Home School Days.

Special Days for Home Schoolers

If you are a home schooler and would like to visit the Abrams Planetarium, here are some dates and times we've scheduled for you to visit. Of course you can still call and reserve any other show times, but these special homeschool dates are open to anyone. No reservation needed and no minimum group size charge.

We've set aside the first Wednesday of the month for the 2025/2026 school year. Tickets will be sold at the gift counter starting at 1:00 p.m. Showtimes are at 1:30 p.m. There will be no late seating. Tickets are $3.00 per person.

Messengers in Time and Space
October 1, 2025

Messengers of Time and Space is an, immersive, NSF NOIRLab-produced planetarium show made possible through a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation called Gemini in the Era of Multi-Messenger Astronomy (GEMMA), which is aimed at advancing the leadership role of the International Gemini Observatory in the area of multi-messenger astronomy. The planetarium show highlights how Gemini will work together with observatories that monitor the night sky for exciting astronomical events that change with time, such as the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
Grades 6 and Up


We Are Stars
November 5, 2025

What are we made of? Where did it all come from? Explore the secrets of our cosmic chemistry, and our explosive origins. Connect life on Earth to the evolution of the Universe by following the formation of Hydrogen atoms to the synthesis of Carbon, and the molecules for life. Narrated by Andy Serkis.
Grades 4 and up


Instructional Materials
Show Trailer
Living in Balance
December 3, 2025

Living in Balance: Anishinaabe Star Knowledge highlights Anishinaabe stories of constellations and moons in relation to contemporary insights about environmental changes. Teachings shared by Native Skywatchers Carl Gawboy, William Wilson, and Dr. Annette S. Lee are narrated by Aarin Dokum with Anishinaabemowin translations by Alphonse Pitawanakwat set to art by Elizabeth LaPensée.
Grades 5 and up

The Great Solar System Adventure
January 7, 2026

Join showman extraordinaire “The Great Schiaparelli” as he takes the audience on a death-defying space-time adventure within his wondrous Observatorium. From the sun-scorched surface of Mercury to the icy expanses of Pluto and beyond, prepare to be subjected to the myriad dangers and wonders of our Solar System, on a breathtaking tour that reveals just how precious our home planet really is. Be warned though, the Observatorium isn’t just for show. It will transport the audience right to the heart of some of the deadliest locations in our slice of the heavens. It’s going to take some fancy flying to get everyone back in one piece!
Grades 2 - 5

Ice Worlds
February 4, 2026

The delicate balance between ice, water and the existence of life has been a topic of exploration and discovery in science for generations. In travels to the Arctic and Antarctic regions of our planet, we'll examine the ecosystems that live and thrive there and see how their survival is connected with our own. Beyond Earth, we'll see how the existence of ice shapes the landscape and the natural systems on other planets and moons in our solar system.
Grades 6 and up


Show Trailer
Phantom of the Universe
March 4, 2026

Join us as we showcase an exciting exploration of dark matter, from the Big Bang to its anticipated discovery at the Large Hadron Collider. See the first hints of its existence through the eyes of Fritz Zwicky, the scientist who coined the term "dark matter." From there explore the astral choreography witnessed by Vera Rubin in the Andromeda Galaxy and then plummet deep underground to see the most sensitive dark matter detector on Earth, housed in a former gold mine. Finally journey across space and time to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, to learn how scientists around the world are collaborating to track down the constituents of dark matter.
Grades 8 and up

Show Trailer

Chasing the Ghost Particle
April 1, 2026

Deep in the ice at the heart of Antarctica, IceCube, the biggest and strangest detector in the world waits for mysterious messengers from the cosmos. Scientists are using tiny and elusive particles called neutrinos to explore the most extreme places in the universe. These ghostly neutrinos give us an exclusive way to study powerful cosmic engines like exploding stars and black holes. In this show, stunning simulations of the most energetic places in our universe, and the galaxies around us, are the prelude to a thrilling journey inside IceCube, looking for traces of neutrino collisions in the ice. From one of the most remote locations on Earth to the unexplored regions of the cosmos, this show will take you on a journey you won't forget.
Grades 8 and up

Show Trailer

Dinosaurs
May 6, 2026

Like almost all children, Celeste is fascinated with dinosaurs. She is preparing a talk for her class about how they went extinct when Moon, a very wise and magical character, poses a tantalizing question: what if I told you that there are still dinosaurs among us? Celeste will join Moon in a journey through time. An exciting adventure that will show them the Earth as it was in the very, very distant past. They will see the fascinating transformations that these animals underwent over millions of years, creating giant creatures, armored beasts and super predators, until the day that a cataclysmic impact event caused a mass extinction on Earth. But all is not lost. Celeste will discover the key to their survival.
Grades 1 - 5

Violent Universe
June 3, 2026

The beauty of a starlit sky conceals the violent forces at work within our universe. From the upheaval of a giant star that explodes to release its material into space, to a future encounter between the Earth and a large asteroid that is too close for comfort, we will witness the forces that hold the universe together and occasionally try to rip it apart. Narrated by Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men films.
Grades 6 and up

Show Trailer


Planetarium Parking (Click for Map):

Weekends and weekdays after 6:00 pm free parking is available in the lot directly across the street from Abrams Planetarium (Lot 41). Weekdays from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm public parking for the planetarium is limited. Busses and other marked vehicles may park directly in front of the planetarium, in the bus loading zone while their presentation is being given. On weekdays the closest public parking to the planetarium is in the parking ramp directly behind the building (Shaw Lane Parking Ramp, Ramp 1/Lot 51). Public parking is in the basement sublevels and is Pay by Plate. For more information about Pay by Plate, please visit to the MSU Parking Services website.


Adult Supervision

This is not a drop-off program. All students must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times. Parents and chaperones also must buy a ticket for $3.00. Children under two years of age will be admitted at no cost, but we strongly suggest children under two years of age stay home. If a child becomes noisy and disruptive, we may ask that you leave the planetarium theater.


Recommended Ages

The recommended grades given for the above shows are our recommendations based on the show's content. However, students of all ages will be permitted to any of the shows.


Click here for information about the MSU observatory public observing dates. The MSU observatory houses a 24" telescope used for astronomical research. One weekend a month, the telescope is set up for use by the public. Smaller telescopes are set up in the parking lot in front of the observatory. The telescopes will be looking at the Moon, planets and other celestial sights. The dates are typically the weekend closest to the First Quarter Moon

Click here for information about the MSU Astronomy Department lecture series. Once a month, an Astronomy Department faculty member gives a public talk about their current research. The lectures are geared towards general audiences. The lectures are free. Talks start at 7:30 p.m. and usually last about an hour.