Calendar of Events

Rising Star
2026-08-10 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-12 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
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.

Moles: What Is Out There?
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
2026-08-11 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.

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, 2026-08-19 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, 2026-08-19 14:00 - 15:00
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, 2026-08-19 13:00 - 14:00
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

Little Draggy Adventure
2026-08-20 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-21 10:00 - 11:00
Little Draggy Adventure: 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.

Earthquake
2026-08-20 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-21 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-22 13:00 - 14:00
Earthquake: Fly along the San Andreas Fault before diving into the planet’s interior. Journey back in time to witness the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and the break-up of Pangaea 200 million years ago.

Traveling With Light
2026-08-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-25 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-26 10:00 - 11:00
Travelling with Light: Through the conversation between a child and his mother, this show tackles the importance of light in all areas of our lives. The movie presents different scenarios that reveal the complexity of light and its influence on our planet.t

Dark
2026-08-24 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-25 13:00 - 14:00
Dark: The search for dark matter is the most pressing astrophysical problem of our time – the solution to which will help us understand why the Universe is as it is, where it came from, and how it has evolved over billions of years.
