The STEM Center wants to take you to the stars! Our StarLab planetarium is a fantastic resource that can be brought to your school and set up in your gym or other large room. The interior of the inflated dome can do anything a planetarium building is able to do including projecting the night sky, showing the movement of stars and planets, and demonstrating moon phases.
The dome is fairly large and can fit up to 30 people at a time. It requires a 20 foot by 20 foot space with a vertical clearance of 11 feet. Below are some of the lessons we offer, but custom lesson plans can be created on request. Contact us for pricing and scheduling.
- Stargazing Introduction: We guide students through common constellations and navigating through the night’s sky. This program, tailored to the time of year, will give participants immediately useful skills to start looking at the stars in their own backyard!
- Exploring the Solar System: Through animated orbits, flying through space, and looking at planets from all angles we take a look at our planetary neighborhood, including what makes a planet and just how many worlds are out there!
- Traveling the World: Before GPS, explorers had to use the stars to travel across continents and sail the oceans. Learn how they did this with only their eyes and some knowledge, and navigate yourself using the night sky!
- All About Eclipses: Southern Illinois is going to experience a total solar eclipse in April of 2024 and a total lunar eclipse in May 2021. There are also partial eclipses several times a year and you can search for upcoming events here. Prepare your students for these celestial occurrences with a thorough background in how and why eclipses happen!