Public Programs
Public programs are offered on Friday evenings throughout the year at 7:30 pm (May through September at 8:30 pm) and Saturday afternoons during the academic year at 1:00 pm. Admission to all public programs is $8 for adults and $6 for children, seniors and 淫妻社 community members (children 3 and under are free).
We accept credit card and cash payments. All shows are first-come, first-served - reservations and advanced ticket purchases are not available. Doors open 30 minutes before the show, during which time you can explore the displays in our lobby. (Note the time change to 8:30 PM as of May 1.)
The planetarium (show) portion of the program is approximately one-hour, while the
observing session on Friday night will continue until everyone has had a chance to
take a look through the telescope. More information below.
Summer/Fall 2025 Schedule
Tales of the Maya Skies
Friday evenings at 8:30 PM from August 1 to August 29, 2025
Tales of the Maya Skies is a digital full-dome show with a custom score and visuals
that immerses the audience in Mayan astronomy, art, and culture. Narrated by Latin
Grammy award winner Lila Downs, Tales of the Maya Skies inspires and educates through
its description of the Maya's accurate astronomical achievements and how astronomy
connected them to the Universe.
听
Black Holes: 听The Other Side of Infinity
Friday evenings at 8:30 PM, September 5, 12, 26 2025
Note: 听There will NOT be a public program Friday, September 19, 2025
Narrated by Academy-Award nominated actor Liam Neeson, this cutting-edge production features high-resolution visualizations of cosmic phenomena, working with data generated by computer simulations, to bring the current science of black holes to the dome screen.You will enjoy the striking, immersive animations of the formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super- massive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
听
Zula Patrol: Under the Weather
(child focused)
Saturday afternoons at 1:00 PM, September 6, 13, 27 2025
Note: 听There will NOT be a public program Saturday, September 20, 2025
The stalwart heroes of the Zula Patrol are on an expedition collecting samples of weather for scientist Multo鈥檚 research.听 When the Zula gang inadvertently hurts their loyal pet Gorga鈥檚 feelings, he decides to leave Zula and find another planet to live on.听 Villain Dark Truder then tricks Gorga into helping with his latest nefarious scheme to rule the Universe.听 The Zula Patrollers find out and go after him 鈥� in the process learning all about weather, both here on Earth and on the other planets of the Solar System.
听
Messengers of Time and Space
Friday evenings at 7:30 PM from October 3 to October 24, 2025
A new age of astronomy is just about to start that will allow researchers to capture exploding stars, colliding black holes and other cosmic cataclysms in real time. 听鈥淢essengers of Time and Space鈥� is designed to illuminate the imminent revolution in astronomy driven by time-domain and multi-messenger observations. 听This immersive experience invites audiences to explore the dynamic cosmos and witness the transformative impact of real-time data on our understanding of the Universe.
听
Spooky Space
(child focused)
Saturday afternoons at 1:00 PM from October 4 to October 25 2025
Friday evening at 7:30 PM on October 31 2025
Explore the sky and outer space with a Halloween twist. Meet the space counterparts to spooky characters like ghosts, vampires, and witches. Spooky Space is a great Halloween show for ages 6 and up.
听
Europe to the Stars
Friday evenings at 7:30 PM from November 7 to November 21, 2025
Discover the European Southern Observatory in a story of cosmic curiosity, courage and perseverance; a story of observing a Universe of deep mysteries and hidden secrets; and a story of designing, building and operating the most powerful ground-based telescopes on the planet. The program focuses on the essential aspects of an astronomical observatory while offering a broader view of how astronomy is done. From site-testing to locate the best places in the world for observing the sky, to how telescopes are built and what mysteries of the Universe astronomers are revealing.
听
Dinosoars! 听Change over Time
(child focused)
Saturday afternoons at 1:00 PM from November 1 to November 22 2025
Perhaps the most astounding discovery about dinosaurs is that they are still around today 鈥� and not just in the movies. Birds are living dinosaurs!听 Follow the story of Malkia, a museum paleontologist, as she explores fascinating connections between birds and dinosaurs.
听
Santa's Secret Star
Friday evenings at 7:30 PM and Saturday afternoons at 1 PM from from November 28 to December 20, 2025
Santa鈥檚 Secret Star is an updated full-dome version of our classic children鈥檚 program by the same name. Follow along as Rudolph introduces Santa to his friends the constellations. Watch how the constellations help Santa and his crew make it back to the North Pole. Learn how you can navigate by the stars just like Santa.
What you can expect:
-
A live guided tour of the Toledo night sky
You will learn about the constellations visible from Toledo and any planets visible to the naked eye. We also typically discuss one "hot topic" in astronomy, such as the discovery of new planets around other stars, or the latest NASA discover on Mars.
-
The full-dome presentation
Whether we are traveling inside a black hole, taking a tour of the moon with Elmo, or learning about the skies over Toledo, you and your family will simply be amazed at the full-dome immersive show. -
An open-ended question and answer session
Our expert host will answer all of your astronomy questions, whether they pertain to the live tour of the night sky, the feature presentation, or any other astronomy question that you might have. -
Observing at Brooks/Ritter Observatory
You will be escorted over to Brooks Observatory atop McMaster Hall to view the stars and/or planets through our new 14 telescope. On the first Friday of every month, we instead observe with the Ritter 1m (40 in) telescope. This telescope is the largest active telescope east of the Mississippi and is still used by the astronomers at 淫妻社 for their research. All observing is weather permitting!
听