Jean-Michel Cousteau’s “Ocean Wonderland” is the newest dome show for the Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College.
Show times are 2 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, through Thursday, Dec. 29.
The TJC science center is located at 1411 E. Lake St. Tickets are $5 for children, seniors and students and $7 for adults. Day passes are also available which allow visitors to see all of that day’s shows plus the “Oceans: Acid vs. Life” exhibit. Parking is free.
Theater seating is limited, and it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance at the front counter or online at sciencecenter.tjc.edu.
Produced and directed by Cousteau, son of the late oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau, “Ocean Wonderland” takes audiences on a stunning adventure beneath the waves to the heart of the oceans: the coral reefs.
Shot on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and in the Bahamas, “Ocean Wonderland” depicts the amazing beauty of the many varieties of coral and the immense diversity of marine life thriving there. The mission of the film is to underline the crucial ecological role of coral reefs play in maintaining the well-being of the planet.
Ocean wonderland is the first large-format, underwater movie shot entirely using digital technology.
“Thanks to this technology, the film was shot almost entirely with natural light, thus showing for the first time the underwater world as it exactly is,” Cousteau said. “This is the closest you can get to diving without being there.”
Holiday shows coming soon
Dome shows with a holiday theme will be presented Tuesdays-Saturdays, Nov. 22-Dec. 29, including:
• “Let It Snow” (10 a.m.) – The 30-minute show features a variety of high-resolution scenery and artistic animation, enhanced with real-time and lighting effects for added variety and drama.
• “Mystery of the Christmas Star” (11 a.m.) – Journey back more than 2000 years to Bethlehem for scientific explanation for the star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus.
• “Season of Light” (1 p.m.) – This show recounts the historical religious and cultural rituals practiced during the time of winter solstice – not only Christian and Jewish, but also Celtic, Nordic, Roman, Irish, Mexican and Hopi. It also takes a look at some of our more light-hearted seasonal traditions: from gift giving and kissing under the mistletoe to the custom of decking the halls with greenery and candles. Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, and Santa Claus all drop by as well.
• “The Christmas Story” (3 p.m.) – Accompany Mary and Joseph to the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel in Nazareth to the search for a room in crowded Bethlehem. Stand before King Herod in his great palace, along side the three wise men from the East. Visit the shepherds and their flocks in a field and, in a stable, find the child in a manger.
For more information, or to purchase tickets online, go to sciencecenter.tjc.edu.