We have sensory-friendly shows tomorrow afternoon! Both programs will be shown with "lights up, sound down" settings. Be sure to check our website for social stories and to learn what sensory supports we have available. parkland.edu/Audience/Commu…

Dave Leake offers hints about finding Venus, Mercury, and the brightest asteroid, Vesta, in his Prairie Skies column in the The News-Gazette. parkland.edu/Audience/Commu…

What an amazing image from the Webb telescope! Judy Schmidt and Ricardo Hueso processed images from three filters on the NIRCam to show off Jupiter, its ring system, its aurorae, and its nearest moons! go.nasa.gov/3K9zMqC

This is the last weekend to watch Europe to the Stars. See why Chile is the home of the European Southern Observatory, and what technology is used to build huge telescopes and produce amazing images of the universe. Join us at 8 pm on Friday or Saturday! facebook.com/events/1722780…

We partnered with Cosm to present a fulldome livestream of the launch of the #Artemis I! This uncrewed mission will orbit around the Moon. The launch window begins at 7:33 am CDT on Monday morning All are welcome to attend this free watch party!

Erik is hosting Summer Prairie Skies on Friday at 7 pm. His favorite summer constellation is Delphinus because dolphins are so cool. You can find the tiny constellation next to the Summer Triangle and the Milky Way in the southeast at about 10 pm. Screencap from Stellarium

Dave Leake tracks Mars and previews a CUAS open house in his Prairie Skies column in the The News-Gazette. parkland.edu/Audience/Commu…

We are starting the James B. Kaler Science Lecture Series in September this year! Our first speaker is Nico Yunes of Illinois Physics, AstroIllinois, and IL Center for Advanced Studies of the Universe. Read more about it in our The News-Gazette column with Champaign County Museums Network. news-gazette.com/news/local/par…

The #Artemis I has a new scheduled launch window on Saturday beginning at 1:17 pm CDT. Thanks to Cosm, you can watch a fulldome livestream of it in our dome. All are welcome to this free event!

Here is our press release for tomorrow's Kaler Science Lecture. Join us for Einstein's Gravity Playlist and a Q&A with Illinois Physics, AstroIllinois, and IL Center for Advanced Studies of the Universe professor Nico Yunes! parkland.edu/Main/About-Par… After the Q&A, we will have Dark Side of the Moon @ 9pm.

Dave Leake discusses Venus, Mars, and the Harvest Moon in his Prairie Skies column in the The News-Gazette. parkland.edu/Audience/Commu…

On the 2nd Thu. of the month, we host public meetings of CUAS at 7 pm. They discuss business, including upcoming observing events. Siegfried Eggl from AE at Illinois will speak about the DART mission! Join us in person or go to meet.cuas.org for the Zoom link.

Waylena is hosting our shows this weekend. She is a fan of the #NASAWebb image of the Phantom Galaxy, M74. The MIRI image highlights the gas and dust as a skeletal structure in the spiral arms. European Space Agency credit: esawebb.org/images/potm220…

Dave Leake discusses the Moon's phases and finding Neptune in his Prairie Skies column in the The News-Gazette. parkland.edu/Audience/Commu…

Dave Leake discusses the autumnal equinox in his Prairie Skies column in the The News-Gazette. parkland.edu/Audience/Commu…

Dave Leake discusses finding Jupiter and the CUAS Family Skywatch in his Prairie Skies column in the The News-Gazette. parkland.edu/Audience/Commu…

Here is our press release for this Friday's edition of the James B. Kaler Science Lecture Series! parkland.edu/Main/About-Par… Join us at 7 pm on Friday. Tickets are $2. facebook.com/events/8647791…

We are premiering a new show this weekend! Expedition Reef takes us on a journey through oceanic ecosystems. See it on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm throughout this month! The show was funded thanks to the support of the Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium.

Feeling festive. Join us for Solar System Safari and Expedition Reef this evening!

We should have clear skies for the lunar eclipse tomorrow! Totality is from 4:16 to 5:41 am. We missed May's eclipse due to clouds, so consider setting an alarm and look in the west! The next lunar eclipse will be in March 2025! Image: astronomy.com and Fred Espenak