Ride the Wave of Summer Fun at the Museum of Natural History during July and August!
Join us for family fun this summer with a new exhibit, daily planetarium shows and activities. (Please note: In July and August museum summer hours are 9:30am-3:30pm, last admission at 3:00pm.)
New exhibit!
Many Inspired Steps: Salute to Apollo 11 and Lunar Exploration
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step onto the Moon. Celebrate and learn about the early years of lunar exploration fraught with failures as well as exciting discoveries. Join us as we look ahead at the intriguing prospect that humans will return to the Moon and go beyond in the not-too-distant future. From the Rhode Island State Archives a Moon rock collected from the Apollo 17 mission is featured in this exhibit.
The exhibit was made possible with a grant from the NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Program and support of the Northeast Planetary Data Center. Special thanks to the Rhode Island State Archives, Rhode Island Department of State; Michael Lye, Senior Critic and NASA Coordinator at RI School of Design (RISD); and RISD Rover Team 2017–Max Reice, Robert Wang, Ryan Smith, Sung Wha Kang, Adrian Roop, Jason Chang, Lily Douglas, Carmen Schweizer, Clare Jessey, Paul Meuser, Calyton Wiggers, Iman Serag, Clarke Waskowitz. (Temporary Exhibit)
Planetarium shows daily at 2:00pm in July and August:
Monday through Wednesday: Sky Views Planetarium Show
Explore our night sky. Take a tour of the skies and discover the constellations, planets, nebulae and other stunning night sky objects that can be seen in the night sky. Video imagery will bring viewers up close to black holes, star-forming nebulae and more, showing discoveries in astrophysics while instilling a sense of wonder about our universe. (General Audience)
Thursday and Friday: Solar System Oasis Fulldome Show
Take a voyage through our Solar System in search of water, the key ingredient to life on Earth. The program is followed by a brief tour of the night sky, using the planetarium’s Zeiss star projector. (General Audience)
Saturdays and Sundays: Cosmic Collisions Planetarium Show
Take a thrilling trip through space and time–well beyond the calm face of the night sky–to explore cosmic collisions, hypersonic impacts that drive the dynamic and continuing evolution of the universe. This show explores the full range of space collisions, past, present, and future. Show produced by the American Museum of Natural History. (General Audience)
Cost: Planetarium Admission (includes museum admission) is $3 per person. Children must be age 4 and older to enter the planetarium.
Other Happenings:
Moontastic Thursdays in July and August, 1:00pm-2:00pm:
To enhance your visit to our new exhibit, Many Inspired Steps: Salute to Apollo 11 and Lunar Exploration, museum education staff will lead hands-on activities so you can get to know our nearest neighbor in space. Do you really know just how big the Moon is? Or how far away it is? What happens to the rest of the Moon when we see just a sliver of it or when we can’t see it at all? What would you need to bring on a visit to the Moon? Discover the answers to these questions and much more. These activities are ongoing for the hour.
Program fee per session: Free with museum admission.
Fossil Tuesday Activity Table
Tuesday, July 9, 10:00am-12:00pm
Tuesday, August 6, 10:00am to 12:00pm
Fossil-enthusiast and Museum Docent Chris McKenzie will be showcasing recent fossil discoveries through images and reconstructions. Drop in to learn more about these prehistoric creatures.
Program fee per session: Free with museum admission.