Bays Mountain Park is home to a state-of-the-art planetarium theater. The only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere!
Planetarium theaters are unique in that they accurately reproduce the night sky, or any environment, under a hemispherical projection dome. Be truly immersed with imagery all about you!
It houses a 40′ diameter Astro-Tec dome with 98 seats. The optical star projector in the center of the room is a Zeiss ZKP-4. It has fiber optics for each of the over 7,000 projected stars. Over two dozen deep-sky objects are also projected with fiber optics, allowing you to use short-focus binoculars! With a recently upgraded LED light source, the star field is stunning.
Our theater also includes a 6-channel digital projection system using Zeiss VELVET LED projectors. They fill the dome with bright and colorful imagery. These specialized projectors are the only projectors on the market designed for a planetarium theater. They provide a true black for the ultimate in contrast and night-sky beauty. Remember, space isn’t gray!
Complimenting the visuals is our excellent surround-sound system to complete the immersive experience.
Our public programs cover all kinds of topics in astronomy. The shows change regularly throughout the year. They are geared for family audiences and are most suitable for ages 6 and above.
Rules
Planetarium theaters are unique, educational spaces and are far different than a movie theater. As such, we have some rules that are common for the planetarium theater community that we do enforce.
Food, drinks, gum, and candy are not allowed in the theater.
Also, due to safety measures, we do not allow anyone to enter the theater once the doors have closed. The theater is extremely dark inside. If you leave during a program, you cannot re-enter.
Thank you for your understanding!
School Planetarium Programs
Bays Mountain provides quality educational programming that is designed to meet the needs of grades K through college.
The Park’s scheduling is structured to accommodate school programs from September through May on the mornings and early afternoons from Tuesday through Friday. Additional dates are available during the summer. Please visit the Education area of our site for information about how to schedule a school visit and review detailed program information.
Show Production
Bays Mountain Park has a long history of quality show production for the planetarium theater. Classic format slide-based shows have been produced since the opening of Bays Mountain in 1971. Full-dome, world-class planetarium shows have been produced since 2008.
Show Leasing for Your Theater
Are you looking for an exciting program to show in your planetarium? Then look no further! Bays Mountain has many full-dome and classic format shows available for lease. Click here to learn more about show leasing options.
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