Tulare County Office of Education

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

May 10, 2013
- 7:00 p.m. - Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
  Climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket with two young adventurers and experience a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our Solar System's planets with guidance from their astronomy book.
May 17, 2013
- 7:00 p.m. - Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
  See how telescopes work and how the largest observatories in the world use these instruments to explore the mysteries of the universe.
June 7, 2013
- 7:00 p.m. - Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
  Experience the creation of the Milky Way Galaxy, and witness the violent death of a star and subsequent birth of a black hole. Mathematical equations, cutting-edge science, and Einstein's theories fill in holes along the way.
June 19, 2013
- 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. - Kaluoka/Hina: The Enchanted Reef
  *** Matinee shows ***
  This programs transports the viewer to a tropical reef, a one-of-a-kind world: colorful and foreign, full of adventure and danger, riddles and mysteries, old legends and myths ... a world inhabited by creatures that are humorous and courageous, lovable and bizarre, charming and dangerous. An exciting adventure for the whole family!
July 12, 2013
- 7:00 p.m. - Perfect Little Planet
  Discover our solar system through a new set of eyes - a family from another star system seeking the perfect vacation spot. Fly over the surface of Pluto, dive over the ice cliffs of Miranda, sail through the rings of Saturn, feel the lightning storms at Jupiter, and walk on the surface of Mars. This is the solar system journey for space travelers of all ages.

Ticket Prices
Adults: $4
Children under 12: $3

Tickets are available 30 minutes before showtime or can be purchased in advance at the Impact Center Office, Monday through Friday, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Cash or check only, please. No refunds.

It is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased in advance as shows sometimes sell out.

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.

Wildest Weather in the Solar System
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Join us on a spectacular journey to witness the most beautiful, powerful, and mysterious weather phenomena in the solar system. From a storm the size of a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb to a 400-year-old hurricane to a dust tempest that could engulf entire planets, you'll be glad you live on Earth!
25 minutes
Target audience: Grades 4 and up; all are welcome.

Perfect Little Planet
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Discover our solar system through a new set of eyes - a family from another star system seeking the perfect vacation spot. Fly over the surface of Pluto, dive over the ice cliffs of Miranda, sail through the rings of Saturn, feel the lightning storms at Jupiter, and walk on the surface of Mars. This is the solar system journey for space travelers of all ages.
Target audience: All are welcome.

Field Trip to the Moon
Like NASA's astronauts, you will come face-to-face with the challenges and excitement of traveling through space to land on the Moon. Along the way, you'll discover some of the differences between the Earth and the Moon and what makes our planet unique and habitable.
Target audience: All are welcome.

Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Once a planet of great mystery, now we know more than ever before about its amazing system of rings, moons and storms thanks to modern robotic space pioneers. From its bizarre moons with mysterious features to the millions of icy particles that compose the enigmatic rings, this is a three-dimensional tour of the Saturnian system.
36 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
There's a place from which nothing escapes, not even light, where time and space literally come to an end. It's at this point, inside this fantastic riddle, that black holes exert their sway over the cosmos. Zip through otherworldly wormholes, experience the creation of the Milky Way Galaxy, and witness the violent death of a star and subsequent birth of a black hole.
23 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
While looking through the astronomer's telescope, the planetarium audience explores the Galilean Moons, Saturn's rings, and the spiral structure of galaxies, learning about the discoveries of Galileo, Huygens, Newton, Hubble and many others. This program traces the history of the telescope from Galileo's modifications to a child's spyglass - using two small pieces of glass - to the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy.
25 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Designed for visitors with an appreciation for the challenges of space science and a desire to learn more about science research, this program follows the creation of NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Audiences will get an in-depth look at the mission and how IBEX is collecting high-speed atoms to create a map of our Solar System's boundary.
28 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Dawn of the Space Age
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Treat your students to a historically accurate reconstruction of man's first steps into space beginning with the launch of Sputnik and ending with the new private space exploration. This program teaches science as well as history providing a greatly enhanced immersive planetarium experience.
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 3 and up; all are welcome.

Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket with two young adventurers and experience a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our Solar System's planets with guidance from their astronomy book. Discover the secret to making this seemingly impossible trip to the edges of the universe and back, and gain a new sense of wonder about space along the way!
40 minutes
Target audience: Grades 2 - 6; all are welcome.

Kaluoka'Hina: The Enchanted Reef
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
Be transported to a tropical reef, a one-of-a-kind world: colorful and foreign, full of adventure and danger, riddles and mysteries, old legends and myths ... a world inhabited by creatures that are humorous and courageous, lovable and bizarre, charming and dangerous.
32 minutes
Target audience: All are welcome.

Mystery of the Christmas Star
FULL-DOME DIGITAL VIDEO
This modern reference to the traditional Christmas story investigates possible dates for the birth of Christ and looks at recorded sightings of significant astronomical events during this important time in history. What signs in the sky might have been so intriguing as to cause three wise men to cross a desert in search of a newborn King? Mystery of the Christmas Star will answer all of these questions and more, while charming audiences of all ages.
Target audience: 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.

Conan Palmer,
Impact Center Supervisor
Educational Enrichment Center
2500 W. Burrel Ave.
Visalia, CA 93291
phone: (559) 733-6871
fax: (559) 730-2747

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