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FISKE PLANETARIUM

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Fiske Productions

Fiske Planetarium leverages the prolific and talented academic community at CU Boulder to create compelling, entertaining, and scientifically accurate shows. We believe that our collective institutional knowledge and scientific research should be shared with the global community and we are pleased to offer our shows at no cost.

Over the last decade, we've produced 20 full dome films. As of 2023, 650+ planetariums in 66 countries and 47 states, plus the Virgin Islands, have downloaded our films.

To request a planetarium show for your facility, please complete the request form.

Science through Shadows against black background with some clouds and almost total solar eclipse in the center of image

NEW! Science through Shadows series of short films

Science through Shadows is a NASA-funded Science Activation project about using shadows to conduct astronomy research.

Over the next three years (2023-25), our Fiske production team (in collaboration with the Chabot Science Center and the Michigan Science Center) will produce and distribute short 3-6 minute videos about eclipses, occultations, and transits. All of the videos will be provided FREE in both English and Spanish, in fulldome and 2D rectilinear format (for libraries, classrooms, and streaming platforms). 
 

Photo of an annular solar eclipse with landscape

Ring of Fire Eclipse - AVAILABLE NOW!

On October 14, 2023, individuals and communities across North America will have the chance to see an annular solar eclipse. This type of eclipse is commonly referred to as a “ring of fire” eclipse and is different from a “total” solar eclipse. This video outlines the differences between the two, discusses best practices for viewing the eclipse, and prepares audience members to have an amazing experience on eclipse day!

Photo of total solar eclipse

Great North American Eclipse of 2024 - RELEASE SUMMER 2023

A total solar eclipse is one of nature’s most incredible events. On April 8th, 2024, observers across North America will have the opportunity to experience this phenomenon. This video will teach audience members what to expect on eclipse day, how to safely view the eclipse, and why it will be worth it to travel to the path of totality!

Photo of a total solar eclipse in progress clouds and trees in view

What Causes Eclipses? - RELEASE FALL 2023

What is an eclipse? Why do they happen? This edition of Science Through Shadows will dive into the mechanisms that cause an eclipse, address common misconceptions surrounding eclipses, and shed light on the differences between types of eclipses. 

NEW FILM! 5000 EYES: Mapping the Universe with DESI

5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI is a fulldome film about the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) which is creating the most detailed map of our nearby universe using a unique instrument which can measure the spectra of many galaxies at once. The film is being created by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with DESI scientists. 

Experience the largest structures in the universe as never seen before by flying through a portion of DESI's initial data. Dive into modern cosmology, plus the scientific background and motivation for building a large map of galaxies. And, take a trip to Kitt Peak to see footage of the telescope in action while getting to know the amazing people from all over the world making this research possible. 

Watch the trailer!

Available in 1K, 2K, and 4K. Run time 22 minutes.


Fiske will also provide a hardcopy of the script with timestamps, the transcription (closed captioning file) and the 5.1 surround sound mix. It will be translated into several languages, including Spanish, French, and Mandarin. The English version of the film will be released in February 2023, followed by the translations within a few months. 
 

Poster for 5000 Eyes mapping the universe with DESI with film maker logos against navy back ground with galaxies

Play Video


NEW FILM! Cosmic Mashups

Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies and we're beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activate galactic centers. This engaging fulldome film was produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with CU Boulder APS Professor, Dr. Julie Comerford and former graduate student Dr. Becky Nevin through support from an NSF award. 

Watch the trailer!

Available in 1K, 2K, and 4K. Run time: 25 minutes

 

Play Video


Cosmic Mashups poster with active galactic nuclei image and logos at the bottom

NEW FILM! Worlds of Curiosity

Worlds of Curiosity dives into the questions "What it would be like to live on an Earth with no Moon?" or "What if the Earth was tilted on its side (like Uranus)?" Join Mateo and Dr. Alicia Woods as they explore how our lives would be different on these Earths, talk about other hypothetical planets that could exist, and marvel at the even stranger worlds that astronomers have discovered beyond our solar system. Explore more at What-If Hypothetical Implementations in Minecraft or check out the Educator Guide.

Watch the trailer!

Funded by the What-If Hypotheticals In Minecraft (WHIMC) National Science Foundation Grants #1713609 and #1906873.

Available in 1K, 2K, 4K, and 1080p. Run time: 15 minutes

 

Play Video


Worlds of Curiosity poster with logos

FORWARD! To the Moon

Join the adventure as Fiske Planetarium takes you FORWARD! To the Moon.

Photo of Kari ByronKari Byron from Crash Test World and MythBusters launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space. NASA’s 21st century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe.

Watch the trailer.

Available in 1K, 2K, and 4K. Run time 26:30.

 

Produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with TEND Studio with support from the Network for Exploration and Space Science (NESS). Film made possible with funding by NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) and Lockheed Martin. Also, special thanks to StickerGiant for producing and donating promotional stickers.StickerGiant logo

Fiske logo, Tend Studio logo, SSERVI logo, NESS logo and Lockheed Martin logo

Forward! To the Moon poster

REQUEST a FREE planetarium show for your theater!

Complete our request form.

Fulldome Films

5000 Eyes title written in galaxies against a navy background

5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is creating the most detailed map of our nearby universe. Installed on the Mayall telescope on Kitt Peak in Southern Arizona, DESI's 5000 independently operated robots can measure the light from millions of galaxies at once. Join us as we explore the science, instrument, and people behind this global endeavor.

Photo of the Isabelle Glacier in Colorado

Climate Change in Our Backyard: VR Experience

As we develop a much larger picture about our Earth as a whole, we are coming to see it as a complex, interconnected, remarkable world, and one that humans have impacted directly. Explore the role of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, the natural temperature variations that the Earth has experienced over millions of years, and how humans are affecting our planet today.

Cosmic Mashups title

Cosmic Mashups

Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies and we're beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activate galactic centers. This engaging fulldome film was produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with CU Boulder APS Professor, Dr. Julie Comerford and former graduate student Dr. Becky Nevin through support from an NSF award. 

Available in 1K, 2K, and 4K

Run time: 25 minutes

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph photo of Hubble Space Telescope

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph

The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) helps us understand what the universe was like billions of years ago and how it has changed over time. By following the path taken by light from a quasar, this film journeys across the cosmic web, touching on concepts such as spectra, formation of the elements, the electromagnetic spectrum, the distribution of gas around galaxies, and many of HST's showcase images.

Into the Polar Night title with ship on the right

Drifting North: Into the Polar Night

Step out onto an ice floe in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and watch and listen as scientists race the fading light to set up one of the most ambitious international climate collaborations ever, MOSAiC. The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate launched in September 2019. Led by the German Alfred Wegener Institute, the mission froze an icebreaker into the Central Arctic Ocean, to better understand the remote region and the role it plays in global climate and weather patterns.

Available in a VR Experience too!

Photo of the Polarstern in the sea ice

Drifting North: The Arctic Pulse

Follow an international team of scientists from over twenty countries who embark on an epic year-long expedition to the Central Arctic, MOSAiC. The Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) team froze the German Icebreaker R/V Polarstern into the sea ice for a year. For a year, the team drifts with an ice floe and strives to understand the Arctic climate system and its future. 

The 360-degree planetarium dome show is the first planetarium feature film that captures the entire year of the central Arctic climate, transcending the Arctic’s Polar Night and Day, and the experiences of the MOSAiC team as they face one of the most extreme and unique regions on our planet. 

Forward to the Moon logo in front of a lunar landscape

Forward! To the Moon

Kari Byron from MythBusters and Crash Test World launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space. 

NASA’s 21st century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon. Produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with TEND Studio.

Max Goes to the Moon still image from film

Max Goes to the Moon

Max (the dog) and a young girl named Tori take the first trip to the Moon since the Apollo era. Along the way, the story sets the stage for the more sophisticated science of the “Big Kid Box” sidebars, which cover topics including “Phases of the Moon,” “Wings in Space?,” and “Frisbees and Curve Balls on the Moon” — all thoughtfully explained so that grownups and children can learn together about science. Toward the end, Max and Tori’s trip proves so inspiring to people back on Earth that all the nations of the world come together to build a great Moon colony from which “the beautiful views of Earth from the Moon made everyone realize that we all share a small and precious planet.”

Still image from the film with floating block and Mars like planet with two suns

Worlds of Curiosity

Worlds of Curiosity dives into the questions of "What it would be like to live on an Earth with no Moon?" or "What if the Earth was tilted on its side (like Uranus)?" Join Mateo and Dr. Alicia Woods as they explore how our lives would be different on these Earths, talk about other hypothetical planets that could exist, and marvel at the even stranger worlds that astronomers have discovered beyond our solar system.

1K, 2K, 4K, and 1080p

Run time: 15 minutes

NASA Explorations Series - short films

GRACE still from film

Ep 1 - Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment

NASA satellites measure the changing levels of groundwater. Educator guide

Explorations Big Science, Small Packages still from short film

Ep 2 - Big Science, Small Packages

A new wave of tiny, inexpensive satellites conducts amazing science. Educator guide

Screen capture of short film MU69 shows New Horizon Spacecraft

Ep 3 - MU69

New Horizons tells us about Pluto and sets its sight on a new target. Educator guide

Still image from film of Parker Solar Probe in clean room

Ep 4 - Parker Solar Probe

Humans have sent a spacecraft into the Sun’s atmosphere to study the corona and solar wind. Educator guide

Lunar sample still image from film

Ep 5 - Rocks from the Moon

Join us as we explore the legacy of NASA's Apollo Lunar Missions: Rocks from the Moon. Educator guide

The Dawn of Orion still image from film

Ep 6 - The Dawn of Orion

The Orion spacecraft follows in Apollo’s footsteps, but with technology upgrades that will allow it to support up to six crew members for three weeks. Educator Guide

Image of TESS spacecraft

Ep 7 - TESS Discovering Distant Worlds

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite - Join us as we investigate how researchers are discovering thousands of new worlds throughout our galaxy, using the faintest of signals. Educator Guide

Still image from short film of SOPHIA aircraft

Ep 8 - SOFIA: Learning From the Invisible

By looking at the universe in infrared light, astronomers are able to see objects that are otherwise invisible. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a modified Boeing 747 designed to carry an infrared telescope high above the surface to fly above the water vapor low in the Earth's atmosphere. Educator Guide

Trailers and Extras

Forward to the Moon logo

Forward! To the Moon

NASA’s 21st century program to take humans forward to the Moon is called Artemis, after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo. Artemis is not an end in itself, but just the first step towards a sustainable future in space.

Fiske Planetarium and NASA will premiere a full length fulldome film about this grand venture in late 2021.

The fulldome and VR version of the 5-minute preview are available now.

MOSAiC Drifting North Logo

MOSAiC - Drifting North

More than two dozen scientists, engineers, educators, and others from the University of Colorado Boulder and NOAA will join scientists from sixteen other nations for the international Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) mission in 2019-2020.

Follow the journey! 

Still image of the Moon

Moon Dome

Transform your dome into an 8K moon phase.

MUSCLES still from film

MUSCLES

How can we use the light from distant stars to search for potentially habitable exoplanets? In this short film, we explore how researchers are using the Hubble Space Telescope's Measurements of the Ultraviolet Spectral Characteristics of Low-mass Exoplanetary Systems (MUSCLES) Survey to study properties of red dwarf stars and how their intense x-ray and ultraviolet flares may affect the chemistry of planets' atmospheres. Differentiating the stars that may lead to false positive detections of biomarkers will help future space telescopes such as the James Webb Telescope to know which stars are more promising to search for habitable worlds.

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FISKE PLANETARIUM

  303.492.5002  

  fiske@colorado.edu  

  2414 Regent Drive, Boulder, CO 80309

  Find Fiske and parking info: CU Interactive Map

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