Planetarium

Hello and Welcome!

We are so excited for you to join us and experience science in this way. The Planetarium is housed on the 3rd floor of La Crosse Central High School. A typical show will take about an hour and fifteen minutes. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Chad Wilkinson

Science Teacher / Planetarium Director

cwilkins@lacrossesd.org

608-789-3136

Group Size

Planetarium Seating

There are 38 theater seats and 2 wheelchair spaces. The planetarium can accommodate a maximum of 49 people. We have hosted two elementary classrooms together where the number of students has reached 49 (No, I am not challenging you to top that). Any group beyond 38 requires us to bring in "comfortable" seating, but it can be done to fit the extra kiddos. Additional people beyond that would not have the stellar views.

We have a set of headphones for our hearing-impaired guests. When you book, send a separate message so we can have that ready for you. A few of the movies do have closed captioning that can be turned on. (See below). Scripts for shows can be found here. Accessibility.

What to Expect: 1:15-1:30 hr show.

Part 1 of the show: Tonight's Sky

Objects of interest in the sky this evening.
Overlay of telescope imagery on the sky.

Part 2 of the show: Customizable

We can show:

Motions of the sun, moon, planets, eclipses, lunar phases.
Tours of the Solar System, moons, asteroids, comets, star clusters, nebula, black holes, quasars, extrasolar planets, edge of the known universe.
Earth Science content. This can be layered on the Earth. Up to date global earthquakes, temperatures, ocean currents, aerosols, coral bleaching, sea level.
Most Requests. Take a poll of your students, tie it into your current lessons. Bring your top requests!

Part 3 of the Show: All Ages - Full Dome Movie

20-25 min full-dome movies on various science content.

Here is a listing of our kid-focused movies. (All ages but with a focus for under 12)