School Programs
Programs
The OSU Planetarium offers astronomy programs for all grades and age groups from preschool through college level. All school groups are welcome: public and private schools as well as home-schooling groups. Shows are given by request only. Program availability is limited primarily by the availability of personnel to do them, and while we try to honor all requests we cannot guarantee availability. Please email us for more information.
All shows are presented by graduate students in the OSU Department of Astronomy, and are given at a level appropriate to the audience. Planetarium shows cover basic naked-eye astronomy, with particular emphasis on the following topics:
- Annual motions of the planets and the Sun
- Daily motion of the Sun and the stars
- The orientation of the sky
- Locations of important points and well-known constellations
- The Seasons
- The appearance of the sky from different locations on the Earth
- The Milky Way and its stars
- Light pollution in urban areas.
Upon request, planetarium shows can also cover special topics, including (but not limited to):
- The Planets
- The Moon and its phases
- Telescopes and Spacecraft
- Star-formation, evolution
- Moon formation
- History of Astronomy
The Astronomy Department reserves the right to determine the content and scope of these presentations.
Shows typically last about an hour, which included a 40-50 minute presentation and time for Q&A afterwards with one of our astronomers.
Cancellations
Due to scheduling a presenter and reserving the planetarium, confirmation must be received no later than 48 hours prior to your scheduled show to retain your group’s reservation. If you need to cancel, please provide 48 hours notice via telephone call to our main office and we will be happy to reschedule your show within a 6 month period. If a group arrives 15 minutes late or more, we are not obligated to provide the scheduled show.