Home School Days.

Special Days for Home Schoolers

If you are a home schooler and would like to visit the Abrams Planetarium, here are some dates and times we've scheduled for you to visit. Of course you can still call and reserve any other show times, but these special homeschool dates are open to anyone. No reservation needed and no minimum group size charge.

We've set aside the first Wednesday of the month for the 2023/2024 school year. Tickets will be sold at the gift counter starting at 1:00 p.m. Showtimes are at 1:30 p.m. There will be no late seating. Tickets are $3.00 per person.

The January show will be on the second Wednesday of the month, January 10, 2024.


Big Astronomy
October 4, 2023

It takes many people with diverse backgrounds, talents, and skills to run a world-class observatory. Meet a few of these people as they share the wonder of the sky--and the excitement of discovery. Explore the world-class observatories nestled in northern Chile’s mountains and learn why Chile, is an ideal environment for studying the cosmos.
Grades 5 and Up


Instructional Materials
Show Trailer

One World, One Sky
November 1, 2023

You don't need a spaceship to learn about the sun, moon, and stars-just a little imagination! When Big Bird, Elmo, and their friend from China, Hu Hu Zhu, take an imaginary trip to the moon, they learn amazing things along the way.
Grades pre - 1


Instructional Materials
Show Trailer
Earth, Moon, and Sun
December 6, 2023

Coyote has a razor-sharp wit, but he's a little confused about what he sees in the sky. Join this amusing character (adapted from American Indian oral traditions) in a fast-paced and fun fulldome show that explores lunar phases, eclipses and other puzzles. Engaging and immersive, Earth, Moon & Sun™ also examines how humans learn through space exploration.
Grades K - 5

Experience the Aurora
January 10, 2024

Over seven months in the Arctic Circle, our crews captured timelapse images of the Aurora Borealis with high resolution digital SLR cameras outfitted with fisheye lenses. The results are spectacular. For the first time the aurora has been captured as it was meant to be experienced, as a display that covers the entire sky. This immersive show shares the science behind the aurora and tells the story of our quest to find and photograph the aurora for wraparound display in fulldome theaters.
Grades 5 and Up

Rising Star
February 7, 2024

Rising Star takes you on an astronomical journey from our beginnings through the development of astronomy research in South Africa and looks at what the future of astronomy holds for the country. In addition to introducing multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy, it highlights the many remarkable facilities hosted in South Africa along with some of their latest results. This includes unrestricted views of the 10-metre class Southern African Large Telescope and the most powerful radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, MeerKAT. The film is accessible to all ages and aims to excite audiences from around the world about South African astronomy, while inspiring the next generation of astronomers. As the first of its kind to be produced in Africa, Rising Star hopes to stimulate the production of many more locally produced planetarium films from multidisciplinary fields, with the goal of popularizing Africa’s numerous scientific achievements.
Grades 5 and Up


Show Trailer
Our Place in Space
March 6, 2024

While solving a crossword puzzle about the sky, Scarlet Macaw and her friends explore 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.
Grades Pre - 2

One Sky Project
April 3, 2024

One Sky Project is an international collaboration focused on increasing understanding about cultural and indigenous astronomy, its historical and modern applications, and how our One Sky connects us all. Each short film represents the perspective of a different culture or Indigenous society from around the globe. Each film stands alone as a short story or in combination as a longer narrative – organized around themes of "Finding Patterns" and developing tools, or as we say, "To Seek Far."
Grades 5 and Up

The Sun
May 1, 2024

The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived. It is our nearest star and our planet's powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life. The passage of the Sun's fiery disc across the sky - day by day, month by month - was the only way to keep track of time for countless past civilizations. Discover the secrets of our star in this planetarium show and experience never-before-seen images of the Sun's violent surface in immersive fulldome format.
Grades 6 and Up

Show Trailer

Beoynd the Sun
June 5, 2024

While going to sleep, Celeste is visited by a friendly particle of light called Moon. Together, they travel beyond the Sun in search of new worlds and enjoy the delights and mysteries of exoplanet hunting. Find out how to detect exoplanets with Celeste and Moon and learn about all the different types of worlds including rogue planets, oceanic worlds and super-Earths. Even more, learn about real-life exoplanet hunters who observe the sky and search for other planets that are like Earth.
Grades K - 5

Instructional Materials


Planetarium Parking (Click for Map):

Weekends and weekdays after 6:00 pm free parking is available in the lot directly across the street from Abrams Planetarium (Lot 41). Weekdays from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm public parking for the planetarium is limited. Busses and other marked vehicles may park directly in front of the planetarium, in the bus loading zone while their presentation is being given. Passes are also available for up to six vehicles for the bus loading zone on a first come basis, if busses are not using the area. On weekdays the closest public parking to the planetarium is in the parking ramp directly behind the building (Shaw Lane Parking Ramp, Ramp 1/Lot 51). Public parking is in the basement sublevels and is Pay by Plate. For more information about Pay by Plate, please visit to the MSU Parking Services website.


Adult Supervision

This is not a drop-off program. All students must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times. Parents and chaperones also must buy a ticket for $3.00. Children under two years of age will be admitted at no cost, but we strongly suggest children under two years of age stay home. If a child becomes noisy and disruptive, we may ask that you leave the planetarium theater.


Recommended Ages

The recommended grades given for the above shows are our recommendations based on the show's content. However, students of all ages will be permitted to any of the shows.


Click here for information about the MSU observatory public observing dates. The MSU observatory houses a 24" telescope used for astronomical research. One weekend a month, the telescope is set up for use by the public. Smaller telescopes are set up in the parking lot in front of the observatory. The telescopes will be looking at the Moon, planets and other celestial sights. The dates are typically the weekend closest to the First Quarter Moon

Click here for information about the MSU Astronomy Department lecture series. Once a month, an Astronomy Department faculty member gives a public talk about their current research. The lectures are geared towards general audiences. The lectures are free. Talks start at 7:30 p.m. and usually last about an hour.