Field Trip Information and Tips
Shows are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings only at 9:30 & 11:00 during the college's fall and spring semesters. Maximum of 72 people per show.
Show Overview
Oasis In Space
Grades 3 and older (see also Cardboard Rocket for grades 1-3)
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will experience the all-dome video called "Oasis In Space". A 24-minute all-dome video from Spitz Creative Media (link will appear in a new window), this show takes you on a journey through the solar system to experience the beautiful planets and satellites up close as you search for places with liquid water. You start by seeing how the solar system formed from a gas cloud in our galaxy and then experiencing the early Earth before the oceans formed. In the present day you will explore Earth, with its vast oceans that make life possible. Then you fly by the other planets and moons one by one in the search for liquid water. Each investigation of a planet is accompanied by a full descriptions of its characteristics, such as atmosphere, temperature, and composition. Spectacular pictures invite students to draw their own conclusions about the other orbiting bodies in our solar system: is there water out there? Is there life beyond Earth? Teacher's Guide to Oasis in Space (from Spitz---a 5.7 MB (!) PDF download)
Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
Grades 7 and older
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will experience the all-dome video called "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity". A 23-minute all-dome video from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, this show brings the current science of black holes to the dome screen. Supported by grants from NASA's high-energy GLAST telescope project and the National Science Foundation, this cutting-edge fulldome projection features high-resolution, animated visualizations of cosmic phenomena, working with real data generated by computer simulations. [A visualization (as opposed to a Hollywood-type movie) uses only real data and computer simulations of real processes, not some artist's imagination.]
Audiences will be dazzled with 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 supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy. Teacher's Guide to Black Holes (from Denver MNS---a 152 kB PDF download) and NASA description (link will appear in a new window).
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Grades 1-3
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will experience the all-dome video called "The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket". A 40-minute all-dome video from Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City, you will embark on an outstanding adventure as two children spend a night touring the solar system in their cardboard rocket alongside their ship's navigator, an astronomy book. This show was produced with state-of-the-art 3D animation and 5.1 soundtrack with spectacular effects created at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.
Solar System Tour: Earth Comparisons + Distances ("How Big? How Far?")
Grades 3 and older (see also Cardboard Rocket for grades 1-3)
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will go on an immersive tour of the Sun and planets (even dwarf planet, Pluto). This 29-minute "home-grown" show is a greatly improved version of the original planetarium's classic "Solar System" show using the 3D models of Starry Night Dome. Unlike other solar system shows, you will see how the Sun and planets compare to the Earth and also learn about the vast distances between the planets. Near the end of the show, you will take a trip to the next star system to see what the sky would like from there and finally take a trip up out of the Milky Way to see how the solar system compares with a typical galaxy.
Dawn of the Space Age
Grades 5 and older
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. After the evening sky tour, you will go on an immersive of the first 50 years of space exploration called "Dawn of the Space Age". This 40-minute historically-accurate show lets you experience all of the "firsts" in mankind's exploration of space from the launch of Sputnik in 1957 to the first privately-funded craft "SpaceShip One" by being there with the spacecraft and astronauts themselves. Be immersed with this most accurate historic reconstruction of humanity's first steps into space.
Telescope: Two Small Pieces of Glass
Grades 3 and older
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will go on a history of the telescope to the future of astronomy and learn about the properties of light along the way. Produced to engage and appeal to audiences of all ages, "Two Small Pieces of Glass" traces the history of the telescope from Galileo's modifications to a child's spyglass—using two small pieces of glass—to the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy. It explores the wonder and discovery made by astronomers through out the last 400 years. Link to more about Two Small Pieces of Glass on the 400 Years of the Telescope website.
Ice Worlds
Grades 5 and older
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will travel to the Arctic and Antarctic regions of our planet to examine the ecosystems that live and thrive there and see how their survival is connected with our own. Beyond Earth, we'll see how the existence of ice shapes the landscapes and the natural systems on other planets and moons in our solar system, including Mars, Titan, and Enceladus. A majority of the show is about the polar regions on Earth, so this show would be especially good for earth science units.
IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System
Grades 3 and older
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will investigate the boundary between our Solar System and the rest of our galaxy. Designed for audiences with an appreciation for the challenges of space science and a desire to learn more about science research, IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System follows the creation of NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Audiences will get an in-depth look at the mission and how IBEX is collecting high-speed atoms to create a map of our Solar System's boundary.
Dynamic Earth: Exploring Earth's Climate Engine
Grades 7 and older
You will first go on a live tour of the evening sky with our Planetarium Director, Nick Strobel, pointing out the constellations and planets you will see in this evening's sky. Then you will experience a truly dark night sky and understand how light pollution affects our view of the stars. After the evening sky tour, you will explore the inner workings of Earth's climate system by the producers of "Black Holes". Dynamic Earth integrates the physical and biological sciences in exploring the impact of solar and terrestrial energy sources on the climate. Examinations of the Earth-Sun system, plate tectonics, and the carbon cycle are presented as foundational background to the primary focus of the program: the intricate connection between Earth’s energy trails and the environmental systems that shape its climate. An excellent show for earth science students.
Stunning satellite data visualizations, supercomputing simulations, and photorealistic animations are combined to allow the student unprecedented insights into the inner workings of Earth’s dynamic climate system. Students will find the science captivating, the images enthralling and the narrative, by actor Liam Neeson, compelling. Educator's Guide for Dynamic Earth and Dynamic Earth website.
Vocabulary used in shows
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket Vocabulary
asteroid: boulder to mountain-sized piece of rock
remaining from the early solar system. The largest asteroid is only 1000
kilometers
across but most are much smaller.
craters: a hole in the ground made by the impact
of a meteorite.
Earth: the third planet from the Sun.
Great Red Spot: a giant hurricane like storm that
is about 2 times bigger than the size of Earth.
greenhouse effect: the trapping of heat energy
close to a planet's surface by certain types of gases in the atmosphere (e.g.,
water,
methane, and carbon dioxide). These gases allow visible light from the Sun
to reach the surface but prevent the infrared light from the heated surface
to radiate back to space.
Jupiter: the fifth planet from the Sun.
Mercury: the closest planet to the Sun.
Moon: a rocky sphere that orbits the Earth.
Neptune: the eighth planet from the Sun.
observatory: a place or building that uses large
telescopes for observing outer space.
Olympus Mons: the largest mountain in the solar
system. This mountain is a volcano and found on Mars.
orbit: the path one object takes around another object.
planetarium: a domed room in which shows the night
sky from any locations at any time far in the past to far in the future.
Some
planetariums are able to show all dome films surrounding the audience with
the action.
Pluto: the ninth planet from the Sun.
revolve: when an object moves in a circular-like
pattern (orbits) another object.
rotate: when an object spins
Saturn: the sixth planet from the Sun.
Sun: the star at the center of our solar system.
Uranus: the seventh planet from the Sun.
Valles Marineris: a huge canyon. It is found on
Mars.
Venus: the second planet from the Sun.
Oasis in Space and Solar System Tour Vocabulary (all those above AND)
galaxy: a very large cluster of stars (tens of
millions to trillions of stars) gravitationally bound together.
greenhouse effect: the trapping of heat energy
close to a planet's surface by certain types of gases in the atmosphere
(e.g., water, methane, and carbon dioxide). These gases allow visible light
from the Sun to reach the surface but prevent the infrared light from the
heated surface to radiate back to space.
Milky Way Galaxy: the large spiral galaxy in
which our Sun and planets reside. Our Sun is one star of several hundred
billion in the Milky Way.
nebula: an enourmous cloud of gas and dust.
Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity Vocabulary
Big Bang: a theory of the creation of the
universe from an ultra-compact volume with very high temperatures about 14
billion years ago. The ultra-compact volume began expanding and is responsible
for the expanding motion we see today.
black hole: the collapsed core for the most
massive stars. Formed from the total collapse of a core greater than
3 solar masses
to an infinitesimal point of infinite density. Gravity in the region
surrounding the collapsed core is so strong that the escape velocity
is greater than
the
speed of light.
event horizon: the very edge of a black hole
where there is no escape
for even a beam of light.
galaxy: a very large cluster
of stars (tens of millions to trillions of stars) gravitationally bound together.
gravity: a physical force that pulls objects
together, the larger
the mass of the object, the greater the force but the larger the distance between
the objects, the weaker the gravity.
Milky Way Galaxy:
the large spiral galaxy in which our Sun and planets reside. Our Sun is
one star of several hundred
billion
in the Milky Way.
red giant: a dying star that has become
large in diameter and cool on the surface while the core has shrunk
and increased
in
temperature.
supernova: final huge mass-loss stage
for a dying high-mass star where the outer layers are ejected during
the core's
collapse
to form a neutron star.
Key Concepts and California content standards for Earth Science and Physical Science discussed in the shows
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Standards: Grade 3
Earth Science- 4a, 4d, 4e;
Grade 5 Earth Science- 5a, 5b, 5c;
Grade
8 Physical Science- 4e
Oasis in Space
Those of Secret of the Cardboard Rocket PLUS:
additional Standards: Grade
8 Physical Science- 4a, 4b;
Grades
9-12 Earth Science- 1a, 1c, 2b.
Solar System Tour
Those of Secret of the Cardboard Rocket PLUS:
additional Standards: Grade
8 Physical Science- 4c;
Grades
9-12 Earth Science- 1a, 1c, 1d, 1e, 2a.
Key Concepts of Cardboard Rocket, Oasis in Space, Solar System Tour:
Constellations, myths and why constellations appear to move through the
sky
Sun facts
Sun and planet size comparison (scale model of the solar system)
a brief description of each of the planets and some of their major features
Telescope (Two Small Pieces of Glass)
Standards: Grade 3 Earth Sciences- 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e; Physical Sciences- 1a, 2, 2b, 2c, 2d;
Grade 5 Earth Sciences- 5a, b, c;
Grade 6 Earth Sciences- 3a, 3d; 4b;
Grade 7 Physical Sciences- 6a, 6b, 6d, 6e, 6f;
Grade 8 Earth Sciences- 4a, 4b, 4e;
Grades 9-12 Earth Sciences- 2a, 2b;
Key Concepts:
Constellations, myths and why constellations appear to move through the sky
History of the development of the telescope and its use
Types of telescopes
Powers of telescope
Analysis of light, spectra, spectroscopy
Doppler effect
Discoveries made with telescopes including Milky Way structure, other galaxies, Hubble expansion
Atmosphere's effect on light from space
Future designs for telescopes
Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
Standards: Grade
8 Physical Science- 2g, 4a, 4b, 4e;
Grades 9-12 Earth
Science- 1e, 2a, 2b, 2d
Key Concepts:
Constellations, myths and why constellations appear to move through the sky
Formation of Black Holes
Life and death of stars
Milky Way Galaxy
Galaxies
Gravity as warping of space
Taking a trip to the Planetarium: Tips
With money matters being tight these days and high stakes testing all around us, a teacher cannot afford to waste money or the learning time. As with any good lesson plan, there is an anticipatory or motivational teaser to get things started and a conclusion or wrap up activity to tie everything together, so too should field trips follow this pattern. This is why I have put together some pre and post planetarium visit activities that could be used in the classroom. If you do not use any of the lessons and activities found in the lessons link, or your own material and you don't plan on doing any further exploration into Astronomy except for the planetarium trip, I strongly recommend that you take a short amount of time, following the tips below to orient your students to the trip and what they will see, experience and learn.
1. Discuss what a planetarium is. View the slide show What's A Planetarium (optional).
2. Brainstorm about astronomy topics and create a KWL chart.
3. Have students prepare a few questions about an astronomy topic(s) that interest them.
Before students arrive, they should be familiar with the questions that need answers. Refer students to their KWL chart. They will not be able to write anything while in the planetarium as it will be very dark. They will have to wait until after the show to write down information that they learned in the show. Enjoy the show and then ask questions that didn't get answered in the show. After leaving the planetarium and before boarding the bus back to school, if there is time, have small groups meet to debrief and share what they learned, what they liked/didn’t like, and what questions still remain to be answered. Back at school debrief as a class with each group contributing to the discussion. You may want to use the KWL chart to check off items that students heard about and saw in the show.
4. Follow-up with a short writing assignment to help frame the learning.
last updated: August 13, 2012
Webpage contact: Nick Strobel
