Ritter Planetarium and Brooks Observatory

Full-Dome Programs


Big Bird Poster

One World, One Sky, Big Bird's Adventure

One World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure is a fulldome show that follows Sesame Street's Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from China. Together they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the Moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth. One World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure aims to nurture a child's natural sense of wonder about the night sky while connecting kids across nations through a common bond in learning about the sky.

 

Alien Poster

The Alien Who Stole Christmas

Take a brisk walk on clear winter evening and look at the stars and constellations overhead without ever leaving your comfortable seat in the planetarium. Then tag along with Santa as he meets Mr. Freep, an alien from another world. Together they head of on a cosmic adventure taking them to the farthest regions of our Solar System. Will Santa make it back in time to deliver his toys to the children of Earth? Join for us this holiday season for The Alien Who Stole Christmas, an amusing, entertaining, and educational program for children and Santa fans of all ages.


Zula Patrol Poster

Zula Patrol: Under the Weather

(Available in Spanish)

Explore the solar system with the Zula Patrol! Learn all about weather, both here on Earth and on other planets as well. Experience a dust storm on Mars, a hurricane on Jupiter, and the incredible heat on Venus.

 

Dinosuars Poster

Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?

Did a space rock six miles wide slam into the Earth 66 million years ago, and wipe out 75 percent of all living species at that time, including the dinosaurs? Explore this impacts and cosmic collisions across the Solar System in this dynamic new show. This is the Toledo debut of this fun and informative children’s program.


Case of Disappearing Planet Poster

The Case of the Disappearing Planet

A radio announcement… an excited phone call… and our sly gumshoe, Skye Watcher, is on the case. Explore with Skye and discover what happened to the ex-planet Pluto as she tracks down clues that stretch back hundreds of years! Audiences will have great fun with this unique program that looks into the changing status of planets in our Solar System.

 

TSPOG Poster

Two Small Pieces of Glass

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 throughout the last 400 years. Explore the Galilean Moons, Saturn's rings, and spiral structure of galaxies while learning about the future of astronomy.

 

Oasis in Space Poster

Oasis in Space

During this visually stunning program you will travel through the solar system in search of liquid water, life, and another oasis in space like our Earth. The program looks at the formation of the solar system, and the physical characteristics of the planets, and some of their larger moons.

 

Black Holes Poster

Black Holes, the Other Side of Infinity

(Available in Spanish)

Narrated by Academy-Award nominated actor Liam Neeson, this cutting-edge production features high-resolution visualizations of cosmic phenomena, working with data generated by computer simulations, to bring the current science of black holes to the dome screen. Enjoy the 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 center of our own Milky Way Galaxy.

 

Dynamic Earth Poster

Dynamic Earth

(Available in Spanish)

This thrilling program examines the Earth’s climate engine, the Carbon Cycle. You will travel from far-flung Venus to beneath the Earth’s seas to understand why the Earth is capable of supporting life, and how that life, from plankton to people, interacts with that very same Carbon Cycle.

 

Stars Poster

Stars: The Powerhouses of the Universe

Stars focuses on how stars are born, how they die, and how human understanding of them has changed over time. From Native Americans to Newton, from the electromagnetic spectrum to Einstein, audiences will explore nebulae, star clusters, pulsars, black holes, and more.

 

 


Big Bird Poster

Cosmic Recipe

The famous astronomer Carl Sagan once said: “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”  Though that may sound crazy, Sagan was onto something BIG! Want to know what? Pull up a chair at our Planetarium’s Periodic Table and learn the cosmic recipes that created everything in our world – even us! Discover how the Big Bang and the stars have cooked up the everyday elements we interact with every day—like the calcium in our teeth, the silicon in our smartphones, and even the carbon in our apple pies. Explore the world of chemistry—the protons, neutrons and electrons! See how tiny atoms relate to the mammoth stars! Connect the physical worlds of the small and large in this engaging and inspiring show.


Firefall Poster

Firefall

Throughout Earth’s violent history, impacts from comets and asteroids have mercilessly shaped its surface. The ancient barrage continues today; from harmless meteorsto mountain sized boulders wandering perilously close to Earth. Terrifying and majestic, these invaders from space are capable of utter destruction yet they have delivered life- giving water and most of the organic materials necessary for life. This ceaseless Firefall is our only tangible connection to the universe beyond and is an ever-present reminder of our own humble beginnings in the hostile environment.

 

Maya Skies Poster

Tales of the Maya Skies

(Available in Spanish)

Tales of the Maya Skies is a digital fulldome show with a custom score and visuals that immerses the audience in Mayan astronomy, art, and culture. Narrated by Latin Grammy award winner Lila Downs, Tales of the Maya Skies inspires and educates through its description of the Maya's accurate astronomical achievements and how astronomy connected them to the Universe.

 

Santa's Secret Star Poster

Santa's Secret Star

Santa’s Secret Star is an updated fulldome version of our classic children’s program by the same name. Follow along as Rudolph introduces Santa to his friends the constellations. Watch how the constellations help Santa and his crew make it back to the North Pole. Learn how you can navigate by the stars just like Santa.

 

From Earth to the Universe Poster

From Earth to the Universe

This stunning voyage through space and time conveys, through sparkling sights and sounds, the Universe revealed to us by science. Viewers can revel in the splendor of the worlds in the Solar System and our scorching Sun. From Earth to the Universe takes the audience out to the colorful birthplaces and burial grounds of stars, and still further out beyond the Milky Way to the unimaginable immensity of a myriad galaxies. Along the way, the audience will learn about the history of astronomy, the invention of the telescope, and today’s giant telescopes that allow us to probe ever deeper into the Universe.


Hot and Energetic Universe Poster

The Hot and Energetic Universe

The Hot and Energetic Universe presents the basic principles electromagnetic radiation and the natural phenomena related to the High Energy Astrophysics. High Energy Astrophysics plays a key role in understanding the universe. These radiations reveal the processes in the hot and violent Universe. This science also probes hot gas in clusters of galaxies, which are the most massive objects in the Universe. It also probes hot gas accreting around supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies. Finally, high energy radiation provides important information about our own Galaxy, neutron stars, supernova remnants and stars like our Sun which emit copious amounts of high energy radiation.


Einstein's gravity playlist

One Einstein's gravity playlist

Einstein’s Gravity Playlist explores the ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916. A century later, scientists detected these waves using precise laser devices here on Earth. Join Lucia, a PhD student in physics, on an exploration of how gravitational waves are formed, how they move through the universe, and how scientists like her work to hear them.

 

 


Ghost Particle Poster

Chasing the Ghost Particle

Deep in the ice at the heart of Antarctica, the biggest and strangest detector in the world waits for mysterious messengers from the cosmos. Scientists are using tiny and elusive particles called neutrinos to explore the insides of stars and galaxies. These ghostly neutrinos give us an exclusive look into exploding stars and black holes. Join us for the Toledo debut of this fascinating program.


Cosmic Colors

Cosmic Color, an Adventure along the Spectrum

Enjoy a wondrous journey through the world of color and beyond! Discover why the sky is blue, why Mars is red, and the reason why many things are the color that they are. Tour the interior of a plant leaf, voyage through a human eye, then step into the invisible universe as you investigate x-rays by taking on a monstrous black hole. Explore the world of infrared in a roaring fire, and even discover what may have been the actual color of a dinosaur. Explore the amazing rainbow of cosmic light through Cosmic Colors, an original production of the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium in cooperation with the Great Lakes Planetarium Association.


Out There

Out There-The quest for extrasolar worlds

For thousands of years, mankind thought that the Earth was the centre of the Universe. Thanks to our curiosity, imagination and urge to explore, we now know that planets like our Earth are nothing special in the cosmos. The Sun is just one ordinary star among hundreds of billions in our galaxy, the Milky Way. With the world’s most powerful telescopes, we are able to explore more and more of the Universe. What we have found so far has surpassed even the wildest expectations of scientists as well as authors of science fiction. Most stars have planets — it turns out they are more common than we thought. A huge diversity of different worlds is out there, just waiting to be discovered.

Stars of the Pharohs poster

Stars of the Pharaohs

Travel to ancient Egypt to see how science was used to tell time, make a workable calendar, and align huge buildings. You’ll learn about the connection the ancient Egyptians felt with the stars and various astronomical phenomena, and experience some of the most spectacular temples and tombs of the ancient world recreated in all of their original splendor.


Invaders of Mars! poster

Invaders of Mars!

Under the care of Emmy award winning space artist, Don Davis, Invaders of Mars! highlights our ongoing exploration of Mars.  We explore the Martian surface as seen by Earth’s various spacecraft “invaders” and use the data gathered to explore the red planet as only CGI can. We emerge with a new perspective on the red planet Mars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Secrets of the Universe poster

Secrets of the Universe

Secrets of the Universe is a sweeping science adventure that immerses audiences in the
greatest mysteries of our time – puzzles spanning from the infinitesimal to the infinite; a journey guided by some of the most brilliant minds, seeking to answer life’s greatest questions, using the greatest science machines in history. The answers await at the collision points of intellect and imagination, of theory and experiment, of the tiniest particles and most powerful forces in the Universe.


Phantom of the Universe poster

Phantom of the Universe

The show reveals the first hints of its existence through the eyes of Fritz Zwicky, the scientist who coined the term “dark matter.” It describes the astral choreography witnessed by Vera Rubin in the Andromeda galaxy and then plummets deep underground to see the most sensitive dark matter detector on Earth, housed in a former gold mine. From there, it journeys across space and time to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, speeding alongside particles before they collide in visually stunning explosions of light and sound, while learning how scientists around the world are collaborating to track down the constituents of dark matter.




CapCom Go! poster

CapCom Go!

An immersive, historical documentary that showcases the achievements of the Apollo program and what it took to put the first human on the Moon. It introduces a new generation to the immense challenges they overcame and will inspire them to become the explorers, designers, engineers, thinkers and dreamers of the future.




Europe to the Stars poster

Europe to the Stars

Discover the European Southern Observatory in a story of cosmic curiosity, courage and perseverance; a story of observing a Universe of deep mysteries and hidden secrets; and a story of designing, building and operating the most powerful ground-based telescopes on the planet. The program focuses on the essential aspects of an astronomical observatory while offering a broader view of how astronomy is done. From site-testing to locate the best places in the world for observing the sky, to how telescopes are built and what mysteries of the Universe astronomers are revealing.




Big Astronomy poster

Big Astronomy

Journey to three world-class observatories in Chile’s rugged Andes Mountains and arid Atacama Desert— remote, extreme regions that happen to have the perfect conditions for astronomical research. Along the way, you’ll meet an inspiring set of astronomers, engineers, technicians, and support staff who keep these large observatories running.




Unveiling the Invisible Universe poster

Unveiling the Invisible Universe

For thousands of years the humans observed the light coming from the night sky with their eyes. In the beginning of the 17th century, the invention of the telescope by Galileo revolutionized our knowledge of the Universe.  In the 20th century with the advent of rockets, it became possible to go above the Earth’s atmosphere and observe X-ray and gamma ray radiation which are the marks of the hot and violent Universe. But it is not only light that can give us information about the cosmos. Neutrinos and cosmic rays also provide vital information.  Finally, the detection by the LIGO experiment of gravitational waves from two merging black holes opened a new window in astrophysics.


A Teenager's Guide to the Galaxy poster

A Teenager's Guide to the Galaxy

Created and hosted by cosmically curious teenagers from urban Milwaukee schools, this unique cosmic experience will take you on a dynamic journey across the Universe and through time. Explore the origins and fate of the Universe, black holes and our Sun. Witness stunning full dome animations video scripted, story boarded, and narrated by these inspiring young adults.




Spooky Space poster

Spooky Space

Explore the sky and outer space with a Halloween twist. Meet the space counterparts to spooky characters like ghosts, vampires, and witches. Spooky Space is a great Halloween show for ages 6 and up. 





Solar System Show poster

Solar System Show

Looking to explore way-out worlds? Then join our kid crew reporters and rambunctious planets
for The Solar System Show! The Solar System Show is hosted by kids who do all the science
reporting and narration. The program includes a toilet paper solar system and the cow that
landed on the Moon. It’s out there... enjoy!


Dino Soars!  Change Over Time poster

Dino Soars!  Change over time

Perhaps the most astounding discovery about dinosaurs is that they are still around today – and not just in the movies. Birds are living dinosaurs!  Follow the story of Malkia, a museum palaeontologist, as she explores fascinating connections between birds and dinosaurs.

Last Updated: 7/15/24