Signs of Life
There is plenty of life here on Earth, but where else might it be found? In Signs of Life, we discover what it took to put life in the universe in the one place where we know it exists.
Signs of Life is an astronomical detective story that propels visitors to uncover what it took to put life in the universe. Earth is the launchpad to Mars, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and planets beyond our Milky Way Galaxy in a search for answers to the mysteries that captivate our imagination.
Show Length: 35 min.
Other Shows
Centered in the Universe
We often imagine ourselves at the center of things. That includes our place in the universe, ever since the first people looked up at the sky. Even as our scientific observation has shown the cosmos does not revolve around us, our ongoing investigations continue to keep us Centered in the Universe.
Show Length: 35 min.
Water Is Life
Water Is Life was written and produced for Griffith Observatory’s fifth grade school field trip program. Drawing on the fifth grade science content standards, Water Is Life explores where our water in California comes from, and how water on Earth keeps us alive.
Show Length: 32 min.
Member Benefit: Parking & Show Reservations
As an exclusive benefit of membership, Griffith Observatory Foundation members at the Antares level and above may reserve Samuel Oschin Planetarium show tickets in advance! Reservations include parking for one vehicle and are subject to availability. Join today to enjoy this benefit!
Already a member? Submit a request for Samuel Oschin Planetarium reservations today!
About Signs of Life
Visit other galaxies with billions of Earth-like planets. Fly through the most scientifically accurate and stunningly beautiful star fields ever seen in a planetarium.
Signs of Life will change how you think about life in the universe.
The search takes us from the depths of the deepest ocean to the arid surface of Mars, from the interior of a living cell to the evolution of human genius, from the frozen moons of Jupiter to the scalding formation of a newborn planet.
If we find signs of life beyond Earth, even in just one place, it will verify what we already suspect: Life in the universe is not an accident. It’s inevitable. It’s a fundamental consequence of cosmic evolution.
Life is the real marvel of the universe.
Experience the Award-winning Feature Signs of Life, Only in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium
FullDome Award for Best Feature Film • 14th Jena FullDome Festival • May, 2020
Best fulldome visualization • 5th International Fulldome Festival “Reflections of the Universe”, Yaroslavl, Russia • June, 2021
Audience Award • Fulldome Festival Brno • July, 2021
Educational/Entertainment Exhibits or Theme Park Rides • Hollywood Music in Media • November, 2021
Official Film Selection • Macon FullDome Festival • August, 2020
Official Film Selection • St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) • November, 2020
Official Film Selection • American Documentary And Animation Film Festival and Film Fund (AmDocs) • March, 2021
Official Film Selection • SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater • May, 2021
Signs of Life (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Featuring original music by Dan Radlauer, Alan Ett, and Scott Liggett, Signs of Life (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack) is available on Amazon and Apple Music.
Presented by Griffith Observatory and Griffith Observatory Foundation
| Directed by | Bob Niemack Don Dixon |
| Written by | Dr. E.C. Krupp Dr. Laura Danly Bob Niemack Chris Shelton Don Dixon |
| Inspired by | Lois and Richard Gunther |
| Story by | Dr. E.C. Krupp |
| Produced by | Dawn Fidrick Bob Niemack |
| VFX Supervisor | Gee Yeung |
| Executive Producers | Dr. E.C. Krupp Camille Lombardo Mark Pine Richard Semler |
| Co-Executive Producer | Dr. Laura Danly |
| Original Music by | Alan Ett Scott Liggett Dan Radlauer Spirit Music Collective |
| Editor | Frederick Kolouch |
| Production Manager | Carolyn Manning |
| Production Coordinator | Shirley Mims |
| Art Director | Don Dixon |
| Astronomical Artist | Chris Butler |
| Matte Painter | Roger Kupelian |
| Storyboard Artist | Micah Brenner |
| CG Generalist | Tom Bradley |
| CG Generalist | Jared Broddle |
| CG Generalist | Shane Chambers |
| CG Generalist | Estevan Guzman |
| CG Generalist | Sean Golding |
| CG Generalist | Eric Keller |
| CG Generalist | Federico Rivia |
| CG Generalist | Peter Szewczyk |
| CG Generalist | Carl Vazquez |
| 3D Modeler | Karel Charles |
| Previs Artist | Pablo Plaisted |
| Previs Artist | Gary Lee |
| Animation Supervisor | Ruel Smith |
| Character Animator | Elaine Wu |
| Motion Capture Artist | Federico Rivia |
| Motion Capture Artist | Moon Hanson |
| Lead Rigger | Navin Pinto |
| FX Artist | Javier Garrido |
| FX Artist | Mike LaFave |
| FX Artist | Erik Zimmerman |
| FX Artist | Patrick So |
| FX Artist | Debra Isaac |
| Senior Compositor | Brinton Jaecks |
| Senior Compositor | Sven Dreesbach |
| Compositor | Yasin Yalva |
| Compositor | Azra Rosna Alkan |
| Compositor | Jared Brient |
| Compositor | Peter Timberlake |
| Show Production Technology Administrator | Benjamin Roudenis |
| Pipeline TD | Scott Ballard |
| Render Wrangler | Oneal Douglin |
| Render Wrangler | Todd Devers |
| Editorial Support | Jeremy Carr |
| Pipeline Support | Ross Kameny |
| Sound Design | Jon Schell |
| Sound Mixer | Michael Keeley |
| Media City Sound | |
| The War of the Worlds | Radio play by Howard Koch used by permission of Peter Koch. Audio courtesy of the Orson Welles Estate |
| Voice of Little Girl | Caddie Murphy |
| SCIENCE ADVISORS | |
| California Institute of Technology | Dr. Renyu Hu |
| California Institute of Technology | Dr. Heather Knutson |
| Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science | Dr. Alex Hayes |
| Harvard Medical School, Director Molecular Visualization | Dr. Gael McGill |
| Lowell Observatory, Archivist and Librarian | Lauren Amundson |
| Lowell Observatory, Historian | Kevin Schindler |
| Marine Biology Consultant | Dr. Sandy Trautwein |
| NASA/JPL, Cassini-Huygens, Planetary Science Section Manager | Dr. Bonnie Buratti |
| NASA/JPL, STEM Informal Education Specialist | Amelia Chapman |
| NASA/JPL, Interdisciplinary Scientist, Rings & Dust, Cassini | Dr. Jeffrey Cuzzi |
| NASA/JPL, Engineering Camera Team, Curiosity Mars Rover | Doug Ellison |
| NASA/JPL, Project Scientist, Europa Clipper | Dr. Bob Pappalardo |
| NASA/JPL, Cassini-Huygens, Cassini Project Scientist | Dr. Linda Spilker |
| NASA/JPL, Mars Public Engagement | Sarah Marcotte |
| NASA/JPL, Informal Education Specialist | Jeffrey Nee |
| NASA/JPL Planetary Ices Group, Scientist | Dr. Michael Malaska |
| NHM BioSCAN Project, Entomology Dept. | Lisa Gonzalez |
| Southwest Research Institute, Juno, Principal Investigator | Dr. Scott Bolton |
| UCLA, Evolutionary Biology | Dr. Pamela Yeh |
| LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS | |
| General Manager | Michael A. Shull |
| Executive Officer and Chief of Staff | Anthony-Paul (AP) Diaz, Esq. |
| Assistant General Manager (Special Operations) | Sophia Piña-Cortez |
| THE STAFF OF GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY | |
| SAMUEL OSCHIN PLANETARIUM | |
| Theater Programs Manager | Patrick So |
| Performance Director | Chris Shelton |
| Production Engineer | Matthew Burlando |
| Zeiss Universarium Mark IX Programming | David Reitzel |
| GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION | |
| Executive Director | Ann Marie Bedtke |
| TECHNOLOGY SPONSORS | |
| Allegorithmic – an Adobe Company | |
| Autodesk | |
| AWS Thinkbox | |
| Marvelous Designer | |
| Pixologic | |
| Planetside Software | |
| Quixel Megascan | |
| Shotgun Software | |
| Solid Angle | |
| TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTORS | |
| Amazon Web Services | Peregrine Labs |
| Digizyme | SideFX |
| DPA Microphones | Speedtree |
| Foundry | Textures.com |
| GitHub | Turbo Squid |
| GPL Technologies | |
| SPECIAL THANKS | |
| Steve Albers | Vicki Israel |
| Kalen Arnold | Jennifer Lang |
| Nathan Brunskill | Julie Lottering |
| Dr. William Bridgman | Carolyn Manning |
| Lois Cohen | John P. Marovich |
| Colin Cupp | NASA/Goddard Space Scientific Visualization Studio |
| AP Diaz | NASA/JPL/University of Arizona |
| Gerald Eichstardt | Don Parker |
| Estes & Schmitt | Thomas Phariss |
| Evoke Inc. | Rick Rhoades |
| Fiske Planetarium, University of Colorado | Sobul, Primes & Schenkel |
| Gentle Giant | Bonnie Winings |
| Gravillis Inc. | Ernie Wright |
| DONORS | |
| GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS | |
| Terri Bloomgarden | Lowell Orren |
| Andre Bormanis | David Primes |
| Patricia Casado | Arnold Seidel |
| Ethan Eller | Vicke Selk |
| Dr. Eve Haberfield | Rich Semler |
| Danish Khan | Grady Smith |
| Dr. Alan Kaye | McKinley Tennyson |
| Dr. E.C. Krupp | Charles Wilmot |
| Chris Laib | Leslie Zador |
| THE VANGUARD SOCIETY | |
| Nancy Clark | Laura and Les Landau |
| Karen Cove | Julie and Dr. Hongpyo Lee |
| Howard and Sandra Einberg | Arthur Levine |
| Jerry and Lorraine Factor | Scott Liggett |
| Barry and Irena Gernstein | Scott and Valerie Milano |
| Anita Goswami and Tom Wilson | Dana Noble |
| Lois and Richard Gunther | Janet Salter and Michael Salter |
| Kathy Henkel | Adam Teshinsky |
| Gregory Kling | |
| The Ahmanson Foundation | |
| Goldhirsh Foundation | |
| The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation | |
| Rose Hills Foundation | |
| Union Bank Foundation | |
| L.K. Whittier Foundation | |