Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, Space education center in Grand Rapids, United States
The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium is a space education facility in Grand Rapids with a 50-foot aluminum dome fitted with digital projectors that display stars and celestial objects across its curved interior. Shows run throughout the day and cover various topics in astronomy and space exploration.
The facility opened during the 1960s with a mechanical star projector and was renamed in 1967 to honor astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, who died in the Apollo 1 fire.
The shows here incorporate Native American knowledge about the stars, blending traditional perspectives with contemporary scientific understanding of the night sky.
Combination tickets are available if you want to visit both this facility and the nearby Grand Rapids Public Museum on the same day. Shows run several times daily, so check the schedule before arriving to plan your visit.
This facility creates custom laser light programs on location, regularly developing new productions that are added to its astronomy collection. This approach sets it apart from many other planetariums that rely primarily on pre-made content.
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