Planetarium Schedule
Shows are Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm.
Shows Daily at 2:00pm during and April (4/17-4/23) School Vacation.
Show lasts approximately 35 minutes.
Shows offered subject to change.
Visit our calendar of events for more information.


 

Photograph by Richard Benjamin

It is suggested that you arrive early to purchase tickets; seating is limited.

General admission is $3, children 4-7 are $2. Children under age 4 are not permitted into the Planetarium.

Private planetarium shows offered. Cost is $125.00 up to 25 people, additional guests $5.00 per person. Please call the Museum Education Department at 401.785.9457 for more information.

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Planetarium Programs

Cosmic Collisions
Take a thrilling trip through space and time—well beyond the calm face of the night sky—to explore cosmic collisions, hypersonic impacts that drive the dynamic and continuing evolution of the universe. Groundbreaking scientific simulations and visualizations based on cutting-edge research developed by American Museum of Natural History astrophysicists, scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and other international colleagues depict the dramatic and explosive encounters that shaped our solar system, changed the course of life on Earth, and continue to transform our galaxy. The new show explores the full range of space collisions, past, present, and future. Show produced by the American Museum of Natural History. (General Audience)

NEW! Field Trip to the Moon Recently Updated!
Mission Control … we're ready for lift-off. Take a virtual journey to the Moon created using NASA engineering models and scientific data. Like NASA's astronauts, come face-to-face with the challenges and excitement of traveling through space to land on the Moon. Along the way, discover some of the differences between the Earth and the Moon and what makes our planet unique and habitable. (Family audience)

Our Cosmic Journey in Space
While solving a crossword puzzle about the sky, endangered animals explore the cause of day and night, the importance of our star the Sun, the beauty of the constellations, and the variety of objects that make up the Universe. (Family Show)

NEW! Our Place in Space
There's no place like home! Take an unforgettable adventure through our cosmic neighborhood as you discover the wonders of our solar system and beyond.  Journey from our Sun to the farthest reaches of the cosmos in this new show featuring multi-media enhancements. (General Audience)

Sky Views
Discover the patterns of stars visible in the night sky and what you might see tonight from your own backyard, featuring multi-media enhancements. (General Audience)

Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
Four-hundred years ago, a simple adjustment to a child's spy glass revealed for the first time an infinite and perplexing universe to our eyes and our imaginations. Join us today as the world's greatest telescopes, born of that serendipitous moment, gaze ever further into the distant past-and into out future. (General Audience)

Spirits from the Sky: Thunder on the Land
Journey into the culture of the Skidi Band of the Pawnee Native American Nation. Skidi priests observed the appearance of planets, stars, constellation patterns and other astronomical phenomena occurring in predictable seasonal sequences.
(General Audience)

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The Cormack Planetarium

In 1993, the Cormack Planetarium completed its first major renovation since its construction in 1953. The Planetarium features a state-of-the-art Zeiss star projector and an enlarged domed ceiling on which the stars are projected. In 2008, the planetarium upgraded its multi-media capabilities.

Scope of the Planetarium Renovations

The renovations to the Planetarium involved rebuilding the entire facility.

Structural steel girders in the attic above the planetarium were moved to accommodate the new, larger dome. The dome measures 14' high and 28' in diameter. The walls of the room were reconfigured and a dramatic new entrance was added. There is air conditioning and more comfortable seating.

The heart of the Planetarium is a Zeiss star projector. This projector is able to show the starry sky and the motions of the planets in unprecedented detail. The projector is fully computer controlled so that it may precisely reproduce the motions seen in the sky.

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