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Inside this Section:

Exploration Dome

School Field Trips and Private Group Shows

The Exploration Dome seats up to 70 visitors and uses both high technology and personalized presentations to make the wonders of astronomy and other wonders of science and technology real for everyone.

Your group can visit the Exploration Dome Tuesday through Friday at 9am, 11am, 1pm. Special arrangements for additional times can be made upon request.


Group Admission Fees: under 20 visitors more than 20 visitors
Exploration Dome Only $60 $3/visitor
Exhibit Only $60 $3/visitor
Dome Show + Exhibit $100 $5/visitor

School Groups
Teachers and adult chaperones: FREE
One adult chaperone for every 6 students is required.

Ways to Reserve a Show:
Call 541.682.7888 to guarantee your spot
or
Download the reservation form [pdf] and email it to info@sciencefactory.org.
We will confirm receipt by PHONE CALL.


Field Trips/Private Groups
Exploration Dome Show Options



Photo: Children in the DomeWe have a variety of show subjects available. If time allows, teachers can expect, regardless of program content, a live and interactive segment, allowing students to participate by asking and answering questions.

All full-dome video programs are about 30 minutes long except for the Seasonal Star Grazing programs, which average about 20 minutes. Live shows, such as "Tonight's Sky," average about 45 minutes. Shows can be scheduled at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm, Wednesdays - Fridays. Special showings and times may be available.

We are happy to accommodate the needs and interests of your students wherever possible. Please inform us prior to your visit so we can adjust our content specifically to your class.

Programs:

Tonight's Sky (live)
A guided tour of the current night sky identifying the bright stars and major constellations, as well as the moon and planets when they are visible. Bring your questions to this live, interactive program as it adapts to the needs and interests of your group and can range from the mythology behind some of the constellations to the science of star birth and star death, or include a trip to one or more of the planets in our solar system. Suitable for any age group.

Our Solar System (live)
This live and interactive program begins by identifying any planets that can be seen in the current night sky and then flies out into the solar system to visit the planets, dwarf planets and some of the many moons in our solar system. Suitable for children in grades K through 6.

Astronomy for the Fun of It: Motions in the Sky (live)
When you look up into the sky, it looks pretty much the same from night to night, but the truth is that the sky is changing all the time. The Moon orbits the Earth, the planets orbit around the Sun, and even the stars are in constant motion. In this live interactive 40-minute program we will not just explain the motions, we will experience them as we virtually travel through space and time. Recommended for children in third grade or older.

Astronomy for the Fun of It: The Planets (live)
We live in a solar system of 8 planets and at least 4 dwarf planets, a vast array of moons and asteroids and comets. In this live interactive 40-minute program we will begin on Earth where we will locate the planets visible in the night sky, but then we will travel into space to visit the planets and other objects in our solar system. Have you ever seen the Sun from the surface of Pluto? In this program, you will. Suitable for any age group.

Astronomy for the Fun of It: Constellations (live)
We'll take you on a tour of the constellations visible in the summer skies and explore some of the amazing objects that lie within these constellations as only the Hubble Space Telescope has been able to show them to us. Suitable for any age group.

Seasonal Star Gazing
This 20-minute show gives audiences a wonderful introduction to the night sky: the stars and constellations visible during the current season. By the end you’ll be able to host your own star-gazing parties and identify all the major sky players! Most suitable for children in 2nd grade or older.

Astronaut
Astronaut, takes you from earth into outer space, and beyond. What training do astronauts need? What dangers do astronauts face? What is it take to live on the space station? Presented in stunning high-definition 180-degree full dome video and explosive surround sound, Astronaut takes you out of this world! Astronaut is a production of the National Space Center, distributed by SkyScan, Inc. Suitable for all ages.

Two Small Pieces of Glass
In 1610, Galileo Galilei became the first person to look at the heavens through a telescope and record his findings. What he saw changed our understanding of the universe forever. Since that time, telescopes have made it possible for us to explore our universe and discover amazing things. This program not only examines how telescopes work, but also unveils some of the discoveries made possible by the telescope — a tool originally made of a metal tube and two small pieces of glass. Most suitable for children in 2nd grade or older.

Double Feature: Planets of the Solar System & Moon Dreams
Planets of the Solar System: This short 13-minute program introduces the planets that we can see with the unaided eye, demonstrates how planets rotate and orbit the sun, and finishes with a brief tour of all the planets in our solar system.

Moon Dreams: In this 12-minute program, visitors will learn about the origin of the Moon and its effect on the oceans and life on Earth, the many other moons in our solar system, the Apollo moon landings, and humanity's future plans for the Moon.

Seven Wonders
This 30-minute show invites audiences to turn back the pages of time and witness the ancient wonders of the world as they have not been seen for thousands of years. Seven Wonders investigates the theories of how these wonders were created, and then gives the audience a tour of what are considered some ofthe universe's greatest wonders as well. Seven Wonders is produced by Evans & Sutherland Digital Theater and narrated by British actor Sean Bean, best known for playing Boromir in the feature film trilogy Lord of the Rings. Recommended for children in third grade or older.

Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure
Impeccably narrated by Dame Judi Dench, this fascinating 40-minute full-dome movie draws you close into the intimate world of insects. Viewers are invited to see how the jungle in Borneo looks from an insect's vantage point, and to "...imagine a place where raindrops fall like cannon balls and a blade of grass soars like a skyscraper..."1 Although you'll see many amazing close-ups, such as male rhinoceros beetles battling over a female and a leopard gecko stalking his prey, the movie primarily chronicles the lives of Papilio, a butterfly, and Hierodula, a praying mantis, from hatching through adulthood, and their eventual dramatic encounter in the rainforest.

(Directly next to Autzen Football Stadium)
The Science Factory • 2300 Leo Harris Parkway • Eugene, Oregon 97401
Mailing Address: Box P. O. 1518 • Eugene, Oregon 97440
Phone: 541-682-7888 • Fax: 541-484-9027 • E-mail: info@sciencefactory.org
The Science Factory is a charitable non-profit organization, federal tax ID: 93-0688763.