Bears and Aurora of Alaska @ Fiske Planetarium

Have you ever wanted to see brown bears in the wild? Or watch the aurora dance overhead? All this and more can be done in Alaska. Join us as Dr. Travis Rector, an astrophysics professor at the University of Alaska (and a CU alumni) presents two planetarium shows that he helped to create about his new home.

“River of Bears” takes you to the legendary McNeil River Alaska State Game Sanctuary. During the summertime it hosts the largest congregation of brown bears in the world. Bears come from hundreds of miles to the sanctuary to mate, raise cubs, and dine on the abundant sedge grass and salmon. On a typical day in July over fifty bears can be seen at the McNeil River falls, feasting on salmon desperately swimming upstream to spawn. The show tells the remarkable story of these bears as they prepare for the coming harsh Alaska winter, and the visitors and scientists who come every summer to see them.

“Above Alaska” takes you to the remote forests and mountains of the Great Land to experience a night under the northern lights. Shot in vivid high-resolution 4k fulldome format, the show features some of the best aurora displays from the last two years as filmed from different locations throughout the state. You’ll see and experience the aurora the same way as Alaskans do, but without the frostbite! Dr. Rector will also talk about how the shows were made, and the challenges of filming in the unforgiving conditions for which Alaska is famous.