Stellar Experiences

Welcome to the Sudekum Planetarium
at the Adventure Science Center
Home of Stellar Experiences show packages

Many of the shows presented in the Sudekum Planetarium are completely original productions: written, narrated, scored, illustrated, animated, produced, and directed right here in Nashville, Tennessee. It is quite likely you could see one of the Stellar Experiences from the Sudekum Planetarium playing on another dome screen anywhere in the world.

The Sudekum Planetarium began producing completely original planetarium programs in 1987. Funding for production was generously provided by the Sudekum Memorial Trust to enhance the value and programming of the Sudekum Planetarium. The staff sought to create original programs that would convey the excitement and importance of astronomy and space exploration to visitors of all ages.

The main purpose of show production, then as now, is to create high quality programs to present in the Sudekum Planetarium. Making shows available to other facilities was the next logical step. Selling and leasing programs helps to offset production costs, serves the greater planetarium community, and of course, is gratifying to share with facilities around the world.

The Sudekum Planetarium does purchase programs from other producers. In fact, there have been some excellent offerings in the last few years. These provide a variety of styles and content which is refreshing to both the staff and the audience. It is simply not possible for one facility to produce enough new material to change shows every three months. There are so many exciting things happening in astronomy and space exploration that one cannot know or do it all.

Completely original Sudekum programs don't just play in Nashville! Our first shows were made available for purchase by other planetariums in 1989. Since then, almost 750 classic, slide-based show kits have been sold to more than 240 different facilities in 43 states. That’s a lot of repeat customers.

Sudekum's Stellar Experiences have played in domes of all sizes, from 16 to 68 feet in diameter. We have conservatively estimated that more than nine million people around the world have seen Stellar Experiences produced by the Sudekum Planetarium.

Over the years, five of the nineteen shows in our catalog have received awards for scriptwriting or audio-visual production. Especially popular titles include Our Place in Space, Rusty Rocket’s Last Blast, and The Planet Patrol: Solar System Stakeout.

Our programs feature engaging scripts that fulfill curriculum requirements for school while inspiring a variety of audiences. The soundtracks are produced using original music and professional narration. We offer a variety of slide preparation options depending on how much work the purchasing planetarium wants to do to install the program.

Some planetariums have replaced their dissolving slide projectors with individual video projectors. These upgraded theaters can purchase the “slide” imagery for Nine Planets and Counting or Mars Update in completely digital format allowing for maximum flexibility and customization for their installation. As time permits, we will be digitizing other traditional shows in the same way.

With the opening of the new Sudekum Planetarium, the staff is updating and reproducing some of the most popular programs. These fulldome productions will take advantage of new technological capabilities to make your planetarium experience even more dramatic and immersive.

The new Sudekum Planetarium's inaugural show was STARS, an original, fulldome, digital production narrated by actor Mark Hamill. Adventure Science Center collaborated with the National Space Centre in Leicester, England, to create this stunning 26-minute show exploring the powerhouses of the universe and our relationship with the night sky throughout history.

Nine Planets and Counting and Our Place in Space are consistently among our most popular programs for visiting school groups.

In preparation for the opposition of Mars in December 2009, the Sudekum Planetarium prepared a fulldome version of Mars Update which is now available for other fulldome theaters.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to call or drop an email. We love to talk, especially about everything planetarium.

Whether for schools or public, the planetarium experience should be more than just an exercise in education. It should be entertaining and inspirational to visitors of all ages. The staff of the Sudekum Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center strives to produce and distribute quality programs for a reasonable price that provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of the universe that surrounds each of us.

Kris McCall, Director
Sudekum Planetarium
Adventure Science Center
krismccall@adventuresci.com
(615) 401-5077

Drew Gilmore, Producer
Sudekum Planetarium
Adventure Science Center
dgilmore@adventuresci.com
(615) 401-5097