Sit back and experience the wonders of the night sky in the newly renovated Planetarium, facilitated by expert astronomers and educators. Be prepared to open your eyes to a whole new world—or worlds!
The Seymour Planetarium is home to historically significant astronomy education tools as well as modern digital presentations. Visitors get the best of the old and the new at the Springfield Museums.
The Korkosz projector is a remarkable example of Springfield ingenuity. Still used in our planetarium presentation, this Springfield-made “star ball” is the oldest operating American-made projector in the world.
The planetarium theater is now renovated with plush new chairs and carpeting and a refurbished control console. The new digital capabilities allow our astronomy educators to present even more wonder-filled opportunities to know the stars and planets better. The recorded shows are digitally remastered for a video format with new effects added.
The members of the astronomy staff continually expand their story-telling to include star tales and scientific wisdom from through history and all over the world—including Native American, African, South American, and Asian influences. The improvements in the planetarium will bring new life to these stories.
Tickets: $3 Adults, $2 ages 17 and under, Free for Springfield Museums members. (Available at the admissions desk in the Welcome Center.)
Please note, due to the ongoing pandemic, and children under 12 not yet having access to vaccination, all will be required to wear masks in the planetarium.
Daily Schedule
1 pm Magic Sky
Join Jesse in a dream adventure sparked by a bedtime story about the night sky, digitally remastered for a video format with added special effects. Through story and song, children explore the concept of day and night and discover that the sun is really a star. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
2 pm Mystery of the Disappearing Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for nearly 200 million years and then, in the geological blink of an eye, they were gone forever. How did creatures that big suddenly vanish from the face of the Earth? Travel far out into space, deep inside the earth and back in time as we try to unravel the mystery of the disappearing dinosaurs. The show is digitally remastered for a video format with new effects added. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
3 pm Splendors of the Summer Sky
What is that you’re seeing in the sky at night? With the planetarium stars as the backdrop, find out how to locate and identify celestial objects, planets, and constellations as the seasons change. The seasonal changes in the sky are probably the first scientific observations made as people sought to anticipate the seasons and grow their food crops. As you observe these changes you participate in one of the fundamental cycles of nature. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
AstroQuest Online
Intro to Stargazing & Skywatching
These maps show what you can see in the night sky here in Springfield at the times and dates given in each map. The view will be similar over the subsequent days as well. We would like to thank our friends at Sky and Telescope magazine, skyandtelescope.org, for creating these maps for us and allowing us to post them today.
Out-of-this-world art and science activities for children and families, created by our Family Engagement Coordinator Jenny Powers.
