Ellis Planetarium to reopen to the public for shows

After being closed most of the year due to the pandemic, the Ellis Planetarium, Health & Science Museum will be open on January 27, 2021, for the shows only. The exhibits will remain closed at this time. 

“We are all excited to welcome everyone back,” said Planetarium Director Sarah Bartlett.

The shows will run Wednesday through Sunday. The free public shows will be at 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm on Wednesday through Saturday. On Sunday the free public shows will run at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. 

“It’s recommended that you call ahead for seating to check what availability we have for our shows as we can only seat 10 at a time,” said Bartlett. 

The building houses a 60-seat planetarium is a large, round room with a 24-foot giant dome where the sun, moon, stars, and planets are projected. Each show will consist of a live portion and a movie. Each month the show will be changed to a new topic. This month the topic will be the Milky Way. 

“Not everywhere around the United States are we able to see the Milky Way in our backyard,” said Bartlett. “We’ll talk about what is in our solar system and in our realm of space.”

Health precautions to keep participants and staff safe will include temperature checks upon arrival and masks are required. There is a sanitizing station as well as a contract tracing book that will be filled out prior to attending the show.

Those who wish to attend a private show can call ahead at (252) 939-3302 to schedule a show and will have a cost of $1.50 per attendee. Bartlett recommends private shows for people who may be at risk, or want to attend a show with just those in their group.