Discover the Cosmos: A Guide to Ocean County College Planetarium Shows
The Robert J. Novins Planetarium at Ocean County College offers a diverse range of captivating shows designed to ignite curiosity and expand understanding of our Earth, solar system, and the vast universe beyond. With a 103-seat dome theater, the planetarium serves as a gateway to learning for audiences of all ages, from elementary school students to astronomy enthusiasts.
Diverse Programming for All Ages
The planetarium's mission centers around public programs, offering a wide array of fun and educational experiences, including laser shows, sky shows, and full-dome movies. These programs cater to various interests and age groups, ensuring an engaging and informative experience for everyone.
Sky Shows: Guided Tours of the Night Sky
For those eager to explore the wonders above, the planetarium offers live sky talks that provide an in-depth tour of the current night sky over New Jersey. These ever-changing programs highlight seasonal constellations, bright stars, visible planets, deep-sky objects, and celestial events. Attendees will also delve into constellation mythology and learn about recent astronomical discoveries. After the show, a live Q&A session with a planetarium expert allows for further exploration of the cosmos.
Full Dome Movies: Immersive Cosmic Journeys
Full-dome movies offer an immersive cinematic experience, transporting viewers to distant worlds and exploring fascinating cosmic phenomena.
- One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure: Perfect for elementary school-aged children and their families, this show features Sesame Street's beloved characters as they explore the sun, moon, weather, constellations, and planets. Through engaging stories, songs, and even a simulated rainstorm, young audiences are introduced to the wonders of the sky.
- Cosmic Collisions: This show addresses the question of whether a space rock six miles wide slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, wiping out 75 percent of all living species, including the dinosaurs. It showcases the numerous craters on worlds like the moon, Mars, and Pluto, highlighting the abundance of cosmic collisions in our solar system.
- Follow the journey of a single photon: This full-dome planetarium show explores some of the fascinating processes of the cosmos, from astrophysics to the biology of the eye and brain.
- Exploring the Solar System: Embark on a journey from the surface of the sun to the icy realm of comets, visiting each of the eight planets in our solar system and uncovering their unique characteristics. A fully narrated pre-show dives deep into the mysteries of our celestial neighborhood.
- Searching for Life Beyond Earth: Investigate the possibility of life beyond Earth, exploring moons and planets like Europa and Enceladus that may harbor life.
- What are we made of?: Explore the secrets of our cosmic chemistry, and our explosive origins.
- Arctic Lights: Witness the breathtaking beauty of the Aurora Borealis as captured in stunning timelapse images taken over seven months in the Arctic Circle. This show offers an immersive experience of the aurora as it was meant to be seen, covering the entire sky.
- The Observatorium: Be warned though, the Observatorium isn’t just for show. It will transport the audience right to the heart of some of the deadliest locations in our slice of the heavens.
- Eight other worlds share our solar system: Travel from the surface of the sun all the way to the icy realm of comets. Join us for a fully narrated pre-show, where we dive deep into the mysteries of our solar system.
Laser Shows: A Fusion of Music and Light
The Robert J. Novins Planetarium is renowned for its spectacular laser shows, which combine music from iconic artists with dazzling laser light displays. These shows offer a unique audio-visual experience that appeals to a wide range of musical tastes.
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- Laser Vinyl: This show captures the essence of the laser show experience, pairing classic rock anthems with stunning laser art.
- Laser Dark Side of the Moon: Immerse yourself in the psychedelic, rock, and jazz sounds of Pink Floyd's masterpiece, "Dark Side of the Moon," enhanced by a diverse and unusual display of laser art.
- Laser The Wall: Experience another timeless classic from Pink Floyd, "The Wall," accompanied by captivating laser visuals.
- Laser Metallica: Metal meets lasers in this intense show featuring the music of Metallica. The theater shakes with incredible hits, as the band's tempos, instrumentals, themes, and sounds are synchronized with laser lights. (Note: This show may contain lyrics that some parents find objectionable and is not recommended for ages under 15.)
- Laser Queen: Experience the legendary Queen with a mix of heavy metal, glam, astrophysics, and theatrics.
- Laser Elton John: Celebrate the music of Elton John, one of the best-selling artists of all time, with a laser show that brings his powerful music to life.
- Laser Bowie: Enjoy the music of David Bowie, aka Ziggy Stardust, set to dazzling laser lights.
- Laser Tay Swift: What’s better than a Tay Swift playlist? A Tay Swift playlist set to laser lights! Enjoy unforgettable hits from all of her ten distinct eras. Sing along to all your favorites and let the show transport you through different stories as only laser light can.
- Laser Retro: A tribute to the great anthems of the 80s.
- Laser Spirit: This program celebrates the accomplishments and dreams of humanity. Utilizing a wonderful mix of pop, classic rock, oldies, adult contemporary, and patriotic music, Laser Spirit is a motivating laser show that will make you proud to be a visionary, idealist, achiever, and American.
- Laser Tribute: In Laser Tribute, we pay homage to some of these great artists whose music has touched and inspired us all.
- Laser U2: Laser U2 features the band’s timeless classic and modern hits. This musical concert is set against the backdrop of the latest laser art.
- Laser Led Zepplin: Led Zepplin is proclaimed by many critics to be the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock, and their individualistic style reset the standards for many musical genres in the 1960s and ’70s. Indeed, they have been hailed as one of the most successful, innovative, and influential bands, alongside Pink Floyd, U2, and The Beatles.
Special Events and Programs
In addition to its regular shows, the planetarium hosts special events and programs, including topic-based shows with crafts for younger space explorers. These events provide opportunities for hands-on learning and further engagement with the wonders of space.
School Shows
The Planetarium offers many school shows that are perfect for Pre-K-High School.
Planning Your Visit
- Tickets: It is highly recommended to purchase tickets online in advance to secure your spot, as shows often sell out.
- Arrival: Arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled show time.
- Late Admittance: The planetarium adheres to a strict "No Late Admittance" policy.
- Age Recommendation: It is generally advised against bringing children younger than 5 years old to planetarium programs, as the theater gets very dark and the visuals can be alarming to young children.
- Parking: Parking on-campus is $5 for the day, 24 hours/day, 7 days a week.
- Group Bookings: Private group bookings may consist of either a live sky talk or a full-dome movie combined with a short sky talk or multimedia add-on totaling up to 60 minutes.
Supporting the Planetarium
Gift certificates are available for those who wish to share the gift of cosmic exploration with others. By supporting the planetarium, you contribute to the upgrading of technology and programming, ensuring even more captivating experiences for future visitors.
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