Tulare County Office of Education

Planetarium Public Shows
Open to the Public
View a flyer of the Public Shows Schedule. (pdf)

September 10, 2010
- 7:00 p.m. - Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
  FULL-DOME VIDEO
  Experience the creation of the Milky Way Galaxy, and witness the violent death of a star and subsequent birth of a black hole. Mathematical equations, cutting-edge science, and Einstein's theories fill in holes along the way.
September 24, 2010
- 7:00 p.m. - Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens
  FULL-DOME VIDEO
  Once a planet of great mystery, now we know more than ever before about its amazing system of rings, moons and storms thanks to modern robotic space pioneers. From its bizarre moons with mysterious features, to the millions of icy particles that compose the enigmatic rings, this is a three-dimentional tour of the Saturnian system.
October 15, 2010
- 7:00 p.m. - Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
  FULL-DOME VIDEO
  See how telescopes work and how the largest observatories in the world use these instruments to explore the mysteries of the universe.
  Telescopes 101: Sponsored by the Tulare Astronomical Association. Sign up in advance and bring your scope for training and troubleshooting. To register, contact Greg Eckes at president@tulareastro.org or call (559) 739-7270.
October 29, 2010
- 7:00 p.m. - Earth, Moon and Sun
  FULL-DOME VIDEO
  How do the Earth, Moon and Sun work together as a system and what is the myth and science behind it? Why does the Sun rise and set? Why do we see different constellations during different seasons? What is an eclipse? Learn about the Moon's phases and orbit. Explore past and future space travel to our moon and beyond.

Ticket Prices
Adults: $4
Children under 12: $3

Tickets are available 30 minutes before showtime or can be purchased in advance at the Impact Center Office, Monday through Friday, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Cash or check only, please. No refunds.

It is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased in advance as shows sometimes sell out.

Please be prompt. The shows will start precisely at the designated time. No admittance to the planetarium will be allowed once the show has started.

Come early and browse through our
Impact Center Gift Shop

The gift shop will open 30 minutes before showtime on show nights. There are many unique gift items including pencils and pens, hats, T-shirts in adult and children sizes, astronomy posters, postcards, stickers, books, toys, star charts, and lots of other great gift ideas. Prices range from 10 cents to $50. Cash and checks only, please.

Field Trip to the Moon
Like NASA's astronauts, you will come face-to-face with the challenges and excitement of traveling through space to land on the Moon. Along the way, you'll discover some of the differences between the Earth and the Moon and what makes our planet unique and habitable.

Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Once a planet of great mystery, now we know more than ever before about its amazing system of rings, moons and storms thanks to modern robotic space pioneers. From its bizarre moons with mysterious features, to the millions of icy particles that compose the enigmatic rings, this is a three-dimentional tour of the Saturnian system.

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
There's a place from which nothing escapes, not even light, where time and space literally come to an end. It's at this point, inside this fantastic riddle, that black holes exert their sway over the cosmos. Zip through otherworldly wormholes, experience the creation of the Milky Way Galaxy, and witness the violent death of a star and subsequent birth of a black hole.
23 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
While looking through the astronomer's telescope, the planetarium audience explores the Galilean Moons, Saturn's rings, and the spiral structure of galaxies, learning about the discoveries of Galileo, Huygens, Newton, Hubble and many others. This program traces the history of the telescope from Galileo's modifications to a child's spyglass - using two small pieces of glass - to the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy.
25 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Designed for visitors with an appreciation for the challenges of space science and a desire to learn more about science research, this program follows the creation of NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Audiences will get an in-depth look at the mission and how IBEX is collecting high-speed atoms to create a map of our Solar System's boundary.
28 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Dawn of the Space Age
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Treat your students to a historically accurate reconstruction of man's first steps into space beginning with the launch of Sputnik and ending with the new private space exploration. This program teaches science as well as history providing a greatly enhanced immersive planetarium experience.
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket with two young adventurers and experience a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our Solar System's planets with guidance from their astronomy book. Discover the secret to making this seemingly impossible trip to the edges of the universe and back, and gain a new sense of wonder about space along the way!
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 2 - 6; all are welcome.

The Enchanted Reef
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Be transported to a tropical reef, a one-of-a-kind world: colorful and foreign, full of adventure and danger, riddles and mysteries, old legends and myths ... a world inhabited by creatures that are humorous and courageous, lovable and bizarre, charming and dangerous.
32 minutes
Target audience: All are welcome.

Our Sky Family
This fascinating show introduces the planets and the concept that we are part of the solar system. Students find themselves taken on a magical trip through the solar system, where cartoon personifications of the planets present photographs and information about themselves.
32 minutes
Target audience: Grades K - 1; all are welcome.

Our Place In Space
Our Place in Space explores the cause of day and night, the importance of our star the sun, the beauty of the constellations, and the variety of objects that make up the universe.
32 minutes
Target audience: Grades 2 - 4; all are welcome.

Rusty Rocket's Last Blast
Join Rusty's last class of rocket rookies as they explore how rockets work, relive some great moments in space exploration, take a quick tour of our solar system, and discover how very far it is to even the nearest planets.
35 minutes
Target audience: Grades 2 - 4; all are welcome.

The Planet Patrol:
Solar System Stakeout
Join Sam Snork, planetary investigator, and his protegé, Elmo, as they search for the source of some unusual T.V. transmissions. During this adventure, they will discover new information about the planets in our solar system as well as what makes Earth so special.
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 - 6; all are welcome.

Lunar Odyssey
Come aboard as Trans-Lunar Tours takes you on a fantastic Lunar Odyssey. Throughout the trip, experts in lunar mythology, history, science, and astronomy give you a guided tour of the awesome beauty and mysteries of Earth's nearest neighbor in space.
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 4 and up; all are welcome.

The Explorers
The Explorers focuses on the human spirit of exploration throughout time and space. The dome is used to identify constellations, to observe what daily motion can tell us about wayfinding, and to study changes in the sky as the observer's latitude changes. During a live section in the program, the audience will get a chance to use their new knowledge to navigate using techniques used by Polynesians for thousands of years. Then... it's on to Mars!
45 minutes
Target audience: Grades 4 and up; all are welcome.

A Christmas Story
"A Christmas Story" is told lovingly by a father to his young daughter. During the story he explains the origins and importance of some of our holiday season traditions. After dinner, the family is off to the planetarium for a brief introduction to the winter sky and some possible explanations for the Star of Wonder.
35 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Santa Snork Saves the Seasons
When we go out to look at the winter constellations, why is it cold? Is it like this everywhere on Earth, and more importantly, why does the Earth have seasons? Planetary investigator Sam Snork not only saves the seasons, but he also presents an alien interpretation of "A Visit from Saint Nicholas."
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 - 6; all are welcome.

The Sam B. Peña Planetarium is in the Educational Enrichment Center building on the southwest corner of Main and Woodland in Visalia.
View a map.
Tulare County Office of Education
Educational Enrichment Center
Peña Planetarium
2500 W. Burrel Ave., Visalia

Questions? Contact the Planetarium Information Desk at (559) 737-6334.

Sara Sutton,
Impact Center Supervisor
phone: (559) 733-6871
phone: (559) 733-6328
fax: (559) 730-2747

Please direct web site problems or comments to tcoeweb@tcoe.org.