Planetarium & Stargazing Room
About the Planetarium
UM’s Planetarium is part of the Department of Physics & Astronomy in the College of Science. We are grateful that the Planetarium, also called the Stargazing Room, is housed in the Elouise Cobell Land and Culture Institute within the Payne Family Native American Center (PFNAC), and are proud to offer immersive Native Star Stories in addition to live planetarium shows.
Our planetarium presenters are Physics & Astronomy students, staff, and faculty with a passion for sharing the wonders of the universe with others. We offer public planetarium shows on Friday evenings; see our Public Shows page for more details and to buy tickets. We also offer planetarium shows for school groups and private groups. Since our first planetarium show in autumn 2014, thousands of students and community members have explored the night sky and the cosmos with us, and we invite you to join them.
Planetarium Show Policies & Courtesies
Planetarium Behavior
- During the day, many classes are held in the PFNAC - please be quiet and courteous to our students when entering and exiting the building.
- Light and sound travel well in our planetarium – silence electronics and stow them out of sight.
- Please give our computer and projection equipment plenty of space, and do not touch the ceiling or any of the technology that makes the planetarium possible.
- No food or drink is permitted in the planetarium.
- Please remain seated once the show begins. If you must leave the planetarium at any time during the show, please ask our presenter to help you safely exit. For your safety and the consideration of those inside the planetarium, there is no re-entry.
Age Recommendations
The planetarium welcomes families to our shows. We do not have a minimum age restriction for children who attend, but for public shows we recommend an age of 7 and above. Public shows are designed with adult audiences in mind, and the acoustics of our intimate planetarium make it necessary for participants to be silent during the 50-minute show.
For those with younger children, we offer school shows during the week. Teachers interested in booking shows for their classes, please see the School Shows page.
Finding the Planetarium
The Planetarium is inside the Payne Family Native American Center (PFNAC), located on the Oval east of Arthur Avenue (shown here on our campus map). The Planetarium is in the lowest level of the building, in room 013, the “Stargazing Room” – take the elevator or either staircase down one level then look for the unique curvature of the wood-paneled wall.
Planetarium Parking
The closest parking lot to the Payne Family Native American Center (PFNAC) is the lot south of the Lommasson Center, immediately off Arthur Ave; parking is free in this lot after 5pm and hourly pay is possible during business hours. To find the PFNAC, exit the lot on foot moving east (toward the 'M') and follow the path between the new Dining Hall and Duniway Hall; the PFNAC will be right in front of you. You can either enter through the back door or circle the building towards the oval to find the front entrance.
A couple other parking lots that are convenient for public shows are also marked on the map above; these lots are available for public use and free to park in after 5pm.