Travel through Space and Time
The Wenatchee River Institute’s (WRI) Traveling Planetarium brings the stars and planets to schools throughout North Central Washington! Students have the opportunity to see the night sky during different times of the year, learn constellations and get to know our sun, moon, and stars like never before.
How often do you look up?
We see stars and constellations on occasion, but it may not be something that we look at intentionally very often. Simply looking up into the sky can inspire our imaginations, bringing us all back to a stage in life where we are curious, full of wonder.
With our planetarium, this becomes possible...
The planetarium is a large dome (11'x20') that projects a realistic view of the sky in real time, showing anything from the moon’s path throughout the year, the projection of the 35+ Northern Hemisphere constellations, or even travel to different points in the solar system – like the moon or Saturn!
The planetarium was donated in 2017 from a generous local family to kickstart the Traveling Planetarium Program, allowing WRI to bring the wonder of space to schools all over North Central Washington.
“Students were fascinated by the stars and planets. It’s a jaw-dropping encounter when they first see it!” - Deanna Butcher, Youth Programs Coordinator
The planetarium is always a popular and fun program, no matter the age. In 2023, WRI started offering this program to adults as well. During the workshops, participants spent time inside the planetarium, then went outside to see the real night sky while on snowshoes. One participant said she “enjoyed learning the names and images of constellations and actually finding a few of them in the night sky.”
The planetarium captures imagination, allowing deeper exploration into the universe, touching on stories behind constellations from other cultures. More importantly, we are helping create more stories and sparking that curiosity of the world around us.
Interested in participating?
- If you are a teacher or school employee and want to learn more about bringing the Traveling Planetarium to your school, click here.
- If you are a community member looking to participate in a planetarium program, sign up for our E-Newsletter to be notified when a program is scheduled or check out our calendar here.
