From outer space to Earth's inner core, explore the universe from Morrison Planetarium's 75-foot digital dome.

Home to one of the world’s largest all-digital planetarium domes, the Academy is an incredible place to see stars on the big screen. For the real thing, however, few places compare to Chile.
In Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries, journey to three world-class observatories in Chile’s rugged Andes Mountains and arid Atacama Desert—remote, extreme regions that happen to have the perfect conditions for astronomical research. Along the way, you’ll meet an inspiring cast of astronomers, engineers, technicians, and support staff who keep these mega-machines running.
While Morrison Planetarium is temporarily closed, we're taking the show online! Join us on YouTube for weekly 360˚-livestreams of Big Astronomy:
There’s a reason Chile is home to about 70% of the world’s astronomy infrastructure: Dry, stable air and clear, dark night skies. These ideal atmospheric and meteorological conditions—plus the virtual absence of light pollution—enable Chilean observatories to view celestial bodies thousands of light-years away.
From keeping 4-meter mirrors spotless to interpreting terabytes of interstellar data, running the world’s largest observatories requires the coordinated efforts of hundreds of passionate, talented people with a constellation of diverse skills.
Big Astronomy’s observatories look into space in two different ways. Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and Gemini South Observatory use optical telescopes to collect and magnify visible light with mirrors, while the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a radio telescope comprising 66 networked antennae that collect radio waves emitted by distant astronomical objects.
Learning or teaching from home? Our Educator Guide brings Big Astronomy’s cosmic concepts back down to Earth. Get clear, concise explanations of key astronomy terms, and dig in to hands-on activities, extensions, and enrichment for students of all ages.
From outer space to Earth's inner core, explore the universe from Morrison Planetarium's 75-foot digital dome.
Help us continue to recover, rebound, and rebuild. Please contribute to the Academy Resilience Fund today.
Big Astronomy is a collaboration between Abrams Planetarium at MSU, Associated Universities Inc. (AUI), Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), California Academy of Sciences, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Ward Beecher Planetarium at YSU, Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA), Vera C. Rubin Observatory construction project, NSF’s NOIRLab facilities Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and the international Gemini Observatory. Big Astronomy is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (Award #: 1811436).
This year’s closures are having a devastating effect on the Academy. But until Dec. 31, all gifts will be matched 5x, up to $200,000, to support our scientific research, education programs, and care and conservation of our animals.
Please help the Academy with a tax-deductible gift today.
This year’s closures are having a devastating effect on the Academy. But until Dec. 31, all gifts will be matched, up to $100,000, to support our scientific research, education programs, and care and conservation of our animals.
Please help the Academy with a tax-deductible gift today.
...but our penguins are still counting on you. Make a matched Giving Tuesday gift to support the care and conservation of the Academy’s animal residents.
All gifts up to $50,000 will be doubled to make twice the impact for our penguin colony — but only until midnight on December 1.
The Academy is open to the public. All guests must reserve tickets in advance.
Please do your part to keep our community safe. Failure to follow any health and safety rules, posted signage, or staff instructions may result in your removal from the museum:
Click the link below to view complete safety information and reserve timed-entry tickets. We hope to see you soon!
The health and safety of our guests and staff is our top priority. As of November 29, the Academy is closed to the public until further notice in accordance with local and state public health guidelines. We hope to welcome you back soon.