The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy is hosting its annual Star Party and Planetarium Show. Come view our Moon, Saturn, and deep sky objects such as the Great Nebula in Orion and ancient star clusters through our collection of 12-inch and 8-inch telescopes, learn about the constellations, and enjoy the spring night sky (weather permitting, of course). This event is free and open to the public.
Professors and graduate students from the Ohio State’s Astronomy Department will be on hand to answer your questions about astronomy.
There will be two planetarium shows at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. in the Smith Lab Planetarium (just downstairs from the telescopes). Each show lasts approximately 45 minutes, and they are limited to 80 guests each, so advance registration is required. Contact Professor Jennifer Johnson at johnson.3064@osu.edu to reserve your spot.
Children are welcome, but must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. Because of steep stairs and confined spaces on our rooftop observatory, this program is not suitable for children under the age of 5.
The Star Party and Planetarium Shows will be held at Smith Laboratory 5th Floor Planetarium 174 W. 18th Avenue OSU Main Campus, Columbus OH
The Observing Program will run continuously from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m.
Accessibility
While the Smith Laboratory Planetarium is accessible by elevator, we apologize that the observatory roof area is only accessible by multiple flights of steep stairs (Smith Lab is an old, pre-ADA building slated for future renovation).
Bad Weather
In the event of bad weather, we will cancel the observing program but still have the two planetarium programs. In general, if the sky is so cloudy that you would not be able to see the Moon at 8pm, we probably won't be observing with the telescopes.