School Field Trips

What We Offer…

The Planetarium hosts field trips for area schools most Tuesday & Thursday morning all year long. At the planetarium students are given a brief tour of current constellations and the night sky. Then, Dr. Sally Mander and Commander Light Buzzyear take the students on an informative virtual journey through the Solar System where they learn about the unique features of each planet, interesting details about some of the solar system moons, and facts about the comets and asteroids. The latest images of the solar system, combined with video and virtual journeys to the planets using the capabilities of the state-of-the-art Digistar 7 system describe our current understanding of the planets on this fun and educational voyage! Following the show, a question-and-answer session addresses any questions the students have. This show is hosted by professional astronomers from Palomar College with years of experience working with the public and schools!

Due to the darkened nature of the Planetarium environment and safety concerns, children of chaperones and siblings of the school aged visitors who are under the age of 5 are not permitted.

Whether your group is large or small we can accommodate you. Our planetarium theater can seat group sizes up to 142 people. This allows schools to combine multiple classes on field trips – saving you transportation money!

Interested in having your students eat lunch while at Palomar College? We have spacious cubbies that can be used to store backpacks and lunches while your group is in the show. After the show we have locations on campus that will allow your kids to eat lunch in a park-like setting.

Here Are the Basics

  • When: Tuesdays & Thursdays (most of the year)
  • Time: 10AM (WE WILL BE OPERATING WITH REDUCED STAFFING FOR THE FALL 2024 SEMESTER SO NO 11:30AM SHOWS THIS FALL). If you are scheduling for the Spring 2025 semester, both 10AM & 11:30AM are available.
  • Fee: $120 for groups with less than 30 people. $4 per person for groups of 30 or more. The fee applies to all students, teachers, chaperones, drivers, etc.
  • Duration: The total time in the planetarium is 1 hour 15 minutes.
  • Maximum Group Size: 142 people
  • Minimum Age: Our shows are geared for third grade and older (no exceptions)

We work hard to accommodate all groups and utilize the planetarium availability to the fullest. Therefore groups less than 30 people are charged a flat fee of $120. For groups smaller than 30 we will work to combine your group with another group on the same date/time to help you reach the minimum size and have the flat fee waived.

Requesting A Reservation For Your Group

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