The Tyler Junior College Earth & Space Science Center featuring Hudnall Planetarium has announced a slate of new dome shows — plus special operating hours during spring break.
For the week of March 12-16, the science center will be open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Admission to individual dome shows is $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and seniors (ages 65 and up). Day passes are also available for $12 for adults and $9 for children, students and seniors.
The science center is located at 1411 E. Lake St., on the TJC central campus. Parking is free.
Spring break dome shows and times
• Children’s Show — 10 a.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday
The planetarium offers a variety of shows for children ages 10 & under, including: “Accidental Astronauts,” “The Little Star That Could,” “From the Blue Planet to the Red Planet,” “Earth, Moon & Sun: The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” and “Dinosaur Passage to Pangaea.” A different show will be selected each day.
• “Dinosaurs: A Story of Survival” — 11 a.m. Tuesday-Friday
Like almost all children, Celeste is fascinated with dinosaurs. She is preparing a talk for her class about how they went extinct when Moon, a very wise and magical character, poses an interesting question: What if I told you that there are still dinosaurs among us?
Celeste will join Moon in a journey through time. An exciting adventure that will show them the Earth as it was in the very, very distant past. They will see the fascinating transformations that these animals underwent over millions of years, creating giant creatures, armored beasts and super predators, until the day that a cataclysmic impact event caused a mass extinction on Earth.
But all is not lost. Celeste will discover the key to their survival.
• “Great Barrier Reef” — noon Tuesday-Saturday
Narrated by acclaimed actor Eric Bana, “Great Barrier Reef” captures the natural beauty and exquisite strangeness of the world’s largest living wonder and introduces audiences to the visionaries and citizen scientists who are helping us better understand and protect this awesome, bizarre and vibrant living world.
• “Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker” — 1 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
Between a jagged cliff and a roaring ocean lives a colony of Australian sea lions. In an environment as equally harsh as it is beautiful, viewers are immersed in a classic coming-of-age tale guided by one of Australia’s most unique, intelligent and playful animals.
The film looks inside a colony of creatures where a life of closeness, tenderness and clumsiness sometimes gives way to great sacrifice and bravery. Dive into the world of a rare Australian sea lion pup — and meet the people who are trying to save her species.
• “Eclipse: The Sun Revealed” — 2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
On April 8, 2024, the Moon will cast its shadow ow on the Earth, tracing a narrow path across North America. If you stand in just the right place, you will see the Moon cover up the Sun in a total solar eclipse. Don’t miss the incredible experience. Learn how to safely observe eclipses, why they happen, and how the study of eclipses has advanced science. Where will you be on April 8?
• “Mountain Adventure: Out of Bounds” — 3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
Follow Olympian Torah Bright as she journeys through the world’s longest chain of mountain ranges extending from Antarctica all the way to Alaska.
Along the way, Torah will ride with backcountry legend Jeremy Jones and free-skiing superstar Sammy Carlson. Together, they will encounter penguins, polar bears and other wildlife, and meet with scientists and environmentalists to uncover a deeper understanding of our mountain ecosystems.
• “Extreme Auroras” — 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
Created by award-winning photographer Ole Salomonsen, “Extreme Auroras” is a visual feast. Join Salomonsen as he travels through northern Norway, Finland and Sweden in pursuit of his passion to film nature’s wildest and most spectacular light show: the aurora borealis, or northern lights.
Filmed with fisheye lenses that capture the whole sky and then projected in the full-dome theater, audiences will feel immersed in the arctic wilderness, witnessing this awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.
For a complete listing of TJC science center shows or to purchase tickets, go to sciencecenter.tjc.edu.