HOUSTON— Just before midnight on April 14, 1912, the Titanic – a ship widely heralded as “unsinkable” – struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Over the course of the next few hours, a great tragedy unfolded as weather, ice, the sun and human error all contributed to the sinking of this unsinkable ship. In Night of the Titanic, now playing at the Burke Baker Planetarium, experience the Titanic’s last day to discover what went wrong, and examine the changes in Arctic ice patterns that may help scientists prepare for the future.

“If the Titanic sailed today, along the same path – it would not sink. There is no longer ice that far south,” said Carolyn Sumners, Ed.D., vice president of astronomy. “Audiences will go along on that fateful voyage, and learn about the unique and changing challenges the environment presents to us today.”

April 14: “Titanic and Today” Distinguished Lecture explores Arctic, Then and Now

Ninety-six years ago before the evening of this lecture, the temperature in the North Atlantic had just dropped below freezing while the RMS Titanic steamed toward America at 22 knots, racing through the calm cold water, heedless of iceberg warnings. The captain and crew knew far less about ice and Arctic conditions than we do today. If they had, could this tragedy have been averted?

Chris Linder, researcher and photographer from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, has spent the last year near the poles. His lecture takes audiences on his Arctic and Antarctic adventures, through video of his research expeditions during the International Polar Year.

Then, Dr. Carolyn Sumners takes the audience back to the North Atlantic of 1912 to summarize the latest research on the sinking of this spectacular ship. The evening ends with the Planetarium s new full-dome feature, Night of the Titanic, timed so that the depiction of the sinking in the film occurs at the exact time of the tragedy 96 years ago.

Tickets for the Distinguished Lecture are $17 for adults; $12 for members. Admission to Night of the Titanic in the Burke Baker Planetarium are $6 for adults; $5 for children (3 – 11), seniors (62+), and college students with a valid ID; $4 Museum members; $2.50 for school groups and $4.50 for groups of 20 or more. For tickets, or more information, visit www.hmns.org or call (713) 639-4629.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science—one of the nation’s most heavily attended museums—is a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls, and the Wortham IMAX® Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibitions, the Museum has something to delight every age group. With such diverse and extraordinary offerings, a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located at One Hermann Circle Drive in the heart of the Museum District, is always an adventure.