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
Planetarium shows will occur Friday – Sunday.
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 | Planetarium Program |
Jan 6-15 | Zula Patrol: Under the Weather (11:30am) Virginia Skies (12:30pm) |
Jan 16 (MLK Jr. Day) | Zula Patrol: Under the Weather (11:30am) Virginia Skies (12:30pm) |
Jan 20 – April 23 | Virginia Skies (11:30am) Cosmic Colors (12:30pm) |
Feb 17 – 20 (President’s Day Weekend) | Astronaut (11:30am) Cosmic Colors (12:30pm) Forward! To the Moon (11:30pm) Destination: Mars (2:30pm) |
March 17 – 19 (Reptile and Amphibian Weekend) | A Sky full of Scales (11:30am) Cosmic Colors (12:30pm) Noisy Neighbors: A Frog Story (12:30pm) |
April 3 – 6 (Spring Break) | Virginia Skies (11:30am) Cosmic Colors (12:30pm) |
April 21 – 23 (Earth Day Celebration) | Solar System Odyssey (11:30am) Cosmic Colors (12:30pm) |
Description of Shows
Zula Patrol: Under the Weather
Recommended: ages 9 and below accompanied by an adult
Cost: VLM members free, non-members $4 plus Museum admission.
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.
Cosmic Colors
Cosmic Colors will take you on a wondrous journey across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Discover the many reasons for color—like why the sky is blue and why Mars is red. Take a tour within a plant leaf and journey inside the human eye. Investigate x-rays by voyaging to a monstrous black hole and then back at your doctor’s office. You will even see the actual color of a dinosaur–based on recent evidence. Get ready for an amazing adventure under a rainbow of cosmic light!
Astronaut
The exploration of space is the greatest endeavor that humankind has ever undertaken. What does it take to be part of this incredible journey? What does it take to become an astronaut?
Astronaut, the latest immersive planetarium show to be created by the National Space Center, takes you from Earth into space… and beyond.
Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner and outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Discover the perils that lurk in space as we subject ‘Chad’, our test astronaut, to everything that space has to throw at him.
Presented in stunning high definition 360 degree Full dome video and explosive surround sound, Astronaut is an experience like nothing on Earth.
Forward! To the Moon
Kari Byron from Crash Test World and MythBusters launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space. NASA’s 21st century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon.
A Sky full of Scales
Let’s have some reptilian fun! Join us for a game show gone crazy as we learn about reptiles and amphibians and search for them in the starry skies above us. You might even win a prize!
Noisy Neighbors: A Frog Story
Discover the danger faced by amphibians and how you can help save them in this multimedia planetarium presentation.
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!
Special Thanks to the British Fulldome Institute for the use of planetarium shows and clips.