Capturing the passion and curiosity of children, teenagers, and adults, the planetarium is a beautiful domed theater with a focus on science education for schools and the community. Under the leadership of Jack Schreder, our unique facility opened in 1979. 

Spitz IQ 2400 projector was installed in 12/2019. 4x brighter and 4x higher resolution than the previous projector! Thanks to the SCOE Board and Friends of Schreder Planetarium for sharing the cost

10-meter domed theater with 65 seats, hands-on exhibits, and a gift shop
The only planetarium in the north state
The Friends of Schreder Planetarium also manages the gift shop and provides volunteers for evening programs. 

Schreder Planetarium is about “more than just space.” 

• Field trips for K-8 students on many subjects from engineering to adaptations to stars

• 5 fun, easy lessons that support the science standards are supplied to teachers. Lesson 3 is the actual field trip.

• Evening programs include demonstrations, a Starry Night presentation, two shows, and time to explore exhibits and the gift shop

• Our programs include eleven “pure space” shows, three that blend space with other topics, and seven that cover other fascinating science topics. 

Contact us at (530) 225-0243 or planetarium@shastacoe.org

Schreder Planetarium is only open to the public for evening programs. See the tab "Public Evening Shows - Buy Tickets Here!" 

Schreder Planetarium HAS RE-OPENED PUBLIC PROGRAMS!

Program Information

• Programs begin at 7:00 PM with the exception of Kids Nights which begin at 6:00 PM.

• Tickets are $10 each. 

• No late admittance. We lock the door once the program starts for security and to maintain darkness.

• No refunds. You may transfer your tickets to a friend if you are unable to attend. 

Please bring your photo ID with you to the show to verify your registration. Tickets will not be mailed to you, and you do not need to print out your email confirmation.

We have posted descriptions and trailers of our full-dome shows for your convenience 

5/13/22 SOLD OUT Kids Night @6 PM: Back in Time (Dinosaurs at Dusk; Zula Patrol: Down to Earth)

6/3/22 Looking into the Future (Two Small Pieces of Glass; The Future is Wild)

6/17/22 NASA Journeys (Citizen Sky; Flight to the Moon; Journey to Mars; The Future of Human Exploration)

6/28/22 Amazing Stars (Black Holes; Secrets of the Sun)

7/15/22 "Kids Night": Solar System (Earth, Moon, and Sun; Secrets of the Cardboard Rocket)

7/29/22 Ancient Skies (Stars of the Pharaohs; Seven Wonders)

8/3/22 Star Travel (Faster than Light; IBEX)

8/12/22 Watery Worlds (Dynamic Earth; Oasis in Space)

8/26/22 "Kids Night": Up in the Air (Zula Patrol: Weather; Take Flight)

9/9/22 Exploring Space (From Earth to the Universe; Wonder of the Universe)

9/15/22 NASA Journeys (Flight to the Moon, Future of Human Exploration, Journey to Mars, Citizen Sky)

Field Trips

To take a field trip from good to GREAT, use our lessons! Our lessons are easy, engaging, and written by our NGSS experts. Without the pre/post lessons, the experience is dramatically diluted. Schreder Planetarium’s pre-lessons and post-lessons make the trip into an engaging story - a mini-unit aligned to NGSS. Typically there are two lessons done prior to the trip, the field trip is the third lesson, and there are two lessons provided post-trip. You will be emailed a link to the lessons. [Summer programs are not expected to use these lessons]

If you do the pre-lessons, you get a free gift for teaching science to your class.

The field trip minimum is 25 people (students + chaperones) and the maximum is 65 people. If you have less than 25 people you will need to register and pay for 25.

Field trips are at 9:30 and 1:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays for Summer. 

Our programs include:

• Pre-lessons and post-lessons that make the trip into a mini-unit aligned to the NGSS.
• An introduction with demonstrations and/or models that enhance the topic.
• A “night sky+” presentation, also focused on the topic.
• The fulldome show itself. 
• The gift shop and interactive exhibits

We do not see our field trips as "shows".  We see this as a 5-lesson program with one of the lessons being the field trip of about 60-75 minutes that includes a fulldome film.  Our goal is to create a complete experience that supports your classroom teaching in science, math, and ELA.  Teachers who use the pre-lessons will receive a free science-related gift they can use in their classroom such as a plasma ball, cartesian jellyfish divers, polymer snow, balancing bird puzzle, and more.

Kindergarten and T-K - Weather Changes and Patterns (NEW fulldome film: Zula Patrol: Under the Weather)

First Grade - Investigating Patterns in the Sky (NEW fulldome film: Earth, Moon, and Sun)

Second Grade - NEW! Engineering for our World and Beyond (fulldome film: Take Flight)

Third Grade* - Adaptations with Engineering Design (fulldome film: Cosmic Safari)

Fourth Grade - Light and Waves with Developing a Model (fulldome film: Two Small Pieces of Glass)

Fifth Grade - Stars and the Sun with Data and Analysis (fulldome film: Secrets of the Sun)

Middle School* - Gravity with Developing a Model (fulldome film: Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity)

Middle School - Climate Change with Data and Analysis (fulldome film: Dynamic Earth)

*If you use our pre-lessons, ask us after the show about borrowing the hands-on materials for the post-lessons.

Show Descriptions and Trailers

Before looking at these descriptions or trailers, read the section you are interested in above (Public Evening Shows or Field Trips). There you will find what shows are available. 

Descriptions of our shows

Show trailers