Planetarium Shows

Dates: January 28, 29, 30, 31 (times vary). Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

The sky at night holds fascination for people of all ages. Join us in the Abbitt Planetarium for a look into the night sky and a fascinating retelling one of the classic Greek legends surrounding the constellations that can be found there. Perseus, one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology, rescued the Ethiopian princess Andromeda from the sea monster. Children and adults alike will enjoy this delightful program.

Dates: February 4-7 (times vary). Check the calendar.

Recommended: ages 9 and below accompanied by an adult

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

Cocomong is very curious about space. But reading about space in books makes it seem so far away. That’s when Halley, a friendly alien, drops in!

Halley has come to Earth all the way from Titan in order to protect the last remaining Star Gem from the evil Virus King. If Halley wants to find the other Star Gems and rescue his parents, then he needs the help of Cocomong and his friends! However, Halley’s home Titan is by Saturn which is really far away, even farther than Mars or Jupiter. Will they be able to make it all the way safe and sound? “I guess we won t know until we go. So, let s get on the spaceship and blast off!

Dates: February 11-14.

Times: Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

The vastness of our planet’s oceans guards unimaginable secrets. One of its most precious is “Kaluoka’hina”, the enchanted reef whose magic protects it against humans finding it. Kaluoka’hina’s colorful inhabitants have thus always lived in peace…until the volcano erupts, and the spell is broken.

Now it’s up to the young sawfish Jake and his paranoid pal Shorty to restore the magic of Kaluoka’hina. Their only lead: the ancient legend that tells of touching the moon. But how is a fish supposed to touch the moon? This is just one of the intriguing puzzles that Jake and Shorty have to solve on their most exciting adventure ever: the quest to save their beloved reef.

Dates: February 18-21.

Times: Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

What happens when a frisky little polar bear named Lars ventures out on the first day of spring? He explores his Arctic home, meets new friends, and saves some endangered whales. Lars the Little Polar Bear is the beloved star of a children’s book “Little Polar Bear and the Whales” authored by Hans de Beer in 2008. It’s the perfect basis for a fulldome show to teach young children about nature, climate change — and a little astronomy.

Dates: February 25-28 (times vary). Check the calendar.

Recommended: ages 9 and below accompanied by an adult

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

The stalwart heroes of The Zula Patrol are on an expedition collecting samples of weather for Multo’s research – using their loyal pet Gorga’s ability to collect and bottle all kinds of weather. When one member of The Zula Patrol inadvertently hurts Gorga’s feelings, he decides to leave Zula and find a planet in the Solar System on which to live. Interplanetary villain Dark Truder, along with his talking toupee, Traxie, takes advantage of the situation to trick Gorga into helping him take the weather from the Solar System planets – part of this latest nefarious scheme to rule the Universe (and find the legendary Kaboobie Ruby). The Zula Patrol discovers Dark Truder’s plan and goes after him – discovering all about weather in the process, both terrestrial and interplanetary.

January 19 – May 10: days and times vary. Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

Imagine yourself on a ship on the open sea. No land in sight in any direction. At night, the only light comes from the brilliant stars shining high above. Those stars are vital to your survival. Without them, you have no hope of finding your way safely to the land called the New World. Thus it was for the men who made the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean from England to Virginia. And when they landed on this virgin shore, they still looked to the sky, and the stars, that reminded them of the home they had left behind. This program includes a live discussion of the stars, planets and other heavenly bodies we see today in skies above Jamestown.

Dates: January 2 – March 1 . Check the calendar.

Times: 12:30pm

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

The exploration of space is the greatest endeavor that humankind has ever undertaken. What does it take to be part of this incredible journey? What does it take to become an astronaut?

Astronaut, the latest immersive planetarium show to be created by the National Space Center, takes you from Earth into space… and beyond.

Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner and outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Discover the perils that lurk in space as we subject ‘Chad’, our test astronaut, to everything that space has to throw at him.

Presented in stunning high definition 360 degree Full dome video and explosive surround sound, Astronaut is an experience like nothing on Earth.

March 2 – May 10: days and times vary. Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

This fulldome program, narrated by Tim Allen, looks back at the history of lunar exploration and then at some of the teams racing to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon and win the Google Lunar XPRIZE. See a successful launch, landing and tour of the lunar surface, and a visualization of a future settlement on the moon.

The show opens with the first era of space exploration in the late 1960s and early 1970s. See what that era of landers and orbiters taught us about our nearest neighbor including the discovery of the Moon’s origin, composition, structure and the accessibility of raw materials on its surface.

The Google Lunar XPRIZE is designed to democratize space and create new opportunities for eventual human and robotic presence on the Moon. See the engineering and innovation steps taken by the internationally distributed teams competing to land a spacecraft on the Moon and vie for additional prizes. The show highlights the human spirit of competition and collaboration as teams take on this audacious challenge. Who will win the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE? The audience is taken through a successful launch, landing and lunar surface travel. The show ends with a stunning glimpse of a plausible scenario for our future on the Moon.

Recommended: ages 10 and above.
Made possible by the X Prize Foundation

Saturdays in February at 4:30pm

Cost: Admission free, does not include admission to the Museum.

“Follow the Drinking Gourd” takes us back to the days when freedom was nothing more than a dream for those held in slavery. Some looked for hope to a certain constellation with its bright shining star. The story is a poignant and inspiring tale of one African-American family’s desperate flight to freedom and how they used constellations to guide the way. The program is based on a children’s book, “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. This production incorporates historical images from the local region, Winter’s original artwork and music by Lovey Williams into a timeless experience that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Ongoing: days and times vary. Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

Explore the evening skies above Virginia in this classic planetarium presentation. A staff astronomer will discuss seasonal constellations as well as any planets visible. Additional topics may be explored depending on celestial happenings around the time of your visit.

Dates: January 14, 15, 16, 17 (times vary). Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

Explore the evening sky and meet a friendly owl who spins a tale of the winter constellation Orion. Presented in dazzling laser lights, this is an exciting and often humorous version of the classic Greek legend of Orion.

Dates: January 21, 22, 23, 24 (times vary). Check the calendar.

Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.

Take off on a lunar adventure with a curious stowaway cat! A delightful cartoon feature for children of all ages!