaut training, human space exploration
- Duration: 23 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 9+, families, grades 3-9
Full Description:
The exploration of space is the greatest endeavor that humankind has ever undertaken. What does it take to become an astronaut? Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner and outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Discover the perils that lurk in space as we subject ‘Chad’, our test astronaut, to everything that space has to throw at him.
Big Astronomy
- Topics: Astronomy, Telescopes, Astronomical Observatories
- Duration: 30 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 10+, families, grades 5+
Full Description:
People, Places, Discoveries, journey to three world-class observatories in Chile’s rugged Andes Mountains and arid Atacama Desert— remote, extreme regions that happen to have the perfect conditions for astronomical research. Along the way, you’ll meet an inspiring cast of astronomers, engineers, technicians, and support staff who keep these mega-machines running.
Cosmic Colors
- Topics: Light, Spectroscopy
- Duration: 30 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 10+, families, grades 5+
Full Description:
Enjoy a wondrous journey through the world of color and beyond! Discover why the sky is blue, why Mars is red, and the reason why many things are the color that they are.
Explore the amazing rainbow of cosmic light through Cosmic Colors, an original production of the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium in cooperation with the Great Lakes Planetarium Association.
Earth, Moon & Sun
- Topics: Earth, Moon, Sun, Native American Myths
- Duration: 35 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 3+, families, grades 1-5
Full Description:
Explore the relationship between the Earth, Moon, and Sun with the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions. This fast-paced, family show investigates our home planet and how it interacts with our most familiar neighbors. Learn about lunar phases, eclipses and other phenomena we see in our skies to better understand how the Earth, Moon, and Sun work together as a system. Native American stories are used throughout the show to help explain various concepts.
Funding for this film was provided by The Town of Sunset Beach through its Accommodation Taxes.
Explore Mars
- Topics: Mars, Space Exploration, Technology, History
- Duration: 25 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 9+, families, grades 3+
Full Description:
Take a deep dive into the history of Mars exploration, from the earliest human observations of it as a naked eye planet to our robotic missions in the modern age. What is humanity’s future on this distant red planet?
From Earth to the Universe
- Topics: General Astronomy, Planets, Celestial Objects
- Duration: 32 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: General Audiences, grades 6+
Full Description:
The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths and awe for as long as there have been people. A desire to comprehend the Universe may well be humanity’s oldest shared intellectual experience, yet only recently have we truly begun to grasp our place in the vast cosmos. To learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience “From Earth to the Universe!”
Magic Globe
- Topics: Seasonal changes, Earth’s rotation, the Sun’s differing impact on seasons in different parts of the world
- Duration: 38 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: General Audiences, focus on children 5-12
Full Description:
On vacation at her grandpa’s, Mia accidentally discovers a mysterious piece of astronomical machinery. Mia’s eccentric uncle tricks the girl into using the tool’s secret powers to change the world’s seasons. She quickly realizes the consequences of what they are going to do, but he doesn’t want to let the plan go.
Magic Globe is an engaging story designed to interest and challenge children from 5 to 12 years old. It has a clear educational structure with all science-related topics broken down into manageable chunks and naturally woven into the storyline. It allows children to recap knowledge they already have as well as learn multiple new concepts while following the story, which makes it perfect for mixed-ability audiences.
Oasis in Space
- Topics: Solar System, importance of water
- Duration: 24 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 6+, General Audiences, Grades 2nd-5th
Full Description:
Oasis in Space takes you on a journey through the solar system where we gaze at beautiful images of the planets and their satellites. We start by exploring Earth, with its vast oceans that make life possible. One by one, we fly by the other planets and moons, accompanied by full descriptions of their characteristics, such as atmosphere, temperature, and composition.
Seeing: A Photon’s Journey Through Space
- Topics: Electromagnetic Spectrum, Biology, Telescopes
- Duration: 27 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 9+, families, grades 3-8
Full Description:
Join Neil deGrasse Tyson on a journey exploring the life of a photon. Start from its creation in the belly of a star, travel across the galaxy and go all the way into the eye of a young stargazing girl. You will learn the structures of the eye and its functions while taking a ride on the optic nerve. Discover how the eye works, how technology has enabled us to restore vision and prevent a variety of diseases that affect sight in the show “Seeing”.
Seven Wonders
- Topics: Seven Wonders, Astronomy Wonders
- Duration: 35 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: General Audiences
Full Description:
Turn back the pages of time and witness the ancient wonders of the world as they appeared thousands of years ago. Explore the Great Pyramid, stand in the shadow of the towering Colossus and experience the rest of the world’s SEVEN WONDERS. We will investigate the theories of how these wonders were created, and get a glimpse of some of the universe’s greatest wonders.
Sunstruck
- Topics: The Sun, Heliophysics, Solar Lifecycles
- Duration: 40 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 8+, families, grades 5-12
Full Description:
This exciting new 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.
Tales of the Maya Skies
Tales of the Mayan Skies Trailer from Spitz Inc on Vimeo.
- Topics: Mayan astronomy and history
- Duration: 34 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 6+, families, grades 3+
Full Description:
Immerse yourself in the beauty of Chichén Itzá, Mexico, and listen to the story of the ancient Maya civilization. Experience Tales of the Maya Skies. With unprecedented realism Tales of the Maya Skies immerses us in Maya science, art and mythology, using full dome digital technology to transport us back into the world of the Maya. Tales of the Maya Skies inspires and educates through its description of the Maya’s accurate astronomical achievements and how astronomy connected them to the Universe.
The Sky Tonight!
- Topics: The Carolina night sky, constellations, planets
- Duration: 55 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: General Audiences
Full Description:
Ever wonder “what’s up” in the night sky? Explore the planets, constellations, and other celestial events happening in the sky tonight! This live program focuses on what you can see if you stepped outside your home or rental and looked up to the heavens. Is there a meteor shower? Can you see the International Space Station? Find out, then look for yourself! Additionally, this program will comment on the latest breaking news in astronomy, as appropriate.
The Sun, Our Living Star
Description: The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived. It is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life. Discover the secrets of our star in this planetarium show and experience never-before-seen images of the Sun’s violent surface in immersive full dome format.
Two Small Pieces of Glass
- Topics: Telescopes, Space Observation, History
- Duration: 30 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 8+, families, grades 5+
Full Description:
While attending a local star party, two teenage students learn how the telescope has helped us understand our place in space and how telescopes continue to expand our understanding of the Universe. Their conversation with a local female astronomer enlightens them on the history of the telescope and the discoveries these wonderful tools have made. The students see how telescopes work and how the largest observatories in the world use these instruments to explore the mysteries of the universe.
Unveiling the Invisible Universe
- Topics: Cosmology, Early Universe
- Duration: 29 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 12+, General Audiences
Full Description:
For thousands of years the humans observed the light coming from the night sky with their eyes. In the beginning of the 17th century, the invention of the telescope by Galileo revolutionized our knowledge of the Universe. Finally, in the 20th century with the advent of rockets, it became possible to go above the earth’s atmosphere and observe X-ray and gamma ray radiation which are the marks of the hot and violent Universe. But it is not only light that can give us information about the cosmos. Neutrinos and cosmic rays also provide vital information. Finally, the detection by the LIGO experiment of gravitational waves from two merging black holes opened a new window in astrophysics. This video presents images of the cosmos as revealed by all these different messengers.
Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, & Stars
- Topics: Polynesian Wayfinding, Navigation, Sailing, Polynesian Culture
- Duration: 25 minutes (approx.)
- Suggested Age Range: Ages 9+, General Audiences, Grades 5th-College
Full Description:
This live-action fulldome program puts you on the deck of the voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa as you explore traditional Polynesian navigation. Learn how to read the stars and interpret the winds and waves to navigate without modern instruments. The film tells the story of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the recovery of the nearly lost art and science of traditional, non-instrument navigation in Hawaii. This film was produced in Hawaii by Bishop Museum and 1001 Stories in collaboration with the Polynesian Voyaging Society. A fulldome show for planetariums and digital dome theatres.