All K-12 groups are welcome to enjoy astronomy at the MCC Planetarium!
During summer 2013, the Planetarium staff will be busy developing new content for the coming year. We will not be scheduling any groups until September 2013. We hope to bring you an even better Planetarium experience!
We have several planetarium videos that portray a range of topics in astronomy. See our show listings for more details about each video.
In addition to planetarium videos, our all-digital planetarium system is also capable of displaying the planets, moons, and stars of the night sky in many ways. For example, the Planetarium can display:
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phases and motion of the Moon
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daily rotation of the starry sky
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annual motion of the Sun
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motions of the planets
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constellations and bright stars
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Milky Way, clusters of stars, bright nebulas
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other galaxies throughout the Universe
We can customize planetarium visits to a lesson plan and give students a visual astronomy feast!We also have outside space in the Astronomy Plaza in front of the Planetarium for hands-on activities and demonstrations.
Some of the hands-on activities we can provide are:
- Kitchen-Table Comets - make a "toy comet" from common household chemicals.
- Star Wheels - make a star wheel to find constellations in the night sky.
- Moon Wheels - make a Moon wheel to see how the Moon's appearance changes.
- Impact Cratering - make impact craters in flour and compare them to photos.
- Scale Solar System - see the real separations between the planets with a paper strip.
The Planetarium is directly accessible from the driveway off Dobson Road. A parking circle is available for buses or vans carrying students for drop-off, parking, and pick-up from the Planetarium. Contact Dr. Kevin Healy to arrange a visit: khealy@mesacc.edu or 480-461-7027.
