Staerkel Planetarium to Reopen for Public Shows

Staerkel Planetarium Returns to In-Person Public Shows for 2021-2022

The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College will resume offering public shows this August.
 
Beginning August 6, the planetarium will offer Summer Prairie Skies, a live-narrated tour of the night sky, on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Immediately following at 8 p.m., the new fulldome video Birth of Planet Earth will debut.

Birth of Planet Earth, produced in part by the Advanced Visualization Lab at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, will air on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through October 29.

One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure will show on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. through September 11. A new children's program, Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs? will premiere on September 18 at 6:30 p.m. and run through October 29.

Following the Phase 5 guidance of the Illinois Department of Public Health, masks will not be required for people who are fully vaccinated. The planetarium will follow a modified program schedule on Friday and Saturday evenings to allow for cleaning between shows.
 
The planetarium is available for private group shows throughout the week, and can also be booked for birthday parties, weddings, meetings, and other events depending on staff availability.

For updated show schedules, please go to parkland.edu/planetarium. Group shows may be reserved by contacting the planetarium office at 217/351-2568 or planetarium@parkland.edu.