Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, Science education center in Montreal Olympic Park, Canada

The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium is a science center in Montreal's Olympic Park, with two dome theaters called Chaos and Milky Way. Each theater surrounds the audience with projected images of the sky, showing programs about space, stars, and the cosmos.

The planetarium opened in 2013, replacing the former Dow Planetarium that had served Montreal from 1966 until its closure in 2011. The new building brought updated projection systems and a broader range of programs to the city.

The planetarium is part of Space for Life, a network bringing together institutions focused on natural sciences and environmental learning. It connects astronomical knowledge with local awareness about nature and ecology.

The planetarium stands at 4801 Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin, beside the Olympic Stadium and the Biodome in the Space for Life complex. Visitors pick one of two programs and then watch two presentations, one in each dome theatre, so allow time for both. All exhibits and presentations are offered in French and English.

A team from the planetarium traveled to Yellowknife and captured over 179,000 images of northern lights to build a dedicated aurora show. The result lets visitors see the phenomenon in a level of detail that is rarely possible in person.