Show Productions
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Although we're not in the business of show production, the Ward Beecher Planetarium has developed several original shows that have been distributed and are still available to share with others. All shows are free.
More planetarium productions, including WBP originals, are available at Cosmoquest's Science on a Half Sphere.
Cosmic Castaways
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There are places where the night sky has no constellations. No Orion, no Big Dipper, nothing but a few lonely, far away stars and a few faint, ghostly patches of light. Most stars lie within the crowded boundaries of galaxies, travelling with their brothers and sisters in a vast galactic family. But some find themselves on their own, deep within voids between the galaxies. These are the cosmic castaways. An original production of the Ward Beecher Planetarium, this program is based partially on research by YSU's astrophysicists Dr. John Feldmeier and Dr. Patrick Durrell.
Run time: approximately 21 minutes
General audience; Middle school and older
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Fulldome (1k & 2k) and flatscreen versions available.
Visit Cosmoquest's Science on a Half Sphere for available formats
Contact Us for more information.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Attribution required.
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Eyes On Chile Skies
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This live show kit focuses on the impressive observatories in Chile, detailing the people who run them and the exciting discoveries uncovered from these world-class telescopes. This program will include a presentation of the night sky as seen from the Southern Hemisphere.
General audience; Middle school and older
Includes Fulldome and flat images in 2K resolution, script, and additional resources
Contact Us for more information.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Attribution required.
George & Oatmeal Save Santa
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Santa is lost and George (a wizard) and Oatmeal (a snowman) are looking for him across the world, using the stars to navigate and learning star stories from different cultures.
Run time: approximately 17 minutes
Pre-K - 3rd grade
You can download the original slides, script, and soundtrack.
Fulldome version (1k x 1k) by high school students in Casper, Wyoming, is also available.
Contact Us for download information.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Attribution required. If you rework the program for fulldome or another presentation method, be sure to share with us and with others!
What Are Constellations?
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Our constellations mainly come from the Greeks, so why do they have Latin names? And what’s up with those star names, anyway? This show will look at where our 88 “official” constellations came from, which leads us on a journey through the history of astronomy.
Run time: approximately 22 minutes
General audiences
Fulldome version (1K x 1K) available.
Contact Us for download information.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Attribution required. If you rework the program for fulldome or another presentation method, be sure to share with us and with others!
