Top Programs and Events at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in November and December

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

A Day in Pompeii

Now Open

What nature destroyed, it also preserved. Hundreds of exceptional artifacts offer an insider's glimpse into the daily life-and tragic end-of this ancient Roman city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. These archaeological treasures lay buried in Pompeii's ruins, preserved as if sealed in a time capsule. Highlights include marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, gold coins, everyday household items, and more. Visitors will uncover the treasures of a city steeped in legend, examine casts of the volcano's victims frozen in their last moments, and discover the power of volcanoes past and present.

Extended Holiday Hours

Extended hours to see A Day in Pompeii will be available during the holidays. For details, click here.  The Museum is open seven days a week year-round, with the exception of December 25.

IMAX 

NEW! Rocky Mountain Express 2D

Opens November 2, 2012

Rocky Mountain Express  takes audiences on a steam train journey through the breathtaking vistas of the Canadian Rockies as it tells the epic story of building the nation's first transcontinental railway. The film weaves together spectacular IMAX aerial cinematography, stunning landscapes of the West, archival photographs and maps, and the powerful energy and rhythms of a live steam locomotive.

Deep Sea 3D

Now Showing

Dive deep and swim with some of the most extraordinary sea creatures ever seen on the IMAX 3D screen. Deep Sea 3D is an underwater adventure that transports audiences way down below the ocean surface. Encounter some of nature's mysterious and colorful creatures, from the unusual wolf eel to the giant Pacific octopus to the fearsome-looking sand tiger shark. Discover their peculiar and amazing behavior, and how they rely on one another for survival.

Narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, with an original score by Danny Elfman,Deep Sea 3Dtakes viewers on a magical journey to places that most of us have never been.

PLANETARUIM

SuperVolcanoes

Now Showing

SuperVolcanoes explores rare types of volcanic eruptions that marshal the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the surface of planet Earth. In this unique immersive experience, audiences will explore the impact of volcanism on Earth and other worlds in our solar system. Can a supervolcano erupt in our own time? The answer is surprisingly close to home.

NOVEMBER EVENTS

Titanaboa, the World's Largest Snake

Thursday, November 1, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

It's a rather overwhelming thought, but a 49-foot, 2,500-pound snake once slithered on Earth! Fortunately, this was about 60 million years ago. Vertebrae from this gigantic reptile was excavated from Cerrejón, the world's biggest open-pit coal mine, during a fossil-hunting expedition in Colombia. Jason Head, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the University of Nebraska State Museum, and a team of scientists described the species and named it Titanoboa. Join Head to hear more about unearthing Titanoboa and how this behemoth of yesterday tells us about the world we're living in today.

Saturday Night at the Museums

Saturday, November 3, 5 p.m.-10 p.m., FREE (timed tickets will be required for A Day in Pompeii. Advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended)

As a highlight of Denver Arts Week, the community's greatest cultural attractions open their doors for free on this Saturday night. Visitors to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science will enjoy extended hours to see *A Day in Pompeii, the temporary art installation, "Making Do," by James Luna, *IMAX and Planetarium shows, and permanent exhibitions including Expedition Health, Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, and Egyptian Mummies. *Ticket purchase is required for A Day in Pompeii, IMAX and Planetarium.

Digital Earth: Fossils of the Grand Staircase

Thursday, November 8, 7 p.m. $8 member, $10 nonmember

Grand Staircase-Escalate National Monument in Utah is one of the last great frontiers for dinosaur discovery. Located in an extremely remote and wild area, the area spans nearly 1.9 million acres, with stunning and expansive exposures of Cretaceous-aged rocks preserving a record of past life between 95 and 74 million years ago. Most of the unearthed fossils are new to science and among the best representatives of their kind in North America. With paleontologists Ian Miller and Joe Sertich as your guides and Ka Chun Yu as your driver, you'll explore the latest discoveries from Escalante through panoramas, maps, satellite imagery, and 3D fossil models.

Science Lounge: Libations in Exotic Locations
Thursday, November 15, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

(If sold out online, tickets available at the door.) Enjoy a mind-expanding experience with cocktails and entertainment every third Thursday of the month. Ages 21 and up. This month,Climb aboard a global cruise as you visit ports of call from Australia to the Galapagos via the Museum's diorama halls. Recreate your favorite destination with a mini diorama while we thrill you with tales from historic expeditions. You won't bag any big game, but you'll hunt for hidden elves and relax to the sound of Dizzy Fingers in the piano lounge.

SCFD Community FREE Day

Monday, November 19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., FREE

Enjoy outstanding permanent exhibitions including Expedition Health, Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, and Egyptian Mummies.

DECEMBER EVENTS

Simon Winchester Presents Skulls

Monday, December 3, 7 p.m. $8 member, $10 nonmember

Book sale & signing

Best-selling author Simon Winchester (The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World) plumbs the depths of an enduring fascination in Skulls: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection. In visually stunning book, Winchester explores more than 300 animal skulls-amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles-from the collection of Alan Dudley, holder of what is likely the largest and most complete private collection of skulls in the world. Skulls details the parts of a skull and specific adaptations, the science and pseudoscience of skulls, and the use of skulls in religion, art, and popular culture. Winchester's ability to tell riveting and enlightening stories results in a near perfect survey designed for amusement, the indulgence of macabre fascination, and learning.

A Pompeii of the Americas

Thursday, December 6, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

Throughout the turmoil of Central America's civil wars in the 1980s, archaeologist Payson Sheets worked to unearth an extraordinarily well-preserved 1,400-year-old Maya village. A scalding blanket of ash erupted from the Loma Caldera volcanic vent around AD 630, freezing the farming village of Ceren in time. Ceren is located in today's El Salvador and has become known as the "Pompeii of the Americas." Sheets and his team uncovered evidence of everyday life in the village, including artifacts showing that the Maya were likely in the middle of a harvest feast when the explosion occurred. Unlike Pompeii, however, no bodies have been found. During this presentation, Sheets, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will discuss his life's work in Ceren, now deemed a U.N. World Heritage Site.

SCFD Community FREE Day

Sunday, December 9, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., FREE

Enjoy outstanding permanent exhibitions including Expedition Health, Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, and Egyptian Mummies.

MEDIA CONTACT

Charlotte Hurley: 303-370-6407, Charlotte.Hurley@dmns.org

NOTE: Please let me know if this monthly event/program update is more appropriate for another person at your organization, so we can update our contact list.
 
About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205.  To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000.
 

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Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.