Tulare County Office of Education

Planetarium Evening Shows
Open to the Public
View a flyer of the Fall Schedule. (pdf)

October 3, 2008
- 8:00 p.m. - Tulare County Night Skies series - The Skies of Autumn
  Weather permitting, there will be a telescope observation site near the planetarium after the show provided by the Tulare Astronomical Association.
October 17, 2008
- 7:00 p.m. - Dawn of the Space Age
  FULL-DOME VIDEO
  Starting with the launch of Sputnik, this program is an historic reconstruction of man's first steps into space and on to future Mars exploration.
November 14, 2008
- 7:00 p.m. - Tulare County Night Skies series - The Skies of Autumn
  Weather permitting, there will be a telescope observation site near the planetarium after the show provided by the Tulare Astronomical Association.
November 21, 2008
- 7:00 p.m. - Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
  FULL-DOME VIDEO
  Climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket and take a trip to the edge of our solar system.
December 5, 2008
- 7:00 p.m. - Santa Snork Saves the Seasons
  Why does the Earth have seasons? Planetary investigator Sam Snork not only saves the seasons, but he also presents an alien interpretation of "A Visit from Saint Nicholas."
December 12, 2008
- 7:00 p.m. - A Christmas Story
  This program addresses the origins of some of our holiday traditions and includes a brief introduction to the winter sky and some possible explanations for the Star of Wonder.

Ticket Prices
Adults: $4
Children under 12: $3
Group rates available.

Tickets are available 30 minutes before showtime or can be purchased in advance at the Impact Center Office, Monday through Friday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Cash or check only, please. No refunds.

Please be prompt. The shows will start precisely at the designated time. No admittance to the planetarium will be allowed once the show has started.

Come early and browse through our
Impact Center Gift Shop

The gift shop will open 30 minutes before showtime on show nights. There are many unique gift items including pencils and pens, hats, T-shirts in adult and children sizes, astronomy posters, postcards, stickers, books, toys, star charts, and lots of other great gift ideas. Prices range from 10 cents to $50. Cash and checks only, please.

Our Sky Family
This fascinating show introduces the planets and the concept that we are part of the solar system. Students find themselves taken on a magical trip through the solar system, where cartoon personifications of the planets present photographs and information about themselves.
32 minutes
Target audience: Grades K - 1; all are welcome.

Our Place In Space
A host of endangered animals explore the cause of day and night, the importance of our star the sun, the beauty of the constellations, and the variety of objects that make up the universe.
32 minutes
Target audience: Grades 2 - 4; all are welcome.

Rusty Rocket's Last Blast
Join Rusty's last class of rocket rookies as they explore how rockets work, relive some great moments in space exploration, take a quick tour of our solar system, and discover how very far it is to even the nearest planets.
35 minutes
Target audience: Grades 2 - 4; all are welcome.

The Planet Patrol:
Solar System Stakeout
Join Sam Snork, planetary investigator, and his protegé, Elmo, as they search for the source of some unusual T.V. transmissions. During this adventure, they will discover new information about the planets in our solar system as well as what makes Earth so special.
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 - 6; all are welcome.

Lunar Odyssey
Come aboard as Trans-Lunar Tours takes you on a fantastic Lunar Odyssey. Throughout the trip, experts in lunar mythology, history, science, and astronomy give you a guided tour of the awesome beauty and mysteries of Earth's nearest neighbor in space.
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 4 and up; all are welcome.

The Explorers
The Explorers focuses on the human spirit of exploration throughout time and space. The dome is used to identify constellations, to observe what daily motion can tell us about wayfinding, and to study changes in the sky as the observer's latitude changes. During a live section in the program, the audience will get a chance to use their new knowledge to navigate from Tahiti to Hawai'i using techniques used by Polynesians for thousands of years. Then... it's on to Mars!
45 minutes
Target audience: Grades 4 and up; all are welcome.

A Christmas Story
"A Christmas Story" is told lovingly by a father to his young daughter. During the story he explains the origins and importance of some of our holiday season traditions. After dinner, the family is off to the planetarium for a brief introduction to the winter sky and some possible explanations for the Star of Wonder.
35 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Santa Snork Saves the Seasons
When we go out to look at the winter constellations, why is it cold? Is it like this everywhere on Earth, and more importantly, why does the Earth have seasons? Planetary investigator Sam Snork not only saves the seasons, but he also presents an alien interpretation of "A Visit from Saint Nicholas."
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 - 6; all are welcome.

The Sam B. Peña Planetarium is in the Educational Enrichment Center building on the southwest corner of Main and Woodland in Visalia.
View a map.
Tulare County Office of Education
Educational Enrichment Center
Peña Planetarium
2500 W. Burrel Ave., Visalia

Questions? Contact the Planetarium Information Desk at (559) 737-6334.

Sara Sutton,
Impact Center Supervisor
phone: (559) 733-6871
phone: (559) 733-6328
fax: (559) 730-2747

Please direct web site problems or comments to tcoeweb@tcoe.org.