Programs We Offer
The Mallory Kountze Planetarium offer a variety of programs to meet the needs of your group.
General Audiences | Scouting Programs | Pre-Recorded | Classic Pre-Recorded |
General Audiences
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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. |
Pre-Recorded
A variety of pre-recorded planetarium programs are available for one-hour private shows. These programs may have specific educational objectives and are targeted to specific age groups. Show lengths vary but are generally 20 to 60 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.)
The Little Star That Could(Ages Pre-K through 3rd Grade; about 40 minutes) 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. |
The Moon
(Ages PK through 2nd Grade; about 30 minutes)
What is the object closest to us in space? Observe the Moon's surface and how its appearance changes in the sky. |
Cosmic Colors: An Adventure Along the Spectrum
(General Public; about 30 minutes) 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
(Ages 10+, General Public; about 31 minutes) “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. |
From Earth To The Universe(Ages 10+, 3rd through 12th Grade; about 35 minutes) 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.” |
Seeing!
(Ages 10+, 5th through 12th Grade; about 30 minutes) 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. Workbook available for download |
Sunstruck
(Ages 8+, 3rd through 12th Grade; about 25 minutes) 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. Education & resource guide available for download |
Cosmology
(Ages 14+, General Public; about 35 minutes) 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.
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Mayan Archaeoastronomy: Observe the Universe
(Ages 10+, grades 5-12, General Public; about 25 minutes) 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. |
Mexica Archaeoastronomy: Between Space and Time
(Ages 10+, grades 5-12, General Public; about 25 minutes) 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. The 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. |
Exoplanets(Ages 12+, General Public; about 30 minutes) Learn about planets beyond our solar system and techniques astronomers use to find them. Winner of the Associazione dei Planetari Italiani Planetarium Video Competition.
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Legacy Programs
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
(Ages K through 4th Grade; about 40 minutes) Adventure through the solar system in the Cardboard Rocket! Travel the Solar System with two children aided by a talking astronomy book. Visit the Sun, the planets, the Moon and more. The narration track was edited in 2007 for the reclassification of Pluto to dwarf planet. References to "smallest planet," "ninth planet," and "last planet" were removed and Pluto has simply termed a planet in view of it being a new category of planets. Education & Activity Guide: Original 1985, Grade K-5, NGSS connection |
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Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens
(Ages 10+, General Public; about 45 minutes)
Sculpted surfaces of the moons from mission data were carefully overlaid with actual imagery from Cassini for this show. Fly along as if actually on the Cassini mission in person with incredible views of the cliffs, craters, geysers and more. |
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Black Holes
(Ages 11+, General Public; about 45 minutes) Narrated by John de Lancie (known for his role as "Q" in Star Trek TV series) "Black Holes" takes you on a journey through one of the most mystifying, awe-inspiring phenomena in the universe: a Black Hole. Where do they come from? Where do they go? How do we find them? Is there one on Earth's horizon? What is "spaghettification"?! Our journey also visits super-massive black holes of unfathomable size at the central point of galaxies. These hidden monsters constrain their entire galaxies around them in a kaleidoscopic gravitational dance. Voyage through the galaxies in search of the answers to explain these riddles of nature in Black Holes! |
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Extreme Planets
(Ages 11+, General Public; about 45 minutes) Just over two decades ago there were no known planets orbiting sunlike stars outside our own solar system. Since 1995, however, fast-paced developments in detection techniques have revealed hundreds of extrasolar planets--with the pace of discovery increasing all the time. Hundreds of extra-solar planets have been discovered both near and far from Earth. Discover what makes a planet 'Earth-like'. Explore planets that are unlike any we have seen before. Though it will be years before we have direct images of the surfaces of these worlds, this show gives us an idea of what they might look like - up close and personal! Extreme planets aren't science fiction anymore, but science fact. Education & Activity Guide: Science content |
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