Individual Field Trip Options: $7/student

Note: Each field experience ends with star tour, highlighting the constellations visible in the current night sky.

Stars: Birth, Life & Death (1.5 hours):

• Explore the life cycle of stars, and discover how the ultimate fate of a star is determined by its mass
• Discuss how the fate of our beloved planet is tied to our special star, the Sun
• Use of diffraction glasses with interactive demonstrations and discussions on components of light and the "fingerprints" of various light sources

Galaxies and Gravity Galore (1.5 hours):

• BIG planetarium show which provides an understanding of just how big space really is
• Immersion in visual data on a journey that takes participants from our home planet, through our solar system, through other galactic clusters and on out to the remnants of the Big Bang
• Discussion highlights include gravitational influence, structure of the universe, and scale of the universe

 Earth’s Climate & Change: Our Privileged Planet (1.5 hours):

• Discover why we are lucky to be in the “suburbs” of the Milky Way galaxy, avoiding the deadly radiation emanating from the galactic core
• Explore factors impacting climate on Earth
• Discover how we know the history of Earth’s climate using paleoclimatology techniques
• Oasis in Space planetarium show illustrating Earth's unique ability to sustain life as we know it
  

Spend the day at the planetarium: $14/student 

Schedule a morning 1.5 hour experience, break for a brown bag lunch in the planetarium lobby or outside courtyard, and come back into the planetarium dome for a second 1.5 hour experience.

Below are some recommended combinations that may be of interest, but you may combine any of our field trip offerings to fit your needs.

Recommended Option #1

Stars: Birth, Life & Death + Galaxies and Gravity Galore

Combines detailed exploration of how stars develop and change with a VERY big picture of the vast collection of those stars throughout the entire universe, going back in time all the way to the first atoms.

Recommended Option #2

Earth’s Climate & Change: Our Privileged Planet + Stars: Birth, Life & Death

Combines detailed look at how our Sun drives climate on Earth, and how our Sun functions and compares to the rest of the family of stars.

Click here for a detailed handout on field experience offerings for grades 9-12.