Past Events

There’s never been a better time to head outside and explore the starry skies! Join our planetarium educators as they answer your questions and take you on a journey of what can currently be seen in the evening. Don’t forget to download your own Minnesota Skies Guide before the adventure begins. 

Scott Peterson is a citizen scientist who searches for micrometeorites in the urban environment of the Twin Cities. After scouring rooftops for these tiny pieces of cosmic dust, he photographs them in great detail. Join us for this live conversation to learn more about his process and see stunning examples from his collection.

Our doors may be closed right now, but our staff have been hard at work taking care of the animals in our Touch & See Lab. Have you been missing them? Here’s your chance to hear what’s been going on from the Touch & See Lab coordinator, Jennifer Menken! Join us for this live event from inside the lab and add your questions in the comments. 

We continue our journey through the solar system in part two of this live planetarium show for all ages. There is much more to explore when it comes to the Sun, planets, moons, and other objects in our system! Share your questions with us in the comments box on Facebook, and planetarium educators will answer them live.

Tracing Newton Horace Winchell’s path to becoming a leading light of an emerging scientific field, Minnesota’s Geologist recreates the early days of scientific inquiry in Minnesota, when one man’s passion for learning could unlock secrets of the state’s distant past and present landscape. This first telling of Winchell’s life story is set against a backdrop of Minnesota’s geological complexity and splendor.

Author Sue Leaf will be giving a short talk, followed by audience Q&A. She will relate how she came to be interested in Winchell, tell what resources were available to tell his story, and then give three short scenes from his life: maybe capsizing on Lake Michigan while doing field work as a young geologist near Door County; his initial trip into the Arrowhead (the canoe trip to end all canoe trips)— solo, with two Ojibwe guides; and then the debacle of the Kensington Runestone.

Join us June 24 at 12 pm for the very first member master class! In this virtual event, Herbarium Collections Manager Tim Whitfeld will discuss the importance of the Bell Museum’s Herbarium Collection, answer your questions, and demonstrate how to collect, press, and mount plant specimens.