Skip to main content
Department of State

New Jersey State Museum

The Hon. Tahesha Way, Lt. Governor and Secretary of State
Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin

Explore The Museum

Planetarium - Public Programs

Soar into space in the New Jersey State Museum’s Planetarium! With our Ultra-High Resolution 8K projection system and our 140 spacious, specially-designed reclined seats, your experience is sure to be comfortable and out of this world! Our dynamic and knowledgeable planetarium presenters will take you on tours of New Jersey’s skies and beyond.

Public Show Times:
Weekdays: Tuesday – Friday, 2:30 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm & 3:00 pm
Summer Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm

Public shows are roughly 50 minutes total, with full-dome planetarium films preceded by live star talks presented by planetarium staff. Shows for our visitors 8 and younger are roughly 30 minutes long with no pre-show star talk.

The Public Show Schedule changes monthly and is listed in our Calendar of Events. Also see our Calendar of Events to find out about our special public programming!

The last Saturday & Sunday of each month, a Spanish language show is available at 11:00 am.

Ticket Information:
Children 2 and under    -------------------------Free
Children 3 to 12    --------------------------------$5
Ages 13+    ------------------------------------------$10
Veterans/Seniors/Students    --------------$9
Groups of 15 or more    -----------------------$5 per person.
Families First Card or eWIC Card    ------Up to 4 Tickets Free

Advanced ticket sales are not available; box office opens 30 minutes before the first show

School/Group Visits

To schedule a school or community group visit to the Planetarium, call (609) 292-1382 or email njsm.reservations@sos.nj.gov

Happy Birthday from the New Jersey State Museum!

Bring your child to the Planetarium for their birthday and receive a free gift! Just tell the box office when buying tickets and give them the birthday child’s first name. They will give your child the free gift and the Planetarium will announce the birthday before the show! If you call three or more business days in advance, the Planetarium will also add a banner to the dome to celebrate! To add the banner, contact Jacob.Hamer@sos.nj.gov

Book a Private Show*

Experience our Ultra-High Resolution 8K projection system in an exclusive private show for you and your friends, family or community group. Reservations must be made three weeks in advance. Final head count and full payment is due two weeks in advance with no exceptions. Contact Reservations at (609) 292-1382 or email njsm.reservations@sos.nj.gov.

Private shows includes:

  • Show of your choice
  • Star talk before the show
  • Digital banner to celebrate your special occasion displayed on dome before the show
  • No minimum for group size

We offer two options:
1. During regular Museum operation hours: $300 for up to 40 people and $5 per person for each additional person up to 140. These private shows are only available on these days and times:

  • Saturday and Sunday: 9:30am and 10:30am
  • Tuesday-Friday: From 9:30am to 2:30pm, depending on availability

2. After-hours for an additional fee: $500 for up to 40 people and $5 per person for each additional person up to 140. After-hours private shows are available on these days and times:

  • Between 4:00pm and 8:00pm Tuesday-Sunday

*Please note: This option is for one show only. This is not a space rental. If your group requires planning for a business event including food, presentation stage, sound system or other special considerations you must contact NJSM.rentals@sos.nj.gov to secure a rental contract for use of space. Birthday parties cannot make private use of the public spaces in the building.

Planetarium Programs Through March 30

Destination Mars

12:00 pm
Destination Mars

Ever wonder what it would be like to fly to Mars? NASA – and others – have their sights set on the Red Planet and they’re building the technology to get us there! Destination Mars: The New Frontier gives you an up-close look at humanity’s most epic endeavor. Explore the work being done around the globe to help make the dream of getting humans to Mars a reality. Fly through the International Space Station, where astronauts are already living and working in space, and follow the rockets and vehicles that will take humans beyond the Moon and, one day, all the way to Mars! Travel along as we imagine this remarkable journey. This film is narrated by former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison and Emmy-award winning actor Keith David and includes original music by Claudio Ragazzi, a Grammy Award-winning professor at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

 

Magic Tree House: Space Mission
1:00 pm

Based on the book series by Mary Pope Osborne. Adventure through space with brother-sister team of Jack and Annie….and their Magic Tree House! Learn about what it is like to live in space as well as where we are going in the future.

 

Spark: The Universe in Us
2:00 pm Weekends, 2:30 pm Weekdays

From the oxygen we breathe to the uranium that warms our planet’s core, we owe everything to the stars! Narrated by Diego Luna, “Spark: The Universe in Us” explores how hundreds of millions of celestial events have forged the elements that make up the Solar System, Earth, and us. Join us as we travel deep inside a giant star that is about to implode, experience the quiet demise of a star like the Sun, and witness the collision of compact stellar cores. Journey across space and time as we explore the movement of elements through our galaxy to understand how stars seed the Universe with the building blocks of life.

 

Touch the Stars
3:00 pm

“Touch the Stars” dramatically showcases the robotic spacecraft used in the exploration of our solar system and the galaxy beyond. The film traces the path to space through the history of NASA’s probes, orbiters, and landers—from the heart of our solar system and the surface of its planets and moons to the grand tour of the Voyager spacecraft through the outer planets and beyond. Created with the cooperation of NASA and Lockheed Martin, and using the latest high definition imagery and scientific data, fulldome show “Touch the Stars” engages audiences through the use of real footage and 3-dimensional vistas, transporting us to planets and distant stars alongside these heroic robot explorers for an unforgettable voyage.

 

 

Visit Explore Digital Resources Learn Events Support Shop About

 

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, a native of Montclair, New Jersey, was the second man to stand on the surface of the moon. The visor in his helmet shows a reflection of Astronaut Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon) taking this picture, as well as one footpad of the Lunar Module Eagle and the United States flag planted next to it.

 

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Back
to top