The WVU Planetarium is re-opening for in-person shows mid-July! All visitors must follow WVU Safety Guidelines and wear a mask if unvaccinated. If you have any questions or concerns please email planetarium@mail.wvu.edu.

Stellarium - A free planetarium software that simulates the night sky any day or time. Great for seeing which planets are up and where to look! We often use this software during our virtual shows. We like the desktop version for enhanced capabilities, but the web version is also great!

Heavens Above - Set your location, then see what's up tonight! We use this website to make the sky charts in our Mountaineer Skies newsletter. It's also great for getting info when to see the International Space Station (ISS) pass overhead.   

Sign up for ISS notifications at Spot the Station.

Time and Date - We use this for the sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times in our Mountaineer Skies newsletter. 

Kepler's Laws - Learn how to draw an ellipse and learn the three laws of planetary motion! 

Ocean Acidification - Play with purple cabbage juice for an at-home demo showing how Earth's oceans are becoming more acidic with our excess carbon emissions.

Everything Falls at the Same Rate - Gravity is such a foundation, yet subtle, topic. You might expect heavier things to fall faster to the ground, but that's just air resistance getting in the way! Use a 2-liter bottle with some liquid for an at-home demo to prove it for yourself. 

Planetarium Director Career - WVU Planetarium Director, Dr. Kathryn Williamson, explains the benefits of a career in astronomy.

Telescope Basics - What's an eyepiece? What does a telescope's size mean? This video shows the basics.