The Kent State Planetarium and Observatory

The physics building, Smith Hall, opened in 1968 with a new planetarium contained within.  The planetarium projector cost $25,000 and the total cost of the system was estimated to be $35,000.  Public shows began in the Planetarium in late 1968 or early 1969, with Physics Professor Dr. Kenneth Warren estimating that it took him 1000 hours of preparation for a show.

The planetarium was a fixture of the core courses offered by the physics department (Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe and Frontiers in Astronomy) where tens of thousands of Kent State students had the opportunity to observe the night sky in their classroom.  A series of physics professors dedicated their time to develop and offer shows to the public over the last 60 years. However, with the onset of COVID in early 2020, the planetarium became dormant.

In the Fall of 2023, a group of students under faculty supervision brought the planetarium back to life.  The students learned how to operate the planetarium and created original programming covering both scientific and mythological topics.  We have created public programs on the total eclipse, the solar system, the mythology of the Zodiac constellations and a Halloween show covering the more macabre mythology in the night sky (did you know some cultures see the Big Dipper as a coffin with mourners following behind?).

We offer shows to the public free of cost.

Upcoming Shows:

Wednesday, February 26^th at 7 PM: Space Trivia Night and Planetarium Show

Information:

Please RSVP for the show by calling 330-672-2246 or sending an email to rpolak@kent.edu.  Please arrive 10 minutes early so that everyone can be comfortably seated when the show starts.  If you drive, please park in the R-5 Lot.

We offer local schools the opportunity for field trips on Fridays during the semester.  We can fashion a presentation based on your curricular needs.  The best maximum group for a planetarium show is 80, but we can accommodate larger groups or split into two groups with alternative presentations such as physics demonstrations for the second group.  There are no charges for field trips, though donations are appreciated so we can maintain the planetarium.  If you are interested in a field trip, please fill out this form and we will be in contact with you.

Transportation: We recommend that busses drop off students at the Student Center Parking Lot near the Kiva and walk to Smith Hall (about 150 yards).  The busses can wait in the Campus Center C Lot during the presentation and can move back to pick up the students near the Kiva again after completion of the visit.

We have hosted planetarium shows for campus groups as well as for groups in the community such as Boy and Girl Scouts without cost. We have also hosted private shows such as a Birthday Party and a Wedding.  For private shows, we do not have a fixed fee schedule and have appreciated appropriate donations to help us maintain and upgrade the planetarium.  If you are interested in a show for your group, please fill out this form and we will be in contact with you.

Kent State has an observatory on the edge of campus with a 12-inch robotic Meade telescope.  A group of students has taken on the task of bringing the observatory back online.  We have completed the inglorious task of cleaning out the observatory building and evicting the current residents (mice) as well as clearing out overgrowth by the observatory.  We also repaired the dome so it opens and rotates properly.  We are now ready for the work of learning how to use the actual telescope and understanding how to work all the equipment we have.  Our goal is to learn how to use the equipment as a tool for research and enable us to host open houses for the community.