Planetarium Show

About this Event

You and your family are invited to attend a planetarium program at Penn State University, designed for families with children ages 8-12, where you will learn about the night sky and challenges caused by light pollution.

Come to the Planetarium Show at Penn State University where you will learn about the amazing night sky and challenges for viewing caused by light pollution. Our program is designed for families with children age 8 – 12 years old. The program will be run on the following dates:

1. Saturday, May 3 from 2:00PM – 3:00PM and 3:00PM – 4:00PM
2. Wednesday May 14 from 6:30 – 7:30PM
3. Saturday, May 17 from 2:00PM – 3:00PM and 3:00PM – 4:00PM
4. Tuesday May 27 from 6:30 – 7:30PM
5. Thursday May 29 from 6:30 – 7:30PM

Pre-registration is required.

As part of attending the planetarium program, we will be asking for your consent to participate in an educational research study that will help us learn more about how to design planetarium programs for families. This will include a short survey at the beginning and end of the program. We will also give a $25 gift card / family for completing a survey 2 weeks later. Participation in the research study is entirely voluntary and you are still welcome to attend the program if you choose not to participate in the research.

Location: 5th floor of Davey Lab (across from the HUB at Penn State)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can younger/older siblings attend? Yes! But keep in mind that the planetarium will be dark. Some very young children may not be comfortable in the dark of the planetarium for a 30-minute program.
2. Can other family members attend (e.g., grandparents, cousins)? Yes! 
3. Where is parking? The closest visitor parking to Davey Lab is the HUB parking deck, with the East deck and the Nittany Deck being the next closest. Davey Lab is a few minutes walk from HUB deck, but closer to a 10 – 15 minute walk from the other decks. However, the HUB deck often fills up faster than the others. Parking downtown is also an option (the community lot on Beaver across from Panera, the Pugh Street deck, and on-street parking are all good options), but then the walk is uphill to Davey Lab.