By Lookout Staff

April 29, 2026 -- The Santa Monica College (SMC) Planetarium will offer tours of the solar system during a special two-part series next month, school officials announced Tuesday.

The live-hosted, on-campus shows on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons include the popular weekly update “The Night Sky Show” and take place in room MSB 126 of the Mathematics + Science Building on the Main Campus, 1900 Pico Boulevard.

The feature shows are about 40 minutes long and are followed by a short audience Q&A with Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent.

The May lineup kicks off on Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. with "a virtual tour of constellations and other night-sky celebrities making their appearance in the evenings ahead," event organizers said.

“The Night Sky Show” uses SMC’s new 4K Digistar projection system and includes a talk by Vincent about the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. The show will be repeated at the same times on Friday, May 29, and Sunday, May 31.

The first "Tour of the Solar System" -- which investigates “The Inner System” -- takes place Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m., with a Sunday Family Matinée on May 17 at 2 p.m.

The show explores the Sun and the three rocky planets that surround Earth, "home to the only known life in the universe," event organizers said.

The show will investigate what makes Earth so special and whether any of its neighboring planets holds the potential for life beyond Earth.

The second tour of the solar system -- which takes place Friday, May 29, at 7 p.m., with a Sunday Family Matinée on May 31 at 2 p.m. -- takes an intensive look at the icy moons of the outer planets.

It investigates whether "life can exist in the dim outer reaches of the solar system" and whether the distant planets and their moons can be home to extraterrestrial life.

Tickets for The Night Sky Show are $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 3 through 12. Tickets for the feature program cost the same. Tickets for both shows are $16 for adults and $10 for children.

Tickets can be purchased at smc.edu/tickets (a $1 per ticket service fee will be charged by the ticketing company).

Free parking for planetarium shows is available on the SMC Main Campus. More information can be found online at smc.edu/planetarium or by calling 310-434-4163. All shows are subject to change or cancellation without notice.