Come to the Julia Fowler Planetarium for stunning and engaging shows, presented by in-house experts. Many fulldome shows are voiced by popular actors such as Mark Hamill, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, Liam Neeson, etc.
exclusive shows at Eastern University
Dr. Bradstreet and Steve Sanders present live shows at the Julia Fowler Planetarium. They have created many unique presentations that are exclusive to Eastern University. Shows include:
+ Live Sky Tonight
Live sky tonight shows are given by one of our planetarium instructors. These presentations are interactive and will showcase the constellations, planets, and other astronomical events happening on the night of your visit.
+ Curriculum Series
In the Curriculum series we will dive into the Fulldome Curriculum which was created by Dr. Bradstreet. We will explore a variety of topics which cover (but are not limited to) the moon, planets, seasons, galaxies, time telling, coordinate systems and more.
+ Fulldome Videos
Fulldome movies are fully rendered and narrated movies, typically by someone famous such as Liam Neeson or Benedict Cumberbatch. Our line-up, which rotates quite often, consists of these shows: Stars, Black Holes, We are Astronomers, Solar Superstorms, and Astronaut.
+ Star of Bethlehem Show (December only)
The Julia Fowler Planetarium at Eastern University presents the full-dome Star of Bethlehem program in McInnis Hall, 1300 Eagle Road, St. Davids, PA, on December 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, and 17. Show times are 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. each night.
The show is based on a dialog between an astronomer and his five-year-old daughter (played by Biology Professor Maria Fichera’s daughter, Carina) who wants to know why we have Christmas traditions like mistletoe, candy canes, twelve days of Christmas, decorating houses with greenery, and the Star of Bethlehem. The show explains the origins of many of our Christmas customs and then investigates when Jesus might have been born. After narrowing down the date, the show takes the audience back to Jerusalem and Bethlehem around 3 BC and attempts to look into the sky and find something that might have been interpreted as the famous Star which led the Wise Men to the Christ child. Fascinating new historical clues have led to an interesting new twist to the story …but you’ll have to come and see for yourself to discover just what this new theory actually is!
Tickets are by reservation only and are $10 per seat, pay at the door. The presentation will last about 45 minutes. To make reservations, click here. You will get a confirmation within one to two business days.