Education Show Library
The Accidental Astronauts
Follow the adventures of Cy and Annie and their dog Armstrong as they embark on an unexpected journey into space! Explore the Earth, Sun and Moon system with a wise-cracking starship computer.
Suits Year 1-4
Astronaut
Takes you on a roller-coaster ride into space and a virtual tour of a space station. With some help from a test dummy named ‘Chad’ we are introduced to the dangers astronauts face in space, the affects that space has on the human body, and the training needed to become an astronaut.
Suits Year 4-10
Back to the Moon for Good
Narrated by Tim Allen, Back To The Moon For Good immerses us in the Google Lunar XPRIZE race to the Moon and the human stories of both the competition and the collaboration it inspires.
Suits Year 7+
Beyond the Solar System
A presenter-led, engaging show taking students on a journey away from the familiarity of Earth and the other planets of our Solar System. Learn more about seeing deep space in many forms – not only in the visible light spectrum but far infra-red and gamma-ray spectrums too.
Suits Year 7+
Big
One of the most-asked questions about the universe is, “How big is it?” It’s also one of the hardest questions to answer!
Suits Year 7+
Black Holes
Shows striking, immersive animations of the formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super-massive black hole lurking at the centre of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
Suits Year 7+
Capturing the Cosmos
Imagine being able to see more than astronomers have ever been able to see before. What would it be like to peer back in cosmic time, into the vast blackness of space and witness how the universe has evolved into what we see around us today?
Suits Year 7+
Celestial Navigation
Astro-navigation is still used today in space exploration, such as when the Mars missions were guided through the solar system. It uses the same principles as those used by sailors for hundreds of years. Go on a guided tour of the night sky to familiarise yourself with important directional stars and constellations as seen from New Zealand and other parts of the world. This is a live show, guided by an educator.
Suits Year 7+
Family of the Sun
Learn about the stories of the Southern stars, see how the Moon orbits the Earth, and follow Pluto through the Solar System as she tries to find her way back home in this sing along planetarium show.
Suits Year 0-1
From Earth to the Universe
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.
Suits Year 7+
Grand Tour of the Solar System
Take a trip through our solar system in this presenter-led show, stopping off to explore the atmosphere of different planets – from the poisonous gases and unbearable 900˚F heat of Venus to the dark, distant cool of Pluto, which has since lost its planet status.
Suits Year 7+
Incoming!
In the California Academy of Sciences’ latest original planetarium show, Incoming!, audiences will discover how asteroids and comets have collided with our planet throughout history, changing the course of life on Earth and shaping the world we know today.
Suits Year 5+
The Little Star that Could
Experience one star’s search for planets to protect and warm. Learn about different stars and come along for the ride as he meets interesting characters like “Pearl”, “Goldie”, “Sapphire” and “Big Daddy”, and makes other discoveries in the galaxy.
Suits Year 1-3
Magic Sky
Introduce children to the Sun, stars and Moon! This show invites children to sing along while they learn about the sky. Magic Sky is also available in Te Reo.
Suits Year 0-1
Matariki Dawn
Learn more about the cultural and astronomical aspects of this group of spectacular stars. Show includes Maori myths and stories about the formation of the Earth, the Moon and Maori New Year.
Suits Year 1+
Matariki Night Sky
A fun, tour of the night sky looking at some of the stars and constellations you can currently see and telling some of the stories that connect them together. Featuring additional short immersive animated clips from Matariki Dawn (The Great Waka story) and the Stories in the Sky series (The Legend of Matraiki story).
Suits years 0-2
Passport to the Universe
Take a look at our cosmic neighbourhood in Passport to the Universe. This show reveals the wonders of our universe with realistic close-up views of star fields and planets.
Suits Year 9+
Perfect Little Planet
Come along for the ride with a family of aliens searching for the ideal holiday destination, and learn about the best and worst places in our solar system.
Suits Year 3-6
Phantom of the Universe
From the journey of protons racing through the world’s largest particle collider in Europe to up-close views of the Big Bang and emergent universe, and the nearly mile-deep descent to an underground experiment in South Dakota, a new planetarium show is designed to immerse audiences in the manifold search for dark matter.
Suits Year 9+
Seasonal Night Sky
Learn about the planets, stars and constellations that are visible in the educator-led, virtual tour of the night sky for the month of your visit.
Suits Year 7+
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Secret of the Cardboard Rocket is a fun story following two children who build a cardboard rocket that takes them on an informative and very visual tour of the Solar System accompanied by a very helpful Astronomy book.
Suits Year 2-6
Seven Wonders
Let us take you on a journey to the seven wonders of the ancient world and the marvels of the universe revealed by modern astronomy.
Suits Year 7+
Solar System Odyssey
Our story takes place far in the future with an Earth on the verge of environmental collapse. Billionaire Warren Trout thinks he can make a fortune colonizing the rest of the solar system and sends space pilot Jack Larson to find out where.
Suits Year 3-6
Stories in the Sky
Explore the night sky, as told through Maori and Greek myths and legends, where you will learn about the ancient stories hidden among the stars. You will also learn what a constellation is, how they are used for astronomical purposes and where the names of planets come from. There is four seasonal shows in the series, where the stories and content changes depending on when you visit, helping explain the reasons for the seasons.
Suits Year 3-9
Supervolcanoes
Supervolcanoes is an immersive planetarium show that looks back at rare classes of reuptions that have marshaled the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the surface of planet Earth. The programme moves beyond Earth to explore the impact of giant volcanic eruptions around our solar system.
Suits Year 7+
Tilt
With surprising help from her younger brother and his amazing toy robot, a young girl learns why we have seasons on Earth. From the makers of ‘Tycho to the Moon’, this feature show explains our weather cycles as we experience them ‘down under’.
Suits Year 3-7
To Space and Back
Space exploration, our greatest adventure, is having a big impact on our lives. It is helping us to discover a universe of unimaginable scale and beauty, and it is reaching down into our world and influencing the way in which we live.
Suits Year 7+
Two Small Pieces of Glass
Revealing the power of the telescope, this film explores the Galilean Moons, Saturn’s rings, the spiral structure of galaxies and the discoveries of Galileo, Huygens, Newton and Hubble.
Suits Year 5-8
Tycho to the Moon
Blast off on an amazing ride into space with Tycho, the space travelling dog, to learn about night and day, space travel, the Moon and much more.
Suits Year 0-3
We are Aliens
On a fascinating and immersive journey, the show seeks to find the evidence of alien life in our galaxy. The latest research into this fast evolving area of science is explored with input from UK scientists.
Suits Year 4-10
We are Astronomers
Reveals the global collaboration, technology and dedication required to answer the unresolved questions of the Universe. See how technologies such as the Large Hadron Collider, the observatories of Chile and the Hubble Space Telescope work and how they are used by teams around the world.
Suits Year 7+
We are Stars
What are we made of? Where did it all come from? Explore the secrets of our cosmic chemistry, and our explosive origins.
Suits Year 4-10
Wildest Weather in the Solar System
Join National Geographic on a spectacular journey to witness the most beautiful, powerful, and mysterious weather in the Solar System, including tornadoes on Mars, lightning on Jupiter, and the solar wind on Mercury.
Suits Year 6+
Wonders of the Universe
This show takes you on a journey from the far reaches of the cosmos encountering galaxies, stars, nebulae, clouds of gas and dust, and finally meeting each of the planets in the Solar System.