Sac State Planetarium

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Sacramento, CA
Sac State Planetarium

A state-of-the-art Planetarium theater at the new Tschannen Science Complex on the Sac State campus.

05/08/2026

We’re excited to announce a brand-new show, “Encounters in the Milky Way”! The show tells the tales of some of the past interactions of our solar system and our galaxy, as well as looking towards the future of what lies ahead. The film portion of this show is also narrated by Pedro Pascal! We’re offering all four showings COMPLETELY FREE, for the premiere weekend only! Spots are limited, and we anticipate that these shows will sell out quickly, so set an alarm for Tuesday at noon to get online and secure your free tickets to come see "Encounters in the Milky Way" on the weekend of May 22nd-23rd.

We are also featuring a “Kid's Day” show all about The Solar System, as well as “Backyard Astronomy” updated for May’s skies. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, May 12th at 12:00 noon. Check out the Hornet Ticket Office for the full schedule: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

04/03/2026

NASA’s Artemis II has finally launched! Four astronauts will fly around the Moon and go farther away from Earth than any human has before. This team leads the way for future return trips to the surface of the Moon!

We’ve got a great lineup of shows this month, including a couple of Kid’s Day shows all about the Solar System (including the Moon!), and a couple more all about stars and galaxies. The popular “Backyard Astronomy: The Sky Tonight” and “Aurora: Lights of Wonder” shows make a return as well!

Tickets go on sale Monday, April 6 at 12 noon. Check out the Hornet Ticket Office for more information: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

03/06/2026

Did you catch the total lunar eclipse this week? This image was taken from a NASA facility in Louisiana and shows the “blood moon” that occurred due to sunlight interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. Longer wavelengths of the Sun’s light, like red, are bent into Earth’s shadow. When the moon passes through this part of the shadow during a lunar eclipse it can look orange or red, similar to the event this week. This was the last total lunar eclipse until the end of 2028, though there will be a partial lunar eclipse later this year.

Learn about the other amazing things you’ll be able to observe from right here in Sacramento this month in “Backyard Astronomy”, updated for March! We’ll also be featuring returning favorites “JWST: Year Three” and “Aurora: Lights of Wonder”. “Kid’s Day” will also be back with one show focusing on the Solar System and a second show all about black holes!

Tickets go on sale TODAY, Friday, March 6 at noon. Check out the Hornet Ticket Office for more details, including the full schedule: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

02/10/2026

This month we have eight showings of four different shows! For our young astronomers, Kid's Day is back with one show on Stars & Galaxies, and another on Black Holes. Returning this month are our two awe-inspiring shows filled with stunning high-resolution fulldome visuals, “JWST: Year Three” and “Aurora: Lights of Wonder.” Finally, Laura Legé also continues to offer her popular “Backyard Astronomy: The Sky Tonight”, updated once again for the sights of the February sky!

Tickets are on sale NOW. As always, tickets can be purchased through the Hornet Ticket Office: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

01/12/2026

Happy 2026! The New Year has been rung in, but the academic semester doesn't start up for another week or two here on the Sac State campus. We are preparing for the upcoming semester and have a selection of exciting shows for you this month. We will be offering two different “Kid’s Day” shows, each covering a different topic: one on The Solar System and one on Stars & Galaxies. Also making a return this month are “JWST: Year Three” and “Aurora: Lights of Wonder.” Finally, Laura Legé also continues to offer her popular “Backyard Astronomy: The Sky Tonight”, updated for the January sky!

Tickets are on sale NOW. As always, tickets can be purchased through the Hornet Ticket Office website: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

12/06/2025

Attention all teachers (and K-12 students!): our Spring semester field trips are now available for reservations! Your students will love being taken on a tour from our own Solar System to the most distant galaxies. Field trips are FREE for K-12 schools (though parking permits must be purchased for any vehicles parking on campus). As a reminder, we require a minimum of 20 students and can seat a maximum of 90 per field trip. Come share the wonder of the Planetarium with your students! Check out our website for more info, as well as the field trip booking link! https://www.csus.edu/college/natural-sciences-mathematics/physics-astronomy/planetarium.html -field-trips

12/04/2025

Our annual December favorite, "Mystery of the Christmas Star" returns to the Sac State Planetarium! Come learn about the enigmatic field of astronomical transients and follow along as we attempt to decipher what was happening in our night skies over two thousand years ago. Also continuing this month is the popular “Backyard Astronomy: The Sky Tonight,” updated for all the exciting things you can observe from right here in Sacramento in December!

Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 5th, at 12:00 noon. Tickets can be purchased through the Hornet Ticket Office: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

11/07/2025

Did you catch the super moon this week? The super moon results from the fact that the moon's orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle. Sometimes the moon is a little farther away, and sometimes it is a little closer. When the moon is near the closest point to Earth in its orbit, called the perigee, it makes the moon appear larger and brighter.

Come hear about all the other amazing things you can observe from your own backyard with our popular “Backyard Astronomy” show this month! “JWST: Year Three”, updated for the James Webb Space Telescope’s third year of operations, returns this month as well. We’re also featuring “Aurora: Lights of Wonder” and two themed options of our “Kid’s Day” show, one all about black holes and one all about stars and galaxies.

Tickets go on sale TODAY, Friday, November 7 at 12 noon! Check out the Hornet Ticket Office for more info: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

10/08/2025

The Orionids meteor shower is active now until November 7, and peaks on October 21. These meteors will look as though they are coming from the constellation Orion, which is where they get the name Orionids! The meteors visible during this shower are produced from rocks left behind by Halley’s Comet that pass through the Earth’s atmosphere and appear as “falling stars”.

Check out “Backyard Astronomy” to see other exciting objects that you can observe from right here in Sacramento! Other popular shows returning this month are “Aurora: Lights of Wonder”, “JWST: Year Three”, and “Kid’s Day”.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, October 10 at 12 noon! Check out the Hornet Ticket Office for the full schedule and more information: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

09/05/2025

Summer is wrapping up and the fall semester is getting started here at Sac State. We have a great line up this month, including a new update to an old favorite!

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently completed its third year in operation. To celebrate, we’ve updated our JWST show with some of the best images and video released in the last year! Come explore the universe with us and learn about the amazing science behind it all!

We’re also featuring some returning favorites this month, including “Backyard Astronomy: The Sky Tonight” and “Aurora: Lights of Wonder”. Our themed “Kid’s Day” shows also return! Bring your young astronomers out to hear all about the Solar System or black holes!

Tickets go on sale on Monday, September 8 at 12 noon. Check out the Hornet Ticket Office for more details: https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/hornet-tickets/planetarium.html

Address

6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA
95819

Telephone

+19162784586

Website

https://www.csus.edu/planetarium

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