SFCC
Planetarium

K-12 Shows at the Planetarium

During the academic school year, the SFCC planetarium offers free K12 planetarium shows.

Free school group shows are available Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM.

Classroom teachers must schedule shows directly with the planetarium staff.

Reservations are done on a first-come first-serve basis. Please note that availability, show times, and dates of all planetarium shows are always subject to change.

Please send an email to planetarium@sfcc.spokane.edu for reservations or to confirm show schedule and availability.

During the summer months, public school groups may rent the facility for $50.00 per planetarium show.

Public Shows at the Planetarium

Reservations are required to guarantee a seat in the planetarium show. You may purchase tickets at the door with cash ONLY, if there is space available. Please buy your tickets through the cashier's office to ensure a seat.

Public planetarium shows are 1 hour in length with the first half of the show a night sky presentation by one of our planetarium presenters. The second half of the show is a full-dome move. Please click the "Show Schedule" button below for dates, times, and movie selection.

Admission fee to the planetarium is $6 for adults and $3 for CCS students and children ages 3-18. No admission is charged for children under the age of 3 who will "lap sit" with their adult. Please call the cashier's office at (509) 533-3569, Monday-Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM for purchase options. Special event shows may have a different pricing structure and will be noted on the schedule.

All admission fees are paid in advance of the show through the cashier's office. Admission fees cannot be paid at the door.

Current Schedule for Public Shows

Date Movie Time Tickets on Sale
Friday, May 12th Solar Superstorms 6:00pm March 9th
Friday, May 12th Solar Superstorms 7:30pm March 9th
Saturday, May 13th Earth, Moon & Sun 3:00pm March 9th
Saturday, May 13th Earth, Moon & Sun 5:00pm March 9th
Sunday, May 14th Solar Superstorms 3:00pm March 9th
Sunday, May 14th Solar Superstorms 5:00pm March 9th
Friday, June 9th Dynamic Earth 6:00pm March 9th
Friday, June 9th Dynamic Earth 7:30pm March 9th
Saturday, June 10th Earth, Moon & Sun 3:00pm March 9th
Saturday, June 10th Earth, Moon & Sun 5:00pm March 9th
Sunday, June 11th Dynamic Earth 3:00pm March 9th
Sunday, June 11th Dynamic Earth 5:00pm March 9th

Do you look up at the night sky with wonder? Are you interested in finding a particular constellation? Do you contemplate the motion of the stars across our horizon? Are you curious about exoplanets and undiscovered worlds? Are you interested in black holes? The Spokane Falls Community College Planetarium may hold answers to your questions! A trip to our local planetarium is a memorable way to get people of all ages excited about science and the wonders of the universe.

Our state-of-the-art digital planetarium was designed as a virtual classroom into the universe for students of all ages. Since the spring of 2011, we have provided free K-12 field trips to local schools and educational groups, offered low-cost planetarium presentations to the general public, and are available for special event rentals.

The planetarium is a prominent feature on the SFCC campus. The cylindrical, domed room is one of the first recognizable features a driver sees coming over the crest of the hill from the Spokane River. Our vision for the planetarium includes promoting and serving science education in our community, expanding our local programming to preschoolers and senior groups, and offering in-depth night sky and telescope viewing.

image of the galaxy
2 Small Glasses Poster

While attending a local star party, two teenage students learn how the telescope has helped us understand our place in space and how telescopes continue to expand our understanding of the Universe. A local astronomer enlightens them on the history of the telescope and the discoveries these wonderful tools have made. While looking through the astronomer's telescope, the students, along with the planetarium audience, explore the Galilean Moons, Saturn's rings, and spiral structure of galaxies. They also learn about the discoveries of Galileo, Huygens, Newton, Hubble and many others. The soundtrack was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Black Holes Poster

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. Audiences will be dazzled with 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.

Cosmic Journey Poster

Starting from the outermost reaches of the solar system, take a cosmic journey from Pluto to Earth. Zoom past planets revolving above you. See ringed systems of the outer planets and the detail of various moons, all digitally rendered using real images from satellites. Finally, return home to Earth, and contrast our home planet with the other worlds you've explored. In Cosmic Journey: A Solar System Adventure, you'll travel through our Solar System faster than the speed of light, taking in the wonders of the planets and their moons.

Dynamic Earth Poster

Dynamic Earth explores the inner workings of Earth's great life support system: the global climate. With visualizations based on satellite monitoring data and advanced supercomputer simulations, this cutting-edge production follows a trail of energy that flows from the Sun into the interlocking systems that shape our climate: the atmosphere, oceans, and the biosphere. Audiences will ride along on swirling ocean and wind currents, dive into the heart of a monster hurricane, come face-to-face with sharks and gigantic whales, and fly into roiling volcanoes.

Earth Moon Sun Poster

Why do the Sun, Moon, and stars seem to move across the sky? Why are different evening star patterns visible at different times of the year? Why does the Moon seem to change shape from time to time? This amusing and educational planetarium show explores the relationship between Earth, Moon and Sun with the help of Coyote, a character adapted from Native American oral traditions. Coyote has many misconceptions about our home planet and its most familiar neighbors. His confusion about the universe makes viewers think about how Earth, Moon and Sun work together as a system. Learn why the sun rises and sets and the basics of fusion and solar energy. Examine the moon's orbit, craters, phases and eclipses. Also, the show explores past and future space travel to our moon and beyond. Recommended for ages 5-11

Gravity Revealed Poster

Why do things fall? They don’t drop from down to up, or from left to right. If an object is not supported it will surely fall until it hits the ground. The reason is, of course, gravity: the pull of the Earth, the attractive force. But what if that attractive force didn’t actually exist? If there's no pull, what causes objects to fall? The answer to that question is an amazing one indeed. It's time to unlock the secrets of gravity...in Gravity Revealed!

Oasis in Space Poster

Embark on a startling and beautiful voyage through our solar system, galaxy, and universe in search of water--a key ingredient for life on Earth. Your exploration starts on Earth, with its vast oceans that make life possible. Along the way you’ll fly by the other planets and their moons, learning about their characteristics such as atmosphere, temperature, and composition. Learn where water comes from in the cosmos and the conditions necessary for it to exist as a precious, life-giving liquid.

Planet Nine Poster

With all the controversy surrounding Pluto’s status as a planet, it is easy to lose track of the bigger story - a rich new class of worlds is being uncovered in the outer solar system. These discoveries strongly suggest that there may be an unknown world, far beyond the other eight planets, a world much larger than anything discovered in that region so far. Come join astronomer Mike Brown, "Pluto Killer", on the journey toward the scientific discovery of the century - the discovery of Planet Nine.

Secret Lives of Stars

Not all stars are created equal. Some are massive. Others are tiny; almost insignificant. The specific characteristics of a star will determine what type of life it will lead, how long it might live and even the type of death it will die. This beautifully crafted show highlights the life cycles and diversity of stars in the universe around us. We will witness the amazing variety of stars and peer into their secret lives. Narrated by Patrick Stewart, star of Star Trek – The Next Generation. Recommended for ages 6 and up

Solar Superstorms Poster

A fury is building on the surface of the Sun—high-velocity jets, a fiery tsunami wave 100,000 kilometers high, rising loops of electrified gas. What’s driving these strange phenomena? How will they affect planet Earth? Find the answers as we venture into the seething interior of our star. Solar Superstorms is a major new production that takes viewers into the tangle of magnetic fields and superhot plasma that vent the Sun’s rage in dramatic flares, violent solar tornadoes, and the largest eruptions in the solar system: coronal mass ejections.The show features one of the most intensive efforts ever made to visualize the Sun’s inner workings, including a series of groundbreaking scientific visualizations computed on the giant supercomputing initiative, Blue Waters, based at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois.

Undiscovered Worlds Poster

Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond Our Sun explores a timeless question: Do other planets like Earth exist? Through the discovery of exoplanets—the hundreds of planets that have been found orbiting stars beyond the Sun—we have learned that our solar system is not alone in the universe and have had to redefine our understanding of planets and solar systems. With rapidly improving technology and recent endeavors like the Kepler Telescope, the discovery of exoplanets represents one step closer to the possibility of finding an Earth-like world. How will this change how we view our place in the universe? Co-written with Alan Lightman, this show features an original orchestral score.

Resources for Educators

The following website summarizes objects visible in the night sky for the current week. This would allow your students a chance to look at what they might see during the night sky portion of the planetarium show and prepare questions for the presenter.

www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance

The following website shows daily pictures of astronomical phenomena and is a great site for educators who are looking for eye-catching pictures to show their students.

apod.nasa.gov/apod/

The following are educator guides based on our full-dome movies.

Black Holes educator's guide

Oasis educator's guide

Earth Moon and Sun curriculum guide

Two Small Pieces Glass educators guide

Undiscovered Worlds educators guide

Dynamic Earth educators guide

Solar Superstorms educators guide

image of the galaxy
image of the galaxy

The Planetarium is available for dedicated shows.

The planetarium may be rented for a one hour show. The first half of the show is a night sky presentation conducted by one of our planetarium presenters. This portion of the show can cover specific areas of interest if requested in advance. The second half of the program is a full-dome movie of your choice. Please refer to the "show descriptions" tab for the current selection. Please refer below for the rate schedule. Rentals are subject to the availability of a presenter and the planetarium.

Standard Fee

$10 per person (10 person minimum 52 person maximum)

Non-profit and State Agency Rate*

$10 per person (10 person minimum)

$250.00 for 25 or more persons (52 person maximum)

* Prior approval of non-profit agency rate is required

School Rate

(for shows held outside of our regularly scheduled K-12 times)

$50.00 (52 person maximum)

Contact us for rental information and availability

Planetarium@sfcc.spokane.edu

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