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Physics and Astronomy WSU Planetarium

Planetarium

WSU Planetarium

The WSU Planetarium features a digital fulldome projection system. During a sky tour, audiences interact with the projected sky and the docent to learn about astronomy. The dome is a 24 foot diameter plastic-laminated glass-fiber dome installed in Sloan Hall in March, 1962. In 1968 the projector was upgraded to the Spitz A3-P. In 2014, an interim spheric mirror digital projection system was added, upgraded to 4k resolution in summer 2016. It is used for WSU astronomy classes, school groups, other groups, and evening public shows. If you have a group of twelve or more, you can arrange a free, one-hour sky tour during business hours. Contact Dr. Guy Worthey at gworthey(at)wsu.edu to arrange.

2024 March / April
$5 public shows


(spring break)

March 22 & 24: Out There

March 29 & 31: Mars: The Ultimate Voyage

April 5 & 7: Eclipse preview and The Sun

April 12 & 14: Distant Worlds: Alien Life?

April 19 & 21: Forward to the Moon

April 26 & 28: Phantom of the Universe (Dark Matter)

 

We are gratified that our series of informative and entertaining shows for the general public have proven popular. From 2014 to 2016, we installed a spheric-mirror digital projection system to enable a whole new layer of flexibility in the star theater, including the capability to show fulldome movies. Our dome was painted a friendly gray color in 2019 to reduce light echoes and improve contrast.

Funds from ticket sales maintain and improve our surround sound and full dome visual systems and guarantee an offering of even more spectacular public events in the future. The WSU Foundation will be happy to assist you if you wish to accelerate the upgrades with a financial gift (donate to “astronomy development fund”).

Our offerings:

  • Day time groups ($0)
  • Evening public shows ($5)
  • Corporate facility rental

Currently scheduled by gworthey(at)wsu.edu

 

March 2024 Shows

Two Small Pieces of Glass

Friday, March 1, 7:00 p.m.

&

Sunday, March 3, 5:00 p.m.

 

A guided tour of March night skies, followed by a fulldome video presentation. Tonight’s show is “Two Small Pieces of Glass,” an ode and a celebration of the intellectual explosion caused by Galileo’s astronomical telescope, made of, as you can guess, two small glass lenses.

 

Out There

 

Friday, March 22, 7:00 p.m.

&

Sunday, March 24, 5:00 p.m.

 

A docent-guided tour of March night skies, followed by a fulldome video presentation. Tonight’s show is “Out There,” an overview of the progress of astronomical knowledge of planets, reaching from the solar system to the extrasolar planets that orbit distant stars.

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage

Friday, March 29, 7:00 p.m.

&

Sunday, March 31, 5:00 p.m.

A docent-guided tour of March night skies, followed by a fulldome video presentation. Tonight’s show is “Mars: The Ultimate Voyage,” a look at the actual planning being done to pave the way for a permanent human presence on the red planet.

April 2024 Shows

Eclipse preview and The Sun

Friday, April 5, 7:00 p.m.

&

Sunday, April 7, 5:00 p.m.

A docent-guided preview of the April 8 eclipse (partial from our location), including bits of history and eclipse geometry. This is followed by a fulldome video presentation. Tonight’s show is “The Sun: Our Living Star,” an overview of the astounding physics that powers the radiant center of our solar system that features views of the sun outside the visible range accessible only by satellites.

Distant Worlds – Alien Life?

Friday, April 12, 7:00 p.m.

&

Sunday, April 14, 5:00 p.m.

A docent-guided tour of April night skies, followed by a fulldome video presentation. Tonight’s show is “Distant Worlds – Alien Life?” This excellent fulldome film examines the search for extrasolar planets and speculates on the extraterrestrial biologies that may develop to fill ecological niches with bizarre chemistries, temperatures, and other outre’ physical conditions.

Forward to the Moon

Friday, April 19, 7:00 p.m.

&

Sunday, April 21, 5:00 p.m.

A docent-guided tour of April night skies, followed by a fulldome video presentation. Tonight’s show is “Forward to the Moon,” an overview of NASA’s Artemis mission to the moon, whose ultimate goal is a moon base. Uncrewed mission Artemis 1 has already flown!

 

Phantom of the Universe

Friday, April 26, 7:00 p.m.

&

Sunday, April 28, 5:00 p.m.

A docent-guided tour of April night skies, followed by a fulldome video presentation. Tonight’s show is “Phantom of the Universe.” Dark matter is one of astronomy’s unsolved mysteries. Clues about it come from distant galaxies, but it might be earth-based experiments that finally crack the case.

Directions

Directions from Stadium & Main: Turn up Stadium, immediate left at Nevada, immediate left at Washington, turn right on Spokane Street. Street spots and nearby parking lots are legal to park in after-hours. Otherwise, please arrange a temporary permit from parking.wsu.edu (the zone you want is called “green 3.”) The pedestrian bridge is the most convenient entry; come across the bridge, come in the building, then turn right. Twenty paces later, turn left and head down the hall to Sloan 231.

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