First Friday: Light Up the Night

Despite December being the darkest month of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, it is a time to light up the night with a celebration of different cultures. For First Friday: Light Up the Night, join us at Chabot Space & Science Center for an evening filled with exciting hands-on activities, shows, guest speakers and more! This is fun for the whole family!

James Webb Paper Snowflakes Craft
Mezzanine
6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Make-Your-Own Exoplanet Ornament
Classroom 2
6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Spectra Surprises!
Studio 2
6:00 PM-9:00 PM
What is light? Light is everywhere around us, and we can learn so much by studying it. In this hands-on demonstration, join Chabot Educators as we compare the spectra of different light sources, elements, and gases using spectroscopes and spectroscopy software. We will also explore what we can learn from spectra about the size, temperature, composition, and age of distant stars, exoplanets, and comets.

Holiday Strings
Theatre
6:30 PM
Strings at the Pacific Boychoir Academy are presenting familiar holiday tunes live at the Chabot Space and Science Center. Young string players have performed joyfully at local venues including the Dunsmuir House, Oakland Zoo, Oakland Coliseum, and in its former home, Holy Names University. This group will add to the sweet memories of this holiday season!

Sunstruck
Planetarium
6:30 PM
(21m) 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.

Exploring the Northern Lights
Theatre
7:15 PM
A 15-minute talk by Galaxy Explorer Intern, Aditya Kapur, investigating the interdisciplinarity of the Northern Lights through its historical connection to Native American and Viking cultures and its scientific presence in the space community as an atmospheric phenomenon involving energized particles.

The Sky Tonight: Live Zeiss Show
Planetarium
7:30 PM
Explore the cosmos as a Chabot Astronomer leads you through the galaxy using a Zeiss Universarium Mark VIII Star Projector.

Telescope Makers Workshop with East Bay Astronomical Society
Lab 2
7:30 PM-10:30 PM
Open to all ages, the Telescope Makers’ Workshop is an all-volunteer group committed to helping people build their own telescopes. Drop in to see what they are up to.

The Eastbay Astronomical Society serves Bay Area residents and astronomy enthusiasts with events, classes, and Oakland’s premier views of the universe.  

Candle Making Workshop Session 1
Lab 1
7:45 PM-8:30 PM
$15 per group, 1 candle per group. Ages 8+
Register at the front desk! Space is limited. Join us in making multi-color beeswax candles! Candles symbolize hope, life, death, connection to ancestors, resistance, and more in cultures around the world! What will your candle mean to you?

Star Stories
Observatory Deck
8:00 PM
In addition to the Greek and Roman Classical Myths, you’ll hear Native American stories, as well as lore from India, Ancient Egypt, Viking Scandinavia, Ghana, Pacific Islands such as Hawaii, Kenya, and who knows where else?

A Shower of Lights
Theatre
8:30 PM
Every December light streaks across the sky during the Geminids Meteor Shower. Learn about the origins of asteroids, meteors and comets, where they come from, what they’re made-of, when and how you can see them, and what causes them to light up the night sky. Then, learn about the real NASA missions to explore some of these mysterious rocks.

Candle Making Workshop Session 2
Lab 1
8:45 PM-9:30 PM
$15 per group, 1 candle per group. Ages 8+
Register at the front desk! Space is limited. Join us in making multi-color beeswax candles! Candles symbolize hope, life, death, connection to ancestors, resistance, and more in cultures around the world! What will your candle mean to you?

Forward to the Moon
Planetarium
9:00 PM
(28m) Kari Byron from Crash Test World and MythBusters launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space. NASA’s 21st century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon.