Learn Astronomy in the Planetarium
In our 30-feet planetarium dome, we are able to recreate the clear night sky. The projection system (Evans and Sutherland Digistar 7 system now installed!) enables students to explore the stars, the Solar System, galaxies, and other objects, and allows them to travel through the universe in their classroom.
College courses in astronomy that are taught in B244 are held in the planetarium, which is a unique feature of our College. This includes in-person and hybrid sections of Astronomy 100, Astronomy 101, and parts of Astronomy 201 (typically offered in Spring).
“Rings of Saturn” playing in our Planetarium dome and Astronomy Instructors: Guadalupe Lizana (left), Pat Terhune-Inverso (center) & Joel Lamb (right).
Planetarium Shows
Our planetarium has recently completed a major upgrade, thanks to major support from the Bellevue College Foundation. We are in the process of learning the new system and therefore are not yet offering open access planetarium shows. We will begin to re-open in January 2025 for shows upon requests (small groups, school classes or clubs, BC groups), and accommodate what we can. We are planning to open in Spring for large, outreach shows. So, if you are a community or education organization supporting underrepresented STEM students who want to visit our planetarium, please see our page on planetarium shows and community partnerships. We will respond with availability, keeping in mind that we have limited availability for 2025.
Any other updates will be communicated through the Bellevue College’s Astronomy Department and the Science and Math Institute.
Full-dome projection of the Milky Way Galaxy, showing Equatorial Coordinates.
Last Updated March 20, 2025
