Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to footer content

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

Show Schedule
DAY TIME SHOW
Friday
March 15, 2024
6:00 PM The Edge: Pluto and Beyond  (SOLD OUT)
7:30 PM From the Earth to the Universe  (SOLD OUT)
Saturday
March 16, 2024
2:00 PM Daughter of the Stars  (SOLD OUT)
3:30 PM Cosmic Colors  (SOLD OUT)

Can't make it this time? Be the first to be notified of our next show dates and times.

Get Notified  

Current Planetarium Shows

Poster for The Edge planetarium show

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
Poster for From the Earth to the Universe planetarium show

From the 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 humanitys 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 todays grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience From Earth to the Universe.

Reserve Tickets for From the Earth to the Universe
Daughter of the Stars planetarium show poster

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
Cosmic Colors planetarium show poster

Cosmic Colors

Discover the many reasons for color—like why the sky is blue and why Mars is red. Take a tour within a plant leaf and journey inside the human eye. Investigate x-rays by voyaging to a monstrous black hole and then back at your doctor’s office. You will even see the actual color of a dinosaur—based on recent evidence. Get ready for an amazing adventure under a rainbow of cosmic light!

Reserve Tickets for Cosmic Colors

For a complete list of our shows go to Show Library.