Art Galleries
MYTH AND MAGIC: RECENT PAINTINGS BY MICHAEL CRESPO
July 5–September 21, 2008
The substance of dreams—moonlight, whispering clouds, windswept waves, majestic fauna—fills the canvases of Michael Crespo. Meticulously rendered, Crespo’s subjects, such as a woolly sheep adorned with a wreath of red roses or an elegant Ibis, are creatures of mystery set quietly against an inky black sky. These seductive animals with their intelligent and calm demeanor, appear as enchanted, temporary inhabitants of the earthly realm.
WILLIAM GREINER: FALLEN PARADISE, PHOTOGRAPHS OF NEW ORLEANS 1995–2005
July 5–September 21, 2008
Instead of being lured to exotic locales to discover interesting subjects, William Greiner chose early in his career to observe his own backyard. A native of New Orleans and now a resident of Baton Rouge, he tirelessly exposes the small details that we unconsciously fail to acknowledge. This exhibition is the first showing of 26 photographs that Greiner took in and around New Orleans from 1995 through 2005.
NOW PLAYING IN THE EXXONMOBIL SPACE THEATER
Large-Format Film
Hurricane on the Bayou
A powerfully moving large format film unlike any other, Hurricane on the Bayou carries audiences behind today’s news headlines on a journey deep into the soul-stirring heart of Louisiana – before, during and after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Coral Reef Adventure
e some of the largest, most beautiful and endangered coral reefs in the world in this story of a dedicated, real-life husband and wife team. The couple risks their lives to bring us powerful and unimaginably beautiful images in an effort to help save the world’s coral reefs.
Sky Program
Extreme Planets
Imagine a world where an ocean of molten rock breaks against a pitch black shoreline of molten lava. . . . Imagine a world where the rocks glow in luminescent shades of pink, blue, and green under a madly spinning burned-out star.
Armed with the latest scientific methods of detection, astronomers have begun to discover worlds so bizarre that they once existed only in the pages of science fiction. Since the mid-1990s, more than 300 planets circling neighboring stars have been discovered, and astronomers estimate that there may be as many as 10,000 extrasolar planets, or planets beyond our solar system.
Digital Universe
Learn about the night sky as never before. Using the world's most extensive, accurate three-dimensional mapping of the universe, the planetarium's new digital software takes the audience on a magic carpet ride through the night sky for an up close encounter of the planets of our solar system. The journey continues beyond the solar system, through the stars of our Milky Way Galaxy, past distant galaxies, and to the edge of our known observable universe. A brief tour of the seasonal night sky and constellation identification is included.
Family Show
Secret of the Dragon
Come take a ride on the back of a dragon and explore the mysteries of the universe. This magical story whisks two youth through the universe at great speed. From their perch on the back of a secretive dragon, the youth learn about worlds beyond theirs and a bit about themselves in the process.
Secret of the Dragon touches on fundamental astronomical science while remaining entertaining enough for children and makes for a wonderful family-oriented show.