Planetarium
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary Planetarium Show
Summer Space Camp
Registration for our 2023 Space Camp June 12-16 is now open. Students will build and launch rockets, and code robots to perform missions. This program is for rising 7th to 12th grade students. Contact Mr. Kabbes at jkabbes@uncfsu.edu.
Funding for the Space Camp is provided in part by the Cumberland Community Foundation.
FSU Planetarium - Best in the World
With ten 4K projectors on a cozy 30 foot dome, we put more pixels per square inch on our dome than any other planetarium - in the world! This means crisp, round stars and a beautiful, dark night sky. Join us for an adventure that is out of this world (and out of the galaxy).
At this time ALL of our shows are live with an astronomer. Come with questions about the Universe!
| Date / Time | Show Title | Rating |
| Apr 29 - 7:00 PM | The Dark Side of the Universe | T |
| May 13 - 7:00 PM | Comets, Disease and Disaster | E |
| May 27 - 7:00 PM | Just say NO to Black Holes | E/T |
| Jun 10 - 7:00 PM | Summer Skies over Fayetteville | E |
| Jun 24 - 7:00 PM | It IS Rocket Science | E/T |
| Show Rating | |
| E | All ages |
| T | Technical - teens and adults |
| E/T | Older children, teens, and adults |
School visits to the Planetarium are available for 2022-23. Call 910-672-1SKY to schedule or contact Mr. Kabbes at jkabbes@uncfsu.edu.
In addition to our ten 4K projectors, we have a 6500 watt sound system for an amazing space experience.
Due to increased operating costs, we will need to charge a nominal fee - $5 for adults and $3 for children 2-18.
NASA Informal Education Community Anchor
This is our second year as a NASA Community Anchor site. We are developing family programs focused on Rockets and Robots in space exploration. Check back for more information.
Saturday afternoon STEAM Team
The Sat STEAM Team is back! Students in grades 7-12 meet Sat afternoons (every other week) from 1-3 PM in Lyons Science, room 117. Dates are the same as the public Planetarium shows.
We explore
- Rockets
- Robots
- Electronics
- Astronomy
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- and more
The spring STEAM Team starts Jan 14, 2023. Our focus this spring is Ultra-Low-Powered rockets.
Funding for the STEAM Team is provided in part by the Cumberland Community Foundation. For information contact Mr. Kabbes at: jkabbes@uncfsu.edu
Star Docent program
For students in grades 7-12 with a passion for space, the new Star Docent program (Fall 2022) will teach students astronomy, public speaking and how to run the Planetarium and Observatory. Star docents will help run the Planetarium and Observatory during our public Sat evening shows. For information contact Mr. Kabbes at: jkabbes@uncfsu.edu
The REEF is closed indefinitely.
The Planetarium is at the North end of the Lyons Science Building. The lobby entrance is on the west side. Access from W.T. Brown Drive (main entrance to FSU) is via the walkway between Lyons Science (16 - grey) and Lyons Science Annex (37 - brick). Parking for the Planetarium is across the RR tracks on on the right of W.T. Brown.
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| Campus Map | Planetarium Entrance |
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| Walkway to Planetarium | |
2023 Summer Space Camp.
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The FSU Summer Space Camp is for rising 7 to 12th grade students. Supplies and lunches are part of the program.
Campers will have the opportunity to explore science, math and computers in an intense, one-week summer program focused on NASA missions, Rockets and Robots. This camp will allow hands-on exploration of STEM topics and help students develop the tools to solve problems.
Activities include -
- Rocket science
- Robotics
- Astronomy
- Electronics
- Computer Science
School visits / shows can be arranged by contacting Mr. Kabbes: jkabbes@uncfsu.edu.
School visits are typically available Tue, Thu and Fri.
Group pricing will be $150 for a one hour show up to 65 seats.
Individual pricing will be $5 for adults and $3 for children 2-18. There is a 20 person, $100 minimum.
Funds cover the burn time on the projectors.
The REEF is closed indefinitely.
The Planetarium seats 65 comfortably, but we have a few extra seats we can squeeze in. Larger groups can be divided and switched with the Exploratorium: one group goes to the Exploratorium, the other to the planetarium, and then the groups switch.
The Planetarium has reopened, but we need staffing to be open for Meditation times.