YSU's Ward Beecher Planetarium marks 55th year

YSU’s Ward Beecher Planetarium launches its 55th season this week, featuring more than a dozen new and tried-and-true shows for space enthusiasts of all ages. 

The 2022-23 season, which runs through the first week of May 2023, includes new shows, “We Are Stars” and “Perfect Little Planet,” as well as special Harry Potter, Sesame Street and holiday productions. Also included is the popular “Rock the Dome” weekend in January, with classic music from Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Queen, Pink Floyd and the Eagles.

All shows are free and open to the public.
The season starts this weekend with shows 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Opening weekend features a show the previews highlights of the upcoming season, including a fly around the universe with the planetarium’s SkySkan Dark Matter video system and the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope.

The planetarium in Ward Beecher Hall on campus opened in 1967 and serves as an astronomy and science education resource center for the Mahoning Valley and surrounding communities. The facility, operated by the YSU Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geology and Environmental Sciences, supports astronomy teaching on campus as well as public planetarium shows.

For more information, visit https://www.wbplanetarium.org/. View show schedule, https://www.wbplanetarium.org/public-programs.