New Planetarium show takes us to the ocean depths

Far below the ocean waves is an incredible place teeming with life, but few people have seen it... until now. With the Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater's premiere of “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea,” on Friday, August 1, you can be there for the first time. This giant screen adventure plunges the audience 12,000 feet deep into the ocean for an unprecedented experience through this vast and little-explored dimension of our planet which remains one of the greatest mysteries on Earth.

The film follows a team of scientists as they dive to research mysterious hydrothermal vents – communities of life thriving in the most extreme environment on Earth. And as the dive unfolds, the film and the scientists reveal the fantastic diversity of the deep: its strange communities of organisms, its shipwreck gardens, bioluminescent creatures and awesome giant predators. This is the first extensively lit views of such vent habitants ever seen by the public.

Scientific investigation of deep-sea vents has yielded astounding discoveries, opened up important new avenues for science and begun to transform our understanding of life on this planet and others. The discoveries include dense communities of creatures fueled not by sunlight, but by Earth's own heat and chemistry; microbes that thrive in water hot enough to boil a lobster; and organisms that have survived essentially unchanged through tens of millions of years of turbulent planetary history.

The film further explores the planet's marine depths as never before, putting audiences into the most alien and hostile environments on Earth and into contact with the planet's strangest creatures, dramatic landscapes and phenomena. This real-life tale of mystery chronicles scientists search for an animal that may be one of Earth's greatest survivors—an ancient species that is decorating the deep sea floor with its strange hexagonal trademark. In pursuit of this elusive animal and an understanding of its mysterious habitat, the film propels audiences from the dramatic sea cliffs of Spain , through two oceans, into deep-sea sites dense with astounding life forms and even into the far reaches of space.

“Volcanoes of the Deep Sea ” delivers the first high-fidelity experience of the great ocean depths. Through an extraordinary visual and scientific journey, it reveals the unique characteristics of the greatest mountain chain on Earth, its connection to our tumultuous, changing planet and its profound and powerful influence on the life of this world.

Show time for “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea ” is Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

Following the new “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea ” is the planetarium star show “Search for Life in the Universe.”Narrated by Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame), this show seeks the answer to the age-old question, “Are we alone in the universe?” A live star talk is presented after the show. Show time is Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.

Digital laser light shows round out the new schedule with “Laser Pop” at 9 p.m., “Laser Rock” at 9:45 p.m. and “Laser Hip Hop” at 10:30 p.m. These shows bring you some of the latest songs featuring today's hottest artists using digital laser imagery.

The new Saturday matinee lineup now features “The Sky Above Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood” at 1 p.m. Children will laugh, sing and learn about the wonders of the day and night sky with Mr. Rogers and his band of characters from the Neighborhood of Make Believe. The show is immediately followed by “Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus and Andromeda.” Show time is 1 p.m.

At 2 p.m. enjoy many mythological tales, Native American star lore and other stories of the sky from poet and humorist Baxter Black in “Cowboy Astronomer.”

The large format film “Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France” moves to 3 p.m. This action-packed, spellbinding ride chronicles the legendary Tour de France bike race. Follow the world's top professional cyclists through the Alps to experience the fight-or-flight situations on a steep downhill switchback, witness their struggle to maintain mental focus on roads melting in a heat wave and learn from their constant battle with fatigue.

The matinee concludes with the popular “Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia.” This large format film provides a unique occasion to get a true experience of the incredible size and strength of these creatures that roamed the Earth 65 million years ago. Narrated by Donald Sutherland, the documentary-style narrative focuses on the history, the evolution and extinction of dinosaurs. Audiences will also explore some of the greatest paleontological discoveries of modern time.

For complete show descriptions and weekday matinee schedule, call 254-526-1800 or log onto www.starsatnight.org .