The Mallory Kountze Planetarium offer a variety of programs to meet the needs of your group.
General Audiences | What's Up
Age 6 and older; approx. 1 hourLive shows created by the presenter. These programs feature seasonal constellations, mythology and star patterns that are visible during the current season. Discussion includes our Sun, Moon, and other planets. Additional topics include active spacecraft operating within our solar system. Private show requests can have modifications to meet the groups’ needs and desired topics, with notice.
Scouting Programs | Scout What's Up
Live shows created by the presenter for Girl or Boy Scout programs designed to provide the knowledge needed to earn astronomy and space-related STEM badges. These programs feature seasonal constellations, mythology and star patterns that are visible during the current season. Discussion includes our Sun, Moon, and other planets. Additional topics include active spacecraft operating within our solar system. This show can be modified to meet many needs and topics with advanced notice.Fulldome Video Shows
Our private programs typically include an interactive live sky presentation followed by a fulldome video show and additional time for questions, discussion, and exploration of astronomical objects. We can adjust the live portion of the program based on your group’s interests, so please share any topics your group would especially enjoy (planets, Moon, Mars, black holes, galaxies, constellations, space exploration, etc.). Video lengths vary but are generally 20 to 40 minutes. Below are the descriptions of currently available programs. Education & Activity Guides are not created by the Mallory Kountze Planetarium. (Some shows are available in different languages. For requests contact planetarium.)
More than 25 years ago, the popular and well-loved story "The Little Star That Could" was created by Saint Louis Science Center as a classic planetarium show. "The Little Star That Could" is a story about Little Star, an average yellow star in search for planets of his own.
Along the way, he meets other stars, learns what makes each star special, and discovers that stars combine to form star clusters and galaxies. Eventually, Little Star finds his planets. Each planet is introduced to your audiences with basic information about our Solar System.
What is the object closest to us in space? Observe the Moon's surface and how its appearance changes in the sky.
Aimed at Year 1 to Year 4 students, this three-part film focuses on observations of the Moon.
- Part 1 - the observable features of the Moon (3min)
- Part 2 - the apparent daily motion of the Moon (4min)
- Part 3 - the pattern of change in the Moon’s appearance/phases (11min)
This show is great fun for the whole family. "Cosmic Colors" will take you on a wondrous journey across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Discover the many reasons for color—like why the sky is blue and why Mars is red.
Take a tour within a plant leaf and journey inside the human eye. Investigate x-rays by voyaging to a monstrous black hole and then back at your doctor’s office. Explore the world of infrared in a roaring fire, and even discover what may have been the actual color of a dinosaur. Enjoy a wondrous journey through the world of color and beyond!
Two Small Pieces of Glass – The Amazing Telescope” fulldome show follows two students as they interact with a female astronomer at a local star party. Along the way, the students learn the history of the telescope from Galileo’s modifications to a child’s spyglass — using two small pieces of glass — to the launch of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy.
Aiming to engage and appeal to audiences of all ages, the show explores the wonder and discovery made by astronomers throughout the last 400 years. While looking through the astronomer's telescope, explore the Galilean Moons, Saturn's rings, and spiral structure of galaxies, and learn about the discoveries of Galileo, Huygens, Newton, Hubble, and many others.
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.”
The story of light, sight, and vision. We begin with a photon’s creation inside a distant star and follow its immense journey across the galaxy into the eye of a young stargazer. As the photon enters, we learn about the structures of the eye & their functions and we ride along the optic nerve traveling the pathways of our brain, resulting in an image in our mind. Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Travel back to the beginning of time and experience the birth of the Sun. Explore the science of our Sun like never before! This feature displays information on the Sun, parts/layers, space weather, its impact on Earth and much more.
Discover how it came to support life, how it threatens life as we know it, and how its energy will one day fade away!! Audiences will gain an enhanced understanding of the Sun and how it impacts our world.
The study of our universe is as old as time, yet our understanding of the origins and nature of the universe is less than 100 years old. From our earliest theories about the size of the universe to the big bang theory, this show details how our understanding has evolved over time.
“The Hot and Energetic Universe” presents the fascinating world of high energy astrophysics. High energy astrophysics plays a key role in understanding the universe, as these radiations reveal the processes in the hot and violent universe. High energy astrophysics probes hot gas in clusters of galaxies, which are the most massive objects in the universe.
It also probes hot gas accreting around supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies. Finally, high energy radiation provides important information about our own galaxy, neutron stars, supernova remnants and stars like our Sun which emit copious amounts of high-energy radiation. Come and learn about your hot and energetic universe!
For thousands of years, mankind thought that the Earth was the center of the Universe. Thanks to our curiosity, imagination, and urge to explore, we now know that planets like our Earth are nothing special in the cosmos.
The Sun is just one ordinary star among hundreds of billions in our galaxy, the Milky Way. With the world’s most powerful telescopes, we are able to explore more and more of the Universe. What we have found so far has surpassed even the wildest expectations of scientists as well as authors of science fiction.
Most stars have planets — it turns out they are more common than we thought. A huge diversity of different worlds is out there, just waiting to be discovered.
Discover the secrets of our star in this planetarium show and experience never-before-seen images of the Sun’s violent surface in immersive fulldome format. The passage of the Sun’s fiery disc across the sky — day by day, month by month — was the only way to keep track of time for countless past civilizations.
Don’t be fooled by the terminology; although it is a typical dwarf star, the Sun consumes 600 million tons of hydrogen each second and is 500 times as massive as all the planets combined. Seizure warning: There is a portion of the show with flashing lights.
Experience the cosmos through the eyes of the ancient Mayans! In a feast of colors and sounds, take a tour of six Mayan temples: San Gervasio, Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, Edzná, Palenque and Bonampak.
Dive into the Mayan world of knowledge about the importance of the orientations of temples in relation to the movement of some stars like the Sun, the Moon and Venus.
Through impressive immersive scenarios, "Mexica Archaeoastronomy: between space and time" illustrates the important role played by astronomical observation for the evolution of pre-Hispanic cultures in central Mexico. T
he Mexicans used the calendrical and astronomical knowledge inherited by their predecessor cultures to found the capital of their empire: Tenochtitlan. Vibrant colors, shapes, and sounds transport the viewer to one of the most important cultures that, to this day, still lives in the heart and skin of the Mexican people.
Learn about planets beyond our solar system and techniques astronomers use to find them. Winner of the Associazione dei Planetari Italiani Planetarium Video Competition.
Digitalis Augmented Lessons
Our Digitarium planetarium system includes a variety of pre-loaded Augmented Lessons designed to make it easy to bring engaging, interactive space science experiences to your students. These ready-to-use lessons combine immersive visuals with educator-led exploration, allowing students to travel through space, investigate astronomical concepts, and connect what they see in the dome to classroom learning. Augmented Lessons can be used as provided or adapted to fit your instructional goals. Each lesson includes helpful information to assist with planning, including: A brief lesson description Recommended grade level or age range Estimated program length Suggested science standards connections, including Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Whether introducing students to the night sky, exploring the Earth-Moon-Sun system, investigating planets, or traveling across the universe, Digitarium Augmented Lessons provide an engaging way to inspire curiosity and support STEM learning in the planetarium.
Description: A brief history of the Apollo Program and a geologic tour of the Moon.
Standards: 4-PS3-3, 4-PS4-2, 5-PS2-1, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-2
Description: This lesson explores the differences between the true science of astronomy and the pseudoscience of astrology. It also discusses the relevance of the zodiac signs.
Standards: 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-4
Description: Students will explore what causes earthquakes, learn details about two real earthquakes, see how and where earthquakes happen on a global scale, and learn how to deal with them in their community.
Standards: 3-PS2-2, 3-ESS3-1, 4-PS3-3, 4-PS4-1, 4-ESS1-1, 4-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-3,
HS-PS4-5, HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS2-1
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 1-PS4-2, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-4
Description: What do the stars look like from other planets? In this lesson, we will view the
constellations from here on Earth, and from other, more distant, locations. What do you think will be the same? What might be different? Join us on a tour of "Foreign" Skies.
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-1
Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Standards: MS-PS2-4, MS-PS4-2, HS-PS4-5, HS-ESS1-1
Description: A lesson that teaches an astronomical interpretation of the Halloween holiday.
Standards: 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1
Description: This lesson explores how our knowledge of the Universe has increased with our ability to use different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. It focuses on three main time periods: Greco-Roman times, the 17th century, and the mid-19th century to today.
Standards: HS-ESS1-4, HS-PS4-5
Standards: HS-PS4-2, HS-PS4-5
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2
Standards: 4-PS4-2, 5-ESS1-1, MS-ESS1-1, MSPS2-4
students to major moon of the solar system.
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 1-PS4-2, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1
Standards: 1-ESS1-1
Standards: 4-PS4-2, 5-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2
Description: The earth is constantly moving and changing, both within the solar system and internally. Many of these changes are invisible, but scientists are able to measure and understand the mechanisms which affect our home planet and our lives on its surface. The tectonic plates which cover Earth's surface move in several different ways, sometimes catastrophically.
Standards: 3-PS2-2, 4-PS3-3, 4-PS4-1, 4-ESS1-1, 4-ESS2-2, MS-ESS1-4, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-
3, HS-PS3-4, HS-PS4-1, HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS1-6, HS-ESS2-1
their stories.
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 1-ESS1-2, 5-ESS1-2
constellations were originally created.
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 1-ESS1-2, 1-PS4-2, 5-ESS1-2
Description: A lesson about the apparent motion of the Sun and stars from the perspective of an
observer on Earth. The associated lesson information is intended for students in the Northern
Hemisphere, but it can be adapted for global use.
Standards: 5-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1
Description: A lesson that introduces students to some constellations and deep space objects visible
from the southern hemisphere. This was written to follow a showing of the "Big Astronomy" fulldome movie. The initial location is Bremerton, Washington. Edit the start up script and location information as needed for your own program
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 1-ESS1-2, 5-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1
Description: A module that introduces students to the life cycle of a star
Standards: HS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-3
Description: A lesson that teaches about the phases of the Moon
Standards: 4-PS4-2, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1
Description: A lesson that teaches the history of navigating on Earth using the stars.
Standards: 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1
Description: An easily expandable lesson that introduces students to constellations, planets, and deep space object they can look for in the current night sky. This is written for use in the northern
hemisphere.
Standards: 1-ESS1-1, 1-ESS1-2, 4-PS4-2, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3
Description: A lesson that teaches basic scientific facts regarding the Sun and its relationship to Earth
Standards: HS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-3
Description: This lesson teaches the basics of our solar system and constellations
Standards: 1-PS4-2, 1-ESS1-1, 1-ESS1-2
Description: A lesson that teaches how most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion.
Standards: MS-PS2-5, MS-ESS1-1, MS-ESS1-2