Double Feature Space Shows at Offered At AMNH

The American Museum of Natural History announces a double feature of the Museum's first two Space Shows, part of the year-long celebration commemorating the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space and the 75th anniversary of the opening of the original Hayden Planetarium . The double feature, which includes Passport to the Universe and The Search for Life: Are We Alone?, is screened in the Hayden Planetarium Space Theater on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 and 8:30 pm.

Passport to the Universe, narrated by Academy Award winner Tom Hanks, launches audiences on a thrilling trip through space and time. This Space Show, the Museum's first, presents close views of star fields and planets created using the Digital Universe Atlas-the world's largest map of the observable cosmos, assembled at the Hayden Planetarium-and takes viewers on an exhilarating flight into the Orion Nebula, out of our galaxy, and deep into intergalactic space. After reaching the edges of the known universe, the tour takes a "virtual shortcut" back to Earth through a black hole.

Narrated by Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford, The Search for Life: Are We Alone? explores a question that has always captivated the human imagination: Does life exist beyond Earth? This Space Show lets audiences travel from the oceans' depths to recently discovered "exoplanets," or planets outside of our solar system, through a scientifically accurate simulation of the birth of stars and planets, and to the surface of Mars, which has been re-created from data collected by NASA's Pathfinder mission and is projected in a stunning 360° panorama on the Hayden Planetarium dome-all on a quest for worlds that might support life.
Ticket information is available at amnh.org.

American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to explore and interpret human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-reaching program of scientific research, education, and exhibitions. The Museum accomplishes this ambitious goal through its extensive facilities and resources. The institution houses 45 permanent exhibition halls, state-of-the-art research laboratories, one of the largest natural history libraries in the Western Hemisphere, and a Permanent Collection of more than 32 million specimens and cultural artifacts. With a scientific staff of more than 200, the Museum supports research divisions in Anthropology, Paleontology, Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology, and the Physical Sciences. In 2006, with the launch of the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the Museum, it became the first American museum with the authority to grant the Ph.D. degree. The Museum shares its treasures and discoveries with approximately 5 million on-site visitors from around the world each year. Museum-produced exhibitions and Space Shows can currently be seen in venues on five continents, reaching an audience of millions. In addition, the Museum's website, amnh.org, extends its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more beyond the Museum's walls.