Planetarium Opportunities for Educators and Community Groups
Planetarium Opportunities for Educators and Community Groups
Welcome!
This site is being updated for 2025-2026
Bookmark this site or go to mariedrakeplanetarium.org/teachers.
Last update: September 23, 2025
What’s new at the planetarium?
More bus trips, live programs, and fulldome films.
The signup process is being revised. For now, email your requests or questions to rosemary@mariedrakeplanetarium.org. Thank you.
The planetarium is operated 100% by volunteers, donations, and sometimes grants. The City and Borough of Juneau have kept “the lights on” for us in the Marie Drake Building just as the Juneau School District did before them. This year bus transportation and media licensing is partially funded by the citizens of the City and Borough of Juneau through sales tax revenues, thanks to the Youth Activity Grant from the CBJ Parks and Recreation Department.
SPECIAL REQUEST
Request a topic. We have a variety of resources. See a list of sometimes requested topics.
FULLDOME MOVIES
We have a selection of fulldome movies. For 2025-2026, we have a grant to help with license fees. Some movies we can show anytime, free or with a small pay-per-view charge. For movies which can be rented for 3-days, we can often schedule some public shows during that period. For 2025-2026, we have a grant to help with license fees,
LIVE SHOWS
1. Under a Juneau Sky
This is our core interactive planetarium show which covers a variety of interesting topics and visual effects. We can adapt it for any age group, and each show differs depending on the interests of the teacher, presenter, and students. We can include topics for science standards for certain grades.
2. Raven and the Box of Daylight
This field trip incorporates the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight, as told by Tlingit storyteller Lily Hope. It highlights the Indigenous story with the natural world of stars, the Moon, the Sun, and daylight and can be adapted for pre-K through lower elementary grades.
3. Our Solar System and Beyond (general theme)
This can be tailored to your request.
4. Planet Earth (general theme)
This can be tailored to your request.
5. Selection of Topics
For each of the above you can add suggestions, comments, or requests on the Signup Form.
The path of the Sun in the sky
Constellations
Northern constellations
Constellations from different cultures
Compare skies from different locations (north pole, equator, Australia, etc.)
Seasons
Wayfinding and navigation
Moon phases
Aurora
Tides
Solar system tour
Exoplanets
Life beyond earth
Solar eclipses
Lunar eclipses
Galaxies
... and more
We'll soon include a list of fulldome movies with descriptions, links to trailers, age recommendations, etc. We are currently in the processes of licensing with NSC Creative and Reef, and are in conversation with other vendors.
The information below shows examples of fulldome movies accessible to you on a wide variety of topics. Typical lengths are 25 - 30 min, which may leave time for live topics or demonstrations during field trips.
Movies which we can show anytime.
Recent examples include Messengers of Time and Space, One Sky Project films, Mars - the Ultimate Voyage, Mysteries of Your Brain, Wayfinders, Sunset Mediation, A to Z Astronomy! For Ages 3 to 103, DINO SOARS! Change Over Time, Spooky Space, Surviving in Space, and much more.
We always look out for opportunities to add to this list.
Movies which we can show as a pay-per-view.
NSC Creative will offer us popular shows like The Great Solar System Adventure, We Are Stars, and more at a good price.
Movies which can be rented for 3 days at a time.
Reef Distribution will offer us 3-day rentals on some popular shows like Dinosaurs - A Story of Survival, Whale Superhighway, Little Major Tom, and more.
Fulldome OnDemand offers 3-day rentals to any planetarium with an online rental process. Examples include Living Worlds; Habitat Earth; One World, One Sky - Big Bird's Adventure; Destination Solar System and more.
Rental prices, for the examples listed above, vary from $50 to $170.
Fulldome OnDemand also has some less expensive films.
In order to make the best use of a 3-day rental, we try to show a movie multiple times, including some public shows.