Passport to the Universe

January 8, 2026 — June 7, 2026

Now Open

Additional ticket required. Free for Members.
Floor 1, LeFrak Theater

Seated visitors view Passport to the Universe on the giant screen inside the Museum's LeFrak theater.

A special adaptation of Passport to the Universe Space Show for the giant screen.

Narrated by Tom Hanks, a special adaptation of Passport to the Universe for the giant screen takes audiences on a thrilling journey through the observable universe.

[In a science visualization, we see the Earth’s surface as if from a satellite, with the vast stretch of space beyond it. We move away from the Earth to see the brilliant sun in the distance, the Earth becoming smaller and smaller as we fly farther and farther away.]

TOM HANKS (NARRATOR): There comes a time in each of our lives when it dawns on us that we are not the center of the universe.

[Fade from the ever-smaller Earth to the entire Milky Way galaxy. The plane of stars in their iconic spiral formation rotate around a massive, glowing center. As we fly through the band of stars, they shoot past us in a glittering rush until we are underneath the entire galaxy and begin to move away from it.]

HANKS: As it happens to each of us, so it is happening to our civilization. Right now.

[The Milky Way fades away into an endless black expanse, peppered generously with points of light indicating distant stars. Shapes and numbers that appear to be astronomical measuring tools appear superimposed on the landscape.]

HANKS: We are living in the golden age of astronomy.

[This fades, as we fly around and then away from Saturn with its distinctive rings.]

HANKS: We are completing the space craft reconnaissance of our solar system.

[Saturn fades. We float through the swirl of gas, dust, and light within a stellar nursery—the birthplace of stars.]

HANKS: We are using other kinds of light to observe the life cycles of stars and galaxies, revealing wonders never before visible.

[The nursery, too, fades. Now, we are so far from Earth that superclusters of galaxies form a tangled net of points of light against the black expanse. The brightest areas are superclusters of thousands of galaxies.]

HANKS: We are mapping the grand structure of the universe, tracing its ancient past…

[In the center of the mass of superclusters, the Earth fades in slowly, becoming larger and larger.]

HANKS: …finding our place in its great story. We are becoming citizens of the cosmos.

[The Earth rotates before us as the MUSIC SWELLS and text on screen appears, reading “PASSPORT TO THE UNIVERSE.”]

[Fade to black.]

[Text on screen fades up to read, “Significant support has been provided by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.]

Fly beneath the rings of Saturn, float through the heart of the Orion Nebula, and plunge into a black hole during this captivating introduction to cosmology.

Passport to the Universe explores humanity's place in the cosmos, bringing audiences on an unforgettable journey from Earth all the way to the edge of the observable universe.

Showtimes

10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm
All screenings are in 2D.

Length: 19 minutes

Captioning devices and audio description devices are available. Please ask a staff member.

Passport to the Universe Descriptive Transcript

Passport to the Universe Descriptive Transcript (Word)

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Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Theater

The elegant beaux-arts LeFrak Theater features a 40-foot-high, 66-foot-wide screen and a state-of-the-art digital sound system. The theater is wheelchair accessible, and captioning devices and audio description devices are available.