The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium will celebrate Astronomy Day 2025 on Saturday, May 3, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Astronomy Day is an international celebration of educational programs designed to engage audiences in the awe-inspiring fields of Earth and space science. Activities are included with planetarium show tickets and General Admission to the Museum grounds.
The event will include exciting science, take-home materials, and engaging discussions about astronomy. Participants will create nebula spin art, investigate constellations, explore craters, and much more! These fun activities introduce guests to the ongoing research happening at NASA in the fields of Earth science, planetary science, and astrophysics. Additionally, members of the local astronomy club, The Astronomical Society of Long Island, will be on hand to demonstrate the use of telescopes and how to find fascinating objects in the nighttime sky. Weather permitting, there will be solar telescopes available so that guests may safely look at details on the surface of the Sun.
One World, One Sky
Big Bird, Elmo, and their new friend Hu Hu Zhu learn about stars, constellations, and the Moon by using their imagination to take a trip into space.
Recommended for ages 2-8
Night Sky, Live!
This live-lecture presentation by an astronomy educator uses the Reichert Planetarium’s Starball to show the audience what the Long Island night sky above them will look like on the very day they visit. This “traditional” planetarium program highlights seasonal constellations, stars and year-round celestial events.
Recommended for ages 6+
Exploring the Solar System
Join our astronomy educator on a LIVE tour of the Solar System! Begin on Earth to discover constellations visible in tonight’s sky and learn how to distinguish planets from stars in the nighttime sky. Then “blast off” to take a closer look at what makes each planet (and Pluto!) special.
Recommended for ages 6+
Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
Four hundred years ago, a simple adjustment to a child’s spyglass revealed an infinite and perplexing universe to our eyes and imaginations. Two Small Pieces Of Glass shares the way telescope development has helped us understand our place in space, along with spectacular imagery of Saturn’s rings, beautiful stellar nurseries, and the spiral structure of galaxies.
Recommended for ages 7+
FORWARD! To the Moon
Within a single lifetime, we’ve progressed from the first space rocket launch, to using space technologies in our everyday lives. Now, we are ready to start a new chapter in the history of human endeavor: to take our first steps towards a permanent presence on the Moon. We are the Artemis generation!
Recommended for ages 8+
Laser Taylor Swift
See Taylor Swift’s hits brought to life in dazzling laser light. If you can’t score tickets to the Eras Tour, this show is the next best thing! Songs include Anti-Hero, Lavender Haze, Bad Blood, Shake It Off, and more.
