Take a trip to the stars in OMSI's Harry C. Kendall Planetarium, the largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in the Pacific Northwest. The 52-foot, domed theater features educational astronomy shows with state-of-the-art, full-dome digital video. The planetarium offers a variety of educational and entertaining multi-media presentations on astronomy, space science and laser programs.

Days: Tuesday - Friday
Capacity: 120 - 190 (see individual shows for details)
Duration: 20-45 minutes
Fee: $3 per person

All groups must register at least ten days in advance to receive the discounted rate. Schedule and shows are subject to change.

Extreme Planets
Grades 4-Adult | 25 minutes | Capacity 120
Visit a world where liquid rock breaks against a pitch-black shoreline of molten lava, or one with a madly spinning burned-out sun above. Extreme Planets takes viewers on a tour of places so strange and exotic, they once were found only in science fiction.

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
Grades 4-Adult | 25 minutes | Capacity 120
There's a place from which nothing escapes, not even light, where time and space literally come to an end. It's at this point, inside this fantastic riddle, that black holes exert their sway over the cosmos... and our imaginations.

Zip through other-worldly wormholes, experience the creation of the Milky Way Galaxy, and witness the violent death of a star and subsequent birth of a black hole. Mathematical equations, cutting-edge science, and Einstein's theories fill in holes along the way, providing the most complete picture yet on this mysterious phenomenon.
Spanish soundtrack available for this presentation.
Download the Teacher's Guide for this film.

Cosmic Collisions
Grades 4-Adult | 25 minutes | Capacity 120
At first glance, the night sky appears calm and peaceful, but travel beyond your line of vision deep into space and the reality is different. Brilliant planetary impacts and wondrous celestial fireworks are commonplace. Narrated by Robert Redford, this show reveals the explosive encounters that shaped our solar system, changed the course of life on Earth, and continue to transform our galaxy and universe today.
Download the Teacher's Guide for this film.

Pacific Northwest Skies
Grades 4-Adult | 25 or 40 minutes | Capacity 190
Longer version includes live presentation.
Learn about the constellations, planets and celestial highlights that can be seen above the Pacific Northwest region at this stunning star show.

Chirpie's Magical Sky
Pre-K - K | 15 minutes | Capacity 120
Join Chirpie, a friendly bird, on a three-dimensional journey through the four seasons. Under the 360-degree dome, Chirpie will take young audiences through a spring rain shower, follow the summer sun as it rises in the east and sets in the west, dodge falling leaves from a tree, and gaze at the stars at night.

Infinity Express
Grades 4-Adult | 30 minutes | Capacity 120
Take an exciting journey of discovery, from the search of the solar system to the mapping of the Universe. See breathtaking images from the Hubble Space Telescope that show the life cycle of stars. Experience the eventual collision of our Milky Way Galaxy with the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy, then plunge down and sweep through the gigantic Valles Marineris canyon using the latest data from the Mars Global Surveyor.
Spanish soundtrack available for this presentation.

MARS
Grades 4-Adults | 25 minutes | Capacity: 120
MARS forges through the science and the fiction, fast-forwarding to the space age and the dusty, cratered world of Mariner, Viking and Pathfinder missions. Join in the latest discoveries from a new generation of Mars exploration craft and take a speculative look into the future.

Passport to the Universe
Grades 4-Adult | 25 minutes | Capacity 190
This amazing multimedia show takes audiences to up-close views of star fields and planets, on an exhilarating flight through a virtual re-creation of our universe, into the Orion Nebula, and deep into intergalactic space. After reaching the edges of our known universe, the tour takes a "virtual shortcut" back to Earth - in a headlong freefall through a black hole.
Spanish soundtrack available for this presentation.
Download the Teacher's Guide for this film.

The Search for Life: Are We Alone?
Grades 4-Adult | 25 minutes | Capacity 190
Narrated by Harrison Ford, The Search for Life: Are We Alone? focuses on three relatively recent discoveries: life on Earth can survive in extreme, inhospitable environments; there are innumerable planets; and all planets are formed from the same cosmic processes. Learn why these new discoveries have scientists excited about the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe.
Spanish soundtrack available for this presentation.
Download the Teacher's Guide for this film.

Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Grades Pre-K-4 | 30 minutes or 45 minutes | Capacity 120
Climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket with two young adventurers and get a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our solar system's planets with the help of a wise guide called Astronomy Book.
Download the Teacher's Guide for this film.

Secrets of the Sun
Grades 4-Adult | 25 minutes | Capacity 120
From the nuclear forces churning at its heart to the mass ejections of solar material into surrounding space, experience the power of the Sun and its impact on the planets and, ultimately, life on Earth. Trace the life cycle of the Sun itself, going back to its beginnings and moving forward in time to its eventual death.

The Planets
Grades 4-6 | 40 minutes | Capacity 190
From Mercury to Pluto, the film The Planets explores the wonders of the solar system without leaving the surface of the earth! This program examines the basic characteristics of each of the nine planets in our solar system, and includes a live presentation.
Download the Teacher's Guide for this film.

Laser Matinee Shows are also available for group showings. For details on current shows, please see the Laser Matinee section of our Laser Show website.