William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College

09/03/2026

Take look at the night sky with us!
🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu

A live‑narrated tour of the wonders of tonight's sky, accompanied by some of the legendary stories of the ancient sky. Find out what constellations and planets are visible tonight and how to find them. This show is updated seasonally and is intended all ages.

09/01/2026

Explore the vast ocean with "Expidition Reef" this September!
🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu

EXPEDITION REEF

Learn the secrets of the “rainforests of the sea” as you embark on an oceanic safari of the world’s most vibrant—and endangered—marine ecosystems. Along the way, discover how corals grow, feed, reproduce, and support over 25% of all marine life on Earth, while facing unprecedented threats from climate change, habitat destruction, and overfishing. Produced by the California Academy of Sciences, narrated by Lea Salonga, and licensed thanks to support from the Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium.

08/31/2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope just launched yesterday morning. Here is your chance to take part in the first images produced by this historic instrument.

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/adopt-a-pixel/

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a next-generation space observatory designed to settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy,

08/27/2026

Join us this Friday for a closer look at the night sky.
🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu

A live‑narrated tour of the wonders of tonight's sky, accompanied by some of the legendary stories of the ancient sky. Find out what constellations and planets are visible tonight and how to find them. This show is updated seasonally and is intended all ages.

08/27/2026

If you have mostly clear skies tonight, look for the Moon! It will be full, but it's so lined up with Earth and the Sun that it will pass into Earth's shadow, causing a lunar eclipse. The Moon will be over 90% covered at 11 pm CDT (4:00 UTC), so you may see the darkened part of the Moon look red.

The planetarium is hosting a free telescope viewing tonight from 9:30 pm to midnight, covering most of the partial eclipse. All are welcome to join us!

Image credit: Leah Tiscione / Sky & Telescope; Source: Fred Espenak
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1525116472267258/

08/25/2026

Make plans this weekend for "Cosmic Mashup" at the Planetarium!
🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu

Cosmic Mashups
Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies and we're beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activate galactic centers. This engaging full dome film was produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with APS Professor, Dr. Julie Comerford and former graduate student Dr. Becky Nevin through support from an NSF award.

08/20/2026

Check out "Cosmic Colors" this Saturday at 1pm!

🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu
Journey inside a plant leaf and the human eye. Investigate x-rays and see the actual color of a dinosaur. Get ready for an amazing adventure under a rainbow of cosmic light!

08/14/2026