By Lookout Staff

March 25, 2026 -- The Santa Monica College Planetarium will offer a multifaceted view of the universe during shows on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons in April.

The three “Deep Space Deep Dive” Feature Programs will look into "what nebulae are, explore the Milky Way and investigate the variety of galaxies that exist in the universe," event organizers said.

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 April lineup kicks off with Deep Sky Deep Dive: “Nebulae” on Friday, April 10, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, April 12, at 1 p.m. that explores the different types of nebulae and how they can be usually identified.

"There are several different types of nebulae," the show's promotors notes. "Some are stellar nurseries, while others are stellar graveyards."

On Friday, April 17 and Sunday, April 19, the Deep Sky Deep Dive show focuses on the Milky Way Galaxy, "which is home to more than 400 billion stars and even more planets."

"Humans live on a small planet in orbit around a dwarf star in the outer reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy. This show explores the wonders that surround the solar system in this ordinary galaxy in an ordinary part of the universe."

April's lineup concludes on Friday, April 24, and Sunday, April 26, with a Deep Sky Deep Dive into “Galaxies,” which explores different types of galaxies and "how astronomers study such distant objects."

The Milky Way Galaxy -- which is just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known universe -- is on a collision course with its neighbor, Andromeda.

"The Milky Way is surrounded by dwarf galaxies being torn apart and by gigantic elliptical galaxies. And at the farthest reaches of our telescopic abilities, lie quasars."

All shows are presented in the SMC Planetarium, located in room MSB 126 of the Mathematics + Science Building on the SMC Main Campus at 1900 Pico Boulevard. Ample and conveniently located free parking for planetarium shows is available on the SMC Main Campus.

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

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.

More information is available online at smc.edu/planetarium or by calling 310-434-4163. All shows are subject to change or cancellation without notice.