The Willard Smith Planetarium aims to inspire a lifelong interest in the science of astronomy, the culture of astronomy and the experience of the night sky. We do this by engaging visitors in a welcoming, interactive learning environment where their curiosity is embraced and their ability to continue exploring on their own is enhanced.

Planetarium shows are free with your admission to Pacific Science Center. The Planetarium is open to the public every day. School groups and other private groups can also reserve the Planetarium for a show whose content is tailored to the ages of the group.

Planetarium visitors must be 4 years or older. Seating capacity is limited to approximately 40 persons. There is no late seating.

Planetarium Show Schedule
First-come, first-seated. Sorry, no late seating. Children under 4 years are not admitted to the planetarium, except for Peek into the Planetarium.

Peek into the Planetarium
Weekends at noon.
A pre-schooler friendly open house: come with your questions!

The Sky Tonight
Weekdays at 2:00 p.m.
Weekends at 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Visit tonight's sky and learn to find your way around it.

What's Up in the Sky?

Be sure to check out our →AstroInfo section for stories of what's happening out there, written by Floor Presentations Teacher, Alice Enevoldsen.

To see what's up in the night sky, check out our →Starmaps
If you are looking for information about moon phases, planets and other celestial objects, try these two sources:
  • From Sky and Telescope, →Sky at a Glance covers what's up in the sky on a weekly basis.
  • From ASTRONOMY magazine, check out the current monthly happenings in their →Sky Show.
If more metallic objects are your goal...
  • JPL publishes a →Space Calendar with all the month's launches plus other astronomy/space details.
  • To find a satellite or other object, try →Heavens-Above especially for Iridium flares while they still exist!
  • And there's always →NASA's Marshall Space Center's site for tracking the ISS, space shuttle, Hubble, Chandra, GRO and more -- in real time! (Requires Java plug-in.)
Need more space-related links? We have plenty on our →Astronomy Resources Page.

For recorded information on what's in the sky this month, call (206)443-2920. For other help, contact the Planetarium Supervisor at (206)443-2385.