Chabot Space & Science Center | East Bay Area - Oakland CA

ElectroLaze: Holiday
2025-12-14 15:45 - 16:30, 2025-12-07 15:45 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
These bright lights and infectious beats give new meaning to the old holiday light shows on the lawn!

The Sun: Our Living Star
2025-12-14 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-12 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-07 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-05 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-29 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-22 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-15 15:00 - 16:00
25 min
Ages 6 and up, Adults
The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived. It is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life.
The passage of the Sun’s fiery disc across the sky — day by day, month by month — was the only way to keep track of time for countless past civilizations. Don’t be fooled by the terminology; although it is a typical dwarf star, the Sun consumes 600 million tons of hydrogen each second and is 500 times as massive as all the planets combined.
Discover the secrets of our star in this planetarium show and experience never-before-seen images of the Sun’s violent surface in immersive fulldome format. Our team has worked with some of the most talented planetarium producers to bring you this visually striking planetarium show about the most important star in our lives.

Lunaverse
2025-12-14 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-12 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-05 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-09 12:00 - 13:00
16 minutes
All ages
“Lunaverse” explores the nature of Earth’s moon: its motion and phases, lunar and solar eclipses, tides, and the Moon’s origin. The story unfolds as a conversation between a curious young child and the Moon—Luna—over the course of a night, from moonrise to moonset.
Chabot Space & Science Center in-house production

World's Beyond Earth
2025-12-14 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-13 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-12 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-07 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-06 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-05 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-29 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-28 14:00 - 15:00 and 7 more dates
25 minutes
Ages 6 and up
What have 50 years of space exploration taught us about the planets and moons closest to us? With each probe and spacecraft launched into the unknown, scientists discover more about the surprisingly dynamic, active, and varied nature of the worlds that share our solar system, and gain a deeper understanding of the unique conditions that make life on our home planet possible.
Based on authentic scientific data from groundbreaking space missions, Worlds Beyond Earth takes viewers on an exhilarating adventure through our cosmic neighborhood. Immersive visualizations showcase the solar system with unprecedented accuracy, including a landing on the cratered surface of our own Moon, a dramatic flight through the swirling rings of Saturn, and soaring encounters with distant worlds of active volcanoes and buried oceans. This film is narrated by Lupita Nyong’o.

Aurora Storm
2025-12-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-28 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-21 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-14 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-07 15:00 - 16:00
Aurora Storm
11 minutes
Ages 8 and up
Aurora Storm explores the captivating northern lights and how different cultures and explorers have experienced them. Produced by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and the University of Alaska Museum of the North. The show teaches about the causes of the aurorae and how humans who live beneath their shimmering light are inspired by what they see. Quotes from the written journals of past Arctic explorers and indigenous people share stories of how they regarded the aurorae.

Ohlone Skies (mur taaraxtak)
2025-12-14 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-12 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-07 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-28 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-21 11:00 - 12:00
(40 Min) Developed in partnership and solidarity with Cafe Ohlone, mur taaraxtak, or Ohlone Skies, weaves science and storytelling into a rich tapestry of Indigenous Ohlone knowledge, heritage, and history deeply rooted right here in the Oakland hills.

Geminid Meteor Shower Watch Party
2025-12-13 23:00 - 2025-12-14 03:00
$7 Kids, $15 Adult
FREE for Members
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Get ready to light up the chilly December night with wonder at our Geminid Meteor Shower Watch Party! Under the vast winter sky, the Geminids will dazzle with their brilliant streaks of light, a celestial gift from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. As Earth sails through trails of cosmic dust, these meteoroids burn up in our atmosphere, painting the heavens with glowing magic.
Bundle up, bring a blanket, and let the Geminids take center stage—no telescopes needed! With their radiant glow and breathtaking beauty, this meteor shower promises a night of celestial splendor you’ll never forget.

Tales of the Maya Skies
2025-12-13 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-06 15:00 - 16:00
35 minutes
All ages
Through the magic of technology and imagination, you are about to take a trip across time and space to visit a world as it no longer exists today: the world of the ancient Maya civilization! The great pyramid and other stone observatories and structures in the ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula have been laser-scanned and recreated digitally to enable your journey. You will see Chichen Itza perhaps as it looked a thousand years ago when the Maya civilization of the ancient world was at its peak. You will also learn about Maya culture’s advanced understanding of space, time, and mathematics that allowed them to understand the world as few ancient cultures have.
Chabot Space & Science Center

Forward to the Moon
2025-12-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-06 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-05 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-12 07:00 - 08:00, 2025-11-08 15:00 - 16:00
Learn about NASA’s Artemis Program, and the initiative to get Astronauts back onto the moon!

Worlds of Curiosity
2025-12-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-06 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-30 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-29 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-23 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-22 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-15 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-08 12:00 - 13:00
(15 min) Worlds of Curiosity dives into the questions of “What it would be like to live on an Earth with no Moon?” or “What if the Earth was tilted on its side, like the planet Uranus?”

Sunstruck
2025-12-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-06 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-29 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-22 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-15 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-08 13:00 - 14:00
Sunstruck
21 minutes
All ages
Explore the sun in all its glory in this fulldome show. Sunstruck takes us on a journey to discover the wonders of our magnificent sun and investigate how our star has supported life on Earth for millennia. This program includes information on the structure of our sun, the source of its energy, and how solar activity impacts our world.
Michigan Science Center

Universal
2025-12-12 16:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-05 16:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-30 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-23 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-16 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-09 13:00 - 14:00
Universal
12 minutes
All ages
Fly through the heart of an ancient cluster of stars, and take a swing around the luminous remains of a dying star. Cruise by alien planets that orbit a nearby star, surf past the brilliant rings of Saturn, and more. ‘Universal’ is a quick un-narrated voyage through the universe that carries the viewer from the vast realm of intergalactic space to several stellar wonders of the Milky Way Galaxy through an intriguing and nearby extraterrestrial planetary system, and onward to home, to Earth. This show’s dialogue is all textual and is preferred for those hard of hearing.
Chabot Space & Science Center in-house production

Phantom of the Universe
2025-12-12 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-07 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-05 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-28 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-21 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-14 13:00 - 14:00
Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt For Dark Matter
25 minutes
Ages 8 and up
An exciting exploration of dark matter, from the Big Bangto its anticipated discovery at the Large Hadron Collider. The show will reveal the first hints ofits existence through the eyes of Fritz Zwicky, the scientist who coined the term “dark matter”. This show is narrated by Tilda Swinton.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

ElectroLaze: Hypnotica
2025-11-30 15:45 - 16:30, 2025-11-23 15:45 - 16:30, 2025-11-16 15:45 - 16:30, 2025-11-09 15:45 - 16:30
Enjoy a laser show filled with stunning visual art! Different themes include Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Holiday and more!

Big Astronomy
2025-11-30 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-23 15:00 - 16:00
26 minutes
Ages 8 and up
Big Astronomy explores three observatories located in Chile, at extreme and remote places. It gives examples of the multitude of STEM careers needed to keep the great observatories working. The show is narrated by Barbara Rojas-Ayala, a Chilean astronomer.
California Academy of Sciences

Maya Archeoastronomy
2025-11-30 13:00 - 14:00
20 minutes
Ages 8 and up
In a feast of colors and sounds, Maya Archaeoastronomy: Observers of the Universe makes a tour of six Mayan temples: San Gervasio, Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, Edzná, Palenque and Bonampak where the spectator dives into a Mayan world of knowledge about the importance of the orientations of its temples in relation to the movement of some stars like the Sun, the Moon and Venus.

5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI
2025-11-30 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-23 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-16 11:00 - 12:00
(30 min) 5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI is a full dome film about the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) which is creating the most detailed map of our nearby universe using a unique instrument which can measure the spectra of many galaxies at once. Experience the largest structures in the universe as never seen before by flying through a portion of DESI’s initial data. Dive into modern cosmology, plus the scientific background and motivation for building a Fiske Planetarium large map of galaxies. And, take a trip to Kitt Peak to see footage of the telescope in action while getting to know the amazing people from all over the world making this research possible

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage
2025-11-29 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-22 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-15 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-08 11:00 - 12:00
(25 min) Ever wondered what it will take for astronauts to travel to the Moon, Mars and beyond? On this long journey, what challenges will astronauts face? How will they stay motivated and healthy on their spacecraft so far away from Earth? The new, Bell original planetarium show Mars: The Ultimate Voyage, explores these questions and more. Ages 8 and up.
The work for the original planetarium production was funded by a NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) Award 80NSSC20M0028 to the Bell Museum through the Regents of the University of Minnesota.

Waiting Far Away
2025-11-28 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-21 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-14 12:00 - 13:00
10 minutes
All ages
An explorer of the cosmos has traveled too far…and can’t find home. Become lost on a journey through the majestic, humbling, and solitary beauty of space and time reimagined.
Charles Hayden Planetarium

Family Astronomy: Mysteries of the Sun
2025-11-22 18:00 - 20:00
Family Astronomy: Mysteries of the Sun
$15 Youth, $25 Adults
Members get $5 off per ticket
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Chabot Space & Science Center’s Family Astronomy Series invites families with children ages 6–12 to explore the wonders of the universe together! This program features an engaging presentation in Studio 3 followed by hands-on activities and opportunities to make discoveries together. Each event includes complimentary hot cocoa and snacks.

Step into the light of our closest star in this family-friendly workshop exploring the Sun’s powerful energy and the upcoming NASA MUSE mission. The Sun powers life on Earth and shapes the space environment around our home planet, yet many of its mysteries remain unsolved. Through hands-on activities, families will

Uncover the hidden layers of the Sun
Explore the rainbow of colors through light
Connect these discoveries to the dramatic birth of stars in glowing nebulae and the larger life cycles that shape our galaxy

This workshop compares the Sun to other stars, discovering how it is both ordinary yet extraordinary as the one that makes life on Earth possible.

More Information
Guests will enter through the Observatory entrance. Please note: program admission does not include after-hours museum access. Be sure to wear layers for the Observatory’s cool nighttime conditions.

Astrophotography Gear Meet Up
2025-11-20 19:00 - 22:00
Astrophotography Gear Meet Up
$50, $25 Members
Programming designed for ages 16+
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Are you wanting to get started in astronomy or astrophotography, but you’re not sure where to start? Do you have gear you already purchased but are not sure how it works? Do you want to get started in the Eastbay Astronomical Society Loaner Scope Program? Come to Chabot’s Astronomy and Astrophotography Gear Meet Up and get your astronomy and astrophotography questions answered by Chabot staff under the Oakland skies on Chabot’s Observation Deck.

In this meet up, you will be able to receive training on astronomy and astrophotography gear that can be loaned to you through the East Bay Astronomical Society’s loaner scope program. You will be able to try out different types of telescopes and astrophotography setups and receive one-on-one time with experienced amateur astronomers that can help get started in viewing and taking photos of the night sky.

Please reach out to Mason Hall; mhall@chabotspace.org with any questions you have in advance of this meet up. This event is subject to cancellation because of rain but not clouds. Remember to dress for cold weather as we will be outside. The meet up can be purchased in conjunction with the Astrophotography Workshop but is not required to be.

Astrophotography Workshop: Unveiling Our Place in the Universe
2025-11-18 18:00 - 22:30
Photo Credit: Judy Schmidt
Introduction to Astronomy & Beginner Astrophotography (new beginner level workshop)
$75, Members get $15 off
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Classroom 2 at Chabot
Dinner & private telescope viewing included

Are you interested in learning more about Astronomy and meeting others with similar interests? Do you have questions about what telescope is best to buy or how to use the telescope you currently own? Are you amazed by those incredible images of the Hubble and Webb telescope and want to know more about how they are made?

In this workshop you will learn the fundamentals of amateur astronomy and astrophotography. We will cover what can be seen in the night sky and how to find these objects yourself. Get hands on training using different types of telescopes and learn how to get started taking photos of the night sky. Get your Astronomy and Astrophotography questions answered by Chabot Staff while meeting others with similar passions.

Astrophotography Gear Meet Up
Make sure you check out our meet up on November 20th where you’ll receive training on astronomy and astrophotography gear that can be loaned to you through the East Bay Astronomical Society’s loaner scope program.
Learn More

Zodiac Tours
2025-11-16 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-09 15:00 - 16:00
38 minutes
All ages
Come on a tour of the Zodiac, the group of ancient constellations visited by the Sun and planets as they wander along their roadway in the sky. Be dazzled by fabulous facts and fantastic fables of these notable star patterns, and discover what hidden celestial treasures they hold.

Chabot Space & Science Center in-house production

Einstein's Gravity Playlist
2025-11-16 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-09 14:00 - 15:00
23 minutes
Ages 8 and up
Einstein’s Gravity Playlist is an original planetarium show that explores the ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916, and a century later, scientists detected these waves using incredibly precise laser technology here on Earth. In this show, viewers follow Lucia, a PhD student in physics, on an exploration of how gravitational waves are formed, how they move through the universe, and how scientists like her work to hear them.
Chabot Space & Science Center in-house production

Mexica Archeoastronomy
2025-11-14 11:00 - 12:00
20 min, 8 and up
Through impressive scenarios, “Mexica Archaeoastronomy: between space and time” illustrates the important role played by astronomical observation for the evolution of pre-Hispanic cultures in central Mexico.

c360: Cosmic Dance
2025-11-09 11:00 - 12:00
35 minutes
Ages 8 and up
Got restless feet? You’re in good company: the Sun, Moon, planets and stars also have those ants in their pants and can’t keep their feet moving to the beat of their ageless cosmic dance. Two-step, tango, break dance, and dosey-doe your way across the solar system in this live immersive show! We’ll cover a few basics of the dance of the planets, whose motions across the sky puzzled and bewildered Earthly onlookers for millennia.
Chabot Space & Science Center in-house production

Family Nature Adventures: Fungi
2025-11-08 10:30 - 12:30
$25 Adult, $35 Youth
Your tickets include admission to the Center for the day – a $19-24 value!
Buy Tickets

This Months Theme: Fungus Among Us
Exploring the Secret Life of Mushrooms!
Unlock the mysterious world of fungi that thrives in the redwood forest!

Interactive Workshop:
Learn about the fascinating life cycle of mushrooms, their role in the ecosystem, and how to identify various species.
Guided Nature Walk: Venture into the forest with expert guides to discover different types of fungi growing in the wild and uncover their unique characteristics.
Get ready to explore the hidden wonders beneath the forest floor—fungi is far more fascinating than you might think!

What Awaits You:
Hands-On Workshops: Engage with science through fun, interactive activities and real tools.
Tasty Treats: Enjoy a snack to fuel your adventure!
Guided Nature Walks: Uncover the secrets of the forest with expert-led explorations.
This family-friendly experience is perfect for children ages 3-8 and their grown-ups. General museum admission is included with your ticket, and members enjoy $10 off per ticket by logging in.
