Wayne State University

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Planetarium

Frequently asked questions

FAQs

What are the general policies?

  • Food and drink are not permitted in the planetarium.
  • Once a show has started, if you must leave, re-admittance will not be allowed.
  • Be sure all electronic devices are silenced and dimmed during the show.
  • Guests with reserved seats must arrive at least 10 minutes prior to show time to claim their reservations.
  • Shows start promptly when scheduled, late admittance is not allowed.

How do I reserve a seat for a show?

2/3 of seats for our free shows are reservatble at Eventbrite. They are released at noon the Sunday before a show. The other 20 seats for each show are available for walk-in guests. For a reasonable fee you can also schedule a private planetarium show for your group of 4-60 people.

Make a reservation

How early should I arrive?

Visitors with reserved-seat tickets must arrive at least 10 minutes prior to show time to claim their seats. At this time unclaimed seats will be released to walk-in guests. We recommend walk-in guests arrive 20-30 minutes prior to show time to get a seat. The show begins promptly at the scheduled start time and the doors close five to ten minutes later.

How long is the show?

Friday night shows are typically 75 to 90 minutes long.

Saturday morning family shows are typically one hour long.

How much does it cost to attend a show?

Public shows are free but donations are welcome. Your donations help us to fund our public shows and outreach programs. We never sell tickets to these shows and any online posts you see for ticket sales are scams.

If you would like to schedule a private show for your school group, scout troop or other organization, we offer these at a fee.

Make a reservation

Can I bring young children?

We have had very young children enjoy the show before, but keep in mind that the subject matter in Friday night shows is at the college level. We do not have any firm guidelines on children. If a child can remain reasonably quiet for the 75 minute show time, then it is fine for that child to attend our general audience shows.

If your child has more difficulty sitting quietly for 75-90 minutes or may have less familiarity with astronomy, feel free to bring them to one of our Saturday morning family shows. These shows are a bit shorter and the content is geared toward our younger visitors. During this show, we might show you full dome images of planets in our solar system, explain what a constellation is and tell you the mythology behind one or two constellations currently visible, teach you about the different phases of the moon, or introduce you to the night sky. This is fun for the whole family! The film portion of this show is a fun adventure into space with a Polar Bear and a Penguin, which is enjoyable for everyone.

Why can't I ever get reserved tickets?

With only 40 seats available to reserve at each show, these seats get claimed quickly. 10 families of four could fill up the whole offering of reserved seats in a matter of seconds. We recognize the frustration this causes, and we always have at least 20 seats available for walk-in visitors. If you are a Wayne State student or live in the area, we strongly encourage you to come as a walk-in guest! We at the WSU planetarium are committed to making astronomy available to our whole community, which is why we never charge a fee for our public shows.

We have been overwhelmed with the positive response to our public shows, so much so that we added our 8:30 pm Friday night show and our monthly Young Astronomers show in 2017. Our primary mission as a planetarium is to educate our Wayne State Physics & Astronomy students, and we do not have the staffing or funding to increase our public showings more than we already have at this time.