William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College

08/27/2026

Join us this Friday for a closer look at the night sky.
🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu

A live‑narrated tour of the wonders of tonight's sky, accompanied by some of the legendary stories of the ancient sky. Find out what constellations and planets are visible tonight and how to find them. This show is updated seasonally and is intended all ages.

08/27/2026

If you have mostly clear skies tonight, look for the Moon! It will be full, but it's so lined up with Earth and the Sun that it will pass into Earth's shadow, causing a lunar eclipse. The Moon will be over 90% covered at 11 pm CDT (4:00 UTC), so you may see the darkened part of the Moon look red.

The planetarium is hosting a free telescope viewing tonight from 9:30 pm to midnight, covering most of the partial eclipse. All are welcome to join us!

Image credit: Leah Tiscione / Sky & Telescope; Source: Fred Espenak
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1525116472267258/

08/25/2026

Make plans this weekend for "Cosmic Mashup" at the Planetarium!
🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu

Cosmic Mashups
Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies and we're beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activate galactic centers. This engaging full dome film was produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with APS Professor, Dr. Julie Comerford and former graduate student Dr. Becky Nevin through support from an NSF award.

08/20/2026

Check out "Cosmic Colors" this Saturday at 1pm!

🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu
Journey inside a plant leaf and the human eye. Investigate x-rays and see the actual color of a dinosaur. Get ready for an amazing adventure under a rainbow of cosmic light!

08/18/2026

Take look at the night sky with us!
🗓 planetarium.parkland.edu
🎟 tickets.parkland.edu

A live‑narrated tour of the wonders of tonight's sky, accompanied by some of the legendary stories of the ancient sky. Find out what constellations and planets are visible tonight and how to find them. This show is updated seasonally and is intended all ages.

08/14/2026

08/12/2026

Here's great information about today's solar eclipse in Europe from our colleagues in the Chicago suburbs.