BEREA, KY – Since opening in 2018, the Berea College Planetarium has provided families and students across the region with an immersive journey through space, right in the heart of Berea.
Located on the fourth floor of the Margaret A. Cargill Natural Sciences and Health Building at 271 North Main Street, the state-of-the-art digital planetarium features an approximately 35-foot dome. The facility replaced the original Weatherford Planetarium, which served the community from 1984 until 2018 in the Hall Science building.
The new planetarium uses fully digital 4K projection technology capable of displaying stars, planets, exoplanets, nebulae, and full-dome shows covering topics from solar activity and asteroids to black holes and the formation of the universe. Unlike its analog predecessor, the modern system can transport viewers anywhere in space and time, offering perspectives impossible to experience from Earth.
Public shows are offered twice weekly throughout the academic year on Fridays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Each presentation includes a featured planetarium show followed by a tour of the current seasonal night sky led by the planetarium operator. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors, making it an affordable educational experience for families throughout the region.
The planetarium is part of the Yahng Discovery Center, which promotes science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health education for students in Madison County and beyond. School groups can schedule weekday visits, and the facility is available for private events and scout programs.
The Margaret A. Cargill Natural Sciences and Health Building, which houses the planetarium, is a 125,000-square-foot, $72 million facility that opened in August 2018. The building was designed to create an interactive, technology-rich learning environment while complementing Berea’s traditional Georgian Revival architecture. Special features include the Discovery Center, the digital theater/planetarium, and a 3-D visualization lab.
Parking is available in the Seabury lot behind the Farm Store on campus, with handicap parking accessible at the building’s north entrance.
For updated show schedules and reservations, visit planetarium.berea.edu or call 859-985-3351.