United States Air Force Academy

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To the Stars

Planetarium

Updated Base Access

Visitors wanting to see shows at the Planetarium must register for an installation access pass by sending an email to planetarium@afacademy.af.edu with the date you intend to visit the Planetarium. You may email your request for base access starting 10 days prior to your visit. You will receive a reply email with a QR code which you will use to request your installation access pass for that day’s visit.

General visitors must be sponsored by an organization or individual with a DoD ID card. Employees and sponsored visitors should plan for increased security measures and longer wait times at the gates. While on the installation, all personnel are subject to search.

The 10th Medical Group, Exchange, and Commissary remain open to all beneficiaries.

Entrance to the U.S. Air Force Academy Planetarium and STEM Center.

We offer a diverse range of full-dome and IMAX films, live talks and educational events using our state-of-the-art 8K projection technology and immersive surround sound.

The U.S. Air Force Academy’s Planetarium enhances our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) outreach and cadet education mission through public shows, field trips, and cadet classes.

Free Public Shows

All public shows are free and open to all. Seating for public shows is on a first come, first serve basis. We do not accept reservations for public shows and the Planetarium does not use tickets. We recommend arriving 10 minutes prior to the show time. Parents and chaperones are responsible for children’s behavior.

The Planetarium is closed on Graduation Day and federal holidays.

See below for current public show schedule. See bottom of this page for descriptions/running times of Planetarium shows.

Planetarium Field Trip/Group Visit Requests being taken for 2025-26 School Year: Please complete the Online Request Form.


Schedule

All public shows are free, open to the public, and are first come, first seated. Once the planetarium’s 110 seats are filled, the Planetarium is full and additional guests will be asked to attend the next showing. All guests must exit the Planetarium after each show. Guests are welcome to re-queue for the next show, but only after exiting to allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy the Planetarium.
* Shows and schedule are subject to change without notice.

Show Schedule
Visitors wanting to see a planetarium show must follow the process
of entering the Academy described at the top of this page
August
September
Monday, September 1 CLOSED – Labor Day
Tuesday, September 2 12:30 p.m. – Oasis in Space
1:00 p.m. – Black Holes
1:30 p.m. – Cosmic Mashups
2:00 p.m. – Great Bear Rainforest
3:00 p.m. – Humpback Whales
Wednesday, September 3 10:30 a.m. – Homeschool Bonus Program: Solar Astronomy
Noon – Live: The Space of Star Trek
1:00 p.m. – Volcanoes
2:00 p.m. – Fighter Pilot
3:00 p.m. – Oasis in Space & Always Above
Thursday, September 4*
* today’s schedule adjusted
2:30 p.m. – D-Day: Normandy 1944
3:15 p.m. – Humpback Whales
4:00 p.m. – Superpower Dogs
Evening Show:
5:00 p.m. – Live Night Sky Tour
Friday, September 5 Noon – Live Night Sky & The Space of Star Trek
1:00 p.m. – Great Bear Rainforest
2:00 p.m. – Humpback Whales
3:00 p.m. – Experience the Aurora & Always Above
Saturday, September 6 SPECIAL MOVIE EVENT: Open to ALL

Adm. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) has defeated his archenemy but at great cost. His friend Spock has apparently been killed, the USS Enterprise is being scrapped, and starship physician Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) has taken ill. McCoy’s odd behavior is evidence he’s harboring Spock’s katra, or animating spirit, and Kirk seeks to take the Enterprise back to the Genesis Planet and find his friend. Rebuffed, Kirk takes dramatic action that results in war with deadly Klingons.
1 p.m. – RSVP Online here
All attendees must RSVP online here to reserve your free seats (link will be added soon)
Monday, September 8 Noon – Live: The Space of Star Trek
12:30 p.m. – Forward! To the Moon
1:00 p.m. – Volcanoes & Always Above
2:00 p.m. – Live: The Space of Star Trek
2:30 p.m. – Astronaut
3:00 p.m. – Oasis in Space
Tuesday, September 9 Noon – Superpower Dogs
1:00 p.m. – Apollo 11: First Steps
2:00 p.m. – Galileo’s Moon: The Apollo 15 Story
3:00 p.m. – Live Tour of the Solar System
Wednesday, September 10 11:00 a.m. – Flight Adventures
11:30 a.m. – Two Small Pieces of Glass
Noon – Live Night Sky Tour
12:30 p.m. – Oasis in Space
1:00 p.m. – Black Holes
1:30 p.m. – Cosmic Mashups: Gravity, Galaxies, and Supermassive Black Holes
2:00 p.m. – Fighter Pilot
3:00 p.m. – Great Bear Rainforest
Wednesday, September 17 10:30 a.m. – Homeschool Program: Earth’s Place in the Universe & Two Small Pieces of Glass
(for more details about today’s program, click the RSVP link)
Homeschoolers: RSVP Online hereNoon – Live Night Sky & Solar System Tour
1:00 p.m. – Volcanoes
Monday, September 29 10:30 a.m. – Homeschool Program: Space Systems: Earth – Moon – Sun & Volcanoes
(for more details about today’s program, click the RSVP link)
Homeschoolers: RSVP Online hereNoon – Live “Are Aliens Out There?” Exoplanets Show
1:00 p.m. – Superpower Dogs

 

 

School Field Trips and Group Shows

Elementary, Middle, and High Schools may reserve planetarium field trips at no cost. When requesting a school visit, teachers may select from the list of programs found just below our schedule. We also offer live, interactive astronomy shows tailored to your grade’s science standards.

Homeschool groups and classes with fewer than 20 students can join one of our Homeschool Open House Days, listed in our Public Show Schedule. To reserve seats at our Homeschool Open House, register using the link provided next to the show date and time. If your plans change and you cannot attend, please email planetarium@afacademy.af.edu in order for your seats to be opened for other guests.

Educators interested in additional STEM resources and opportunities can find STEM Outreach information here.

Planetarium Field Trip/Group Visit Request
If you would like to schedule a school field trip or a group showing in the planetarium, please click the button below and complete the online request form.

Field Trips or Groups requesting a private show need to be a minimum of 20 people. If you have a special request for less than 20 people, please send a direct email to planetarium@afacademy.af.edu for consideration.

STEM Activity add-on is NOT yet available for 2024-25 school year.
We are currently NOT BOOKING STEM Activity add-ons, only field trips to the Planetarium.

Our Planetarium school field trips and group showings are free of charge as a service to the community provided by the U.S. Air Force Academy.


Cadet Shows

The Planetarium creates an immersive learning environment for cadets that can’t be replicated in a traditional classroom or online environment, leading to greater comprehension of complex topics. Although its primarily used as a source of astronomy and astrophysics education, the capabilities and content have expanded to encompass a variety of disciplines such as biology, chemistry, geology, engineering and history. To discuss how we can support curriculum or schedule a visit Monday through Friday, faculty and staff should email planetarium@afacademy.af.edu.


Contact Us

Email is the best way to communicate with the Planetarium: planetarium@afacademy.af.edu

While there is a phone number, the phone does not ring in the Planetarium and is best for inquiring if something was left in our lost and found.

Directions

Directions to the Planetarium:
Visitors must currently use the South Gate, exit 150 off Interstate 25 to enter the U.S. Air Force Academy. All visitors currently need either an active DoD ID card or an installation visitor pass and all adult visitors are subject to request to see your driver’s license and proof of vehicle insurance to enter the base. Please be prepared for potential security measures such as vehicle inspections.
Foreign national visitors with a passport will need to go to the Pass & Registration Center, just outside the South Gate at exit 150, to obtain a pass.

Learn more about base access and check out the campus map. Please do not follow GPS directions to the Planetarium as those will take you to an incorrect location.

Once on base, drive straight on South Gate Blvd as it continues straight and turns into Stadium Dr. Turn left onto Academy Dr and continue all the way up the hill to the mountains, following the road around until you pass the Visitor Center. Take the next right onto Cadet Dr and park in the lot near the Planetarium.

The Planetarium is ramp accessible by taking the sidewalk to the left when you approach the Planetarium from the parking lot.

U.S. Air Force Academy Planetarium and STEM Center.

History

The Planetarium was originally built in 1959 and is one of the oldest structures at the U.S. Air Force Academy. With seats surrounding the perimeter and a large projector in the center, the Planetarium was initially used to teach celestial navigation classes to cadets. Due to rapidly advancing computing technology, cadets no longer had a need to navigate by the stars and this resulted in its closure in 2004.

After 15 years of sitting vacant, a passionate group of Academy leaders with the support of private donors spearheaded an effort to not only refurbish the structure, but advance the technology and capabilities inside to serve a new generation of cadets leading the way in space. Although the exterior remains virtually identical to its previous incarnation due to its historical status, the interior now features reclining theater seats and a series of 8K projectors built into the walls that offer a 360-degree near-hemispheric screen to deliver a visually immersive field-of-view to audiences.

On March 4, 2019, the Planetarium officially reopened to the public, welcoming over 45,000 visitors in its first year of operation, including 4,000 K-12 students. With a new mission to enhance STEM outreach to the local community, it quickly became a top-rated attraction and tourist destination in Colorado Springs.