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Outreach Traveling Planetarium

Read carefully all the details before requesting a show. (Quicklink: https://nescitech.org/planetarium)

Outreach Traveling Planetarium

(Also see School/Library Outreach STEM Programs and In-House Planetarium Shows)

Schools, scout groups, after-school programs, and libraries, may request portable planetarium shows from New England Sci-Tech. Bookings depend on staff availability, planetarium availability, your room size, and distance to your site.

STEPS to Inquire or Reserve an Outreach Program

STEP 1: Read carefully all logistics information on this page.
STEP 2: Fill out the School/Library Inquiry Form. so we can calculate the logistics for your event.
STEP 3: Reserve a DATE for your event in the scrolling calendar below.

Travel Distance
We usually take requests only within the Metrowest Boston area because extra travel time cuts into our busy schedule. If your event is within 12 miles travel distance from 16 Tech Circle, Natick, then you may reserve a time in the calendar. If outside that radius, please email first to inquire if we can make an exception.

Travel Times
From Sep 15 to Jun 15 we can travel on many Mon, Wed, or Fri mornings, 7:30 am to 2:00 pm, which includes setup and packing time. Occasionally we can do an evening program for school STEM fairs. In the Summer from Jun 15 to Sep 15 we cannot do daytime shows.

Minimum Room Size
You must provide open floor space of at least 20×20 ft and 11 ft high, such as a gym, music room, or auditorium. Students will sit on the floor on a large cushioned floor mat inside the dome.

Room Preparation
You must be sure the floor has been vacuumed clean before we set up -- no sand, dirt, or food spills. There must be no objects hanging down that would touch or tear the dome, such as lights, pipes, or sprinker heads.

Electrical Requirements
A box fan, HD video projector, amplified speakers, and computer all draw a max load of 12 amps. They can run on a household 15 amp circuit, but most schools have a 20 amp circuit. We will need an outlet within 25 feet of the planetarium.

Play a 40-sec video of Outreach Planetarium Setup

Dome Student Capacity
For a class with 1 teacher, there is room for approximately 26 elementary school children, 22 middle school children, or 16 high-schoolers or adults. The dome has a double door vestibule for easy access standing up. The dome is made of a fire retardant material and easily flipped up and over the group for emergency exit.

Most Popular Program
Our most requested and popular program is a 40 min time block with the 10 min multimedia show NASA's Journey to Mars followed by a 15 min live tour around the night sky by the astronomer with Stellarium to examine planets, the moon, constellations, nebulae, and galaxies. Another 5 to 10 min includes passing around a 5-lb iron meteorite from the asteroid belt so students can hold a rock from space older than any rock on Earth.

Alternative Programs
Other short 6 to 10-minute shows can be combined with a live Stellarium star show. Choices are: Losing The Dark about light pollution's effects on wildlife and human health, Journey to the Center of the Galaxy about the Milky Way and black holes, and Two Small Pieces of Glass about how the telescope has improved our knowledge of the universe through history. All shows are geared toward grades 4 and up. Our “live show” about constellations and the night sky uses a star planetarium software. Please plan on a 35 to 45-minute block to allow time for a group to enter and get settled, for show orientation, and to exit at the end.

Additional Options
We can also bring educational items for no charge, such as a large 5lb meteorite, a dinosaur egg, pieces of NASA space gear, or something pertinent to the topic you request. Please supply a small table for these items. We would like to offer educational handouts for the students to take at the end.

Click here to see complete list of shows we offer

Show Pricing
The base price for a visit, $290, includes 60 min setup time and 30 min packing time, travel within 10 miles of our Natick location, and a single screening of a stocked show from our library and/or a live educational stars/constellations show. Additional screenings are $55 each. Show blocks are typically 35-45 minutes, depending on your schedule needs.

Additional Travel Pricing
No travel fee within 10 miles of our Natick facility. Because longer time on the road is lost revenue time at our facility, we must charge for each mile beyond the first 10 at $5/mile ($2.50/mi each way). Mileage is calculated with Google maps using the most efficient route the astronomer will take from our Natick location.

Try It Out
If you or your teachers have never been inside a portable planetarium show before, we recommend that you try it out before renting. Email us to arrange for a free show for you and some of your teachers at our Natick location.

RENT OUR PLANETARIUM: What we will need from your school
— Specific date and start time for each show (usually allow a 40 min block per show.)
— A place to park to unload near the building and a ramp to wheel in a cart with everything on it.
— A room large enough to hold the dome (oversize classroom, lecture hall, or gym, min. 20x20x11 ft).
— Floor must be vacuumed and/or mopped clean before we arrive. Be sure there are no protruding nails or other snags that could rip the planetarium. If we need to clean the floor for you, we will add $50 to the price and it will delay the start of your program.
— AC power within 25 feet.
— For any additional educational items requested please provide a small table.
— Please review the Planetarium Guidelines with students and insist on good listening and respectful behavior.
— Payment by check, on or before the date of the event, made out to “New England Sci-Tech.”

To book an outreach event, first read all information on this page, then reserve a date/time slot from the calendar list at the bottom of this page, then fill out the School Outreach Form. If there is no pre-scheduled time slot, email your requested specific date(s) and time(s).

If you have any questions not answered on this page, please call 508-720-4179.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Q: How comfortable is it sitting on the floor?

A: For the Outreach planetarium we bring large, interlocking foam mats to pad the entire floor under the dome. With more students, everyone will sit upright, but with fewer students, you can lie down and "look up at the stars."

Q: What else can we do during our program?

A: We often bring a large 5-lb meteorite from the asteroid belt for student to hold and learn about during the introduction before the show starts. We will briefly discuss meteors, asteroids, planets, and the solar system. Depending on your curriculum, we can bring other items to show and discuss, such as models of rockets, space shuttle, James Web telescope, lunar landing modules, and fossils from the great impact that destroyed the dinosaurs.

Q: What is the difference between multi-media and live shows?

A: We have many professionally made shows that have sound, music, and narration that cover various topics in space science. The "live" show is done by the astronomer using a star planetarium software to take you on a tour of the night sky, planets, moon, constellations, nebulae, and galaxies. We can show what is up currently in the sky, illustrate how eclipses work, or take a tour through time to the past or future.

Q: What will my students learn in your planetarium experience?

A: It will be up to you to map these concepts to state standards, but here is what is generally covered:

– Recognize that the earth is part of a system called the 'solar system' that includes the sun (a star), planets, and many moons. The earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system.

– Recognize that the earth revolves around (orbits) the sun in a year's time and that the earth rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours.

– Make connections between the rotation of the earth and day/night, and the apparent movement of the sun, moon, and stars across the sky.

– Describe the changes that occur in the observable shape of the moon over the course of a month.

– Vocabulary we try to cover: planetarium, solar system, galaxy, Milky Way, Andromeda galaxy, light year, black hole, star, planet, moon, phases, nebula, asterism, constellation, orbit, revolve, rotate, axis, apparent movement, atmosphere, light pollution.

– Stars we may identify: Sirius in Canis Major (9ly), Vega in Lyra (26ly), Betelgeuse in Orion (500ly), North Star (Polaris) in Ursa Minor (433ly), Arcturus in Bootes (36ly), Altair in Aquila (16ly), Deneb in Cygnus (3550ly)

– Constellations we may identify: Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Hercules, Leo.