James Partin

PNC’s One World, One Sky Mobile Planetarium to Cincinnati Museum Center

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) and the PNC Foundation (PNC) are giving guests an opportunity to walk among the stars with some of their favorite characters. PNC’s One World, One Sky Mobile Planetarium will be available for out of this world adventures September 28 and 29, part of CMC’s Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission exhibition opening weekend.

 

PNC’s One World, One Sky Mobile Planetarium presents an immersive astronomical experience tailored especially toward young children. Inside the dome, children will view a special planetarium show, “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure.” Through the lens of astronomy, children join Elmo, Big Bird and Hu Hu Zhu – a Muppet from the Chinese coproduction of Sesame Street – as they explore the night sky and take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the Moon. In the process they learn the basic principles of math, geometry and physics, and about each other’s culture. The show, aimed at children 4 to 6 years old, was created by the Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street and supported by the PNC Foundation.

“Learning and understanding science is an integral part of early childhood education and development,” says Kay Geiger, PNC regional president for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. “We are excited to bring PNC’s One World, One Sky Mobile Planetarium to Cincinnati Museum Center for the grand opening of Destination Moon so even our youngest learners can have a better understanding of space and science.”

The mobile planetarium is an educationally whimsical addition to CMC’s Destination Moon opening weekend. Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission celebrates the historic Moon landing with over 20 objects that flew aboard Apollo 11, including Buzz Aldrin’s gloves and iconic gold-visored helmet, Michael Collins’ wristwatch and the crew’s survival rucksacks. But the highlight of the exhibition is the command module Columbia, the only portion of the Apollo 11 spacecraft to survive the journey and return home. The Smithsonian-produced exhibition makes the final stop of its national tour in Cincinnati before the objects return permanently to the National Air and Space Museum.

 

“We’re honored to bring a national treasure to Cincinnati and to celebrate humankind’s greatest scientific achievement,” says Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “The addition of PNC’s One World, One Sky Mobile Planetarium is such a treat for our youngest stargazers and an invaluable experience as they begin to dream of their own giant leaps.”

PNC’s One World, One Sky Mobile Planetarium will be available 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. September 28 and 29. Special time will be set aside to provide an exclusive experience for children with special needs. PNC’s One World, One Sky is free but does not include admission to Destination Moon or CMC’s museums. For more information, visit cincymuseum.org.

Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission is made possible by the support of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, Joe Clark, Bruce R. McCaw Family Foundation, the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, John and Susann Norton and Gregory D. and Jennifer Walston Johnson.

CMC is grateful for the support of the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, the Farmer Family Foundation, the Harold C. Schott Foundation, Western & Southern Financial Group and JobsOhio.