Special Presentation - Double Feature in Spanish

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
STARS & Black Holes (30 min)

Double Feature in Spanish (Full Dome Film):

STARS:Stars focuses on the lives of the stars, how they are born, how they die, and how human understanding of the stars has changed over time.

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity uses high-resolution visualizations to explore the science of black holes.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

David McCuan: SSU Political Scientist

Special Edition!  Dr. David McCuan is back this time to talk about the 2024 elections.  What happened this past November?  Dr. McCuan was with us in the Spring and will now bring his political commentary and analysis full circle post-election.

STEM Level 1 Certified!

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
To Space and Back (30 min)

To Space and Back:   Space exploration, our greatest adventure, is having a big impact on our lives. It is helping us to discover a universe of unimaginable scale and beauty, and it is reaching down into our world and influencing the way in which we live..

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

Kasey Schalich Ph.D.: Postdoctoral Researcher

Piner Alumni Kasey Schalich Ph.D. comes back to share her educational journey from PHS graduation in 2010 to working at UC Davis as a research fellow focusing on gut health and how milk bioactive-gut microbiome interactions promote gut and brain heath.  From Piner to USC to Cornell to Vanderbilt University and finally to UC Davis. Plan YOUR journey! 

STEM Level 1 Certified!

Brought to you by: Mr. Rosales

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Earthquake (30 min)

Earthquake: Evidence of a Restless Planet -Earthquake explores the forces that transform the surface of our planet. After a stunning flight over the San Andreas Fault, audiences travel back in time to experience San Francisco's infamous 1906 earthquake.  Data-driven visualizations illustrate Earth’s story and how geological activity influences the course of human history.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

Sean Hacking: Founder and CTO of VEER

Local (Petaluma) entrepreneur Sean Hacking will join us to share his company’s unique solution to dirty, noisy and sometimes unreliable chain drives for bikes and e-bikes.  Hear Sean’s story from concept to reality as he takes us on his entrepreneurial journey to provide a chainless, seamless cycling experience.

STEM Level 1 Certified!

Brought to you by: Ms. Miller

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Passport to the Universe (30 min)

Passport to the Universe: Narrated by Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, Passport to the Universe takes audiences on an interstellar odyssey.  Journeying from our Solar System to the Virgo Supercluster and back again, you’ll get an astronaut’s-eye view of the incredible objects that constitute our Universe—and an inspiring reminder of the limitlessness of human imagination and ingenuity.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

Neil Bulger: Founder and Principal of A2 Efficiency

Ever wonder how engineers design sustainable buildings to be “Net Zero” or LEED compliant?  Please join us to hear local engineer and A2 Efficiency founder Neil Bulger on how they are leading the industry in decarbonizing buildings making their carbon footprint ecologically friendly and sustainable.

STEM Level 1 Certified!

Brought to you by: Ms. Case

Dr. David McCuan is a Professor of Political Science at SSU.  His expertise is in American politics and International Relations.  Dr. McCuan has had many appearances in television, print, and social media including The New York Times, CNN, ABC news, NPR, (to name just a very few) and is a Guest Host and Political Analyst for the Bay Area’s KCBS radio.  We have a Presidential election coming up November 2024 and Dr. McCuan will be discussing everything elections and beyond!  Be informed!  Stimulate your Brain!

IMAX Coral Reef Adventure: Take a once in a lifetime journey across the South Pacific for a spectacular IMAX adventure. Joy, ecstasy, a spiritual high: these words describe the exhilaration of diving a pristine coral reef as ocean explorers Howard and Michele Hall bring their love of the ocean into action.

Black Holes: The formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super-massive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Former Piner High School Graduate and now Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will share her journey from a struggling student at Piner to now Assistant Professor at Texas A&M.  Lindsey now works on mammalian bone and tissue regeneration investigating the repair mechanisms following amputation of appendages.

Super Volcanoes: 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.

From Firestorm to Climate Healing

The Secrets of Whales: Orcas across the globe use unique strategies to stay on top of the food chain. Witness five powerful orca matriarchs pass down their family hunting traditions to the next generation, preserving their way of life before the customs are lost forever.

Emmy winning Cinematographer Owen Bissell will join us for an evening of adventure as he discusses his work on numerous National Geographic, Disney, PBS, and other nature films across the globe.  Owen’s travels have taken him to the corners of the earth.  And no, the Earth is not flat.  If you love adventure, you cannot miss this!

Full Dome Double Feature in Spanish only

-Dynamic Earth: Dynamic Earth explores the inner workings of Earth’s great life support system: the global climate.

-Solar Superstorms: A fury is building on the surface of the Sun. What’s driving these strange phenomena? How will they affect planet Earth?  Find the answers as we venture into the seething interior of our star.

Incoming!   Audiences will discover how asteroids and comets have collided with our planet throughout history, changing the course of life on Earth and shaping the world we know today.

SMART Train Chief Engineer Bill Gamlen will join us for an evening of everything SMART train. From its technology, design, engineering and especially SMART trains future plans.

Natural Selection  We will join Darwin on his voyage with the HMS Beagle to the Galapagos Islands where he was inspired to develop his later theory of transmutation by natural selection.  Darwin himself will explain the mechanism of natural selection to the audience and support it by showing many beautiful examples in nature.