Planetarium

• Central Florida Astronomical Society
• Full-Dome Video
• Outreach Events
• Public Shows
• School Shows
• Spring Star Party

• Planetarium
• Seminole State Homepage

Want more info?

General Information:
Derek Demeter
407.708.2409

School Field Trips:
Michael McConville
407.708.2421

Media Requests
Derek Demeter
407.708.2409

General Contact Information

Did you know...

Planetarium Spring Star Party

Join the staff of the planetarium on Friday, March 2, for our Spring 2012 Star Party! Visitors will have the unique opportunity to view all five naked eye planets -- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn -- in one night, in addition to the moon and a number of other exciting celestial objects, including the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades.

Additionally, the planetarium will host several presentations on topics such as choosing and using the right telescope and finding your way around the sky. To cap off the night, the planetarium staff will present "Central Florida Nights" -- a guided tour of the planets, stars and constellations -- under a real night sky. The planetarium is happy to announce that Seth Mayo, the curator of astronomy at the Museum of Arts & Science in Daytona Beach, Fla., will be serving as a special guest co-host during "Central Florida Nights."

Best of all, the Planetarium Spring Star Party is free for all visitors!

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the faculty and staff parking lot adjacent to building B and the planetarium, just off College Drive on the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus. The live sky show will be presented at 9 p.m. Please feel free to bring your own blankets, beverages and folding chairs for your front-row seat to the stars. The telescope portion of the event is weather permitting, but the presentations will go on as scheduled inside the planetarium dome. We hope to see you there!

Observing List for March 2

• Our own moon, Luna (waxing gibbous phase)
• The planet Mercury, low in the evening twilight
• The planet Venus, shining brightly in the west after sunset
• The planet Mars, at its closest approach to Earth since 2010
• The planet Jupiter and its four moons
• The planet Saturn and its amazing ring system
• The Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery where new stars are being born
• The Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus, also known as the "Seven Sisters"
• And many more to be included!

Bring Out Your Telescope!

The planetarium staff will be available throughout the Spring Star Party to answer questions visitors might have about their own telescopes. If you need any help setting up and using it, or would just like to show off your telescope, the Star Party is for you! 

Scheduled Presentations:

• 7:30 p.m.: "Dark Horizons: The Fight Against Light Pollution" - Planetarium
• 8:15 p.m.: "Introduction to Backyard Astronomy" - Star Party area
• 9 p.m.: "Central Florida Nights" - Star Party area

Please check this site regularly for updates about the Star Party.