Stars and Constellations
Stars and Constellations
Stars and Constellations
Journey to the stars with this collection of shows. Show titles are organized by recommended grade level. Click on the title of a show to view a trailer.The Little Star That Could (Gr. 1 - 3)
An average star is born from a great cloud of gas and dust. We follow his journey through space, searching for planets and a name for himself. He encounters stars of all sizes and temperatures, including a hot blue star and the double stars Goldie and Sapphire, but none of them can give him any planets. Finally, the Milky Way speaks to him and reveals where his planets have been hiding. His planets tell him all about themselves and give him his special name (no, I'm not going to reveal it here: you'll have to come to see the show!). Download the K-2 Educator Guide or the 3-6 Educator Guide.
Legends of the Night Sky: Orion (Gr. 2 - 6)
Legends of the Night Sky: Orion is the world’s first traditionally animated fulldome movie. Legends takes an imaginative look at the stories and legends about Orion, the great hunter of the winter sky.
Greek mythology will never seem the same once you’ve seen this fun-filled production from AudioVisual Imagineering and Spitz Creative Media. Download the Educator Guide.
The Stargazer (Gr. 4 - 7)
Come along on a journey to the stars with University of Illinois astronomer Jim Kaler. Nichelle Nichols and Dr. Kaler narrate this three-part personal look at astronomy. The show begins with a child's curiosity, moves on to the science of gravity, light, the spectrum, and how they help us decipher the stars' lifestyles, then ends with reflections on the deeper meanings of astronomy in our lives.
From Earth to the Universe (Gr. 5 - adult) (Also available in Spanish)
The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths, and awe for as long as there have been people. A desire to comprehend the universe may well be humanity’s oldest shared intellectual experience. Yet only recently have we truly begun to grasp our place in the vast cosmos. To learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience From the Earth to the Universe.
Living in Balance (Gr. 5 - adult)
Living in Balance: Anishinaabe Star Knowledge highlights Anishinaabe stories of constellations and moons in relation to contemporary insights about environmental changes. Teachings shared by Native Skywatchers Carl Gawboy, William Wilson, and Dr. Annette S. Lee are narrated by Aarin Dokum with Anishinaabemowin translations by Alphonse Pitawanakwat set to art by Elizabeth LaPensée. Download the Educator Guide.
Stars: Powerhouses of the Universe (Gr. 5 - adult)
Every star has a story. Some are as old as time, faint, and almost forgotten. Others burn bright and end their lives in powerful explosions. New stars are created every day. Discover the lives of stars, how they are born and die, and how human understanding of the stars has changed over time. Journey to the farthest reaches of our galaxy and experience both the astonishing beauty and destructive power of Stars. Download the Educator Guide.
Stars of the Pharaohs (Gr. 6 - adult)
Travel to ancient Egypt to see how science was used to tell time, make a workable calendar, and align huge buildings. Uncover the connection the ancient Egyptians felt with the stars and various astronomical phenomena and experience some of the ancient world's most spectacular temples and tombs recreated in all of their original splendor.
Starsigns (Gr. 8 - adult)
The astrological signs take their names from the star patterns people found long ago in a sky they considered sacred and influential in the affairs of Earth. Although we see things differently today, we can still go outside and find these patterns in a sky filled with signs and stories of our own making. And those stars can still guide us, not from the pages of a newspaper, but in real ways that can link us with the past and lead us to the stars themselves.