The Vanderbilt Planetarium opened in 1971 on the grounds of the Vanderbilt estate, and it is the largest facility of its kind on Long Island. The Planetarium's purpose is to provide visitors with information about the nighttime sky. The Planetarium's main feature is the domed, 60-foot Sky Theater. The theater's GOTO star projector can display the sun, moon, stars and planets. It also recreates celestial events during our various Sky Shows. The projector can simulate the heavens at any moment in time, from the distant past to the future, as it appeared from any place on Earth. The projector can show 11,369 stars, the Milky Way and several deep sky objects. This allows Planetarium staff to recreate the visible night sky, as seen under perfect conditions.
Supplementing the Sky Theater's GOTO projector are dozens of slide projectors, arranged around the perimeter of the 238-seat theater. With these projectors, we can produce images of planets, real or imaginary space scenes, special effects such as space travel, exploding supernovae, and rotating galaxies anywhere on the dome.
A powerful video projector is used to project moving images in the theater. These images come from our collection of laser disks and video library. Imagery from the latest NASA space missions is constantly being added to our video collections.
Outside of the Sky Theater, visitors will find space-related exhibits in the Planetarium lobby. Among our displays are a meteorite, planetarium artwork and a 6-foot diameter moon globe. A current events board describes the latest upcoming celestial events. A television monitor also shows current NASA space activities.
The Astronomical Society of Long Island holds its monthly observing session at the Vanderbilt Planetarium. Their observing session is on the Wednesday evening closest to the New Moon.
[Please note that all Planetarium shows use strobe lights as a special effect.]
Education programs are also offered in the Planetarium as part of the Museum's extensive school programming. For further information, click on Programs & Partners.
Also be sure to check out the Planetarium gift shop, where you will find an array of astronomy books, posters, T-shirts, and other space-related items.
