Downing Planetarium
Weekend Shows
About
Public shows at the Downing Planetarium are on selected Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. There is free parking available for weekend shows in parking lot P15, right in front of the planetarium (shown in green on campus map).
Reservations are strongly recommended. Tickets can be held at the door by filling out our reservation form. Ticket payment can be made at the time of ticket pick-up. Pre-payment is not necessary. Please note that tickets will be held only until 10 minutes prior to show time and then they will be sold to the next customer. Shows start promptly on the hour.
Make Reservation Admission Prices
Show Schedule
| DAY | TIME | SHOW |
|---|---|---|
| Friday April 26, 2024 |
6:00 PM | The Edge: Pluto and Beyond (SOLD OUT) |
| 7:30 PM | Phantom of the Universe | |
| Saturday April 27, 2024 |
2:00 PM | Daughter of the Stars (SOLD OUT) |
| 3:30 PM | Surviving in Space (SOLD OUT) |
Current Planetarium Shows
The Edge: Pluto and Beyond
Beyond the orbit of Neptune there is a mysterious “third realm” of the Solar System which remains almost entirely unexplored. This realm is the likely home to many thousands of small, icy worlds of which Pluto is the most famous member. Discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, Pluto remained a mystery until it was visited by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. Desite its demotion to dwarf planet status, Pluto remains one of the most interesting worlds of the solar system with five moons, mountains 10,000 feet tall, and a possible underground ocean of liquid water!
Reserve Tickets for the Edge
Phantom of the Universe
This program is an an exciting exploration of dark matter, from the Big Bang to its anticipated discovery at the Large Hadron Collider. The show will reveal the first hints of its existence through the eyes of Fritz Zwicky, the scientist who coined the term "dark matter" in the 1930's. The program describes the unexpected results found by astronomer Vera Rubin and how it led her to dark matter as the likely explanation. From there, we visit the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and speed alongside particles before they collide to create new particles from their kinetic energy.
Reserve Tickets for Phantom of the Universe
Daughter of the Stars
This program is a collection of Native American sky stories, including the creation of the heavens and Earth from the Iroquois, the origin of the Sun and Moon from the Kutenai, and the cause of solar eclipses according to the Bella Coola. Learn how men traveled to the Moon to bring fire back to Earth for all the people in a legend from the Snake Indians. These stories will delight young and old alike.
Reserve Tickets for Daughter of the Stars
Surviving in Space
Ever dream of pulling several g's while rocketing into space or being an astronaut falling endlessly while weightless in Earth orbit? Would you like to venture into the final frontier to see new worlds that have never been seen before? Explore these fascinating journeys and beyond with NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and her robot helper, SLOTH! That’s short for Space Life Operations Trainer for Humans. Join us for this fun Planetarium program for all ages.
Reserve Tickets for Surviving in SpaceFor a complete list of our shows go to Show Library.