Welcome!
We offer various educational programs for school field trips, Scout troops, day care groups, park recreation, civic groups, and others.
Our World of Science lectures provides a monthly forum in which a local scientist discusses his or her specialties.
Enjoy weekend public Planetarium shows for residents of all ages. Explore this website for descriptions of our current shows. Contact us at planetarium@parkland.edu. See our calendar for what's playing.
See our calendar for a full schedule. You don't need a reservation - all tickets are sold at the door! We are now closed for winter break. The office will remain open until December 23 and then will reopen January 4, but our first public shows of the new year will be on the January 22/23 weekend. Please note that, due to the state budget situation, beginning in January, we have been asked to raise our weekend show prices by a dollar.
Traditional "Live" planetarium at its best! "Prairie Skies" Friday nights at 7pm
Take a live tour of the current night sky (and not have to swat mosquitoes)! Learn how to find the current constellations and planets, plus hear a few of the legendary stories featuring the imaginary figures above us! The winter version of the show begins January 22. Come and learn how to find the bright stars of our winter sky!
Coming January 22: "Spirits From the Sky, Thunder on the Land"
Come with us on a never-before-seen journey into the culture of the Pawnee Native American Nation, who lived in what is now Nebraska and northern Kansas from the 1600’s to 1876. Their culture grew of out their legends and lore of skywatching. The newly-converted takes you inside a Pawnee earth lodge through the development of the agricultural calendar and the Pawnee creation legend. Admission is $6 adults; $5 students, seniors and children under 12. All tickets sold at the door.
Next "World of Science" talk: "Earthquakes: Face & Fiction" February 5, 7pm
With the movie "San Andreas" dazzling us on the big screen, our attention is drawn to earthquakes. But could such a disaster really happen on the west coast? Could it happen in the Midwest? Senior Geophysicist Dr. Timothy Larson will explain the basic principles of earthquakes and their potential. Admission is just $1 at the door.
Big Bird returns to the dome, maybe for the last time. Opens January 23, 7pm.
Explore the night sky with our friends from Sesame StreetTM. Join Big Bird, Elmo, and Hu Hu Zhu as they take an imaginary trip to the Moon. See how the Moon is different from the Earth and learn how to find the Big Dipper and North Star from your backyard. "One World, One Sky" comes to us through a generous grant from the PNC Foundation and their "Grow Up Great" program. Admission is $6 adults; $5 students, seniors and children under 12. All tickets sold at the door.
PRESIDENT’S DAY SPECIAL – “From Earth to the Universe”
The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths and awe for as long as there have been people. A desire to comprehend the Universe may well be humanity’s oldest shared intellectual experience. Yet only recently have we truly begun to grasp our place in the vast cosmos. To learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience From Earth to the Universe, a new fulldome show from the European Southern Observatory. Showing at 10am and 2pm on February 15. All tickets are $4 at the door.
"They're back" . . . . . .laser shows in February!!! Two weekends only!
Well . . . sort of. Our original light shows graced the dome from 1991 to 2010 but we had no way to run them after we went digital. Thanks to Audio Visual Imagineering, laser shows return to the dome as we rent a SkyLase fulldome laser for this special event. There will be two shows each on February 19/20 and 26/27, starting at 9:30pm. Tickets are $8 at the door, though you can listen to win tickets from the Illini Radio Group. Stay tuned for updates as we'll announce the shows in the new year (but you can count on a Pink Floyd night!).
"Artemis" returns to the dome March 12!
Ever wanted to command a starship? The Artemis Bridge Simulator does just that! Sign up up a team of six people for a two hour time slot to play. Duty stations include helm, communications, science, engineering, and weapons contol . . . and of course we need a captain, too. Time slots start Saturday at 9am and advance registration is required. For more information, look here. Thanks to Deane Geiken at WPCD for allowing us to run the simulation again!
See the Goose Kaler Meteorite Collection now on display in our lobby
On loan from the Kaler family, the meteorite collection contains samples from Canyon Diablo, Esquel (Argentina), Gibeon (Namibia), and Sikhote-Alin (Siberia). The "monster" of the collection is a 16 kilogram iron meteorite that you can touch. A brochure containing background information on the samples can be picked up in our lobby or you can download one here.