Traveling Outreach Planetarium (Also see our
In-House Planetarium Shows on this page)
Schools, scout groups, after-school programs, and libraries, are welcome to request portable planetarium shows from New England Sci-Tech. Bookings depend on staff availability, planetarium availability, your room and audience size, and distance to your site. We usually take requests only within the Metrowest Boston area because extra travel time cuts into our busy schedule. The only dates we can usually book shows is Monday, Wednesday, or Friday mornings, 9 am to noon, which assumes 8 am to 12:30 pm to include setup and packing time.
Dome Size and Room Preparation
The 5-meter diameter dome requires a room with open floor space of at least 20×20 feet by 11 feet high. There is no bottom, so students will sit on the floor on small yoga mats that we bring. Therefore, you must provide a room with that size, such as a gym or auditorium, and the floor must be vacuumed clean before we set up. There must be no objects hanging down that would touch the dome, such as lights, pipes, or sprinker heads.
Play a 40-sec video of Outreach Planetarium Setup
Dome Capacity
Assuming a class with 1 teacher, there is room for approximately 24 elementary school children, 20 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.
Electrical Requirements
The electrical components consist of a box fan, HD video projector, amplified speakers, and a computer, all drawing a maximum load of 12 amps. So your show will run on a household 15 amp circuit, if necessary, but most schools will have a 20 amp circuit available. We will need an outlet within 25 feet of the planetarium.
Shows
We have a variety of 25-minute multimedia shows about planets, asteroids, and telescopes, etc. (See complete list of shows here.) We also have a shorter shows 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 NASA's Journey to Mars about the New Horizons space mission. All shows are geared toward grades 4 and up. We can also do a “live show” about constellations and the night sky using a star planetarium software. A 15-minute live show can be combined with a short multimedia show to fill a typical half-hour experience. However, please plan on a 35 to 40-minute block per “show” to allow time for a group to enter and get settled, for show orientation, and to exit at the end.
Additional Options
When you rent our planetarium, we can also bring other educational items if available at the time for no charge, such as meteorites, a dinosaur egg, pieces of NASA space gear, or something pertinent to the topic you request. Please supply a 6′ or 8′ table for these items. We would like to offer educational handouts and company brochures for the students to take at the end.
Show Pricing
The base price for a visit, $260, includes 45 min setup and 30 min packing time, travel within 10 miles of our Natick location, and a single screening of a stocked show from our library. Additional screenings are $50 each. Shows run anywhere between 7 to 30 minutes each, depending on which one you pick. For any show in the national catalog that we would need to rent, add a one-time $50 rental fee. Email us to discuss what topic(s) or show(s) you would like.
Additional Travel Pricing
Travel to/from a local metro west location, within 10 miles of our Natick location, is free. Each additional mile beyond the first 10 miles is billed at $5/mile. Mileage is calculated on 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 on a Friday or Saturday evening 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 30-40 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).
— Floor must be vacuumed clean. 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 $20 to the price.
— AC power within 25 feet.
— For any additional items requested please provide a small 6′ or 8′ table.
— Payment from the school for show(s) and travel as agreed at time of booking. Payment by check, on or before the date of the event, made out to “New England Sci-Tech.”