All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.
Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.
Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.
May 2nd – Birds of the Night
Monte Sano State Park is hosting a “Feather Fest” at the lodge today. Maybe you can attend that event. VBAS will participate by celebrating all things feathered in the night sky. There are birds everywhere at night and we’ll look for them on our planetarium dome. Families welcome.
Presented by Gena Crook
May 9th – Sci-Fi
Science fiction has always pushed the limits of imagination but how much of it could actually be real? We will dive into the science behind the most iconic and thought-provoking stories, from the alien biology of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars to the psychological and physical mysteries of Sphere, the survival driven physics of Project Hail Mary, and the visionary space travel of 2001: A Space Odyssey. We’ll break down what these stories get right, where they stretch the truth, and how real-world physics, biology, and engineering shape what’s possible. From alien life and artificial intelligence to relativistic travel and human survival in extreme environments, this show explores the line between fiction and reality and challenges you to decide for yourself: how far away is the future we imagine?
Presented by Maggie Sexton
May 16th – Sci-Fi
Science fiction has always pushed the limits of imagination but how much of it could actually be real? We will dive into the science behind the most iconic and thought-provoking stories, from the alien biology of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars to the psychological and physical mysteries of Sphere, the survival driven physics of Project Hail Mary, and the visionary space travel of 2001: A Space Odyssey. We’ll break down what these stories get right, where they stretch the truth, and how real-world physics, biology, and engineering shape what’s possible. From alien life and artificial intelligence to relativistic travel and human survival in extreme environments, this show explores the line between fiction and reality and challenges you to decide for yourself: how far away is the future we imagine?
Presented by Maggie Sexton
May 23rd – Magic Carpet
Our star projector can help us pretend to fly anywhere on Earth – like a magic carpet! See the motion of the stars across the sky at the equator, north pole, and southern hemisphere. Watch how the sun changes positions at these locations. You may be surprised if you haven’t actually been to the equator or the north pole in person! We will put the star projector to work and use it to show its unique educational capabilities.
Presented by Gena Crook
May 30th – Summer Skies
Join us on a cosmic journey, navigating our summer skies: the stars, the constellations, many beautiful deep sky objects, and perhaps even some historical tales about them. We will also use our sky dome simulation projector to show where in the sky all these are located.
Presented by Cyril Bryan