Nevada: Fleischmann Planetarium

Today we visited the Fleischmann Planetarium on the University of Nevada - Reno campus. The planetarium is small (only around 60 seats), but it was the first in the world to project full-dome movies.  

We saw the show "We Choose Space," a full-dome show funded by NASA and produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Home Run Pictures and Tietronix, with scientific oversight by Rice University. It included a tour of the International Space Station (Did you know the International Space Station is now the second brightest object in the night sky, after the Moon?), along with some great futuristic ideas about living in space. 

The show was $7 for adults and $5 for children. There is an educator's guide available for the movie here, and information on current showings here.

In addition to the dome, there is a small science center with exhibits about space. 

For us, this was a ideal way to get out of the heat and enjoy an educational stop that wouldn't consume an entire day. Bria loved being able to sit in the reclining seats and check out the movie on the globe above her, and enjoyed the hands-on exhibits afterward. Definitely a great pit stop!