The Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium
Our planetarium offers an immersive, surrounded experience. Regularly scheduled presentations are recommended for children ages 5 and older. Once the doors are closed, guests will no longer be admitted.
Planetarium Admission
Members: FREE
Nonmembers: $8
Planetarium Tickets
Purchase your tickets at the front desk on the day of your visit.
Fairbanks Museum members can reserve tickets by email for weekend shows only.
Reservations must be received at least 24 hours in advance of your visit and picked up at least 1/2 hour before the scheduled presentation.
School and Community Groups
Private Parties
Reserve the planetarium for a private show (up to 24 people) including a show of your choice, free admission to the museum for everyone in your group, plus a household membership for $300.
Please call 802-748-2372 to reserve your private planetarium event.
Reservations for a private show must be made at least 1 week in advance.
We do our best to keep this schedule current. Check our calendar for late changes and sold-out shows.
11:30 AM
TONIGHT’S SKY (Live Show)
Join us up in the Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium to learn about the current events of our sky! Feel like breaking out your telescope for some star gazing? Our engaging knowledgeable planetarium presenters will talk you through what’s happening in our solar system and answer your burning questions about the sky. We will discuss stars, planets, and constellations that are currently visible in the sky tonight.
12:30 PM
Butterfly Journey
Beautiful, delicate yet unbelievably resilient, the butterfly is one of nature’s most enigmatic creatures. A story of adaptation and survival, we follow the vast migrations of the Blue Tigers of Australia and the Monarchs of North America and Mexico. With the help of cutting edge slow-motion, drone and macro filming techniques, we see the butterflies’ tiny world in immaculate detail as they overcome the challenges of metamorphosis and migration, fly thousands of kilometers and as high as 3,300 meters. Butterfly Journey reveals our interconnected and awe-inspiring world on the giant screen, through the eyes of the butterflies. Yet what fate awaits them when the fine-tuned climates they intimately know suddenly shift?
1:30 PM
Live Shows with Presenters
Sunday: SOLAR SYSTEM SETTLEMENT (Live Presenter: Paul Benoit)
Monday: SOLAR SYSTEM SETTLEMENT (Live Presenter: Paul Benoit)
Tuesday: CONSTELLATIONS & CULTURES (Live Presenter: Ama Jones)
Wednesday: SUN STARS (Live Presenter: Lawrence Hayes)
Thursday: SUN STARS (Live Presenter: Lawrence Hayes)
Friday: CONSTELLATIONS & CULTURES (Live Presenter: Ama Jones)
Saturday: SPACE EXPLORATION (Live Presenter: Christian Hubbs)
2:30 PM
Dinosaurs A story of Survival
Like almost all children, Celeste is fascinated with dinosaurs. She is preparing a talk for her class about how they went extinct when Moon, a very wise and magical character, poses a tantalizing question: what if I told you that there are still dinosaurs among us?
Celeste will join Moon in a journey through time, and exciting adventure that will show them the Earth as it was in the very, very distant past. They will see the fascinating transformations that these animals underwent over millions of years, creating giant creatures, armored beasts and super predators, until the day that a cataclysmic impact event caused a mass extinction on Earth. But all is not lost. Celeste will discover the key to their survival.
3:30 PM
Beyond the Sun
Celeste is a little girl who wants to explore the Universe, find new Earths and learn how to find exoplanets. While fighting off sleep in her room by reading a book on astronomy, she receives an unexpected visit from Moon. Together, they enjoy a journey through the Universe to discover what exoplanets are and how they can be detected. They observe rogue planets, oceanic worlds and super-Earths. Moon tells her about exoplanet hunters, who observe the sky in search of planets like Earth. Many adventures are yet to come.