Rose Center for Earth and Space

The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a special part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Its full name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. You can find the main entrance on the north side of the museum on 81st Street, close to Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The center was finished in 2000 and includes the Hayden Planetarium, which first opened its doors way back in 1935. Neil deGrasse Tyson was the first person to lead the center, and he is still the only director it has had so far.

History

The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a special part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. It replaced the old Hayden Planetarium, which opened in 1933 thanks to a donation from Charles Hayden. The original planetarium showed shows about the universe and space.

In 2000, the new Rose Center opened to the public. It was designed by architects James Polshek and Todd H. Schliemann. Famous people like Tom Hanks have helped tell stories in the planetarium shows. The Center continues to help people learn about Earth and space in exciting new ways.

Design

The Rose Center for Earth and Space was designed by Polshek and Todd Schliemann. It features a large glass cube that surrounds an 87-foot illuminated sphere, called the Hayden Sphere, which looks like it is floating. The Center includes spaces for research, education, and exhibitions, and it is home to the Department of Astrophysics.

The Hayden Planetarium is one of the main attractions. It has a Star Theater that shows space shows and a Big Bang Theater that tells the story of the universe’s beginning. There is also a special pathway called the Heilbrun Cosmic Pathway that shows the history of the universe. Nearby is the Arthur Ross Terrace, a large outdoor area that serves as a gathering place and stage for events.

Exhibits and shows

As of 2026, seven shows have opened in the theater at the Rose Center. The first show, Passport to the Universe, opened with the theater and has the voice of Tom Hanks guiding a journey from Earth to the edge of the observable universe. Another show, The Search for Life: Are We Alone?, began in 2002 with Harrison Ford talking about the chances of finding life beyond our planet, known as extraterrestrial life.

More shows followed over the years. Cosmic Collisions, which started in 2006 and is told by Robert Redford, looks at how impacts have shaped our universe. It shows visualizations of Earth’s magnetosphere, the formation of the Moon, and the meteorite impact that helped end the time of the dinosaurs. Journey to the Stars, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and premiering on July 4, 2009, uses amazing pictures from telescopes on Earth and in space. Dark Universe, beginning on November 2, 2013 with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Worlds Beyond Earth, starting on March 24, 2021 with Lupita Nyong'o, explore the planets and what makes Earth special for life. The latest show, Encounters in the Milky Way, narrated by Pedro Pascal and opening on June 9, 2025, looks at how objects move in our Milky Way using data from the Gaia Space Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope.

Outside the main theater, there are other exhibits. The Gottesman Hall of the Planet Earth shows Earth’s history and weather. The Cullman Hall of the Universe covers topics from planets to stars and life on other worlds. The Scales of the Universe exhibit compares sizes of different objects in space. There is also a photo display about the Apollo Moon landings, with pictures located on the first floor of the Rose Center.

In popular culture

The planetarium has been featured in several movies and a TV show. In 1979, it appeared in the film Manhattan with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. In 2001, it was seen in K-PAX starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. The planetarium also showed up in Men in Black II in 2002 with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, and in Eloise at the Plaza in 2003 featuring Sofia Vassilieva and Julie Andrews. In 2011, it was part of a story in the White Collar episode called "Where There's a Will." Most recently, in 2014, it appeared in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb with Ben Stiller and Robin Williams.