By Lookout Staff

December 2, 2025 -- The Santa Monica College (SMC) Planetarium will showcase its new home and cutting-edge equipment at two special Sunday matinées this month.

The shows on December 7 and 14 from noon to 1 p.m. will allow audiences to experience the planetarium's Evans & Sutherland (E&S) Digistar 4K System that projects imagery on the planetarium's 9-meter-diameter dome.

The state-of-the-art planetarium that recently opened in the LEED Gold-certified Mathematics + Science Building on the Main Campus began construction in 2021 and replaces the original structure built in 1968.

The matinée shows presented by Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent feature the new equipment with multimedia show capabilities, event organizers said.

Vincent will talk about the latest news in astronomy and space exploration and present a “tour” of where to look for constellations and "other night-sky celebrities making their appearance in the evenings ahead."

An audience Q&A will take place after the shows and offers the chance to ask the planetarium lecturer astronomy-related questions.

General admission tickets are available for the December shows at introductory reduced prices -- $7 ($4 for children ages 3 to 12). A $1 processing fee is charged for each ticket. Tickets can be purchased at smc.edu/tickets.

Ample and conveniently located free parking for planetarium shows is available on the SMC Main Campus. More information is available online at smc.edu/planetarium or by calling 310-434-4163.