Bechtel National Planetarium
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*** PLANETARIUM TEMPORARILY CLOSED *** In accordance with our county's current phase of reopening, the planetarium and observatory are temporarily closed until further notice. This includes all public shows, field trips, and private events. For information regarding future planetarium events, or for more information on this and any future closures, you can visit our website. If you have any questions, or want to schedule a visit for a later date, please email [email protected] Our first priority has been and continues to be the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We appreciate your understanding during this time. Thank you!

We would like to send a big THANK YOU to the Pacific Planetarium Association for awarding the Bechtel National Planetarium one of three "mini grants" this year! These funds will be used to better serve our visitors and fans like you! Keep an eye here for further information, and thanks again to the PPA for their generous gift.

This week's Flat-Screen Friday feature is for our younger scientists: "Zula Patrol: Down to Earth"! While on a routine fossil-hunting expedition, The Zula Patrol turns up evidence that the villainous Deliria Delight has been traveling back in time to Earth’s prehistoric past to illegally dump her company’s toxic trash. The Zula Patrollers must find and catch her, before her actions cause catastrophic consequences. In the process, our heroes learn all about the formation and d...evelopment of Earth, and the life forms who call it home. 24 minutes. Information and links made possible by Spitz, Inc. Click here to view in English*: https://bit.ly/2DTWTr7 Click here to view in Spanish*: https://bit.ly/32vloFg Click here for educator's guide: https://bit.ly/2DTLrvC *Viewing note: this flat-screen adaptation is not for commercial use. You will occasionally see scrolling text about this throughout the show.

Neil can't wait until our planetarium can reopen, but we still have a ways to go. To get us there quicker, be like Neil and #MaskUp! #OneSmallStep

We hope that you enjoyed your Fourth of July break! This week, Flat-Screen Friday is BACK with an award-winning feature narrated by actor Sean Bean, "Faster Than Light". The impulse to strike out into the unknown, to see what’s over the horizonis as old as humanity. Today, a whole new horizon beckons. Scientists now believe that our galaxy is filled with solar systems, including up to 9 billion Sun-like stars with planets similar to Earth. Astronomers are racing to find habi...table worlds, including any that might exist in the neighborhood of our Sun. But if we find one, how will we ever get there? How long will it take? What rocket designs might one day conquer the voids of space? "Faster Than Light: the Dream of Interstellar Flight" will dazzle audiences with virtual rides aboard spacecraft of the future. They are based on whole new technologies designed to achieve ultra-high speeds, using exotic next generation rocket fuels and breakthrough concepts in physics. How far can our technology take us? 24 minutes. Information and links made possible by Spitz, Inc. Click here to view*: https://bit.ly/2DrA6mi Click here for educator's guide: https://bit.ly/2BLsF9a *Viewing note: this flat-screen adaptation is not for commercial use. You will occasionally see scrolling text about this throughout the show.

We hope that you've been enjoying our Flat-Screen Fridays! So far, we have been showcasing planetarium movies that we have in our own library. Today, we are debuting a film that is new to us called "Birth of Planet Earth". Narrated by Richard Dormer, "Birth of Planet Earth" tells the twisted tale of our planet’s origins. Scientists now believe that our galaxy is filled with solar systems, including up to a billion planets roughly the size of our own. The film employs advance...d, data-driven, cinematic-quality visualizations to explore some of the greatest questions in science today: How did Earth become a living planet in the wake of our solar system’s violent birth? What does its history tell us about our chances of finding other worlds that are truly Earth-like? 24 minutes. Information and links made possible by Spitz, Inc. Click here to view*: https://bit.ly/3dBFpf6 Click here for educator's guide: https://bit.ly/3g46k4P *Viewing note: this flat-screen adaptation is not for commercial use. You will occasionally see scrolling text about this throughout the show.

Earlier today, NASA announced that their headquarters will be named for Mary W. Jackson, the first Black female engineer at NASA. Jackson started with the NACA ...at Langley Research Center and was an advocate for women in STEM fields. Learn more about her achievements: https://s.si.edu/2Z1jQ2q See more

This week's "Flat-Screen Friday" feature is for the kiddos! "Zula Patrol: Under the Weather" is based on the highly-acclaimed Zula Patrol TV series, and is a must-see for audiences of all ages. The story: the stalwart heroes of the Zula Patrol are on an expedition collecting samples of weather on planet Zula for scientist Multo's research, using their loyal pet Gorga's ability to collect and bottle all kinds of weather. But when the Zula gang inadvertently hurts Gorga's feel...ings, he decides to leave Zula and find another planet to live on. Interplanetary villain Dark Truder tricks Gorga into stealing the weather from other planets - part of his latest nefarious scheme to rule the Universe. The Zula Patrol find out and go after him, in the process learning all about weather, both terrestrial and interplanetary. 23 minutes. Information and links made possible by Spitz, Inc. Click here to view*: https://bit.ly/2ULPAaA Click here for activity guide: https://bit.ly/37vWtli *Viewing note: this flat-screen adaptation is not for commercial use. You will occasionally see scrolling text about this throughout the show.

This week's "Flat-Screen Friday" feature is "Dynamic Earth"! Narrated by Liam Neeson, this show explores the inner workings of Earth's climate system. With visualizations based on satellite monitoring data and advanced supercomputer simulations, this cutting-edge production follows a trail of energy that flows from the sun into the interlocking systems that shape our climate: the atmosphere, oceans, and the biosphere. Audiences will ride along on swirling ocean and wind curre...nts, dive into the heart of a monster hurricane, come face-to-face with sharks and gigantic whales, and fly into roiling volcanoes (24 minutes). Information and links made possible by Spitz, Inc. Click here to view*: https://bit.ly/2AkIjrk Click here for educator guide: https://bit.ly/2UD7rQZ *Viewing note: this flat-screen adaptation is not for commercial use. You will occasionally see scrolling text about this throughout the show.

Below is a message from CBC President Dr. Rebekah Woods.

For our first "Flat-Screen Friday", we are debuting one of our popular features, "Supervolcanoes"! Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, this show looks back at rare classes of eruptions that have marshaled the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the surface of planet Earth. The program moves beyond Earth to explore the impact of giant volcanic eruptions around our solar system. On a visit to Yellowstone National Park, the film asks: can a supervolcano erupt in our... time? (24 minutes) Information and links made possible by Spitz, Inc.. Click here to view*: https://bit.ly/373rgpm Click here for educator guide: https://bit.ly/2BxMmAx *Viewing note: this flat-screen adaptation is not for commercial use. You will occasionally see scrolling text about this throughout the show.

Starting this Friday, June 5th, the Bechtel National Planetarium - CBC, in association with Spitz, Inc., will be debuting "Flat-Screen Fridays"! Each week, we will be providing you, our loyal followers, with a link to a different educational movie. These movies, originally made for showing on domed screens in planetarium theaters such as ours, have been reformatted for viewing on a flat-screen monitor. Each feature runs around 20-30 minutes in length. Keep your eyes on this page for these and other upcoming special events!

**UPDATE: Launch rescheduled for Saturday, May 30th at 12:22pm PDT, due to inclement weather today.** Space X is hoping to make history today by launching the first crewed mission on a commercial spacecraft, which also happens to be the first crewed launch from the United States since 2011! You can watch a live stream of the event at the page below. Coverage begins at 9:15am PDT, and launch is scheduled for 1:33pm PDT!

Good news, planetarium fans! Soon, we will be providing you with a way to view a few of our educational fulldome films online, and for FREE! Stay tuned as these, and more events and opportunities to connect, come down the line!