Scobee Planetarium at San Antonio College

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – Revised November 2008

The staff of the Scobee Planetarium at San Antonio College receives a variety of questions from teachers and the public concerning its programming and operation. Perhaps some of your questions are answered below.

1. What are the Scobee Planetarium's hours of operation?

The planetarium staff is available Monday through Friday from 8:00am until noon, and after the lunch hour from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30pm. The planetarium is closed on the weekends and holidays observed by San Antonio College.

2. Where do I park?

The Scobee Planetarium is located one block east of the intersection of San Pedro Avenue and West Park Avenue - near the center of the San Antonio College campus. Outside and adjacent to the planetarium and the Nail Technical building is parking Lot #21. Lot #21 is designated for faculty and staff of the college, but visitors to the planetarium arriving by cars or vans are allowed to park in this area. Bordering Lot #21 is a designated BUS LANE. School busses park in this bus lane. See map link at the bottom of this page. Visitors to our school shows are required to check in 15 minutes prior to show time to purchase tickets. Remember – Late admission to the planetarium is not admitted.

3. What is the cost for the planetarium's school or public shows?

All of our school and public shows carry an admission fee. Please note that certain age restrictions apply. For 2008-2009, our admission fees are as follows:

School Show Admission Fees

Teachers and Teacher Aides- FREE

$ 2.00 per student

$ 5.00 per accompanying parent or adult chaperone

Senior Citizens (age 55 and above) - $3.00

Note: Underage children are not admitted to our school shows. Our programs are "grade specific" and the age restrictions vary due to program content. Please check the age restrictions prior to attending the show you wish see. Because of past disturbances made by underage children, no exceptions are made to this policy.

Friday Night Public Show Admission Fees

Children age 4 to 17 - $2.00

Adults age 18 and above - $5.00

Senior Citizens (age 55 and above) - $3.00

ACC students, staff, and faculty - Free with ID. This applies only to students, staff and faculty of the ACC system. Valid ID is required for free admission. Without ID, regular adult prices apply.

Note: Age restrictions apply for our public shows. Programs are "grade specific" and the age restrictions vary due to program content. Please check the age restrictions prior to attending the show you wish see. Because of past disturbances made by underage children, no exceptions are made to this policy. See the "Public Show" web page for more details.

4. When can teachers bring their students on field trips to the planetarium?

School shows for the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 are presented Monday through Thursday, at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, and 12:30 PM. All reservations must be made through our reservation secretary by calling 210-733-2910. Note: Friday is currently not available for school shows. Also, a few days throughout each semester are reserved exclusively for our college classes.

5. What kind of groups can attend the daily school shows?

The majority of our daily shows are presented to teachers and their students. However, the daily shows are also available to other community groups such as Scouts, Senior citizen groups, home-schools, etc. Groups attending our school shows must also meet our age requirements. Special needs groups must speak with the secretary for additional information before reservations can be made.

6. When can the public visit the planetarium?

Friday evenings are public nights at the planetarium. Show times and program descriptions are highlighted on our Scobee Planetarium Public Show web page.

7. Are reservations necessary for the Friday night public shows?

Unlike the daily school schedule requiring prior arrangements, reservations are not taken for the Friday night public programs. Seating for individuals or groups is allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Saving places in line for people who have not yet arrived is not permitted. The planetarium doors open about 20 minutes prior to show time to begin tickets sales and seating. Our seating capacity is limited to approximately 80 t0 85 people per show and early arrival is recommended. Once the program has begun, there is absolutely no late admittance.

8. I notice that the planetarium has age restrictions for its shows. Why?

The planetarium is a specialized environment within which the stars, moon, and planets are simulated onto a curved projection dome overhead. Darkness is part of the program and this environment is often not suitable for younger children. Also, the enhanced acoustics of the theater amplify any talking or distractions made by underage visitors. As most of our programs are nearly an hour in length, it has been our experience (and often we as well as the rest of the audience are noisily reminded) that the planetarium environment is best suited for children above a certain age. Our children's show, “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket”, requires an age of 4 years and above to attend. Other shows require an older child of 6 or above to understand the more advanced program content. We request that parents not ask us to make exceptions to this policy and instead wait until their child reaches the age best suited to enjoy their planetarium experience.

9. Why are public shows given only on Friday evenings?

Parking! Over 20,000 students attend San Antonio College. Parking for the general public is very difficult to find. However, on Friday evenings parking is readily available near the planetarium. Also, on other nights of the week Continuing Education or college departments utilize the planetarium. Friday evenings belong to the public! See Map link to the Scobee Planetarium.

10. Can I make a reservation to bring a group to a private planetarium performance?

A private performance of a planetarium public or school show requires a minimum of 75 people and no more than our 85 person seating limit. Dates and times for private shows must be coordinated into our school, college, and public show commitments. The planetarium is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

11. How about birthday parties, weddings, etc?

Sorry, the planetarium is not available for birthday parties, weddings or similar events. The planetarium is both a theater and a classroom utilized by hundreds of people daily. The facility is not equipped with room to host these types of functions or the staff to clean up afterwards.

12. Do planetarium programs include a religious or biblical interpretation of the universe's creation?

No. While the planetarium staff respects an individual's or church's religious interpretation of astronomical events; our programming is based upon the scientific interpretation of astronomical observation and theory.

13. Is the planetarium accessible to the handicapped?

Yes, our wheel chair ramp is found at the main/north entrance to the planetarium. Seating for a limited number of wheel chairs is available within the planetarium theater. The Observatory has been redesigned as it is now wheelchair accessible.

14. The stars look so real. Does the dome of the planetarium really open to show everyone the night sky?

You'd be surprised how many times that question arises. No, the dome of the planetarium does not open - it is both ceiling and roof of our cosmic theater. Inside the planetarium the audience views a simulation of the night sky projected unto the curved ceiling overhead. Day or night, rain or sunshine, the planetarium is always ready to show you the wonders of the universe. The only dome that does open is a portion of the Observatory roof that slides back to allow the telescope to view the actual sky.

15. Can I call the planetarium staff and ask questions about astronomical events happening in the sky?

Yes, please do. Our phone number is (210) 733-2910. Each day the staff answers a variety of questions received from the public, news media, teachers and students concerning astronomical events visible in San Antonio's night sky. We can answer your questions or provide information on just about anything visible in the heavens - identifying stars, constellations, planets, Moon phases, sunrise/sunset times, meteor showers, eclipse details, buying a telescope - almost everything astronomical. However, please note that the planetarium staff's expertise is in astronomy, not astrology!