Planetarium Shows

The Abbitt Planetarium is open for PUBLIC SHOWS on select days.

NOTE: General Admission is required. Planetarium ticket can be reserved as an add on.

Cost: VLM members FREE (but must reserve seat), non-members $6 with general admission

Groups up to 40 people may reserve tickets in regularly scheduled shows. PRIVATE SHOWS must be reserved for groups of 41 to 71 guests. For a list of available shows for private groups, please visit the Group Planetarium Shows page here.

Daily tickets can be purchased at the front desk or through the website using the links below. For questions on group Planetarium shows please call the Reservations Office at 757-595-9135, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4:30 pm. Large groups are encouraged to book their tickets in advance, as seating for regularly scheduled shows is limited. Private planetarium shows must be booked at least 7 days in advance.

List of Scheduled Shows

Starting on April 2nd, listed planetarium shows will occur Saturday and Sunday at 1:30pm and 2:30pm unless otherwise stated.

Starting Memorial Day Weekend, listed planetarium shows will occur Friday – Sunday at 12:30pm and 1:30pm unless otherwise stated. Crafts hosted will take place in the Planetarium lobby at 12pm and 1pm.

When choosing a showtime, please click one of the below links and navigate to the selected time area of the page, then click Other times: to reveal other ticket options. Clicking on the intended time will allow you to reserve tickets for that show time.

Dates	Craft	Planetarium Program
May 7 – 22		Virginia Skies
May 27-30 (Memorial Day Weekend)	Make a Planisphere	Virginia Skies
June 3-5	Make a Map of the Solar System	Oasis in Space
June 10-12	Make a Planisphere	Virginia Skies
June 17-19	Make a bug Constellation	Big Bug Skies
June 24-26	Make a Map of the Solar System	Oasis in Space
July 1-4	Fireworks Splatter Painting	Spirit of America
July 8-10	Make a Bug Constellation	Big Bug Skies
July 15-17 (Shark Weekend)	Make a Moon Phases Predictor	Kaluoka'hina: The Enchanted Reef
July 22-24	Make a Planisphere	Virginia Skies
July 29-31	Make a Bug Constellation	Big Bug Skies
August 5-7	Make a Map of the Solar System	Oasis in Space
August 12-14 (Meteor Weekend)	Meteorite Mining	Impact!
August 19-21	Make a Bug Constellation	Big Bug Skies
August 26-28	Make a Map of the Solar System	Oasis in Space
September 2-5 (Labor Day Weekend)	Make a Planisphere	Virginia Skies

Description of Shows

Legends of the Night Sky: Orion

Explore the night sky in our backyard and hear the classic tale of Orion the Hunter as told in lasers!

Recommended for ages 6 and up

Solar System Odyssey

“Solar System Odyssey” is a character-driven adventure set in the future, in a time when humans have depleted the resources of their home planet. A business tycoon recruits our hero, Jack Larson, on a mission to discover a new home for humans to colonize. The journey takes Jack, an important stowaway, and you on an exciting exploration of our cosmic neighborhood, including the icy rings of Saturn, Jupiter’s volcano-ridden moon Io and the sub-zero methane lakes of Saturn’s moon Titan. Can humans find another place to settle before the Earth becomes unlivable? And what will happen to our home planet? Find out in this wild solar system adventure!

This program made possible by The Morehead Planetarium and NASA.

Virginia Skies

Explore the evening skies above Virginia in this classic planetarium presentation. A staff astronomer will discuss seasonal constellations as well as any planets visible. Additional topics may be explored depending on celestial happenings around the time of your visit.

Big Bug Skies

Join us in the planetarium as one of our staff astronomers goes on a ramble through the stars, looking for pollinators and their pals! You’ll even have the chance to add your own bug constellation to the sky.
Recommended for all ages.

Spirit of America

A patriotic mix of uniquely American music paired with delightful laser animations.

Recommended for ages 6 and up

Kaluoka'hina: The Enchanted Reef

The vastness of our planet’s oceans guards unimaginable secrets. One of its most precious is “Kaluoka’hina”, the enchanted reef whose magic protects it against humans finding it. Kaluoka’hina’s colorful inhabitants have thus always lived in peace…until the volcano erupts, and the spell is broken.

Now it’s up to the young sawfish Jake and his paranoid pal Shorty to restore the magic of Kaluoka’hina. Their only lead: the ancient legend that tells of touching the moon. But how is a fish supposed to touch the moon? This is just one of the intriguing puzzles that Jake and Shorty have to solve on their most exciting adventure ever: the quest to save their beloved reef.

Impact!

Impact! is a fulldome planetarium show that teaches about meteors, meteorites, asteroids, and comets. It includes results from recent NASA missions and about the dangers they can pose to life on Earth. Recommended for ages 10 and up