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Stargazing/Laser Evenings

Stargazing

star gazingThe Virginia Living Museum offers free stargazing beginning at sunset on the second Saturday of every month. Stargazing is weather dependent. Several telescopes are set up on the grounds and staff astronomers are available to help visitors identify objects in the night sky.

The evening also includes a planetarium program and several laser shows. Shows are $3 for VLM members, $6 for non-members. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members.

The Wild Side Café is open on Stargazing – Laser evenings (times vary).

Laser Nights

Looking for some Saturday night fun? Start with a planetarium program. Then experience a sensory extravaganza as laser shows provide music to both the eyes and ears every second Saturday of the month. The museum has an incredible laser system that splashes brilliant high-color LED laser light all across the entire surface of the dome. It’s the most amazing light show you’ve ever seen! Plus, there’s music to suit every taste. Different bands are featured every month.

Cost: Members $3, non-members $6 per show. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased in advance.

**Cancelled**

Saturday, March 14

Free observing begins at approximately 6:00 p.m.

Show Cost: Members $3 per show, non-members $6 per show. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members.

Purchase Tickets Now

 

Laser Spirit

Time: 6:30 pm
Recommended: ages 6 and above

Celebrate our great nation and her heroes with this dazzling mix of music of and inspired by America. Enjoy hits from Lee Greenwood, Kansas, The Beatles, Gloria Estefan and many others! Enjoy laser fireworks in the cool of the Abbitt Planetarium!

Show Playlist

  • Summon the Heroes by John Williams
  • Beautiful Day by U2
  • Music by Madonna
  • Beatles Medley by The Beatles
  • Reach by Gloria Estefan
  • Santorini by Yanni
  • Rock Lobster by The B52s
  • Birds Fly by Icicle Works
  • Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas
  • Patriotic Medley including Aaron Copeland & Lee Greenwood

Virginia Skies

Time: 7:30 pm

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.

Hypnotica

Time: 8:30pm

Techno and lasers – perfect together. Join us for a body-shaking laser experience with pulsing beats, dazzling lights, and incredibly imagery. Featuring bands like The Crystal Method, Delerium, Faithless and many more.

This program is family-friendly: Inappropriate song lyrics have been eliminated or blanked.

Show Playlist

  • Trip Like I Do by the Crystal Method
  • Love Island by Fat Boy Slim
  • Insomnia by Faithless
  • Narayan by Prodigy
  • Joga by Björk
  • Silence by Delerium
  • Music: Response by The Chemical Brothers
  • Acid 8000 by Fat Boy Slim
  • Comin’ Back by The Crystal Method
  • Setting Sun by the Chemical Brothers

Laser Queen

Time: 10pm
Recommended: ages 15 and above

There can be only one… Laser Queen! Since its World Premiere at Pacific Science Center, Laser Queen has been an instantclassic for audiences of all ages. Queen perfected the art of creating the most epic, and immortal rock anthems of all time. Freddie Mercury may be gone, but the Queen saga lives on! The rock will be loud, emotions high, and LASER light bright when we play all the sing-along hits: “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Under Pressure,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and of course “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Playlist

  • Stone Cold Crazy
  • Princes of the Universe
  • Killer Queen
  • Bohemian Rhapsody
  • We Are the Champions
  • Fat Bottomed Girls
  • Under Pressure
  • We Will Rock You
  • Bicycle Race
  • Another One Bites the Dust
  • Best Friend
  • Flash
  • Crazy Little Thing Called Love
  • Somebody to Love
  • I Want it All

Dark Side of the Moon

Time: 11:30pm
Recommended: ages 15 and above

From the very beginning of lasers, this album has represented the ultimate in laser show experiences. And it’s still true today. Join us for the seminal laser show experience with one of the most incredible albums of all time. Considered by many critics to be the album that brought the commercial breakthrough to Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon offers a mixture of psychedelic, rock and jazz sounds. Its sonic backdrops and atmospheric soundscapes combined with a unique assortment of sound effects yield an emotional resonance. When accompanied by a diverse and unusual display of laser art, the overall feel is a dramatic and haunting atmosphere.

Some of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.Please be aware that volume levels during our Pink Floyd program will be high and the imagery can be intense.

Playlist

  • Speak to Me
  • Breathe
  • On the Run
  • Time
  • The Great Gig in the Sky
  • Speak to Me
  • Breathe
  • On the Run
  • Time
  • The Great Gig in the Sky

Saturday, April 11

Free observing begins at approximately 8 pm.

Show Cost: Members $3 per show, non-members $6 per show. Double features are $5 for VLM members and $10 for non-members.

Purchase Tickets Now

 

Hollywood vs. Reality: Apollo 13

Time: 6 pm

Our Astronomy Expert, Dr. Kelly Herbst, will compare and contrast the actual events of Apollo 13 to what was showed in the 1995 docudrama Apollo 13.

 

 

 

Virginia Skies

Time: 7:30 pm

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.

Laser Beatles

Time: 8:30 pm

The Fab Four fill the theater with music and laser light in this exciting and fun show for the whole family. Featuring great Beatles hits like Revolution, Nowhere Man, Help, and tons more, this show is as timeless as the Beatles themselves. All ages and backgrounds will appreciate this fantasy tribute of music and light to The Beatles and how they helped define a generation.

This program is family-friendly: Inappropriate song lyrics have been eliminated or blanked.

Show Playlist

  • Magical Mystery Tour
  • I Wanna Hold Your Hand
  • Twist and Shout
  • A Hard Day’s Night
  • Nowhere Man
  • Help!
  • Yesterday
  • Octopus’ Garden
  • Revolution
  • Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
  • A Day in the Life

    • Laser Aerosmith

    Time: 10 pmLaser Aerosmith

    Laser Aerosmith features hits by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers including “Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way,” “Dream On,” “Back in the Saddle,” and “Train Kept A-Rollin’.” The songs may be retro, but the light displays and multimedia experience are state of the art.

    Show Playlist

    • Sweet Emotion
    • Livin’ on the Edge
    • Jaded
    • Janie’s Got a Gun
    • Walk this Way
    • Dude (Looks Like a Lady)
    • Dream On
    • Angel’s Eye
    • Train Kept a-Rollin’
    • Love in an Elevator
    • Back in the Saddle
    • What Kind of Love are You On

    The Wall

    Time: 11:30pm
    Recommended: ages 15 and above

    The Wall is best considered as a continual story rather than a collection of individual songs. It tells the tale of a rock star named Pink and his downward spiral into madness. To the listener, and indeed many critics, The Wall is a gripping and spellbinding musical journey – beautiful, haunting, powerful and thought provoking. It is a timeless classic, and one of Pink Floyd’s best, becoming the group’s second best seller behind Dark Side of the Moon.

    Now coupled with spectacular and mesmerizing laser art, Pink Floyd’s classic 1979 epic about personal struggle takes on a unique look, weaving its story in one of the most popular laser shows ever produced! Visitors will become lost and spellbound as their senses join this timeless journey.

    Please note that we do not recommend this program for children under the age of 15.

    Some of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.

    Please be aware that volume levels during our Pink Floyd program will be high and the imagery can be intense.

    Playlist

    • In the Flesh
    • The Thin Ice
    • Another Brick in the Wall (Part I)
    • The Happiest Days of Our Lives
    • Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)
    • Mother
    • Goodbye Blue Sky
    • Empty Spaces
    • Young Lust
    • Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)
    • Hey You
    • Comfortably Numb
    • Stop
    • The Trial

     

    Connecting people to nature through educational experiences that promote conservation.