Click on the show title to see a trailer of the program.
Astronomy: 3000 Years of Stargazing
Astronomy is often called the “oldest science.” This program follows the progression of astronomy to its infancy with Stonehenge, Thales and Ptolemy to the modern day developments of the Hubble Space Telescope. A perfect blend of science and history. Show length: 34 minutes
From ancient Egyptian tombs, Indian rituals, cherry blossoms, and city scenes in Tokyo and New York, this beautiful fulldome show explores the relationship between human civilization and our ecosystem through time. It illuminates humanity’s impact on nature in a way that taps audiences’ emotional intelligence. Show length: 25 minutes
A live-action fulldome film that takes viewers on a journey to the North country to learn about the nature and wildlife of the regions within the Arctic Circle. Audiences see the expedition through the eyes of a grandfather telling a story to his grandson about a journey in search of a mythical fox. Show length: 19 minutes
How did our solar system originate? What chain of events led to its creation? Just as detectives look for traces of evidence to solve a mystery, astronomers analyze the evidence that points to the formation of the Sun and planets. In particular, they study the influence that impacts and collisions had on the worlds of the solar system. The most dramatic evidence for this collisional history of solar system evolution are the impact craters found on almost all the bodies in the solar system, including Earth. These surface scars tell us the formation history of planets, moons, and rings was violent. Yet today, we live in a relatively stable solar system, made possible by the shattering collisions that shaped our worlds. Show length: 21 minutes
Body Code/Neurodome (No trailer. Our apologies.)
A brain-body double feature. The Body Code shrinks audiences down to minuscule proportions to discover the many workings of the human body from tip to toe. The second presentation, Neuro dome, introduces us to the humna brain, the most complex object in the known universe. Combined show length: 36 minutes
Western science and ages-old spiritual wisdom have been considered as contradictions for a long time. With the rise of quantum and particle physics and new knowledge in astrophysics, our minds have been opened to a new perception of the universe. Yet we find unexpected and astonishing parallels to old wisdom passed on over millennia by ancient spiritual traditions all over the world. Show length: 45 minutes
Explore the work being done around the globe to help make the dream of getting humans to Mars a reality. Fly through the International Space Station, where astronauts are already living and working in space. Follow the rockets and vehicles that will take humans beyond the Moon and, one day, all the way to Mars! Travel along as we imagine this remarkable journey. Show length: 32 minutes
Hop aboard the Space Express in the year 2096 to explore the Sun, moon and major planets. Join Jesse, your highly enthusiastic tour guide and Max, the omni-competent on-board computer, on an odyssey around our dynamic solar system. See solar flares, Martian canyons, exotic outer worlds moons and even glide through Saturn’s magnificent ring system. Show length: 33 minutes
A whirlwind time travel adventure back to the epoch of the dinosaurs! We have to tell you that we’ve been waiting eons to announce that we have a full dome, computer animated dinosaurs show! A larger than life extravaganza rife with roaring monsters from the ancient age: bounding, stomping, flying, hunting, and foraging frenetically above us. Propel yourself back through the epochs to explore an Earth teeming with Pteradons, Triceratrops and, of course, the ferocious and therefore wonderfully marketable T-Rex And, if we can say so, this is NOT your great great great grandfather’s dinosaur show with slides and lethargic Sunday afternoon nature special narration. Instead, we’re embarking on a causality violating adventure through time to discover a planet dominated by the largest land animals that ever set claw to topsoil. Come back to the Southworth Planetarium and then venture back to the Mesozoic era for a personal odyssey through the realm of the dinosaurs. Show length: 43 minutes
Earth experiences hundreds of Earthquakes every day. Many are hardly perceptible. Some prove catastrophic. What causes earthquakes? Can we ever predict them? How can we prepare for future quakes? Show length: 26 minutes
A lunar colonist and his grandchildren watch a solar eclipse from the lunar surface and discuss the wild systems of our dynamic planet Earth. Show length: 20 minutes
The omni-dome “Eight Planets and Counting” program guides you through the solar system: from our parent star, the Sun, out to the realm beyond Neptune. Along the way, we’ll visit each of the eight planets in turn, we’ll explore the Moon, and we’ll fly through the asteroid belt. Show length: 32 minutes
Exoplanets: Discovering New Worlds
This exciting new show describes how astronomers search for planets circling other stars. It explains the two main methods they use: studying the minute “wobbles” of stars and detecting flickers in a star’s brightness. Only a few Earth-like planets have been found, and as of yet, no extraterrestrial life has been found on any of the worlds discovered so far. Yet, it’s likely to be only a matter of time before a world teeming with life shows up in astronomy surveys of stars in our galactic neighborhood.
Right now, we know of only one world where life exists: ours! But it is likely there are other places in the galaxy where life has evolved and thrived. What if that life is intelligent? Has it tried to contact us? This show speculates on the possibility of such life, and points out nearby civilizations may already know about us — from our radio and TV broadcast signals. Show length: 30 minutes
Explore the coral reefs of planet Earth! We learn how coral reefs form, how they’re endangered and how scientists are working to rejuvenate bleached coral. One of the most beautiful programs we’ve ever offered! Show length: 27 minutes
Force 5/Aurora Storm
Our weather/space weather double feature. ‘Force 5’ focuses on extreme weather events: hurricanes, tornadoes, and space storms. ‘Aurora Storm’ is an 11-minute program about the science and mythology of the aurora borealis, or northern lights.
Fragile Planet gives audiences an astronaut’s view of Earth, highlighting Earths unique regions. The journey then continues to the Moon, Mars, and beyond the Milky Way to search for habitats that might host extraterrestrial life. The show’s theme — that Earth is the only known haven for life, and thus is important to protect — echoes the themes of biodiversity and sustainability.
The visual foundation of the show lies in scientific visualization. From the high-resolution satellite imagery of Earth, the positions of galaxies more than 50 million light years distant, the three-dimensional terrain of Valles Marineris on Mars to the locations of extrasolar planetary systems in interstellar space, everything audiences will see in Fragile Planet has a basis in astronomers’ best understanding of the Universe. Show length: 25 minutes
From Dream to Discovery: Inside NASA
Immerse your audiences in the adventure and extremes of spacecraft engineering in From Dream To Discovery: Inside NASA, a 2015 fulldome show from the Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science, Boston. This fascinating 30-minute show about space engineering begins with an exploration of the Hubble Space Telescope, with its many intricate parts that must work together to help this observatory achieve great things. From there, we explore the James Webb Space Telescope, currently under construction and testing at NASA. Show length: 30 minutes
Embark on a variety of exciting adventures on or around all the planets of the solar systems. Cliff diving on the Uranian moon Miranda to jumping off an asteroid to gliding through the Neptunian atmosphere. Show length: 21 minutes
Living networks connect and support life forms large and small—from colonies of tiny microbes and populations of massive whales to ever-expanding human societies. In the California Academy of Sciences’ latest original planetarium show, Habitat Earth, discover what it means to live in today’s connected world. Through stunning visualizations of the natural world, dive below the ocean’s surface to explore the dynamic relationships found in kelp forest ecosystems, travel beneath the forest floor to see how Earth’s tallest trees rely on tiny fungi to survive, and journey to new heights to witness the intricate intersection between human and ecological networks. Show length: 24 minutes
Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided incredible images in unprecedented detail to astronomers, and made an astonishing array of discoveries — from nearby objects in the solar system to the most distant galaxies at limits of the observable universe. We’ve taken the best and most exciting Hubble images and woven them into an engaging story of cosmic exploration, bringing the wonders of the universe to audiences everywhere. HUBBLE Vision 2 is a fascinating tour of the cosmos — from Earth orbit. Show length: 30 minutes
IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System
Where does the solar system end? What defines the boundary separating the solar system and the interstellar medium? The IBEX (interstellar boundary explorer) craft captures energized neutral particles originating from the heliosphere: the bubble enclosing the solar system. The IBEX probe uses these particle captures to construct an image of the heliosphere. How does the probe work? Who built it and how? Join us for this engaging full dome program and learn what lurks at the outer edges of our solar system. Show length: 25 minutes
The moon has inspired humanity scientifically, philosophically, mathematically and poetically. This new planetarium program takes us to see the moon up close! We explore its terrain, understand its origin and learn how it has influenced us throughout human history. Show length: 26 minutes
In “Incoming,” audiences will discover how asteroids and comets have collided with our planet throughout history, changing the course of life on Earth and shaping the world we know today. From the comfort of a planetarium seat, viewers will embark on a dynamic journey on the trail of asteroids and comets, get an up close look at the advanced technologies that allow scientists to detect asteroids before they reach Earth, and visualize historic space events billions of years in the making—all within an immersive, all-digital dome that brings the captivating story of our cosmic origins to life like never before.
Narrated by George Takei, Incoming! explores the past, present, and future of our Solar System and the landmark discoveries scientists have made by sending spacecraft to visit tiny worlds. Show length: 26 minutes
The deep sea is one of the most mysterious and little-explored regions of Earth. We know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the wonders hidden beneath the waves of our planet’s seas. The deepest parts of our oceans teem with life forms so strange-looking they could be from the realm of science fiction. These fantastic creatures inhabit a realm of underwater volcanoes, engulfed mountain ranges, and vast trenches cut into the crust of the planet. Into the Deep is a breathtaking journey of sea exploration originally created by Ogrefish FilmProductions, adapted and renarrated by Loch Ness Productions. It combines marine biology and underwater geology with a history of deep-sea exploration. Show length: 32 minutes
A program about mapping the stars. The European Space Agency’s “GAIA” project intends to produce the most comprehensive three dimensional map of our sector of the galaxy. We’ll know the distances, sizes, temperatures, life spans, exo planet locations and more about a billion stars in our part of the Milky Way. Join us as we discover how these modern day celestial map makers are developing a new view of the heavens. Show length: 31 minutes
Larry Cat In Space is a playful, imaginative cartoon presentation about an inquisitive cat who takes a trip to the Moon. Through Larry’s eyes, we observe his human family, a group of enthusiastic sky-watchers. Larry notes how human time differs from cat time. Diana takes a job on the Moon, and sadly leaves Larry behind. Larry figures out a way to hide in her clothes trunk.
The trunk and Larry are loaded onto the Space Plane, which takes him to space station Freedom. From there, he is transferred to the Lunar Shuttle. During weightlessness, the trunk opens. Larry floats out into the cabin, and looks out the window. When Diana discovers Larry, he leaps to greet her, but sails over her head, since he only weighs two pounds in lunar gravity.
He meets the rest of Imbrium Village’s inhabitants, including the evil Commander Stone, who orders Diana to return Larry to Earth. The Moon base crew petitions to keep Larry, and the Commander relents. He even makes Larry a cat space suit. When Larry ventures outside, he spots the Earth, looking a lot like the Moon did from the porch at home. Show length: 30 minutes
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. Show length: 27 minutes
The show begins in a redwood forest, with the sounds of wind and life. One redwood looms large, until we approach its branches and enter one of its leaves, adjusting our perspective to microscopic scales inside a cell. We see a pared-down version of its inner workings, learning about the process of photosynthesis and the role of DNA. This scene sets the stage for the story of life.
We then leap backward billions of years to the origin of elements themselves. The early Universe contained mostly dark matter, which drew hydrogen and helium together to form the first stars. The carbon and heavier elements required by living organisms came from generations of stars.
We continue our journey, diving into the Milky Way Galaxy of several billion years ago. We approach a region in which stars are forming, where we encounter a protoplanetary disk surrounding our newborn Sun. We arrive at the young Earth, splashing down in deep water to visit a hydrothermal vent and to examine the formation of organic molecules. We then travel above a volcanic island to encounter an enriched “hot puddle” of water, in which nucleotides may have wrapped themselves in protective vesicles. Once life took hold, it radically changed our planet. Earth’s early microorganisms created our oxygen atmosphere—and may have also triggered a global ice age, causing temperatures to drop precipitously and nearly freezing out life on our planet. We continue leaping forward in time, viewing the movement of continents and the changing environment for life, until we reach modern Earth.
We return home to look at Earth once more, circling the modern globe to review the evidence for the story we have heard. Much of what we understand about evolution we have pieced together from the fossil record, but we can also reassemble evolutionary history by studying life that surrounds us today. All life shares a common ancestry and common chemistry, all related at the molecular level. As we learn this, we pull away from individual images of life, and we end the show as we see their three-dimensional distribution form the double-helix strand of DNA. The audience is left immersed inside a representation of the structure of life’s shared origins. Show length: 26 minutes
A beam of light leaves the Andromeda Galaxy and travels across the void of intergalactic space. On a planet located in a nearby galaxy, intelligent life evolves. As the light speeds across the light years, over the course of centuries, the primitives on the planet form cultures and civilizations — and begin to wonder about the universe surrounding them. Their awareness of the night sky increases, as the beam of light draws nearer to their planet. When the light reaches the Earth, some of the descendants of the early hunters have just escaped the bonds of their world’s gravity, and visited the Moon.
In modern times, scientific study of space help the planet’s current inhabitants to understand the properties of light, and the ways that understanding shapes our further knowledge of the universe. Show length: 30 minutes
A little yellow star travels through the galaxy in search of planets that will give it its special name. During his journey, this star learns about the many types of stars that live in the galaxy. Hot blue stars; cool red stars; double stars, large stars and much more. Produced by the Audio Visual Imagineering Company and based on the popular planetarium show of the same name, “The Little Star That Could” is an engaging and fun show that introduces your child to the wonders of stellar astronomy. Show length: 31 minutes
Earth is a planet shaped by life. From the forests that help stabilize our climate, to the winds carrying life-sustaining water and oxygen to far-flung parts of the globe, the fingerprints of life are visible even from many light-years away.
Living Worlds, an original planetarium show from the California Academy of Sciences, invites you to journey through space and time to examine life as an essential quality of our home planet.
The show takes you on an exploration of the co-evolution of life and our planet, revealing the ways in which life has transformed Earth’s surface and atmosphere over billions of years.
Along the way, you’ll see how light and color can help us spot a living world, even from great distances.
As we ponder what forms life might take in the Solar System and beyond, Living Worlds encourages us to consider how a deeper understanding of our own planet can aid in the search for life across the cosmos, and to reflect on ways we can partner with our living world to ensure our continued survival. Show length: 27 minutes
Treat your audiences to something very special — a journey through the Otherworld — a magical place born from the mythology of many cultures. It’s a place of legends, where mythical creatures once existed in harmony among the mountains, islands, springs, and forests. Today, we experience the Otherworld through our imaginations, and perhaps in our dreams. Now, this mystical realm can be explored in the immersive fulldome environment in a beautiful 50-minute entertainment show that comes from Mediendom Kiel. Magic of the Otherworld invites audiences into virtual landscapes accompanied by the beautiful harp music of Christine Högl. Show length: 51 minutes
In the first section, “Homage,” we trace Mars through history — from an “incantation” of the various War God forms given by different cultures, to the early observations of Schiaparelli and Lowell, and the infamous “canals” which led to science-fiction stories about Martians. We hear excerpts from H. G. Wells “War Of The Worlds” and Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “Barsoom” novels. MarsQuest details the Mars of our time — as seen in the night sky, through binoculars and telescopes, and from our Mars explorations. Mission findings from more than a quarter century of spacecraft missions feature reports on Mars weather, climate, and areology. We compare the climate and terrain of Earth and Mars, and present the current thinking about the areologic history of the planet, and a rationale for future exploration. Show length: 41 minutes
“Molecularium”: the award-winning digital dome experience, is a science lesson, a thrill-ride, and a magical musical adventure in a world of atoms and molecules. Aboard the Molecularium, audiences join a cast of atomic characters on an immersive and unforgettable adventure into the nanoscale universe. Explore billions and trillions of atoms and molecules with Oxy, a precocious oxygen atom, and Hydro and Hydra, her wacky hydrogen pals. Ride from the atomic structure of a snowflake to the far reaches of space aboard the Molecularium, the most fantastic ship in the Universe. Show length: 23 minutes
In this co-production of Albedo FullDome and Mediuscula, young children will be introduced to the fascinating world of astronomy in a fun, simple and very humorous way, hand in hand with Plato, a young mole. The animated characters and the attractive backdrops of this fulldome entertainment show will keep audiences captivated. With Moles, children will learn basic concepts about science while having a great time.
The story revolves around Plato, who lives with his parents deep underground, in a dark burrow full of mystery and surprises. He is a restless, curious and thoughtful creature — fascinated by the light that penetrates the entrance to his home. Sometimes it is lit; sometimes it is dark. Why could that be?
Plato desperately wants to see what is out there in the world above. One day he finally gets to see it all! Plato discovers day and night, the Sun and Moon, and the stars! Plato’s best friends are Alfa, Beta and Gamma. They love to sing… and go treasure hunting! Good thing the professor Socrates keeps an eye on our young friends, as sometimes things can get a little out of hand! The Moles story was inspired by the Greek philosopher Plato’s “Myth of the Cave”. Show length: 37 minutes
When you consider the solar system, you often think of the Sun and its planets. But what about moons? What role do they play? Find out in Moons: Worlds of Mystery, a show from the Charles Hayden Planetarium of the Museum of Science, Boston. It explores the many and varied satellites that exist, delves into what they look like and what they contribute to our knowledge of the solar system — a hundred known satellites throughout the solar system, orbiting five other planets and even some asteroids and Kuiper Belt objects. Show length: 35 minutes
Join Charles Darwin on an adventurous voyage of exploration circumnavigating the World with the HMS Beagle, to the Galapagos islands where he got inspired for his later theory of transmutation by Natural Selection. In Victorian times many physical phenomena were already discovered and described by natural laws, but life’s most eloquent mechanism was still unknown: How could new species arise to replace those lost in extinction? It was time for someone to stand up and come forth with a Naturalist explanation of this mystery of mysteries. From the comfort of Down House in Kent, Darwin himself will explain the mechanism of Natural Selection to the audience, and support it by showing many beautiful examples in nature. Witness the thrill of scientific discovery by seeing the world through Darwin’s eyes, make observations of the most beautiful natural scenery and let the pieces of the scientific puzzle slowly but surely fall into place. Show length: 41 minutes
One World, One Sky is a 27-minute fulldome planetarium show that follows Sesame Street‘s Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from Zhima Jie, the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Together, they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth. When Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu “travel” to the moon, they discover some basic but surprising scientific facts. For example, they can’t fly a kite there because there is no wind. The fuzzy friends then excitedly realize that children like to fly kites in both China and the United States! At the end of the show, Big Bird, Elmo, and Hu Hu Zhu pick a friendship star to remind them that no matter how far apart they might be, they can always look into the night sky and cherish their shared memories.
“Planet Nine” gives audiences an inside look at the painstaking process of planet-searching, as told by CalTech’s Mike Brown, discoverer of Eris and Haumea. Throughout this fascinating show, Brown talks about unusual orbits and describes nights of painstaking robotic searches for new planets. His is a story of modern planet-hunting techniques that have uncovered many new worlds out beyond Neptune. Discoveries of new worlds “out there” also give insight into their distances, orbits, and compositions. In addition, those orbits give intriguing clues to the existence of what may be a very large, so-far-undiscovered world deep in the Kuiper Belt. Join in this fascinating tale of observation, discovery, and analysis — and hear firsthand about the life of a modern planet hunter searching out his prey. Show length: 27 minutes
Our favorite Rocket instructor blasts off soon! Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the solar system. This new voyage conveys the audience on a visually astonishing odyssey through the solar system! Fly across Saturn’s rings, soar along a Martian canyon; lift off from the Moon; delve deep into the solar interior! Show length: 33 minutes
We are delighted to announce that the “Season of Light” holiday program is returning to the Southworth Planetarium in full dome format. NPR’S Noah Adams narrates this omni-dome planetarium program about the history and astronomy of the holiday season. What are the origins of the solstice festivals and Santa Claus? Why do we celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1st? What is the history of Hannukkah? “Season of Light” explores the rich and beautiful history of our holiday traditions. Toward the end of the show, we focus on the Star of Bethlehem. If it were a natural occurrence, what could it have been? An exploding star? A conjunction of planets? Perhaps a comet or some other celestial object. Show length: 31 minutes
SpacePark 360 is an immersive entertainment show for fulldome theaters — an amusement park with its rides placed throughout the solar system. It’s an “E Ticket Ride” — of astronomical proportions! If you’re a theme park ride afficionado, you may recognize some of these famous behemoth rides… but you probably never imagined them at such extra-terrestrial locations. Audio-visual experiences like these are what make your dome theater environment unique. Whether you choose to show all nine rides as a standalone feature, or opt to offer a single ride as a special “encore” or “dessert” after your main presentation, SpacePark360: Geodesium Edition will be an unforgettable treat for audiences of all ages. Show length: 39 minutes
Space Park 30 Infinity is an immersive entertainment show for fulldome theaters — an amusement park with its rides placed throughout the solar system. It’s an “E Ticket Ride” of astronomical proportions, building on the success of its predecessor show, SpacePark360: Geodesium Edition. Even if you’re a theme park ride afficionado, you’ll marvel at the scale of these monumental rides… set on such amazing out-of-this-world locations. Audio-visual experiences like these are what make your dome theater environment unique. Whether you choose to show all nine rides as a standalone feature, or opt to offer a single ride as a special “encore” or “dessert” after your main presentation, SpacePark360: Infinity will be an unforgettable treat for audiences of all ages. Show length: 39 minutes
The Cowboy Astronomer is a skillfully woven tapestry of star tales and Native American legends, combined with constellation identification, star-hopping, and astronomy tidbits — all told from the unique viewpoint of a cowboy astronomer who has traveled the world plying his trade and learning the sky along the way. Narrated by Baxter Black. Show length: 37 minutes
Take an adventure through time, as we explore the past and imagine the future of the cosmos. Witness the birth of the Universe, the doom of the dinosaurs, and be there for the first landing on the Moon! Each TimeSpace travel story is presented as a destination to be experienced as if you are there. Show length: 28 minutes
Touching the Edge of the Universe
“Touching the Edge of the Universe”, made on the occasion of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, tells an exciting story similar to a motion picture with live actors and stunning visual effects. The show has been produced in cooperation between the Euopean Space Agency (ESA) and a grouping of planetariums in Europe. The show takes the audience on a breathtaking voyage of discovery, from Galileo’s 17th century Tuscan villa to the tense countdown, launch and orbiting of the next generation of space telescopes – and out into the universe. These complex space telescopes will look at very distant events in space that our eyes can not see. They will observe the birth of stars and planets and look back to the very beginning of time. Touching the Edge of the Universe brings the secrets of the distant cosmos direct to your audience! Show length: 27 minutes
Galileo did not invent the telescope, but he was the first person to use the newly invented device to observe the sky. Through these observations the Italian philosopher-scientist concluded that the heavens were not perfect and immutable: he observed lunar mountains, phases of Venus, Jupiter’s moons, and even sunspots. The two small pieces of glass revealed a Universe that was far more complex than previously assumed. The Two Small Pieces of Glass program shows how telescopes work; and how astronomers have used them to scrutinize the structures within our cosmos. Show length: 23 minutes
From 1979 to 1989 the Voyager 1 and 2 missions explored the wonders of the outer solar system. The Voyager Encounters is the definitive summary of results returned by the two spacecraft. It recaps the flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in one convenient, thorough documentary. Show length: 43 minutes
Wayfinders opens by telling the story of the spread of people out of Southeast Asia throughout the Pacific over thousands of years. They discovered thousands of islands and learned to move between them using only the signs of the natural world around them, including the stars. Eventually they reached the islands of Hawai’i and sailed vast distances back and forth from other islands. Around 600 years ago these long ocean crossing voyages to and from Hawai’i had all but stopped as the populations became self-sustaining. The knowledge and skill built over thousands of years faded from cultural memory into only legends and stories.
Fast forward to the 1970’s, when the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance was building after nearly 200 years of suppression by colonial powers. It was at this time that the Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded by native Hawaiian artist Herb Kane, sailor Tommy Holmes, and anthropologist Ben Finney in 1973. They designed and built a replica double-hulled canoe in the spirit of those used hundreds of years before. Their intention was to sail it to Tahiti and back in the wake of their ancestors, without modern navigation instrumentation. They named their wa’a (canoe) Hōkūle’a after the star of joy, also known as Arcturus. They asked Mau Piailug of the island of Satawal in Micronesia to be their navigator and he agreed, recognizing that the traditional art of wayfinding was in danger of disappearing entirely. In 1976, he successfully navigated Hōkūle’a across 2,600 miles, from Hawai’i to Tahiti without using modern instruments. Show length: 24 minutes