School and private programs
A page within Planetarium
The programs below AND SEVERAL OTHERS are available for School and Private Groups. The charge for School and Private programs is $40.00 for a group of 10 or fewer and $4.00 per person for groups of 11 or more.
The first part of a program is a talk on the current evening sky. Some star charts and sky information are sent to the Group Leader about a week before the program.
The second is a multimedia audiovisual presentation.
The Planetarium has circular bench seating and can seat up to 70 children OR 50 adults.
Program |
Recommended Ages |
| "Sky Tonight" | K-3rd grade |
| "Honey, I Shrunk the Solar System!" | 3rd grade and up |
| "Journey to the Stars" | 5th grade and up |
| "Stargazer" | 8th grade and up |
"Sky Tonight" - After an introduction to the evening sky, the Planetarium projector "Jake" brings along "Joe Star", "Marsha Moon", "Mike Meteor", and the Sun to talk about what the things in the night sky are. The planets are also briefly described.
"Honey, I Shrunk the Solar System!" - This program is an imaginary bicycle tour of the planets. Besides briefly describing each of the planets, it asks and tries to answer a few questions at each one. It also compares the relative distances between the planets.
"Journey to the Stars" - This program is a mental journey from the Earth to the far reaches of the universe. It briefly describes the Moon and each of the planets. It also looks at the Sun as a star, how stars are born, live out their lives and die as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole. Finally, it looks at cosmology and how it was learned that the universe is expanding.
"Stargazer" - This program is the story of Jim Kaler, an Astronomy Professor at the University of Illinois. It shows how he shares his love for the sky (which he had since childhood) with his students. Topics covered include Newton's law of gravity, light, regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the life cycles (birth, life, and death) of stars. It also describes the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram which graphs stars' temperatures vs. their luminosity (energy output). Regions of the diagram include the main sequence (stars that shine by hydrogen fusion), giant stars, supergiant stars, and white dwarfs.
Other available programs:
"Starship Earth" - This program asks and tries to answer several questions about the Earth. The answers help in understanding what Earth is and where it is in the universe. The questions include: What does Earth look like from space? Where is Earth in the universe? How do we know Earth is moving? Why does Earth have seasons? How many different kinds of life are on Earth?
"Galileo: The Power of the Telescope" - This program is a biography of Galileo and a history of the telescope.
"Moon Voyage" - This program is a musically narrated journey to the Moon and back with the Apollo 11 astronauts.
School and private programs can be scheduled by contacting Bob Allen, the Planetarium Director, at allen.robe@eagle.uwlax.edu or at 608.785.8669.
