Live Sky Show: Explore the Universe
Leave Earth far behind as we take off through our Solar System, out of the Milky Way and beyond. We'll explore the large scale structure and the diversity of objects that make up our universe including galaxies, nebula, black holes, star clusters and more.
Space Show: Tales of the Maya Skies
Immerse yourself in the beauty of Chichén Itzá, Mexico, the “seventh wonder of the modern world.” Listen to the story of the ancient Maya civilization.
With unprecedented realism, “Tales of the Maya Skies” immerses us in Maya science, art and mythology, using full-dome digital technology to transport us back into the world of the Maya. The show inspires and educates through its description of the Maya’s accurate astronomical achievements and how astronomy connected them to the universe.
Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee Lila Downs, narrates as “Tales of the Maya Skies” brings us back to the ancient jungles of Mexico where the Maya built cities and temples aligned to movements of the sun, moon and planets. Over many years they observed and documented astronomical events with great accuracy.
The Maya made sense of an ever-changing world by observing, recording and predicting natural events such as solstices, solar eclipses, weather patterns and planetary movements. These observations, in combination with a sophisticated mathematical system, allowed them to develop a precise calendar system. Their measurements of the length of the solar year were more accurate than measurements the Europeans used as the basis of the Gregorian calendar. The Maya also predicted eclipses, were able to forecast seasonal change and developed the concept of mathematical zero enabling them to predict events into the future.
Recent deciphering of the Maya hieroglyphics is providing archeologists with new and exciting discoveries. Using three dimensional laser scanning and advanced graphic techniques, the virtual reconstruction of architecture in “Tales of the Maya Skies” also supports these archeologists in interpreting the ancient sites and contributes to their conservation