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William M. Staerkel Planetarium | |
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![]() Exterior of the William M. Staerkel Planetarium | |
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General information | |
Type | Planetarium |
Address | 2400 W Bradley Ave |
Town or city | Champaign |
Country | United States |
Opened | 1987[1] |
Affiliation | Parkland College |
Website | |
www |
The William M. Staerkel Planetarium is a planetarium at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois.[2] It is the second largest planetarium in the state, the largest being the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, and has the first Carl Zeiss M1015 opto-mechanical star projector installed in the western hemisphere.[3] The Staerkel Planetarium provides science education programs and light show entertainment to as many as 40,000 people each year. It has a 50-foot dome, seats 144, and private group and school show reservations can be made beyond the regular public offerings.[4]
Public shows are every Friday and Saturday evenings. Aside from their regular star shows, the planetarium also hosts a lecture series the first Friday of every month.
The planetarium is named after Parkland College's founding president, who led the college for the first 20 years.