Planetarium Showtimes

Our Expanding Universe

Recommended for ages 10+
This show is Live!

Join us for an incredible journey across the universe, from the explosive birth of the cosmos to today’s cutting-edge research happening right here in Minnesota. Explore the origins of the Big Bang and trace the growth of the universe from the first atoms to galactic superclusters to explosive supernovas. Along the way, learn how scientists at the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics are pushing the boundaries of our understanding as they tackle one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries: how fast is the universe expanding? Come feel the wonder of discovery as we unravel the mysteries of cosmic expansion and inspire you to see the cosmos with fresh eyes and renewed curiosity.

Minnesota Night Skies

Recommended for all ages
This show is Live!

Join our planetarium staff as we take a look at the sky above Minnesota, including seasonal constellations, the Moon, and visible planets. There’s something in the sky for everyone.

We Are Guardians

Recommended for ages 8+

We are all connected. Come and find out how. Join us on a journey into, under, and around the many ecosystems across our planet. Discover how each component fits together, and how the health of each part is vital to the health of Planet Earth. Find out how, with the help of satellites and scientific study, we can understand the links between human activities and climate change, and what we can do to work together to improve the health of our shared home.

Solar System Road Trip

Recommended for all ages
This show is Live!

Hop into the Bell Museum’s spaceship and take a tour of our solar system! You might fly through the rings of Saturn, investigate the phases of the Moon, or be the first human to land on Mars! Discover your favorite planet or moon, or even learn what makes a planet a planet in the first place (#sorrynotsorry Pluto).

Living in Balance: Anishinaabe Star Knowledge

Recommended for ages 8+

This recorded show highlights Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) stories of constellations and moons in relation to contemporary insights about environmental changes. It presents teachings about the stars, Moon, Sun, seasons, and how to live a good life, respecting the lands, waters, animals, and all forms of life. 

This show was produced by the Abrams Planetarium in East Lansing, Michigan. Teachings are shared by Native skywatchers Carl Gawboy, William Wilson, and Dr. Annette S. Lee, set to art by Elizabeth LaPensée. 

Living in Balance was originally written and recorded in the eastern Anishinaabemowin dialect. It was translated into the western dialect spoken in Minnesota by Dr. Dennis Jones (Pebaamibines) and the Bell’s Native American Initiatives Education Specialist Winonah Ojanen (Gaagige Aanakwadikwe), and recorded and audio produced by Bell planetarium staff. Dr. Dennis Jones (Pebaamibines), a longtime University of Minnesota Ojibwe language instructor, narrates the program.

Unseen Universe

Recommended for ages 10+

Look into cutting edge astronomy and explore the universe far beyond our human senses. For millions of years, our view of the heavens has been limited by our eyes, allowing us to only see a narrow band of electromagnetic radiation we call visible light. For the first time ever, in the greatest breakthrough since the invention of the telescope, we now have the technology to capture the Universe over an amazing width of the spectrum and beyond. We can even interlink telescopes around the world to capture data on a global scale.

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage

Recommended for all ages

On a 2 year journey across space, how will astronauts stay motivated? How will they stay healthy? What challenges will they face along the way? Our newest Bell original production, Mars: The Ultimate  Voyage, dives into these questions while showing what the first journey to Mars might look like—and how creativity, communication, and collaboration come together to ensure safe, deep space travel.

Supervolcanoes

Recommended for ages 8+

Supervolcanoes is an immersive planetarium show that looks back at rare classes of eruptions that have marshaled the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the surface of planet Earth. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, the program moves beyond Earth to explore the impact of giant volcanic eruptions around our solar system. Audiences fly down to Neptune’s frigid moon Triton, and onto the ultimate volcanic world, Jupiter’s moon Io. On a visit to a legendary North American hot spot, Yellowstone National Park, the film asks: can a supervolcano erupt in our time?

Secrets From a Forest

Recommended for ages 8+

Experience the cinematic mastery of Secrets from a Forest. This Bell Museum original planetarium production, led by the artistic vision of renowned photographer Jim Brandenburg, award-winning director Neil Lucas, and featuring members of the Minnesota Orchestra, illuminates the creation of the Stradivarius violin. Beginning in the forests of Italy and concluding in a concert hall, this story illustrates the intimate connections between sound and nature, throughout time and space.

Habitat Earth

From the tallest trees to the smallest fungi, dig into the dynamic relationships in our connected world. Learn about the human impact on the world around us and the steps that we can take to maintain the human and ecological networks.

Minnesota in the Cosmos

The land beneath our feet holds a deep cosmic and geologic history.  Join Jacob as he explores this history while on a field trip to Interstate State Park.  Starting with the formation of the solar system, follow along on this uniquely Minnesota journey through time and space.

Mysteries of Your Brain

Recommended for ages 8+
Mysteries of Your Brain takes you on an immersive, animated adventure that explores what makes the human brain so special. In this original Bell Museum production, your tour guides on this journey are a curious girl and her crow companion–together you’ll zoom along the paths of neurons, see a close-up view of how human and animal brains differ, and experience illusions on a grand scale. You’ll learn how your brain makes you you and that, ultimately, we each have the power to change our brains.