By Lookout Staff
August 26, 2026 -- The Santa Monica College Planetarium will explore the Voyager Missions, the planet Mercury and "a nearly mathless explanation of Light" during shows on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons in September.
The Friday evening shows start at 6 p.m. with “The Night Sky Show,” which presents the latest news in astronomy, space exploration and the celestial bodies that will make an "appearance in the evenings ahead."
The popular weekly update is followed at 7 p.m. by a Feature Program, which is about 40 minutes long and followed by a short audience Q&A with Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. No children under age 3 are permitted at the Friday shows.
Sunday Family Matinée shows start at 1 p.m. with “The Night Sky Show,” followed at 2 p.m. by a Feature Program.
The September lineup kicks off on Friday, September 11 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, September 13, 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.
In the feature program, “Mission Report: Voyager 1 and 2,” Lecturer Sarah Vincent takes a look at the "amazing" spacecrafts launched in August and September 1977, which are still going nearly 50 years later.
"The Voyagers were the first human-made spacecraft to explore the outer planets, and Voyager 2 is still the only craft to ever visit Uranus and Neptune.
On Friday, September 18, the feature program, “Solar System Survey: Mercury,” continues the planetarium's ongoing Solar System Survey as Vincent explores the planet named for the fleet-footed Greek god.
"Mercury speeds around the Sun in 88 Earth-days and is the innermost planet in the solar system and a rocky, scorched world."
September's lineup concludes on Friday, September 25 with “Nearly Mathless: Light,” the first show in a new series that "shines an introductory light on the electromagnetic spectrum." During the show Vincent answers the question: "Is it a particle? Is it a wave?"
"The simple answer is 'yes.' This quantum phenomenon is integral to cutting-edge science and to everyday life. Light is used every day to explore the wonders of the universe and to talk on the phone."
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.