Why fly to the Bahamas for spring break when you can fly to space? The newly renovated Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science offers visitors a chance to get up-close and personal with the cosmos, and is right in our backyard — perfect for those of us staying in town for spring break.
The planetarium is showing off its yearlong $9 million upgrade, including a state-of-the-art projection system, with a Museum of Science original astronomy show’s debut: Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond Our Sun. The show takes viewers on a journey throughout our galaxy and beyond, explaining the history of astronomical technology in relation to the discovery of new planets.
“For thousands of years humans have wondered whether there was life beyond the solar system,” says David Charbonneau, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in his narration during the show. “For the first time in human history we have the technological capability to answer that question,”
Planets orbiting stars like our sun are relatively common, but Earth-like planets that can foster and maintain life might be very rare, according to the questions addressed in the show.
Viewers learn that in every solar system there is a range of orbiting distances that constitutes a “habitable area.” If a planet is in that zone and is of the right mass, it is possible that it could also contain the right elements to sustain life. Viewers also learn about planets that have been discovered in the “habitable zone” of stars over recent years, and how astronomers at NASA are using the Kepler Telescope to observe stars in our galaxy in search of more planets.
The museum worked with scientific advisors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, as well as musicians from Berklee College of Music who performed on the show’s soundtrack.
Want to take a trip into the cosmos yourself? Find show schedules and purchase tickets at www.mos.org or call (617) 723-2500. Tickets are $10 for adults; $9 for seniors; and $8 for children ages three to 11.
