The Cutting-Edge Planetarium at Museum of the Rockies

There’s no better time than right now to check out inside Museum of the Rockies’ Taylor Planetarium. The largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in the region. With Digistar 5, the world’s premiere digital projection system, awe-inspiring images are projected onto a 40-foot dome. Guests are perfectly positioned in blue-and-gold seats, and the room is filled with surround sound for the spectacular 30-minute shows.

Close to 100,000 visitors enjoy the wonders brought to earth by Taylor Planetarium each year. Of the many school groups that come to MOR, 80% view current and past shows, catalogued and updated to meet educational standards. The theater is also an invaluable resource for Montana State University classes accessing it for a myriad of purposes, including working with surround sound, computer visualization technology, and 3-D animation. Students experience their research and enhance their learning by utilizing the technology available only at Museum of the Rockies.

 This fall’s lineup features some updated favorites. Season of Light will bring an all-new look to its annual holiday season appearance. It offers an impressive light show and explores the customs used by different cultures to make the dark months more festive.

Experience the Aurora is currently showcasing its full-sky, time lapse photos of the aurora borealis, taken with 4K cameras inside the “auroral zone” of northern Sweden and Norway. Viewers learn the science behind the aurora while surrounded by them in living color. This show’s return complements the museum’s newest traveling exhibitions, Into the Arctic and Polar Obsession.

Dark Matter Mystery is making its first run, leading viewers through a remarkable journey of modern astrophysics: the quest to understand dark matter. From unearthing what lies in the deepest tunnels of our own planet to exploring the cosmic web that connects the galaxies using 3D space images, this presentation is both educational and grippingly dramatic, as it examines the latest discoveries about one of our greatest mysteries.

For those who wish to learn about the night sky above Bozeman, The Big Sky Tonight provides a look at our own sliver of the universe, continually updated according to new discoveries and the revolving seasons. Stargazers will see all that surrounds us cast onto the dome in high definition while immersed in sound. They’ll identify stars, planets, and constellations as seen with the naked eye and through a telescope, and then fly among star fields, explore deep space objects, orbit the surface of planets, and see images from the Mars Rover.

For a different look at our solar system, the children’s program The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket follows two kids traveling through space with a talking astronomy book for a navigator.

Taylor Planetarium houses one of the most advanced systems in the world and is one of the best resources in the region. It offers tremendous opportunity for academic pursuits while giving community and visitors a chance to experience all of the brilliance, beauty, and mystery of the universe.

The museum and planetarium are open every day of the week, and all shows are included with the price of admission or membership. To see a full listing of current shows and times, please visit: https://www.museumoftherockies.org/exhibit/current-shows-and-showtimes.