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NOTICE: The John C. Wells Planetarium is open for the 2023-2024 School Year for both Family Shows and Feature Shows. The public is cordially invited.

Come on most Saturdays during the JMU school year (closed during JMU Breaks) and see a FREE full dome show and hear a live seasonal star talk highlighting the Shenandoah Valley night sky. The monthly schedule of shows is listed below.

Family Shows are designed for families with young children (ages 4 to 8) in mind. The showtimes for Family Shows are at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.  Feature Shows are great for middle/high school students and adults. The showtimes for Feature Shows are at 2:15 pm and 3:30 pm.  All are welcome to attend either show and the public ic cordially invited.

All shows are free admission for the public and no tickets are needed.

Family Show Schedule - 11:00 am and 1:00 pm

SEPTEMBER

One World One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure

OCTOBER*

(closed Oct 21)

Magic Tree House: Space Mission

NOVEMBER*

(closed Nov 18, 25)

Legends of the Sky: Orion

DECEMBER*

(closed Dec 23, 30)

Molecularium

JANUARY*

(closed Jan 6)

A Teenager's Guide to the Galaxy

FEBRUARY

Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?

MARCH

Earth, Moon and Sun

APRIL

Legends of the Sky: Perseus & Andromeda

MAY

This is Our Sky

JUNE

Closed for maintenance

JULY/AUGUST

Closed for Science Explorers Camp

Feature Show Schedule - 2:15 pm and 3:30 pm

SEPTEMBER

Black Holes: To Infinity and Beyond

OCTOBER*

(closed Oct 21)

Magnetism - Defending Our Planet, Defining the Cosmos

NOVEMBER*

(closed Nov 18, 25)

Stars of the Pharoahs

DECEMBER*

(closed Dec 23, 30)

Two Small Pieces of Glass

JANUARY*

(closed Jan 6)

Dynamic Earth

FEBRUARY

Wonders of the Universe

MARCH

Secrets of the Sun

APRIL

Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds

MAY

Seeing: A Photon's Journey Across Space, Time & Mind

JUNE

Closed for maintenance

JULY/AUGUST

Closed for Science Explorers Camp

Closed during JMU Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break and Summer Vacation.

Please note: The John C. Wells planetarium strives to bring cutting-edge science to JMU as well as to the larger Shenandoah Valley community. Hence, the planetarium staff presents established science that is based on consensus from the scientific community. We will present the scientific evidence on topics such as climate change, evolution, age of the Earth, the Big Bang, and the age of the Universe.  All of our full dome shows, activities, and live star talks make reference and begin with the premise that the age of the Universe is 13.8 billion years old, and that our Sun and the Solar System formed ~5 billions years ago. Our staff will not alter their presentations when discussing what some may consider controversial science topics.

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