Planetarium Field Trips
NOTE: This is for groups outside of the Glastonbury Public School system. Glastonbury teachers and schools please use the form found here to book your planetarium class.
Field trips and programs in the planetarium are available for public, private and homeschool groups throughout Connecticut. We have programs for all ages. Audiences are immersed in stunning visualizations that highlight the latest applications of science in the world today. Programs will engage, inspire and educate in the fields of engineering, astronomy, earth science, and beyond. We offer a truly "out-of-this-world" learning experience in the unique and immersive learning environment that only a planetarium can provide. Classes are live, interactive and feature stunning full dome films. They are led by knowledgeable planetarium staff and kept up-to-date with the very latest information and new discoveries.
Due to the very dark environment of the planetarium, programs are recommended for ages 6 and up.
To schedule a Glastonbury Planetarium program:
Review the show options below. The planetarium can comfortably seat a 80. Most classes run 60 - 90-minutes in length.
Once you know what you want, please submit an online reservation request form via: Field Trip Reservation Form for the 2024 - 2025 School Year. Feel free to e-mail us via jarcher@crec.org with any questions about your visit. Please do not call the GEHMS Office for information. Field trips are available September - June between the hours of 9 am - 2 pm Monday - Friday. Field trips shows are limited during July - August and are offered based on staff availability.
Our Planetarium Coordinator will be in contact with you to confirm your reservation date, time and class. Please book at least two weeks in advance. Cost is $150 per program. Please make payment via check payable to Glastonbury Public Schools (Planetarium) or cash. We do not accept credit cards. Payment to due upon receipt of your invoice. Please contact us as soon as possible of any changes to your to reservation. Changes will be accommodated on a space and time available basis.
Space Science Series
Our Neighbor The Moon
Grades 1 - 2
What astronomer-in-training hasn't looked up at the Moon in wonder? In this interactive planetarium program, children will observe the features on the Moon surface such as craters and even gaze at the far side of the Moon. Back on Earth, children will trace the path of the Moon and Sun in the sky. Finally, we'll explore the many "faces" of the Moon and look at the Moon's changing appearance night after night and even month after month. This is program is a perfect introduction to the Earth, Sun and Moon system.
Cosmic Adventure
Grades 1 - 2
Take a roller coaster ride from the Moon, through the Solar System, out into the rest of the galaxy, and back. Visit some of the most amazing sites in the universe! This is nice introduction to our place in the universe and the amazing objects found within it including nebula, galaxies, planets, constellations, stars, comets and more.
The Amazing Telescope
Grades 3 - 8
Telescopes have advanced considerably since Galileo’s time. Humanity now has large observatories and even many in space. Learn how telescopes work; and how astronomers use them to scrutinize the structures within our cosmos. Look deep into the night sky to reveal the amazing sights, stars, planets, nebula, and galaxies and more that a telescope and binoculars can show. This program features the show Two Small Pieces of Glass.
Our Habitat Earth
Grades 3 - 4 and up
Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and more extreme weather. A better understand of our global connection to each other and the Earth will help us learn more about what we can do to ensure that our cohabitation with the natural world leaves a healthy, sustainable planet for generations to come. This program features the planetarium shows Habitat Earth and Dynamic Earth plus live lecture on Earth's place in the universe.
The Changing Earth
Grades 4 - 5 and up
The Earth's surface is continually changing. In this program, we'll look at the formation of and how the Earth is in continual change. The Earth isn't the only celestial body with dynamic processes, we'll take a live-interactive look at the geologic processes found on some of the other moons and planets in the Solar System. Featured are the planetarium shows Birth of the Planet Earth and SuperVolcanoes.
Patterns in the Sky
Grade 5 and up
Cycles and patterns are found most everywhere in the universe. This program focuses on the causes of day and night, the causes of the seasons and the changes (phases) in the Moon’s appearance. First, using the planetarium as a laboratory, participants will observe and predict the cycles of day and night, the Moon's daily and annual motion in the sky, and the Sun's motion through the year. Second, we'll put it all together with a viewing of the planetarium show Earth, Sun and Moon!
The Planets Show
Grades 6 and up
Audiences are transported on a startling and beautiful voyage through our universe, galaxy and solar system in search of liquid water, a key ingredient for life on Earth. Using some the latest planetary science and imagery, we’ll travel to the depths of our Solar System to learn about each member of our family of planets from tragic Mars to lonely Neptune. This program features the show Oasis in Space and an ever-changing lecture on the latest planetary discoveries.
Stories in the Stars
Grade 6 and up
For thousands of years, humans have looked to the sky and found familiar shapes in the stars that they used to tell stories about their own cultures and beliefs. First, we'll look at the familiar Greek star patterns that we have come to know so well. Then we'll take a deep look at Orion and how is seen by different cultures or Indigenous societies from around the globe. This program features the shows A Starry Tale and One Sky. Included is a live tour of the current night sky, identifying the stars, planets and deep sky objects overhead.
Fly Me to the Moon
Grade 6 and up
The Moon is our nearest neighbor in space and is vital to our existence. Step back in time to the 1960's in a recreation of the Apollo missions that lead to the first manned lunar landing, of Apollo 11, on July 20, 1969. Then step into the future to learn about NASA’s 21st century Artemis program, our next steps to the Moon. This program features the shows Moon Shadows: Race to the Moon, Forward to the Moon and a live lecture on the Moon.
The Sun
Grade 6 and up
The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. It is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life. Explore the Sun's inner workings , its tangle of magnetic fields and superhot plasma that vent the Sun’s rage in dramatic flares, violent solar tornadoes, and the largest eruptions in the Solar System: coronal mass ejections. The program features the shows The Sun: Our Living Star and Solar Superstorms plus a lecture on stellar evolution.
Black Holes
Grade 8 and up
Black holes are among the most mysterious cosmic objects in the universe. It's a place from which nothing escapes, not even light, where time and space literally come to end. In this program, audiences will experience one of the most exciting applications of astronomy, mathematics, and physics in an immersive experience like no other. Featuring the shows Black Holes - The Other Side of Infinity and Supermassive Black Holes - Uncovering the Invisible with a lecture on black hole essentials, what is and isn't a black hole and how we find them, and more.
The Search for Life
Grade 8 and up
Planets are not unique to our solar system. Since the discovery of the first planet orbiting another star in 1995 we have found thousands of exoplanets. We’ll explore the variety of exoplanets found so far and the techniques used to find them. Is there life on other planets? Come find out. This program features the shows Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds and Faster Than Light: The Dream of Interstellar Flight and the latest information on our search for Earth like planets.
The Grand Tour
Grades 8 and up
Blast off from Earth to the farthest reaches of the universe. We’ll explore Earth’s location in the Milky Way, travel to other galaxies and look at the large scale structure of the universe. Galaxies, galaxy groups and clusters, superclusters, and galactic walls and their twisting, threadlike structures called the cosmic web are explored. This program features the show From Earth to the Universe and a live stunning look a the large scale structure of our universe. Be prepared to be humbled and awed.
Dynamic Earth
Grades 8 and up
Witness the awesome power and the unimaginable destruction of explosive volcanoes, ground-buckling earthquakes, and deadly tornadoes as you head into the field with scientists who risk their lives exploring the origins and behaviors of these fearsome natural disasters. Go to the front lines of the most dynamic and complex forces shaping our planet. Hear the roar of huge glacial ice walls calving into the sea causing tsunami-like waves, experience the awesome destructive force of tornadoes, and stand so close to wildfires that you feel the heat, as we uncover surprising connections to help us understand and adapt to our ever-changing weather. This program features the large screen films Extreme Weather and Forces of Nature.