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The Radford University Planetarium is an educational resource for the Radford University community and beyond. We have a full complement of shows that will appeal to a wide range of audiences and their interests. Please see the shows page for descriptions. Our purpose is to educate our audiences about all things astronomical, from the ancient legends of the stars to our current knowledge and future explorations in space. |
All of our showings are free and open to everyone. During the fall and spring semesters our regular shows are Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 7:30pm. Other shows may be arranged for groups (please see below for details). |
We are part of the Radford University Science Alliance along with the Geology Department's Museum of the Earth Sciences, the Biology Department's Greenhouse, and the Department of Chemistry and Physics. This group brings K-12 school groups to the RU campus for a day of science activities in our facilities, showing them aspects of the physical and natural sciences during their visit. To learn more about this, and to schedule your group for a tour please contact either Dr. Rhett Herman or one of the departments/facilities in the Consortium.
We have some recent additions to our catalog of shows:
- Our newly-acquired show "The Planets" takes audiences on a tour of our solar system, explaining how our solar system and its planets formed, why things rotate around the sun in the ways they do, and eventually looks at the planets that have been discovered around other stars. This show was produced by the Southeastern Planetarium Association and is narrated by Kate Mulgrew (aka Captain Janeway of "Star Trek: Voyager") .
- We have the third in the "Explorers" series of shows. These were produced by the Bishop Museum Planetarium in Hawaii and addressing many of the national and Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) for K-12 students.
- From the Adler Museum Planetarium in Chicago "Spirits from the sky" and "Skywatchers of Africa" discuss many of the traditions associated with the sky that were so important to Native American and Native African peoples.
- Our newly-acquired children's show is "In My Backyard," produced by the Calgary Science Center. This show takes younger audiences (4-7 years old) on a tour of many of the objects that can be seen in the night sky without a telescope.
We also have the shows that have proven so popular in recent years:
- From the Adler Museum Planetarium in Chicago, "Images of the Infinite: The Hubble Space Telescope Show" takes audiences on a tour through the universe starting from our solar system and proceeding to near the very edge of our visible universe.
- And our always-popular Christmas show " 'Tis the Season" chronicles many of the legends and traditions of the Christmas holiday season, including the story of a certain star.
For a complete listing of our shows, please see our shows page.
