Michael and Kimthanh Lê PlanetariumPublic Shows
Public Planetarium Shows
Weekly Planetarium Shows
$4 per ticket - Tickets available at the door starting at 6:30 pm.
Love space? Enjoy gazing at the stars at night? Ever wonder what it would be like to fall into a black hole? Find out at our planetarium shows. As always, shows are family friendly and open to anyone. You do not need to be and ODU student to attend.
Our shows typically last about an hour and start with a full-dome movie (schedule listed below). Each movie lasts about 20-25 minutes. Afterwards, we'll show the night sky including planets & constellations, fly through our solar system and visit other planets, traverse the Milkyway, and tour the Universe.
Recommended for ages 4 and up as you never quite know how infants and toddlers will react to a dark planetarium. Some love it. Some do not.
Cash, credit, or debit accepted at the door. Doors open at approximately 6:30 pm.
Shows start at 7:00 pm and last approximately 1-hour.
No early reservations. Seating is first-come, first-serve.
Check our Location & Parking section for more info.
April 3
The Great American Eclipse
Another solar eclipse is on its way! Get ready for The Great American Eclipse occurring Monday, April 8. While Hampton Roads will not see a total eclipse in April, we'll still have a spectacular view with the Moon covering almost 80% of the Sun. We'll discuss what causes eclipses, what to expect on April 8, and how to safely observe a solar eclipse.
Oh, and did we mention, everyone in the audience will receive a FREE pair of eclipse glasses!
Ages 4+
April 10
Supervolcanoes
Supervolcanoes is an immersive planetarium show that looks back at rare classes of eruptions that have marshaled the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the surface of planet Earth. The program moves beyond Earth to explore the impact of giant volcanic eruptions around our solar system. Audiences will fly down to Neptune's frigid moon Triton, and onto the ultimate volcanic world: Jupiter's moon Io. On a visit to a legendary North American hot spot, Yellowstone National Park, the film asks: can a supervolcano erupt in our time?
Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch
Ages 10+
April 17
Climate Change in Our Backyard
As we develop a much larger picture about our Earth as a whole, we are coming to see it as a complex, interconnected, remarkable world, and one that humans have impacted directly. Explore the role of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, the natural temperature variations that the Earth has experienced over millions of years, and how humans are affecting our planet today. How are scientists learning about our changing climate, and what strategies are people from all across the world taking to protect our future?
Climate Change in Our Backyard illuminates the story of how and why our climate is changing. From the remote mountain shack in the Colorado Rockies, through ancient bubbles in Antarctic ice, and into our own homes. Produced by Fiske Planetarium.
Ages 12+
April 24
Phantom of the Universe
From the journey of protons racing through the world's largest particle collider in Europe to up-close views of the Big Bang and emergent cosmos, Phantom of the Universe is a new fulldome planetarium show designed to immerse audiences in the search for dark matter. A collaboration of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, University of Texas at Arlington, Michigan State University, IFIC at University of Valencia, as well as other institutions.
Narrated by: Tilda Swinton
Ages 10+
May 1
Sunstruck
In this NASA funded show, take a journey to discover the "star" of our solar system (pun intended). While the Sun may be an average star, we want you to be Sunstruck! by just have magnificient it really is. Learn about its mass, composition, and structure. See how the it produces all its light and heat. Discover how it powers itself for billions of years and the next stages of its stellar evolution.
Ages 10+
May 8
Black Holes: Journey into the Unknown
Imagine a place where time stands still; where the universal order breaks down; where the unimaginable becomes reality. Welcome to the world of Black Holes.
Presenting the latest scientific information, this new planetarium show brings to life all that is fascinating and extreme in the world of black holes. Witness what would happen if you got too close to one? What makes a black hole? How do we find them? Would you survive falling into one?
Discover what science has taught us about these most bizarre creations. Follow their story from an extraordinary idea of the late 18th century through to their unexpected detection almost 200 years later.
Narrated by: Geoffrey Rush
Ages 13+
May 15
Capcom, Go!
An immersive, historical documentary that showcases the achievements of the Apollo program and what it took to put the first human on the Moon.
It introduces a new generation to the immense challenges they overcame and will inspire them to become the explorers, designers, engineers, thinkers and dreamers of the future.
Ages 8+
May 22
Forward! To the Moon
Kari Byron from Crash Test World and MythBusters launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space.
NASA's 21st century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon. Produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with TEND Studio.
Narrated by: Kari Byron
Ages 10+
May 29
Mars: The Ultimate Voyage
Join us on a journey to the Red Planet. What does it take to make it to Mars? In this new production designed by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, we'll discover the many challenges astronauts will face and how creativity, communication, and collaboration are essential for deep space exploration.
Ages 8+
June 5
Tour of the Summer Sky
Take a tour of the summer sky, see what planets are visible, hear constellation stories, and plan for upcoming celestial events.
Ages 4+
June 12
The Sun: Our Living Star
The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived.It is our nearest star and our planet's powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life. The passage of the Sun's fiery disc across the sky — day by day, month by month — was the only way to keep track of time for countless past civilisations. Discover the secrets of our star in this planetarium show and experience never-before-seen images of the Sun's violent surface in immersive fulldome format.
Ages 10+
June 19
From the Earth to the Universe
From Earth to the Universe is the world's first full-length fulldome planetarium movie freely available for planetarium use. This stunning, 30-minute voyage through time and space conveys, through an arresting combination of sights and sounds, the Universe revealed to us by science. Take an in-depth look through our solar system, fly through our galaxy, see stellar remnants, and tour the Universe beyond the Milky Way.
Ages 8+
June 26
Kids Night - Sesame Street
Elmo and Big Bird live in the United States and Hu Hu Zhu lives far away in China, but they discovered that they still see the same stars at night! Use your imagination with Elmo and his new friend to visit the Moon and see what it's like up close.
Also includes a star show, hands-on activities, and a laser show!
Ages 4-7