Radford University Planetarium
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Welcome to the Radford University Planetarium!
The Radford University Planetarium is located in the Center for the Sciences building (925 East Main Street) on the beautiful Radford University campus. The planetarium is the center for astronomy and space science education for the University and the surrounding area. We have regular free public shows and host numerous K-12 and community groups.
2024 Spring Semester
Our final regular shows of the spring semester will be this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (April 24, 25, 26) evening at 7pm, and on Saturday, April 27 at 10:30am. We will resume our regular shows in early September, soon after the start of Radford University's fall semester.
Our shows for this last week of the spring semester will be "Cosmic Mashups." Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies and we're beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activate galactic centers. Our own galaxy has millions of "smaller" black holes, but it also has one of these supermassive black holes at its center, eating yet another star every 10 thousand years or so. Fortunately, our own solar system will never be pulled into the maw of this monster, but it is a fascinating phenomenon whose gravity helps to determine the structure and dynamics of our galaxy.
This engaging fulldome show was produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with CU Boulder APS Professor Dr. Julie Comerford, and former graduate student Dr. Becky Nevin, through support from an NSF award.
Show Overview
- Location: Center for the Sciences room M75 (Main Street level). Enter through the doors from Parking Lot C. Click on the map for a larger image.
- All shows are free and everyone is welcome to come join us!
- Seating capacity for now: 50
- Shows include a tour of the nighttime sky using our full-dome projection system. Most shows will also have a full-dome, professionally produced show on an astronomical topic. The shows are described below.
- Parking for the evening (7pm) and Saturday morning shows in Lots C and B is free.
- Parking for daytime shows:
- There are 4 metered spaces in Lots C and B, next to the Center for the Sciences.
- There are also several metered spaces in the portion of Parking Lot A that lies directly between Martin Hall and Main Street.
- You can also pick up a free parking day pass by dropping by the Radford University Parking office in Heth Hall, or the Radford University Police Station (intersection of University Drive and Main Street).
- We have hearing-assist receivers for our sound system--please bring your own earphones (1/16 inch [3.5mm] stereo jack).
- No food or drinks allowed in the planetarium!
For more information, contact Planetarium Director Dr. Rhett Herman at rherman@radford.edu.
Schedule a Group Visit
We will resume special showings once the current crisis is resolved. Once that happens, special group showings for groups of 20 or more people may be arranged by contacting Dr. Rhett Herman at rherman@radford.edu (email preferred) or calling 540-831-5441.