Planetarium

Frequently-Asked Questions

I don't have a group large enough to reserve a spot in the Planetarium. How do I see a show as an individual or a family?

The best way is to look online for when the next show will be and for which group. Unless it says "closed" (usually due to an expected crowd large enough that no empty seats will be available), you are welcome to come in.

May we eat in the Planetarium

Food is not allowed in the Planetarium except in the following circumstance: school groups may bring their lunches and store them in the Planetarium office during the show and eat lunch in the Planetarium after the show, provided the ratio of students to adults (teachers, parents, chaperones) is no more than six-to-one. This has been done before very successfully, but please make arrangements with the Director beforehand.

I have 80 schoolchildren coming. Is there an activity one group can do outside the Planetarium while the other group is inside?

This could be a logistical headache. While there is a fairly large lobby just outside the Planetarium where activities could be done, the hard floor and walls make the acoustics rather "live." Furthermore, classrooms, offices, and research laboratories are nearby and trying to keep a large number of children quiet enough is tiring for teachers and not conducive to learning. There are two alternatives, both of which have worked:

• If students are small enough, they can easily sit two to a seat. With seventy children in a planetarium, things can get live and rambunctious, but the Director is accustomed to it.
• Simply schedule two different days.