NOTICE: The John C. Wells Planetarium is open for the 2025-2026 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 is 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

The Magic Treehouse

OCTOBER*

 

Exoplanets

NOVEMBER*

(closed Nov 29)

Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?

DECEMBER*

(closed Dec 20, 27)

Legends of the Sky+Orion

JANUARY*

(closed Jan 11 11:00 am show)

A Part of the Sky Called Orion

FEBRUARY

Big Bird

MARCH*

(closed Mar 15, 22)

Earth, Moon and Sun

APRIL

Polaris

MAY

Red Planet Rising

JUNE

Teenager's Guide to the Galaxy

JULY

Case of the Disappearing Planet

AUGUST

This is Our Sky

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

SEPTEMBER

Wayfinders

OCTOBER

Black Holes: To Infinity and Beyond

NOVEMBER*

(closed Nov 30)

Chasing the Ghost Particle

DECEMBER*

(closed Dec 21, 28)

Stars of the Pharoahs

Evening Shows:The Mystery of the Christmas Star

JANUARY

Dark Matter

FEBRUARY

Tales of a Time Traveler

MARCH*

(closed Mar 14, 21)

Back to the Moon

APRIL

Dynamic Earth

MAY

Dawn of the Space Age

JUNE

Phantom of the Universe

JULY

Out There

AUGUST

Seeing!

*Closed during JMU Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break.

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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