Private Shows
The Planetarium Dome Theater may be reserved for private shows by school groups, youth groups, community and civic groups, church groups, and family groups of about 25 individuals. To schedule a private show, first check availability on our SnowDome google calendar, then contact the Planetarium Director, Larry Smith, by email at planetarium @ snow.edu, or by phone at 283-7510. Please schedule about a month early. The planetarium director will add your show to the google calendar. Be aware that our staff has other obligations, so not all times will be available.
The planetarium capacity is 25 adults in chairs or about 40 small children on the floor. If your group is bigger than this, we will need to split your group up; you can contact our Division Outreach Coordinator (mark.waegner @ snow.edu, (435) 283-7045) regarding other possible activities for half your group while the other half is in the planetarium.
If your group is much smaller than 25 it would be better to simply reserve tickets to one of our public shows.
Suggested Donation: For private groups (including K-12 school field trips) we suggest a minimum donation of $25 per show to help cover costs of operating the planetarium. You can donate online here. Groups for which the donation would be an extreme hardship can request a waiver or accommodation by contacting the planetarium director.
Be sure to check the Frequently Asked Questions about attending the planetarium before you arrive.
We also have free public shows on a rotating basis.
The Planetarium can be used effectively as an educational tool in a variety of disciplines — science (earth science, astronomy), social studies (history, navigation, cultural topics), and English (storytelling, mythology) — and the program can be adjusted to fit your needs/interests.
Shows generally begin with a tour of the night sky (a few constellations and the locations of the visible planets, moon, and sun); we call this the "live sky" portion of the presentation. Then we typically show a movie.
Look over the list of planetarium shows and choose one that fits your group.
- Pre K – Kindergarten: "What Is In the Sky?"
- 1st grade – 3rd grade: "Perfect Little Planet," "Extreme Planets," "Beyond the Sun"
- 4th-grade – 6th grade: "Sunstruck," "Birth of Planet Earth," "Totality," "Moon 2019," "Moons"
- 7th grade + : "Magnetism," "Birth of Planet Earth," "Black Holes," "Exploding Universe," "Ultimate Universe," "The Sun, Our Living Star"