Skip to main content
MENU

Narrated by Robert Redford

Cosmic Collisions

Cosmic Collisions

From subatomic particles to the largest galaxies, cosmic collisions are a universal force of nature. Creative and also destructive, dynamic and dazzling, collisions have resulted in many things we take for granted – the luminescent Moon, the Sun’s warmth and light, our changing seasons, waves washing up on a sandy shore, They’ve ended the Age of Dinosaurs and changed the very map of the cosmos, reforming galaxies and giving birth to new stars and new worlds. Cosmic Collisions, the third Space Show produced by the American Museum of Natural History, provides an unprecedented and extraordinary view of these events – both catastrophic and constructive – that have shaped out world and our universe.

Cosmic Collisions was developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, in collaboration with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science; GOTO, Inc., Tokyo, Japan; and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, China.

Cosmic Collisions was developed by the American Museum of Natural History with the major support and partnership of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Missions Directorate, Heliophysics Division.

April 14, 2016

Select a Date to View

Junior Jetsetters - Interactive Educator Led Program

Thursday, April 14, 2016
10:00 am

Our educator led, interactive, full dome programs utilize Uniview, a visualization and simulation software aimed at presenting and teaching astronomy, astrophysics and earth sciences. Our full dome theater is a large-scale immersive environment, featuring realtime digital planetarium, and large-format cinema.

Junior Jetsetters
The night sky is what led humans long ago to wonder what is beyond Earth. Spark your curiosity with an introduction to astronomy. Visitors will look at constellations, hear stories, and practice being an astronaut all while learning basic astronomy vocabulary.

Solar System Tour - Interactive Educator Led Program

Thursday, April 14, 2016
11:00 am

Our educator led, interactive, full dome programs utilize Uniview, a visualization and simulation software aimed at presenting and teaching astronomy, astrophysics and earth sciences. Our full dome theater is a large-scale immersive environment, featuring realtime digital planetarium, and large-format cinema.

Solar System Tour
Our Solar System has everything you could want! Planets! Moons! Asteroids! And Comets! All swirling around our one and only star, the Sun. Visitors will learn all the different objects that populate the Solar System and feel the force that keeps worlds spinning.

Space Junk

Thursday, April 14, 2016
12:00 pm

"After half a century of space exploration we're now suddenly faced with what has long been a staple of science fiction -- an orbiting junkyard of cast-off space debris."

With media headlines repeatedly warning us of debris falling from the skies, orbital debris, or "space junk," has finally risen to the forefront of social consciousness. But what is space junk? How did it get there? Just how big (and serious) is the problem?

"Space Junk," narrated by Academy Award® Nominee Tom Wilkinson, is the first movie to explore the exponentially expanding ring of debris that threatens the safety of our planet's orbits. Harnessing the magical imagery the Full Dome Digital Theater, Director Melissa Butts takes us soaring -- from the stunning depths of Meteor Crater to an unprecedented view of our increasingly crowded orbits, 22,000 miles above earth.

On-screen, Don Kessler, (ret.) Head of NASA's Orbital Debris Office and the "Father of Space Junk," reaches back to the beginning of our solar system for understanding and guides us through the challenges we face in protecting our orbits for the future. At risk is the future of space exploration and the safety of the extensive satellite network that powers our modern day communication systems. This visually explosive journey of discovery weighs the solutions aimed at restoring Earth's orbits.

Stunning images transport the viewers by wrapping us in star fields and allowing us to witness massive collisions in space -- both natural and man-made -- as though we were in the center of the action.

Living in the Age of Airplanes

Thursday, April 14, 2016
1:00 pm

Living in the Age of Airplanes is a story about how the airplane has changed the world. Filmed in 18 countries across all 7 continents, it renews our appreciation for one of the most extraordinary and awe-inspiring aspects of the modern world.

Living in the Age of Airplanes is narrated by actor and pilot Harrison Ford and features an original score by Academy Award®-winning composer and pilot James Horner (Avatar, Titanic). The film was shot in 95 locations around the globe, from remote places like the South Pole and the Maldives to historically significant sites of ancient civilizations. The narrative weaves together the profound ways that aviation has transformed our lives, connecting countries and cultures while expanding horizons and minds.

Air Racers

Thursday, April 14, 2016
2:00 pm

A breathtaking exploration of the fastest race in the world, the documentary film "Air Racers" provides unique insight into the legendary Reno National Championship Air Races.

Narrated by Paul Walker of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, the film takes moviegoers into Northern Nevada’s Valley of Speed to experience, from inside the cockpit, the intensity and high-speed thrills of a sports event like no other, captured for the very first time for the giant screen.

Air racing dates back to 1909, just six years after the Wright Brothers’ inaugural flight. An intrepid young American named Glenn Curtiss won the very first air race in Reims (France) when he completed two laps in 15 minutes with a top speed of 46 mph (75 km/h).

In the Thirties, the sport evolved into multi-pylon air races that were held in Cleveland (Ohio) and Los Angeles (California) before being resurrected in Reno in 1964 by WWII flying ace Bill Stead. The concept remains much the same to this day: pilots fly as low as 50 feet (15 m) above the ground at up to 500 mph (800 km/h) and turn left around an 8.5-mile (13.6 km) oval course marked off by ten giant pylons.

A century later, audiences meet 23-year-old Steve Hinton, a rookie pilot from California whose goal is to perpetuate his two-time National Air Race champion father’s legacy by winning in the most highly anticipated and unpredictable race class, the "Unlimited".

At twice the speed of a Nascar® race, elite pilots fight for position, wingtip-to-wingtip and head-to-head, with Steve Hinton’s WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane in the world’s fastest motorsport.

An action-packed, entertaining and visually stunning film, "Air Racers" is also a unique invitation to discover, from the pits to Reno’s roaring sky, an exceptional world filled with passion, competition and excitement combined with top-notch air show performers, including the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds.