The Herbert Trackman Planetarium is dedicated to continuing its tradition of outstanding astronomical instruction and entertainment. Our planetarium has a 30 ft diameter dome and a new OmniStar Digital planetarium projector. Our planetarium shows feature sky tours with our planetarium projector and PowerPoint presentations on a wide range of astronomical topics.
Now that the school year is in full swing, mark your calendars for these upcoming September shows. All shows are scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 5th at 6 pm
✧ “Worlds of Curiosity” explores some of the greatest “what if?” questions of the universe. What would it be like to live on an Earth with no Moon? What if Earth was tilted on its side like Uranus? What would it take to terraform Mars? This full dome film is a fantastic production for Minecraft lovers and strongly engages the imaginations of younger audience. A great show for kids!
Thursday, September 7th at 6 pm
✧ “Distant Worlds: Alien Life?” investigates humanity’s greatest questions: Are we alone in the universe? Can life exist and persist on distant planets? Explore the possibility of extraterrestrial life with imaginative visualizations of other worldly origins.
Tuesday, September 12th at 6 pm
✧ “Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds” - This show tells the story of how human curiosity has driven us to look outwards for millennia - to discover and explore new and distant worlds and to find the unfamiliar and extraordinary forms of life that could exist in the mysterious realms of the Universe. As we have traversed more and more of the universe, what we have found so far has surpassed even our wildest expectations - There are planets everywhere! A huge diversity of different worlds are out there... Just waiting to be discovered... at the Trackman Planetarium.
Thursday, September 14th at 6 pm
✧ “Journey to Mars” – Explore a monumental voyage to the Red Planet - rewriting what is possible for human space exploration and breaking barriers of technological advancement. Take a look into NASA’s ongoing efforts toward the next mission to Mars. Suitable for all ages!
Tuesday, September 19th at 6 pm
✧ “Drifting North: Into the Polar Night” - Join researchers on a daring year-long expedition – adrift an ice floe heading towards the North Pole. Experience an oceanic adventure as scientists race fleeting sunlight to understand the Arctic climate system. The MOSAiC mission is an ambitious international collaboration gaining deeper insights into the Arctic’s significant role of global climate and weather patterns.
Thursday, September 21st at 6 pm
✧ “Birth of a Planet: Earth” This full dome show tells the twisted tale of our planet's origins. Scientists now believe our galaxy is filled with solar systems, including up to a billion planets roughly the size of our own. The film employs advanced, data-driven, cinematic-quality visualizations to address some of the greatest questions in science today: How did Earth become a living planet in the wake of our solar system's violent birth? What does its history tell us about the chances of finding other Earth-like worlds? How did it all begin?
During a typical semester, the public is invited to visit the planetarium in F-Building 1001 on the Main Campus of JJC. We have 55 seats available for our planetarium guests.
Educational groups are encouraged to schedule special programs that may be presented during the school day. These free, public service programs are tailored to the grade level of students attending the program. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility.
Social and civic organizations also are invited to schedule programs for their members. These programs are available during the day and on select Tuesday or Thursday evenings. For groups of 10 or more, reservations are required and can be made by sending an email to fieldtripcoordinator@jjc.edu.
