Planetarium
Request Base Access
The Air Force Academy remains open for field trips and free public planetarium shows. Anyone 18 and over without a DoD ID card must request and obtain a visitor pass to enter the base using the dated Planetarium Base Access links below (children under 18 do NOT need to request a base pass, they must accompany an adult who has one).
Once your request is received, the 10th Security Forces Squadron’s Pass and Registration Office will conduct a background check, and you will receive a decision via text within 72 hours. (if you do not receive an approval message, you can contact the PRO at 719-333-0441. (Do not contact the Planetarium with questions about the base access system.) When you have an approved pass, proceed to either the North or the South Gate on the day of your approved visit and present a Real ID for base access.
Base Access Links
We offer a diverse range of full-dome and IMAX films, live talks and educational events using our state-of-the-art 8K projection technology and immersive surround sound.
The U.S. Air Force Academy’s Planetarium enhances our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) outreach and cadet education mission through public shows, field trips, and cadet classes.
Free Public Shows
Public shows are free and open to all. Seating for public shows is on a first come, first serve basis. We do not accept reservations for public shows and the Planetarium does not use tickets. We recommend arriving 10 minutes prior to the show time. Parents and chaperones are responsible for children’s behavior.
The Planetarium is closed on Graduation Day and federal holidays.
Show descriptions and run times are located at the bottom of this page.
Planetarium Field Trip/Group Visit Requests for 2026-27 School Year: Please complete this Online Request Form.
Schedule
All public shows are free, open to all, and are first come, first seated.
Once the planetarium’s 110 seats are filled, the Planetarium is full and additional guests will be asked to attend the next showing. All guests must exit the Planetarium after each show. Guests are welcome to re-queue for the next show, but only after exiting to allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy the Planetarium. You do not need to be military to visit the planetarium for shows.
Google times for the USAFA Planetarium are NOT accurate – below is the ONLY accurate USAFA Planetarium schedule. Note: Shows and schedule are subject to change without notice.
| Planetarium Show Schedule
Visitors wanting to see a planetarium show must follow the process |
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|---|---|
| August Planetarium Events | |
| Friday, August 7 | Daytime Shows 10 a.m. – Extreme Weather 11 a.m. – Fighter Pilot Noon – Live Night Sky & Universe Tour 1:00 p.m. – Two Small Pieces of Glass 1:30 p.m. – Worlds Beyond Earth 2 p.m. – Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival 3 p.m. – T.REX  Special Movie Event 6 p.m. – Top Gun (40th Anniversary) RSVP Here |
| Tuesday, August 11 | Daytime Shows 1:00 p.m. – Mars 1001 2 p.m. – Live Night Sky Tour 2:30 p.m. – Live Journey through the Universe 3 p.m. – Cities of the Future |
| Wednesday, August 12 | Daytime Shows Noon – T.REX 1:00 p.m. – Superpower Dogs 2 p.m. – Black Holes 2:30 p.m. – Dark Universe 3 p.m. – Eclipses & Phases of the Moon |
| Thursday, August 13 | Daytime Shows 11 a.m. – Superpower Dogs Noon – Apollo 11: First Steps 1:00 p.m. – Live Night Sky Tour 2 p.m. – Astronaut 2:30 p.m. – Live Solar System Tour 3 p.m. – Cosmic Mashups |
| Friday, August 14 | Daytime Shows 11 a.m. – Back from the Brink 11:45 a.m. – Always Above Noon – T.REX 1:00 p.m. – Black Holes 1:30 p.m. – Live Night Sky Tour 2 p.m. – Worlds Beyond Earth 2:30 p.m. – Dark Universe 3 p.m. – Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival 4 p.m. – Extreme Weather |
| Tuesday, August 18 | Daytime Shows 1:00 p.m. – Experience the Aurora 1:30 p.m. – Live Journey through the Universe 2 p.m. – Black Holes 2:30 p.m. – Forward! To the Moon |
| Wednesday, August 19 | Daytime Shows 10 a.m. – T.REX 11 a.m. – Flight Adventures 11:30 a.m. – Live Constellations Show Noon – Fighter Pilot 1:00 p.m. – Two Small Pieces of Glass 1:30 p.m. – Oasis in Space 2 p.m. – D-Day: Normandy 1944 3 p.m. – Dark Universe |
| Thursday, August 20 | Daytime Shows 1 p.m. – Cities of the Future 2 p.m. – Mars 1001 3 p.m. – T.REX 4 p.m. – Extreme Weather |
| Friday, August 21 | Daytime Shows 10 a.m. – Superpower Dogs 11 a.m. – Live Night Sky Tour 11:30 a.m. – Astronaut Noon – Shackleton: Greatest Story of Survival 1:00 p.m. – Black Holes 1:30 p.m. – Cosmic Mashups 2 p.m. – Fighter Pilot 3 p.m. – Live Solar System Tour 3:30 p.m. – Dark Universe |
| Monday, August 24 | Daytime Shows 12:30 p.m. – .Flight Adventures 1 p.m. – Astronaut 1:30 p.m. – Live Night Sky Tour 2 p.m. – Eclipses & Phases of the Moon 2:30 p.m. – Galileo’s Moon: The Apollo 15 Story 3 p.m. – Black Holes |
| Tuesday, August 25 | Daytime Shows 10 a.m. – Superpower Dogs 11 a.m. – Back from the Brink Noon – D-Day: Normandy 1944 1 p.m. – Worlds Beyond Earth 1:30 p.m. – Extreme Weather |
School Field Trips and Group Shows
Academic classes and groups of all types (pre-school, elementary, middle, high school, homeschool, college, etc.) may request planetarium field trips at no cost.
When requesting a school visit, teachers may select a specific program from the list of programs on the Online Request Form, which include live, narrated astronomy shows tailored to science standards.
Homeschool families and groups are also welcome to join one of our Homeschool Program shows, listed in our Public Show Schedule. To reserve seats at our free Homeschool Program shows, register using the link provided next to the show date and time. If your plans change and you cannot attend, please email planetarium@afacademy.af.edu in order for your seats to be opened for other guests.
Educators interested in additional STEM resources and opportunities can find STEM Outreach information here.
Planetarium Field Trip/Group Visit Request
If you would like to schedule a school field trip or a group showing in the planetarium, please click the button below and complete the online request form. Our Planetarium school field trips and group showings are free of charge as a service to the community provided by the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Field Trips or Groups requesting a group show need to be a minimum of 20 people. If you have a special request for less than 20 people, please send a direct email to planetarium@afacademy.af.edu for consideration.
Cadet Shows
The Planetarium creates an immersive learning environment for cadets that can’t be replicated in a traditional classroom or online environment, leading to greater comprehension of complex topics. Although its primarily used as a source of astronomy and astrophysics education, the capabilities and content have expanded to encompass a variety of disciplines such as biology, chemistry, geology, engineering and history. To discuss how we can support curriculum or schedule a visit Monday through Friday, faculty and staff should email planetarium@afacademy.af.edu.
Available Shows
Journey across the cosmos with our astronomer to three extrasolar systems that help us answer the question that asks who, if anyone, is out there in our galaxy? Starting at our home solar system and travelling up to 200 light years away, the science behind other life forms and the planets they might live on is explained by an out-of-this-world expedition.
Run time: 25 minutes
Since the beginning of time, people have gazed upward at the night sky in fascination. But most people don’t realize what is up there or how much our modern way of life depends on the thousands of satellites that fly around our planet. Orbiting the Earth are satellites that allow us to communicate with each other, monitor the weather, help us get to where we’re going and keep our country safe.
Always Above explores how close space is to our daily lives and the role that the U.S. Space Force plays in launching, operating and defending these assets.
This 12-minute, visually stunning journey will take audiences from the depths of the ocean to thousands of miles into space. Always Above is an inspiring, educational experience for people of all ages who have ever looked to the skies and asked, “What’s up there?”
Run time: 12 minutes
This Apollo 15 50th Anniversary film, Galileo’s Moon, was produced by the Apollo 15 crew and associates to record some historical highlights of the mission as well as to share their personal experiences during the exploration of the Hadley Apennine site on the Moon during 1971. The film was produced privately from archival material retrieved from the period of the Apollo program.
The stunning visuals of the surface of the Moon taken during the Apollo 15 mission make you feel like you are one of the crew.
Run time: 55 minutes
June 6, 1944: The largest Allied operation of World War II began in Normandy, France. Yet, few know in detail exactly why and how, from the end of 1943 through August 1944, this region became the most important location in the world.
Blending multiple cinematographic techniques, including animation, CGI and stunning live-action images, “D-Day: Normandy 1944” brings this monumental event to the world’s largest screens for the first time ever. Audiences of all ages, including new generations, will discover from a new perspective how this landing changed the world. Exploring history, military strategy, science, technology and human values, the film will educate and appeal to all.
Narrated by Tom Brokaw, “D-Day: Normandy 1944” pays tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom… A duty of memory, a duty of gratitude.
Run time: 45 minutes
Kari Byron from Crash Test World and MythBusters launches us on a journey beyond the Earth towards a sustainable future in space.
NASA’s 21st century Artemis program, named after the Greek moon Goddess and twin of Apollo, is the next step in our mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon. Produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with TEND Studio.
Subtitles available by request.
Run time: 27 minutes
Journey to a land of grizzlies, coastal wolves, sea otters and the all-white spirit bear — the rarest bear on earth — in the film Great Bear Rainforest. Hidden from the outside world, the Great Bear Rainforest is one of the wildest places left on earth. Found on Canada's remote Pacific coast, it is the last intact temperate rainforest in the world—a place protected by the region's indigenous people for millennia. Now, for the first time ever, experience this magical world in IMAX and giant screen theatres, and discover the land of the spirit bear.
Narrated by Ryan Reynolds
Run Time: 43 minutes
Discover molten worlds and exploding craters! For billions of years, volcanoes have helped forge the world we know. Continents, the air we breathe and even life itself, have been shaped by volcanic energy. Volcanic processes have created extraordinary ecosystems and wildlife habitats. With over 500 active volcanoes, the Earth is bursting at the seams with these forces of mass construction.
Audiences will dodge boulders at the edge of an active volcano in Indonesia, descend to a lava lake in Vanuatu and visit incredible acid ponds, geysers and mineral deposit