Support the New Planetarium
A New Planetarium at Penn State
A planetarium has been a fixture at Penn State since Professor Henry Yeagley operated a planetarium in Osmond Lab in the 1940s. In the 1980s, Penn State opened a new 30-seat planetarium in Davey Lab that is still in use today for education and outreach events.
While the Davey Lab planetarium is popular, it is small and hard to access during normal class hours while Penn State courses are in session. The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics plans to build a new, immersive planetarium and digital theater at Penn State, which will hold roughly 200 seats in a 50-to-60-foot full dome.
The new planetarium will include one of the latest fully digital, ultrahigh-definition video systems, which will allow us to immerse visitors under the night sky. However, this new technology will allow us to move beyond the latest astronomical discoveries and feature many disciplines within Penn State, such as the microbiome, geography, engineering, meteorology, volcanology, agriculture, art, film studies, and so on. This facility will aid in making Penn State world leaders in planetarium education providing an incredible opportunity for education researchers and students to study how school children learn in an immersive environment. Finally, this facility would have a tremendous land-grant impact and enable us to host and inform families throughout the commonwealth as they travel to State College for field trips or as a travel destination.
Are you interested in helping to make this new planetarium a reality?
Make a Gift
Thank you for choosing to support our vision of a new immersive planetarium and digital theater. Your gift is greatly appreciated!
If you wish to contribute to the planetarium fund, go to Penn State's Give Online form.
Contact Us
Do you have questions about the planetarium fund, or need help deciding how to direct your gift?
Please feel free to contact us!
Penn State
Eberly College of Science Office of Development and Alumni Relations
430 Thomas Building
461 Pollock Road
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 1-800-297-1429