Science & Astronomy


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Science & Astronomy

Beyond the Dome
A performance series held the 2nd Sunday of the month showcasing dancers, musicians and storytellers.

Free Friday Nights - The Sky Tonight
Join us for a free planetarium show every friday night!

Planetarium Schedule & Show Descriptions
See the shows in Andrus Planetarium.

The February Sky
What to watch for in this month's night sky.

Science Sundays is made possible by a gift from

Science Sundays
NEW PROGRAM! Last Sunday of the month - 2:30 pm. FREE with Museum admission.

Valentines Day Under The Stars
Cultural program for senior citizens held every other Wednesday afternoon
from 1:30 – 3 pm. Light refreshments follow each program.

School’s Out, Stars Are In
Creative activities and planetarium shows for students on school break.
FREE with Museum admission. Students must be accompanied by a caregiver.

Beyond the Dome

A series of planetarium shows held the first Friday of every month.

Beyond the Dome: 2009 Roundup
Friday, January 8 • 6:30 pm

An eclipse is a hit in Asia; the count of stars with planets rises to 300; and spacecraft touch the moon. Join us for a look at 2009 astronomical happenings

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Free Friday Nights - The Sky Tonight

Join us for a free planetarium show every friday night!

The Sky Tonight: Martian Evenings
February 12, 19, 26

This year Earth and Mars are closest when Mars is relatively far from the sun, so the planet may retain more of its red color. What color will Mars be when we spot it?

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Planetarium Schedule

Allow 1 hour to see a star show. Tickets at Lobby Desk the day of the show and 1 hour before the free Friday program. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Please allow time to be seated; there is no late seating.

Saturday and Sunday Star Shows
12:30	The Friendly Stars	1:30	The Sky Tonight
2:30	Solar System Safari	3:30	schedule below

January	30-31	El Cielo En La Noche
February	6-7	Ocean of Air, Ocean of Space
	13	The Planets
	20-21	Bad Astronomy
	27	Light-Years from Andromeda
	28	El Cielo En La Noche

Planetarium Show Descriptions

The Planets
40 minutes
Ages 10 and up
With spectacular digital video and up-to-date information, you'll witness the formation of the Solar System, take an exciting tour of the Sun's family of worlds, and uncover the varied worlds that circle distant stars. Narrated by Kate Mulgrew, star of Star Trek Voyager, and produced by the Southeastern Planetarium Association.

Ocean of Air, Ocean of Space
40 minutes
Ages 8 and up
It's a blanket that keeps us from freezing, a shield that keeps us from burning up, a carrier of water and energy that is constantly flowing like the sea. What is it? It's Earth's atmosphere, of course! Explore the “invisible miracle” of the air we breathe and the planet that sustains all known life.

The Sky Tonight: Perils!
55 minutes
Ages 8 and up
The universe holds scarier things than Earth’s costumed witches and ghosts. As Halloween approaches, confront the horrors of space under the Planetarium dome.

The Friendly Stars
35 minutes
Ages 3-6
You can introduce your youngster to the heavens above with The Friendly Stars, a show made just for our youngest skywatchers. They’ll chat with our sun, Sol, sing along with the stars, and draw their own constellations right on the planetarium dome. For Pre-K to 1st grade.

Daughter of the Stars
35 minutes
Ages 6 and up
Sit around the fire on a clear, starry night and listen to Native American stories of creation and adventure in the legendary past. Follow the saga of Waupee, the White Hawk, learn the origin of Indian Summer, and tremble in the presence of the Great Bear.

El Cielo En La Noche
35 minutes
Ages 8 and up
With a planetarium educator at the helm of the Zeiss star projector, take a tour of the wonders of the nighttime sky, narrated in Spanish. El Cielo En La Noche has one version for each season of the year, with different highlights, observing challenges, and objects to explore. Offered the last Sunday of the month, at 3:30 PM.

Solar System Safari
35 minutes
Ages 6 - 12
Stretch the limits of exploration with Danger Dave, your space safari guide! Meet varied and funny characters — the planets — as you visit ten worlds from Neptune to Saturn, Jupiter to Mercury, and other objects in the Solar System
along the way in this jungle themed space adventure.

Light-Years from Andromeda
35 minutes
ages 8 and up
"A star in the Andromeda Galaxy casts its glow into space. As the light speeds towards Earth on a journey lasting nearly two and a half million years, follow the story of life on Earth over the same time span, and learn the secrets that light may reveal."

River Through Time
35 minutes
Ages 8 and up
Where the Hudson now flows, mountains as high as the Himalaya rose and fell, volcanic eruptions split the Earth, immense glaciers bulldozed the land before them, and flat, swampy plains were host to gliding lizards. Explore the eras from the beginning of the Earth to the present day as we ride the river of time.

Lunar Odyssey
40 minutes
Ages 9 & up
From the Sudekum Planetarium, takes you on a flight around the moon. Experts in lunar mythology, history, science, and astronomy guide your tour of the moon, Earth’s nearest space neighbor, and show you its awesome beauty and mysteries.

Holiday Rocket
40 minutes
Ages 6 and up
Join Mike, Tilda, and their spacefaring great-uncle Stan on a holiday journey like no other! In the future, human settlers scattered across the Solar System hold on to traditions while braving the new frontier. Offered during the holiday season.

Bad Astronomy,
Myths and Misconceptions
40 minutes
Ages 8 and up
Were the Apollo visits to the moon a hoax? Have aliens landed on Earth? Bad Astronomy: Myths and Misconceptions tackles pseudoscience. “Bad Astronomer” Phil Plait takes a look at popular misconceptions about space and how science evaluates questionable claims. Narrated by WJR-AM Detroit’s radio personality Rachel Nevada.

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The February Sky

Capella, sixth brightest star in the night sky, is nearly overhead this month, as it shines
its yellowwhite light. Since the name Capella comes from the Latin for “female goat,” the stars seen in a nearby triangle are known as “The Kids.” Not a real grouping of stars, The Kids are an accidental alignment. South of Capella, though, is an authentic star cluster — the Pleiades. Beautifully described by Robert Burnham of the Lowell Observatory outside Flagstaff, Arizona, they do indeed ...glitter like an array of icy blue diamonds on black velvet; the...impression is increased by the nebulous haze which swirls about the stars and reflects their gleaming radiance like pale moonlight on a field of snow crystals.

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Science Sundays

A new program series that focuses on astronomy and environmental science. Astronomers, science writers, a geophysicist, and an artist-inventor present the newest developments that enable us to understand our universe.
Last Sunday of the month - 2:30 pm. FREE with Museum admission

Mars: Beautiful, but Hostile to Life (as we know it)
January 31, 2010
Long the focus of hopes and fears that it could harbor extraterrestrial life, the planet Mars has revealed itself to be a mysterious, beautiful, and inhospitable place. Dr. Mary Lou West of Montclair State University will take us on tour of Mars, visiting its most spectacular locations, and detailing the many challenges any living thing on Mars would face. Ages 8+

Radio Yonkers Is On the Air!
February 28, 2010
You are part of the action in a sci-fi adventure from the golden age of radio drama! Fordham University professor Monique Fortuné takes us on a whirlwind tour of radio technology and the important role played by Yonkers’ own Edwin Howard Armstrong in the development of FM broadcasting. Then with help from Fordham’s station WFUV, we’ll stage a performance of a classic radio script, with the audience providing character voices, crowd noise, and sound effects. Ages 8+

Gravity, Energy and Space: The Art of Tom Shannon
March 28, 2010
Wood, metal, and invisible magnetic fields are the tools of artist-inventor Tom Shannon as he makes the vast distances and invisible forces of our universe tangible. Currently developing a spherical helium airship whose entire surface is an LED video screen, Shannon holds patents for the first tactile telephone, a color television projector, and a synchronous world clock. He will talk about his work and look at the radical future possibilities for his work. Ages 10+

Astronomy Day, 2010
April 25, 2010
A Hudson River Museum annual event, it coincides with National Astronomy Day to celebrate astronomy discoveries. Performances, talks, demonstrations, telescopic sky observations, stars shows, and hands-on activities. Join artist/inventor Tom Shannon this Astronomy Day to create images reminiscent of nature at its smallest and largest scales, from the subatomic to the supergalactic. All ages.

Mapping the Hidden Worlds of the Hudson and the Poles
May 23, 2010
Dr. Robin E. Bell, Palisades Geophysical Institute Senior Research Scientist at Columbia University, explores unseen worlds, not in space but here on Earth. Leading the Benthic Mapping Project, which studies sediment collection and erosion in the Hudson River, she also mapped a range of mountains buried by the Antarctic icecap. Dr. Bell discusses the dynamics of ice sheet changes that affect weather patterns, ocean circulation, arctic life, and sea level. A Polar Fair follows: Demonstrations and activities by staff from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University and Museum Junior Docents will show the effects a change in sea level would have on the Hudson River Valley we know and love. Ages 8+

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Valentines Day

Sunday, February 14
5 - 7:30 pm
Valentine’s Day Under the Stars
(for 60 couples)

• Planetarium Show: Love stories written in the sky’s stars
• Create a Constellation Keepsake
• Valentine Reception: hors d’oeuvres, champagne, wine
(2 drinks per person) Catered by Chefs at Work.
• Live music by City Winds Trio.

Reservations required.
$60 a couple;
$30 Member couples

Call 914.963.4550, x350 to leave your name and telephone number.
The Museum will return your call to process your full payment, which
guarantees your place. Amex, Visa, MasterCard accepted. No refunds
after February 5

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