It’s an annual tradition and it’s back at The Science Museum of Virginia!
See the Polar Express on the big, big, BIG screen in the new and improved DOME theater.

Read our 2013 review of The Polar Express at The Dome here and enter below to win 4 tickets to use this holiday season!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tickets for the giveaway were provided by the Science Museum of Virginia.
SMV is a sponsor of Richmondmom.com

The Dome at the Science Museum of Virginia makes for an absolutely wild ride into the cosmos!

Sitting in a comfy seat, watching the earth, fade back into a small speck and surrounded by planets I’ve never even heard of, I tried to recall the last time I had actually been to a planetarium.

Come to think of it… Have I been to a planetarium before?

As the galaxy I am so fond of becomes indecipherable among other galaxies and we zoom into the expanse of the universe… I know that when (or, if) I went, it was nothing like this.

Simply put, The Dome is awe-inspiring.

The Dome unveiled it’s recent renovation boasting a new screen and a 5 projector system that puts out a picture 14x the resolution of HDTV and the results don’t disappoint.

Cosmic Expeditions, the new daily programming at the science museum, makes full use out of the biggest screen in Virginia combining an astronomy feature, such as Wildest Weather of the Universe with a live presentation.  During the live presentation, viewers will be able to ask questions and take a tour of the cosmos.

10 different presentations will be shown this year allowing visitors to see a seven-month time lapse of the Aurora Borealis, peer into the secret lives of stars, experience black holes and exploding stars and more. The live element of the show changes daily so that each presentation is different from the last.

Cosmic Expeditions is sure to spark the imagination and curiosity in kids an parents alike.

Prefer to stay here on Earth?

The Science Museum of Virginia is also showing Great White Sharks, Born to be Wild and 8 other films to tantalize the eyes and ignite your imagination.

You can purchase tickets in advance online or at the door, but buyer beware: your new flat screen TV is about to look pretty dull in comparison.

The Science Museum of Virginia is a sponsor of Richmondmom.com

Here are the answers to our pop quiz.

Share these fun facts with your kids and then get out and see the movie!

Where might you experience methane rain?
A. Saturn
B. Mars
C. Titan
D. Neptune

(Answer: Titan)

Where will you find a 400-year-old hurricane?
A. Saturn
B. Titan
C. Jupiter
D. Uranus

(Answer: Jupiter)

Did you get them all right?

Winners were announced via email so check your emails and have a great time!

Did you know The Dome has 14x the resolution of HDTV!
Learn all about The Dome here and its transformation here.
Watch the trailer below and get your tickets for any show at The Dome here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is what the theater looks like underneath the screen. (I would hate to be the one who had to hang that light!)

The Dome at the Science Museum of Virginia  is closed for the start of the New Year, and while we’ll temporarily miss our favorite way to watch a movie, we are really excited to see it when it reopens in March!

In the meantime, what exactly are they doing under that rounded roof?  As if seeing an IMAX movie in the dome wasn’t cool enough, the Science Museum of Virginia is in the process of installing a brand new state of the art NanoSeam™ screen and 3D projection system for an awe-inspiring trip into the cosmos.  I got a chance to completely geek-out over the renovation when Justin Bartel SMV’s Immersive Experience Specialist (cool title, huh?) showed me around.

Stepping out onto the plywood floor, I stood on top of the jungle of scaffolding which has overtaken the seats below.  With the old panels removed, you can see the whole skeleton of the dome and the speakers that hide behind the screen to create that totally amazing surround sound.

On the old screen, when images moved across the screen you could see a slight ripple-effect as the panels had a slight overlap; the new panels, however, will be completely flush for totally smooth movement across the screen.  But the new screen isn’t the only thing to give the Science Museum of Virginia some bragging rights.

The white screen has tiny holes for speaker behind to create a totally immersive surround sound.

The museum is also upping the “wow factor” with a 5-projector system creates over 14x the resolution of HDTV!

A typical HDTV screen has about 2 million pixels and a 4K full dome system has about 11 million, but the new Digistar 5 will combine 5 projectors for 30 million pixels. (I can’t even THINK of how many pixels that is without my head spinning.)

In addition to a smoother and brighter showing of films you already know and love, new digital movies will be added to the collection and will really show off the new upgrade The new films and projectors have the ability to use the full screen for images (typically only 2/3 of the screen is used) so you’ll even have images behind you.

Cosmic Expeditions, an extraordinary addition to the Science Museum’s offerings, will be the perfect chance to learn a little something while seeing all this new system can do.  During a daily trip through space, visitors will be allowed to ask questions, and make requests so you can come back again and again and see something new every time.  Remember that trip to the planetarium you took a million years ago?  You won’t believe how much it has changed!

So hang tight, IMAX lovers!! Really, really cool things are happening under that dome!
We’ll keep you updated when they are ready to reopen!

The Science Museum of Virginia is a sponsor of Richmondmom.com

What are you going to do with the kids during a long winter’s break?
We LOVED seeing Polar Express on the big, big, big screen at the Science Museum
and we don’t want you to miss it!

Enter by December 19th, 2013 to win a family 4 pack to Polar Express!

Here’s how to enter:

-Enter your name and email address on the “Polar Express” 
tab on our facebook page or by following this link
- Get additional entries to this contest by sharing your link with your facebook friends and twitter followers (no need for a twitter account to enter the contest)
-Check Richmondmom.com for the winner on Friday, December 20th at 3PM to see if you are the lucky winner!

Congratulations Melissa Moore!!!!!

The Science Museum is a sponsor of Richmondmom.comYou can find a great deal to the Science Museum when you use the
Richmondmom.com Savvy Saver Card

And that is Science Museum of Virginia’s IMAX showing of The Polar Express.

I took my 7-year-old for a date who is just at the age where he’s becoming pretty skeptical about “all that Santa business”.  We’ve been reading the story of The Polar Express to him during the holiday season since he could sit still for a story.  Of course, movies have a magic of their own, but a 75 foot screen gives that magic a little extra boost.  He raved about the movie, identifying with the protagonist, and just as much raved about the IMAX theatre.  In fact, he’ll be really disappointed when he finds out he’s not invited when I go back when I take my 5-year-old train enthusiast.

The Polar Express became an instant Christmas classic after its 2004 release and is based off of the children’s picture book by Chris Van Allsburg.  The story centers around a young boy who is starting to doubt the magic of Christmas and is taken on an amazing and thrilling journey on the Polar Express to the North Pole.

Be absolutely sure to make this a part of your holiday.

While you’re there, check out all the other great things you can do right now at the Science Museum of Virginia! Save money on Fridays with the Richmondmom.com Savvy Saver Card!

The Polar Express runs through January 1, 2013
Check the Science Museum of Virginia’s website for times
Tickets: $5 for members / $9 for non-members

The Science Museum of Virginia is a sponsor of Richmondmom.com