Earth Day: Seeing Earth from Space

Saturday, April 22
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
All ages, family friendly.

Earth Day ticket included in regular general admission ticket price. Free Admission for members, excludes Awesome Orchestra ticket. 

(To attend the Awesome Orchestra everyone, including members must purchase an additional ticket. Capacity is extremely limited. For any additional questions please contact us at (510) 336-7300.)

For Earth Day, we invite you to a showcase of science on Earth and from space!

The first Earth Day in 1970 successfully channeled the spirit of activism into a global movement towards environmental action and awareness of what we now call climate change. The issue of climate change persists as an ongoing challenge but with the help of scientists, researchers, activists and with the use of cutting-edge technology, we now can study, foresee, and act upon major climate events. 

On this historic day, learn about how NASA uses its global satellite resources to help better understand our air, land, and seas. Discover the science behind forest fires and how fire crews work to put them out. See our special screening of “Habitat Earth” planetarium film courtesy of the Morris Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences. Watch a live science presentation on the evolution of Earth and take a naturalist led hike in our surrounding redwood forest and discover how climate change is affecting our local plant species. Interact and engage with hands-on activities that teach us that everyone can play a part in saving our planet.  

 

Presentations, Films and Performances

Insects Lives in the Anthropocene 

With Ralph Washington, Jr.  

10:00am – 3:00pm; talk at 12:00pm, Studio 3 

Every year on Earth Day, we spend time thinking about how to be more responsible global citizens. We can learn a great deal from our six-legged neighbors who contribute a great deal to the health of most ecosystems and are suffering from the environmental impacts of human activity

Ralph Washington, Jr. is an entomologist who specializes in the connection between the respective experiences of humans and insects. On Earth Day, he will offer visitors a chance to spend time with live insects, marvel at preserved specimens, and learn new things in a thematically relevant presentation. 

 

Habitat Earth 

Film courtesy of the California Academy of Sciences’ Morrison Planetarium 

10:30am, 1:30pm 

Planetarium 

Plunge below the ocean’s surface to explore the dynamic relationships found in deep ocean ecosystems; dig beneath the forest floor to see how Earth’s tallest trees rely on tiny fungi to survive; and soar to new heights to witness the intricate intersection between human and ecological networks. 

Narrated by Frances McDormand, our award-winning original planetarium show features stunning visualizations of both biological and human-built networks (and of how they intersect), taking show-goers on an incredible, immersive journey through the interconnectedness of life on Earth. 

 

Fire Among Giants  

With Science Communication Lab’s Cidney Hue 

Short film: runtime 11 minutes, 20 seconds 

11:00am, Theater 

The ancient redwoods of California’s Big Basin State Park have witnessed centuries of change, and now they will stand sentinel over a landscape forced to rebound in a rapidly warming climate. Fire is a force for destruction, but also of rebirth. Get a provocative and intimate look at a world-famous forest in the wake of the most destructive inferno on record. 

The Science Communication Lab is an innovative non-profit organization dedicated to using multimedia storytelling to engage the public, including educational and scientific communities, in the journey and wonder of science.  

Cidney Hue is an award-winning writer-director with a focus on building inclusive futures through science films. She is the head of Audience Development and Digital Content Marketing at the Science Communication Lab.  

 

NASA’s Aviation Tech to Improve Wildland Fire Operations 

With Lynne Martin 

12:00pm, Theater 

Wildland fires burn millions of acres of land and require hundreds of millions of dollars to suppress each year. These major blazes pose a growing threat to public safety and our planet. How can we leverage drones to provide persistent wildfire suppression and surveillance, and mature technology that would help us manage aerial disaster response, safeguarding first responders and communities?  

Hear from Lynne Martin, a technical lead for NASA Ames’ Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project. Martin will share the work NASA is doing to make wildfire operations safer and more effective. 

 

“Wave” Hello to NASA S-MODE: A Study of Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Processes 

With Dr. Brenna Biggs 

2:00pm, Theater 

Join NASA’s Brenna Biggs as we explore the mysteries of the Pacific Ocean with NASA S-MODE (Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment)! S-MODE is currently underway off the coast of San Francisco, CA. This mission uses a research vessel, NASA aircraft, and various in situ and remote sensing instruments to examine the ocean’s movement of nutrients and gases at the kilometer-scale. S-MODE hopes to uncover how these ocean movements may impact climate and sea life. 

We hope to connect “live” with members of the science party onboard the research vessel and from aircraft operations during the presentation.   

Dr. Brenna Biggs works at the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute as the Science Communications lead for the NASA Airborne Science Program (ASP) as well as the ASP-GLOBE Engagement Coordinator. She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine in 2021.  

 

Awesome Orchestra 

4:00pm – 6:00pm; intermission from 5:00pm – 5:15pm 

Planetarium 

Awesome Orchestra will be playing a set of pieces for chamber orchestra based on nature and the stars! Beginning with the rarely performed “Anakin’s Theme” from The Phantom Menace, followed by a mysterious and evocative new piece Fast Through Dark Winds by Rain Worthington. They’ll conclude their planetarium adventure with Stephen Schwartz’s epic mini tone-poem “Meadowlark” featuring local opera singer Molly Mahoney. Come ready for another unique musical adventure! 

Capacity is extremely limited. You must purchase an Earth Day ticket + Awesome Orchestra to attend. Seating is unreserved. Ticketed member entry at 3:30pm, general admission at 3:45pm. Due to the darkened setting, doors will be closed during the performance and there will not be in and out privileges during the performance.  

 

Activities and Demonstrations

Oakland Firesafe Council  

10am – 6pm, Front Circle 

The Oakland Firesafe Council is an Oakland, California non-profit organization dedicated to helping communities reduce the risks of disasters through outreach, education, and programs. Their emergency preparedness and response program provide materials, workshops and support that focuses on the most important actions to take now to help protect lives and property. Learn more at: https://oaklandfiresafecouncil.org/
 

PG&E 

10am – 6pm, Front Circle 

Meet staff from PG&E and learn more about their safety programs to prevent wildfires. 

 

NASA’s Eyes on Earth 

10:00am – 3:00pm 

Studio 1

Join NASA staff and see how spacecraft help us better understand our changing world with NASA’s Eyes on Earth software. 

Monitor our planet’s vital signs, such as sea level height, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and Antarctic ozone. Trace the movement of water around the globe using the gravity map from NASA’s GRACE satellites. Spot volcanic eruptions and forest fires using the carbon monoxide vital sign. Check out the hottest and coldest locations on Earth with the global surface temperature map. 

“Eyes on the Earth” displays the location of all of NASA’s operating Earth-observing missions in real time and lets you compare them in size to a scientist or a school bus. Get a sneak peek at upcoming missions and learn how NASA is planning to study our Earth in the future. 

 

Earth Day Solar System Walk 

With Chabot Galaxy Explorer Serina Jain 

11:00am, Rotunda 

Join our Galaxy Explorers on a guided, solar system themed walk through the redwoods inspired by Earth Day! This mile-long walk includes stops along the way to give you a sense of the scale distance between the planets in our solar system. 

Capacity is limited. Meetup in the Rotunda to join the hike.  

 

Live Science Show: Beat the Heat 

With Chabot Science Educator Jenna Lowe 

1:30pm, 3:00pm, Lab 1 

Who wants to be a climate activist? Come on down and get creative as a contestant on Beat the Heat, the climate solutions gameshow! As contestants compete through questions and challenges, test your own knowledge of northern California climate change and local opportunities to be a part of the solutions! 

 

Mutual Air 

Observation Deck 

10:00am – 6:00pm 

What’s that sound? An Oakland-wide Art Installation to make visible the ubiquitous yet invisible public commons: the air. Mutual Air is a network of bells that reflect the composition of our air. Thirty chimes work together in Oakland, and across the Bay, to provide a detailed picture of real-time pollutant concentrations; Mutual Air is a series of sensor-activated chimes that sonify carbon fluctuations.  

Mutual Air is a project by Rosten Woo and the Exploratorium with key partnerships and cooperation from the Oakland Museum of California, Chabot Space and Science Center, City of Oakland Public Art Program and Cultural Affairs Division, and the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. 

 

Chabot’s Weather Station 

Studio 3 

10:00am – 6:00pm 

Chabot’s Weather Station provides current weather conditions measured from Chabot’s rooftop vantage point.  Check out weather data visualizations throughout the day on several screens.