Time For Winter Adventures!

Holiday season is upon us, that means now is the time to make plans for upcoming break camps and outdoor workshops. That includes some great one day showshoe camps for grades 3-6. We have some wonderful adventures planned again this season, so →make your plans now! And don't forget our spectacular kids-only →New Year's Eve Sleepover!

Explore The Lives Of Stars

The stars that speckle the sky have long fascinated humanity, but only in the past century have astronomers figured out how stars are born, live, and die. Now we can use that knowledge to address the question: Which stars near the Sun might have planets with intelligent life? That's the subject of our next science lecture this Saturday, November 21, 2009, 1:30 p.m. at Pacific Science Center. Drawing on both the laws of stellar evolution and the latest discoveries of extrasolar planets, Harvard-trained astronomer Dr. Ken Croswell describes the lives of stars and the alien worlds they may support. The presentation will be family friendly and Dr. Croswell will sign his new book, The Lives of Stars after the presentation. Entry is included with the price of general admission - FREE for Pacific Science Center members.

Life Sciences Blog: Mole-Rat Mystery

There was a lot of excitement in our Life Sciences area recently when another litter of naked mole-rat pups entered the world. But that excitement quickly turned to sadness then puzzlement as the tiny creatures quickly died. What caused this? What can be learned from this unexpected development? And it appears another batch of pups is about to emerge. Keep up with these fascinating rodents on →Pacific Science Center's Life Sciences Blog.

Holiday Magic, Matinees In The Laser Dome

You know that Pacific Science Center is home to the largest, most powerful and sophisticated laser theater in the world. Our world-class laser artists have added their magic light to the likes of Pink Floyd, Queen, Daft Punk and others for years. And now we've added matinee laser shows this holiday season! Each laser show is performed live and set to tunes from your favorite artists including Michael Jackson (spanning his career), The Beatles, and our seasonal favorite, Laser Holiday Magic (Trans Siberian Orchestra, Bing Crosby, The Beach Boys, Dean Martin and many more). Laser Holiday Magic brings new meaning to the term "holiday lights." →Learn More

Get Animated Under The Arches

This fall, Pacific Science Center is really getting animated! First, we have the →Animation exhibit in Building 4. You'll learn all about the science, math and technology behind all your favorite animated films and TV shows. This exhibit gets rave reviews from visitors young and old. Then on December 5, Pacific Science Center again welcomes Animaticus Foundation for the 2D or Not 2D Animation Festival. This year promises another amazing line-up of cutting edge animation topped off with the North American premiere of Secret of Kells, introduced by director Tomm Moore and art director Ross Stewart. →Learn More

Slough News: Nature Club/Hardworking Students

The Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center's fall Nature Club series has come to a close. Students grade 2-4 from four nearby schools came to the Center after school one day a week to explore the Mercer Slough Nature Park in Bellevue. It was a lot of fun! Over the course of eight sessions the participants investigated a variety of habitats in the park, examined soil and aquatic macroinvertebrates, dissected owl pellets, and identified a variety of animal skulls, skins, and bones. In addition, each participant returned to the same "Magic Spot" each week to observe changes, wind down, and write or draw in their journal. The next 8-week session of Nature Club starts the last week of January. Contact Mercer_Slough@pacsci.org if you are interested in signing up your child.

Students Give Their All For The Environment
Some students from Bellevue High School have taken the term "working for the environment" to a new level. They stopped by this week to help transplant hundreds of plants. Learn more about it in this →Facebook photo album. Thanks everyone!

TisBest To Go Waste-Free

Visit our Web site for one-stop, waste-free holiday shopping! Purchase a →gift membership for your family and experience a whole year of hands-on fun together. Or make a donation to Pacific Science Center’s →Annual Fund in honor of a friend or family member that enjoys science and learning just as much as we do. Contributions can be made directly on our site or, new this year, you can purchase a gift card through →TisBest. A TisBest gift card allows the recipient to donate to the organization of their choice. Enter the promo code “PSC” when you purchase your card and TisBest will automatically donate $2 to us! This holiday season, go waste-free and give a gift with meaning.

A Holiday Classic In 3D

The story has been told many, many times since it was first published in 1843. In print, on the stage, in movies and on TV, the ghostly tale of a miserly Mr. Scrooge never gets old. The newest version promises to take the story to a whole new level, with 3D technology, incredible surround sound, and of course the biggest screen in town. Make your plans now to see Disney's A Christmas Carol: An IMAX 3D Experience now showing at Pacific Science Center's Boeing IMAX Theater.

Science With A Twist And A 'Carol'

Join us for our next 21+ event this Thursday, November 12 as we celebrate the release of Disney's A Christmas Carol: An IMAX 3D Experience. From 7-9 p.m. get in the spirit by sipping on classic holiday cocktails and exploring Pacific Science Center's exhibit galleries. Was Scrooge really visited by ghosts? Decide at an Illusions demonstration or learn about the changing of the seasons in the Willard Smith Planetarium. Then experience this classic tale of redemption as you've never seen it before, in stunning IMAX 3D! Get your tickets now for →Science With A Twist!

AstroInfo: Debunking The 2012 Hoax

As we approach 2012, TV shows, new books - even a new movie - all sensationalize the idea of the world "ending" in 2012. In her latest AstroInfo post, Pacific Science Center Planetarium Specialist Alice Enevoldsen uses astronomy uses science to debunk any fears you may have about the end of the world. →Learn More

PacSci Online Communities

We now have thousands of friends following us on Twitter and Facebook. It's a terrific way for us to hear directly from those who support our mission of inspiring a love of lifelong learning - conversations through which WE always learn something! As a way to say thanks, we try to give away passes and other goodies every week on our #FridayFreebie contest. But lately we've been throwing in some other freebies on different days of the week. It's a fun way to meet new people and introduce this beloved institution to those new to the area. So, follow us on →Twitter and →Facebook and stay 'twooned' - you never know when we might throw a surprise your way!

Naked Mole-Rat Mold-A-Rama

There's more exciting news this week from Pacific Science Center's Naked Mole-Rat colony. The pups from the two recent litters continue to grow and thrive and explore their surroundings. And now, there's a new way to celebrate these oddly adorable little creatures. Collect your brand new, custom Mold-a-Rama Naked Mole-Rat. Stop by the newest Mold-a-Rama machine near the "Just for Tots" area to make your Naked Mole-Rat for just $3. If you act quickly, you'll also have the opportunity to purchase a signed "birth certificate" by our CEO, Bryce Seidl. There will only be 100 certificates issued and you can pick these up at the Information Desk in Building 1.  Still can't get enough Naked Mole-Rats? You can always keep up with our Naked Mole-Rat colony on our →Life Sciences Blog.

PacSci-Doku: "Rising Sea Levels"

Our latest bi-weekly science word puzzle is all about global warming and its ramifications, especially for those in one small part of the world. Can you solve the "Rising Sea Levels" edition of →PacSci-Doku?

Members Get A Break From The Rain

Looking to escape from the rainy weather? Check out the feature films showing in Pacific Science Center’s →Boeing IMAX Theater, where members always get discounted tickets (or free tickets for Platinum and Titanium members). Where the Wild Things Are: The IMAX Experience is now playing on our 60-foot-high screen. For more information about Membership check our →Membership site or call (206)443-2924.

Life Sciences Research Weekend

Squish strawberries to extract DNA, handle a heart valve, touch a sheep brain, view a virtual snow world. You'll do all this and much more at the third annual Life Sciences Research Weekend, November 6-8. Come face-to-face with real local scientists at Pacific Science Center. During Life Sciences Research Weekend you will experience three days of demonstrations, interactive exhibits and talks for school children, families and citizen scientists interested in learning more about the crucial role of life science research and its benefits. →Learn More

The Art Of Science

One of the more thought-provoking exhibits we've ever presented is currently open in Building 4. Chris Jordan: Running The Numbers is a remarkable collection of large images comprised of thousands of tiny images that represent huge numbers related to how humans consume stuff. But critic Gary Faigin was on KUOW recently to share why this exhibit has artistic merit, even without the larger environmental and social messages. Take →a listen then come see for yourself.

Just How 'Wild' Is It?

Critics have been saying good things about Director Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are. But just how wild are these wild things? Well, Pacific Science Center's Boeing IMAX Theater's screen is six stories tall, so that's a long way from the pages of Maurice Sendak's classic storybook. We recommend children under 11 stick with the book. What are your thoughts about this movie that is sure to become a classic? Drop us a →line. We'd love to know what you think. →Buy Tickets

Happy Birthday To...Us!

This is being posted on Thursday, October 22. That date is very special to those of us who support this wonderful institution beneath the arches. On October 22, 1962 Pacific Science Center was born. It was the day after the Seattle World's Fair ended and the Science Center began its work as a not-for-profit science institution. Forty-seven years later we're still going strong, inspiring a lifelong interest in science, math and technology. Also on this date in 1998, Pacific Science Center's Boeing IMAX Theater opened for the first time. Over the years millions have come to watch in awe as images move across the giant screen. Science fiction, documentaries, travel adventures, animated fun – these films have opened our minds to new possibilities and provided new insights into life's many mysteries. To everyone who has supported us over the years, thank you very much. Here's to many more years of discovery!

Field Trip Assistance Available

Thanks to generous support from Bing^®, the new decision engine from Microsoft, Pacific Science Center is pleased to announce a School Group Visit Assistance Program for the 2009-2010 school year. →Read on to learn if your school qualifies, then make plans to visit us under the arches and bring some discovery to your students this year.

Corporate Member Weekend

Join us for the Third Annual Corporate Member Weekend this Saturday-Sunday, October 24-25. If you're an employee of a Corporate Member, present your employee badge for free exhibit entry for you and up to four family members all weekend long. Discounts on IMAX films will also be available and don't forget to stop by the Membership office to sign up for your own membership at a 20% discount! →Learn More

The Poetry Of Spooky Science

Megan Nelson is a member of Pacific Science Center's extremely talented and creative marketing team and in her spare time likes to write poetry. Inspired by our two annual Halloween-related events, she penned the following. We share it here in hopes you, too get inspired and come join us during this fun, spooky time of year.

Are you ready for costumes? Are you ready for fall?
For kids home, for candy, for doing it all?

Back to classes and blankets and pumpkin pie eating,
Hot chocolate and jackets and yes-trick or treating!

As young ones prepare their Halloween attire,
Wait before you call your favorite sitter for hire.

Does a night off sound attractive to you?
Well, good - we thought it did, too!

The Annual Halloween Sleepover Event
will entertain those on break without leaving you spent.

It's at the Science Center the night before Halloween
So your goblin and princess won't miss the candy scene.

Halloween fun awaits you on the Eastside, too!
Haunted Hikes are back at the Mercer Slough!

Check out the fun spooky science in store,
In Seattle and Bellevue - it's Halloween discovery galore! →Learn More

PacSci-Doku: "Boost Into Space"

Our latest bi-weekly science word puzzle is all about space travel, but not the kind we normally think of. Can you solve the "Boost Into Space" edition of →PacSci-Doku?

Slough News: Environmental Open House

The →Olympic Park Institute and Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center are hosting an open house for educators coming up next Monday, September 28, 5-6 p.m. Both programs instill an understanding of and appreciation for nature, they increase scientific literacy and comprehension of environmental issues, and they prepare students for a life of environmental stewardship. For more information contact Eva Foster (efoster@naturebridge.org) or call (206)382-6212 ext. 14. See our →Web site for directions to the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue.

Slough News: Discover The Slough At Night

One of the most popular activities at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue is back for another season. Slough Sleep-Ins are an overnight adventure for students in grades 1 through 4. Play games, venture out on a night hike and conduct a series of experiments in our lab. Sleep over in one of our brand new classrooms and then explore the Slough by day during a search for birds and animals. Wrap up your Mercer Slough experience by using nets and our video microscope to discover the creatures that live underwater. →Learn More

Sneak Peek For Members

This fall is a great time to be a Pacific Science Center member. All members are invited to the exclusive exhibit preview of Animation and Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers on October 2. And members can watch the special IMAX double-feature Van Gogh: Brush With Genius and The Old Man And The Sea (opening September 26) for free using their IMAX passes! Purchase or renew your membership →online or call the Membership Office at (206)443-2924 to be a part of all that's happening this fall.