Planetarium Education

Our corner of the Milky Way galaxy is full of amazing things!

NASA image

See the night sky during the day

The Nature Center's planetarium provides visitors with the opportunity to view the motion of the stars, constellations, moon, and planets in tonight's sky. As the only planetarium in the National Park Service, it enables visitors to compare a night sky with urban light pollution to the ideal viewing conditions of the country.

Want to make a reservation?

Programs are free but must be scheduled a minimum of two weeks in advance. Teachers and school administrators can contact us via e-mail to receive a reservation request form. Field trips cannot be scheduled over the phone. If you have any questions, please call us at 202-895-6070 on Wednesday from 10:30am to 5pm or Thursday through Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Field trips in the planetarium are only available for Thursdays and Fridays.

At this time, we are only accepting reservations for Thursdays and Fridays until December 2025.

The Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium is closed Monday and Tuesday. Planetarium programs cannot be reserved on weekends.

 

A school field trip enjoying the planetarium.

NPS Photo

Curriculum-based programs

Curriculum based programs are conducted by a park ranger, who will guide students through an age appropriate program.

Students per group: maximum of 55
Chaperones per group: 5
Smaller groups are welcome to inquire about currently scheduled weekend shows.

The Young Planetarium (Grades Pre-K-2, 30 minutes) - Watch the sun set and reveal a star covered sky. Explore the solar system with a park ranger in this planetarium program.

The Stellar Star Show (Grades 3-6, 30 minutes) - Observe the movements the moon, stars, and other planets in relation to the Earth and sun. See the night sky as though you stayed up all night long during this planetarium program.

Planetarium films

See the night sky during the day! Schedule an educational film for your group on our dome screen. Planetarium films are high quality, informational productions created by planetariums and science centers.

Students per group: maximum of 30
Chaperones per group: 3

Max Goes to the Moon (Grades K-4, 35 minutes) - Max (the dog) and a young girl named Tori take the first trip to the Moon since the Apollo era. Along the way, the story sets the stage for the more sophisticated science of the “Big Kid Box” sidebars, which cover topics including “Phases of the Moon,” “Wings in Space?,” and “Frisbees and Curve Balls on the Moon” — all thoughtfully explained so that grownups and children can learn together about science. Toward the end, Max and Tori’s trip proves so inspiring to people back on Earth that all the nations of the world come together to build a great Moon colony from which “the beautiful views of Earth from the Moon made everyone realize that we all share a small and precious planet.”

Worlds of Curiosity (Grades 1-6, 30 minutes) - Worlds of Curiosity dives into the questions "What it would be like to live on an Earth with no Moon?" or "What if the Earth was tilted on its side (like Uranus)?" Join Mateo and Dr. Alicia Woods as they explore how our lives would be different on these Earths, talk about other hypothetical planets that could exist, and marvel at the even stranger worlds that astronomers have discovered beyond our solar system. 

Sunstruck (Grades 3-12, 30 minutes) - 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.

Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope (Grades 3-12, 30 minutes) - Learn about the invention of the telescope and how different types of telescopes work.

Mars - the Ultimate Voyage (Grades 3-12, 30 minutes) - Creativity, collaboration, communication, and expertise in a diverse number of fields will be crucial in solving many of the questions humans face today. Find out how STEM professionals might work together to achieve interplanetary travel.

Eclipse: The Sun Revealed (Grades 4-12, 30 minutes) - Learn about the historical, cultural, and scientific views of solar eclipses.

One Sky Project (Grades 5-12, 45 minutes) - This is the full dome feature version of the One Sky Project short films. 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."

From Earth to the Universe (Grades 5-12, 30 minutes) - The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has inspired awe and been the subject of campfire stories, and ancient myths for as long as there have been people. A desire to comprehend the Universe may well be humanity’s oldest shared intellectual experience. Yet only recently have we truly begun to grasp our place in the vast cosmos. To learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience From Earth to the Universe.

Seeing: A Photon's Journey (Grades 9-12, 30 minutes) - Follow the journey of a single photon as it is produced in a distant star, before travelling across the vast expanse of space to land on someone's retina. This fulldome planetarium show explores some of the fascinating processes of the cosmos, from astrophysics to the biology of the eye and brain.

Know before you go

Parking

• Parking for cars, vans, and busses is available at the Nature Center.

Food

• There are no food facilities in the park. If you plan to visit the Nature Center, it is best to bring your lunch.
• There are limited uncovered picnic areas nearby.

Weather

During inclement weather, particularly snow storms and hurricanes, federal offices in the district may be closed. To check if we are open visit the OPM website. Also check local television and radio broadcasts for announcements.

Where to meet?

For field trips at the Nature Center and Planetarium, plan to meet the ranger at 5200 Glover Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20015.

Visit our Directions page for more information.

Running late? Need to change or cancel your reservation?

Call us at 202-895-6070. We're available Wednesday from 10:30am to 5pm and Thursday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm.