Calendar of Events

Out There: Quest For Extra Solar Worlds
2026-08-04 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-05 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
Out there: For thousands of years, humans thought of Earth as the center of the Universe. We now know that most stars have planets. All these strange new worlds, just waiting to be discovered.

Fragile Planet
2026-08-04 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-05 14:00 - 15:00
Fragile Planet: Fly out to the farthest reaches of the universe and up through Earth’s atmosphere to gain an astronaut’s view of your home—the only planet currently known to support life.

Europe To The Stars
2026-08-05 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-07 13:00 - 14:00
Europe to the Stars: Go behind the scenes at the most productive ground-based observatory in the world, revealing the science, history, technology and people. Discover the European Southern Observatory in a story of cosmic curiosity, courage and perseverance

The Little Star That Could
2026-08-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-07 10:00 - 11:00
The Little Star That Could: A story about Little Star, an average yellow star in search of planets of his own to protect and warm. Along the way, he meets other stars and learns what makes each star special

Bella Gaia
2026-08-06 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-07 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-08-08 13:00 - 14:00
Bella Gaia: Go on a spectacular journey around planet Earth simulating the transformative effect astronauts feel while orbiting above. This poetic musical journey features astounding NASA visualizations of science data and enveloping scenery from around the world.h

Moles: What Is Out There?
2026-08-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-11 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-12 10:00 - 11:00
Moles: What’s Out There?: This story follows Plato the mole, who lives in a dark burrow full of mystery and surprises. He’s a curious and thoughtful creature, fascinated by the light peeking through from just outside his burrow.

Sun Touches Humanity
2026-08-10 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-11 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-12 14:00 - 15:00
Sun Touches Humanity: In early 2025, NASA launched a Small Explorer mission called PUNCH, a constellation of satellites in orbit that make observations of the heliosphere. In 2024, Parker Solar Probe made its closest approach to the Sun. ​​Learn how PUNCH and Parker are helping scientists unravel the mysteries of the Sun’s corona.

Rising Star
2026-08-10 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-12 13:00 - 14:00
Rising Star: Go on an astronomical journey from our beginnings through the development of astronomy research in South Africa and see what the future of astronomy holds for the country.

One Sky
2026-08-13 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-14 10:00 - 11:00
One Sky: A series of seven short fulldome films and a compiled full-length feature film focusing on cultural and Indigenous astronomy. This international collaboration seeks to build cross-cultural connections and increase understanding of different indigenous perspectives while demonstrating how our one sky connects us all.

Life's Question
2026-08-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-14 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-14 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-08-15 13:00 - 14:00
Life’s Question: Whether inside your body, or in lakes full of arsenic and salt, or in a small drop of water, life has adapted and has made this planet an inhabitable world. But, what are the possibilities of a complex process like this, also existing beyond heaven and beyond Earth? Maybe … on another planet?

Rusty Rocket's Last Blast!
2026-08-17 10:00 - 23:00, 2026-08-18 10:00 - 23:00
Rusty Rocket’s Last Blast: Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the solar system. Fly across Saturn’s rings, soar along a Martian canyon; delve deep into the solar interior!

Messengers of Time and Space
2026-08-17 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-18 13:00 - 14:00
Messengers of Time and Space: A new age of astronomy is just about to start that will allow researchers to capture exploding stars, colliding black holes and other cosmic cataclysms in real time.

Back To The Moon For Good
2026-08-17 14:00 - 15:00
Back to the Moon for Good: The show opens with the first era of space exploration, then looks to a possible future. Google Lunar XPRIZE is designed to democratize space and create new opportunities for eventual human and robotic presence on the Moon
