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Astronomy is the study of the Universe and objects in space. It deals with the nature and behavior of stars, planets, moons, nebulae, galaxies and more. It is among the oldest of sciences with prehistoric origins. Today it is the source of exciting discoveries ranging from other earth-like planets to massive black holes found on the visible edge of space and time.

Bellevue College’s Astronomy department invites you to experience the wonders of our solar system in our planetarium classroom, which is used on a daily basis. In our planetarium we are able to recreate the clear night sky, which enables students to explore the stars, constellations, planets and even galaxies during class.

Astronomy is one of five sciences that comprise our Earth and Space Sciences Program (the others are Meteorology, Geology, Oceanography, and Environmental Science).

More about the Planetarium:

Bellevue College is home to the Willard Geer Planetarium, one of the only planetariums at a community college that is also used as a teaching classroom. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Willard Geer was the original inventor of the color television tube, Bellevue College’s first Physics teacher, and the founder of the first major planetarium in the Puget Sound Region.

William Geer moved to Bellevue in 1968, when BCC was just starting out, and found out that the planetarium had no instruments, so he tried to solve this issue. He led a fundraising campaign that included local elementary students, education grants and private donations. This led to the founding of the “Friends of the Planetarium” society to support planetarium shows to local students. Their support helped Bellevue College install a 16” Schmidt Cassegrain telescope housed in a 15-foot dome.

The planetarium has had a few upgrades over the years to different systems. From 2007 to 2024, we used a Digistar II from Evans and Sutherland. Recently, in fall 2024, we upgraded to a new system, a Digistar VII. Thanks to the generous support of the BC Foundation, the planetarium system is now state of the art and we are preparing to welcome back local community groups and Bellevue College students to a renewed planetarium experience.

Astronomy website manager: Dana Vukajlovich