Planetarium

The Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences Department is home to the new Cejka Planetarium in Kopchick Hall. This digital planetarium is 35 feet in diameter and is used extensively for educational outreach and in undergraduate instruction, both for introductory astronomy courses and in classes for Earth and Space Science teaching majors.

Group visits to the planetarium by schools, scouts, or adult groups are possible as staff time and availability permit. Interested groups are asked to contact Professor Ken Coles at kcoles@iup.edu well in advance to allow time for scheduling.

Several public planetarium shows are scheduled each year to encourage the campus and community to visit and enjoy the planetarium. All shows are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Location for all shows: Second floor of Kopchick Hall. The Cejka Planetarium is just inside the Oak Grove doors.

Spring 2025 Planetarium and Telescope Shows

(pdf of full schedule)

Check out other events in the Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences Department

Back to Venus

  • Thursday, Mar. 6, 7:00 p.m.
  • Cejka Planetarium
  • Venus is almost a twin of Earth in size and structure, but conditions there are very different. What are the outstanding questions that several new spacecraft will try to answer? Come find out!

Telescope Display and Full Moon Star Party

  • Saturday, April 12, 7:00 p.m.
  • Cejka Planetarium
  • Instead of a planetarium show, this event will feature some of the telescopes used by the university. We will set up a display of telescopes, and if it is a clear night, we’ll also observe the Moon and sky.

Centennial of the Planetarium: Classic Views and Recent Discoveries

  • Wednesday, May 7, 7:00 p.m.
  • Cejka Planetarium
  • This date marks the centennial of the first planetarium opened to the public, in Munich Germany. We’ll review a few things a planetarium can show, along with recent discoveries from the Webb space telescope and Bennu asteroid sample return.


Previous Years