OCC Planetarium Public Shows Calendar
We will be closed until mid-February for software upgrades
Parking Fee
Parking on-campus is $5 for the day, 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. The fee can only be paid through the Passport Parking phone app or website and the parking permit is linked to your car's license plate number. We highly recommend parking in Lot E off of Merrimac Way (Google Maps "OCC Lot E").
Public Star Shows!
Public programs are a cornerstone of the Planetarium's mission. Regular showings are offered on weekends so anyone can come enjoy a rotating schedule of breathtaking full-dome experiences.
For all public shows, please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled show begins. There will be no late admittance due to safety concerns.
We advise against bringing children younger than 5 years old to planetarium programs. The planetarium theater gets very dark and the visuals can be alarming to young children. However, bringing young children for One World, One Sky Big Bird's Adventure is strongly encouraged!
All programs are approximately 45 minutes long.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
**The Planetarium adheres to a strict No Late Admittance policy. Once the doors have closed, the show is underway and must not be interrupted due to safety concerns.**
Skylark Speaker Series - Friday, December 5, 2025
Dr. Don Dixon, Vanderbilt
Advancing Stellar Activity and Binary Evolution Science with Rapidly Rotating Giant Stars
The rotational dependence of dynamo-powered stellar activity has been thoroughly investigated for main-sequence stars, but much less so for stars evolved onto the giant branch. In addition to being bigger and brighter, giant stars are generally observed to have negligible rotation rates compared to main-sequence stars and consequently tend to have comparatively weak dynamo action and global magnetic fields. This is generally expected due to angular momentum being carried away by stellar winds before ascending the red giant branch, but if a companion star orbits in close enough proximity, a red giant star can be spun up by tidal synchronization or mass accretion events. As a result, rotationally active giants are unique systems for furthering the understanding of evolved stellar activity and binary evolution processes that impart angular momentum for rotational spin-up. To characterize giant branch rotational activity, we derive an empirical rotation-activity relation using projected rotational velocities and excess near-ultraviolet emission produced by magnetic heating of the chromosphere. We find our relation is similar in structure to those fitted to main-sequence stars, which may suggest a similar dynamo mechanism. Additionally, we find that the most active giants have near-ultraviolet emission that exceeds expectations given their rotation rates and that they are all in synchronized binaries with orbital periods less than twenty days. Lastly, we find tentative evidence that giants approaching breakup rotational velocities are likely formed from planetary engulfment or stellar merger processes, both of which are still not well understood.
Beautifica
Beautifica is a 360 journey through worlds real and imagined, from mindblowing particle fields to unashamedly euphoric fantastic environments almost impossible to describe.
The brainchild of visionary composer James Hood working with some of the finest immersive animators on the planet, this family-friendly show is a feast for the senses, which will leave your spirit refreshed and your face grinning ear to ear.
Gift Certificates
Whether it's for an astronomy enthusiast, a curious mind, or someone eager to explore the mysteries of the cosmos, our gift certificates are a stellar choice. Grab yours now and let the journey into the stars begin!