Planetarium Schedule

• Programs will be run once a month on Monday evenings and will begin at 7:30 pm, unless otherwise noted.  Each program will consist of a 45 minute in the planetarium, followed by stargazing and telescope viewing when weather permits. 

• The cost of all programs is $11 per child and $13 per adult.  While tickets are available at the door, please register at www.northpenncep.org to ensure your seat, as the planetarium only holds 57 people and shows will sell out online.  You can also call the Community Education Office at 215-853-1029.

• Gold Card Members may participate in one Planetarium Program at the discounted rate IF they want to use a Planetarium Program for their Gold Card Discounted Class for the term by:

  • 1) Register for the planetarium program by visiting the Community Education Program office or mailing a registration form found in the Fall Brochure 

  • 2) Mail or bring the completed form to the:

Community Education Program Office

North Penn School District

401 E. Hancock Street

Lansdale, PA

Monday-Friday, 8 am - 4 pm

No office hours on Saturday and Sunday

****IMPORTANT****

Due to the construction at the high school the normal C-lot parking is not available.  Please see parking instructions below for all programs this school year.

• September 29, 2025:  Observations with Telescopes:  Do you have a telescope that has been collecting dust?  Are you interested in stargazing, but are not sure what type of telescope is best for a beginner?  Do you use a telescope frequently, but have some questions about using it properly?  Join us as we learn about using a telescope to explore the night sky.  If weather permits much of this class will be held outside, so bring your telescope.  The planetarium also has telescopes for your use.

• October 27, 2025: Navigating with the Stars: How did Ancient Civilizations know how to travel around the world if they didn’t have GPS?  How did they know what time of year it was?  They used the stars of course!  Join us in this Live Interactive Planetarium Programs as we Navigate the Stars to better understand how they can tell us the time, where we are headed and where we are located on the Earth.  (Telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)

• November 17, 2025: Messengers of Time and Space: Modern astronomical surveys, like the upcoming Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), will detect up to 10 million changes in the sky every night, with alerts generated within minutes. Yet, many of these alerts will require additional observations to understand the physical phenomena. Observatories providing this critical follow-up must become capable of responding quickly and efficiently. With the new improvements provided by the GEMMA project, Gemini will become a global leader in these follow-up observations, able to study the faintest, highest-priority targets.  This planetarium show highlights how Gemini will work together with observatories that monitor the night sky for exciting astronomical events that change with time, like Rubin Observatory. Sometimes, light is not the only indicator of these short-term events. Audiences will learn how information can reach us through other messengers like cosmic rays, elusive particles called neutrinos, and even gravitational waves rippling through the Universe.  (Live StarTalk, telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)

• December 15, 2025: Wonders of the Night Sky:  Why is the sky so bright in the winter?  What secrets does the night sky hold?  Let’s find out together in the Live Interactive Planetarium Program that will highlight the major celestial objects that can be seen at this time of year, including planets, constellations and deep sky objects. (Telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)

•  January 12, 2026: Sunstruck: Travel back to the beginning of time and experience the birth of the Sun. Discover how it came to support life, how it threatens life as we know it, and how its energy will one day fade away.  This NASA funded fulldome planetarium show will take us on an exploration of our nearest star. (Live StarTalk, telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)

• February 9, 2026:  Earth, Moon & Sun: This planetarium show explores the relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun with the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions who has many misconceptions about our home planet and its most familiar neighbors.  His confusion about the universe makes viewers think about how the Earth, Moon and Sun work together as a system. Native American stories are used throughout the show to help distinguish between myths and science. (Live StarTalk, telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)

• March 16, 2026: Wonders of the Night Sky:  What is that bright spot in the night sky?  What secrets does the night sky hold?  Let’s find out together in the Live Interactive Planetarium Program that will highlight the major celestial objects that can be seen at this time of year, including planets, constellations and deep sky objects. (Telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)

• April 20, 2026: Messengers of Time and Space: Modern astronomical surveys, like the upcoming Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), will detect up to 10 million changes in the sky every night, with alerts generated within minutes. Yet, many of these alerts will require additional observations to understand the physical phenomena. Observatories providing this critical follow-up must become capable of responding quickly and efficiently. With the new improvements provided by the GEMMA project, Gemini will become a global leader in these follow-up observations, able to study the faintest, highest-priority targets.  This planetarium show highlights how Gemini will work together with observatories that monitor the night sky for exciting astronomical events that change with time, like Rubin Observatory. Sometimes, light is not the only indicator of these short-term events. Audiences will learn how information can reach us through other messengers like cosmic rays, elusive particles called neutrinos, and even gravitational waves rippling through the Universe.  (Live StarTalk, telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)

• May 18, 2026: Black Holes:  What are they?  Where do they come from?  What happens as you get close to Black Holes?  Join us for this Live Interactive Planetarium Program in which we delve into what makes black holes tick.  We will even learn where to find one in the Milky Way!  (Telescope viewing and stargazing follows, weather permitting)