Scobee Planetarium & Scalan Observatory
Since 1961, more than a million San Antonio school children and community members have learned about stars, planets, black holes and distant galaxies at the Scobee Planetarium. With the extensive renovation completed in 2014, the Scobee Planetarium now offers a more dynamic experience to even more visitors. The planetarium seats 100 individuals in reclined seats, a light and sound system and the most advanced Digistar 7 projection system.
The Scobee Planetarium offers Friday night public presentations at 6:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. The 6:30 p.m. show is an animated child friendly program, the 8:00 p.m. show is a live presentation of “The Sky Tonight,” and at 9:30 p.m. more academic movie programs are presented. Children must be 6 years old or older to be admitted to the 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. programs.
We offer advance ticket online the week prior to each planetarium program. Advance tickets will be full-price. Online sales will end when the Lackey Camp Casper ticket booth opens for onsite sales. Discounted tickets can only be purchased onsite sales at the Lackey Camp Casper ticket booth if there are seats available. Guests should check the online sales to ensure there are tickets available before heading to the center.
For more information, contact sac-ScobeeCtr@alamo.edu or call 210-486-0100
The Lackey Camp Casper Ticket booth sales at the center will be available starting at 6:00pm each Friday evening for the shows available on that evening. Tickets may be purchased with credit card, cash or check. All members of the party should be present when tickets are purchased. Once the doors close, no one is admitted late to the presentation.
Friday Night Public Show - Schedule
The Scobee Planetarium programs for Fridays during the month of September 2024.
6:30 - Beyond the Sun (Family Friendly with no age restrictions)
8:00 - Sky Tonight Live (Children must be 6yrs. or older to attend.)
9:30 - Unseen Universe & Forward Moon (Children must be 6yrs. or older to attend.)
Tickets are available through our online now for Friday night.
October 1, 2024 - Serving Our Community for 63 years!
A few years ago, we scanned through the old "Ranger" student paper archives, communincations office files, and anything that might reflect the earliest reports on the San Antonio College's 1961 Planetarium. There appears to have been a period of testing and training leading to Sunday, October 1st, 1961 when there is a reporting of the 1st public program. The original white, "golf ball" dome served with few exterior changes until 1994 when a silver cladding was added and the theater was rededicated to the late Commander Dick Scobee who was a student at SAC.
In 2012, the theater closed for considerable renovations and was joined by the Challenger Learning Center which was previously located at the Brooks AF Station. The planetarium's original history has not been lost, but its story is regularly being expanded upon as its foundational investment in our area's STEM education is elevated. The new center's Grand Opening was October 31, 2014, so the larger anniversary celebrations now fall to the end of the month. This year, the Scobee Education Center's 10th Anniversary will be celebrated on Friday, November 1st from 6-10:30pm. All planetarium seats will be reduced to only $3.00 and on this date only. "Everyone" will be a discounted member of the SAC family for this one evening of celestial fun.
The Planetarium programs starting on October 4th are:
6:30 p.m. – “LITTLE STAR THAT COULD” – This is our family show. All ages may attend.
8:00 p.m. - SKY TONIGHT LIVE" - Children must be 6yrs or older to attend
9:30 p.m. - DOUBLE FEATURE, “SEEING” AND “THE SUN, OUR LIVING STAR” - Children must be 6yrs or older to attend
Information on all Planetarium shows scheduled on Friday Nights from September to December 2024 can be found here.
Ticket Information & Pricing
If viewing on a mobile device, click the red Ticket Information tab to toggle to Ticket Pricing.
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The Scobee Planetarium ticket sales have been brisk. There are only 101 seats in our theatre and the shows often sell out.
We offer advance ticket sales online the week prior to each Friday Night planetarium program. Online sales will end when the Lackey Camp Casper ticket booth opens for onsite sales. Advance tickets will be full-price. Discounted tickets will only be available through the onsite sales at the Lackey Camp Casper ticket booth. Look at Ticket Pricing for our prices.
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Tickets may be purchased in the Lackey Camp-Casper ticket booth inside the Scobee Education Center after 6:00 p.m. each Friday evening of operation. On site sales accept credit card, cash or check.
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Seats are selected at the time of your ticket purchase. As many as ten seats may be purchased at one time. Groups larger than ten should contact the center office for options to private viewing presentations at 5:00pm. Shows start promptly at the designated times and due to the nature of the planetarium theatre, late entry is not permitted. Shows are generally 35 to 55 minutes in length.
- Birthday parties reservations are subject to availability of the Briefing Room and programming with party shows scheduled at 5:00pm.
See show schedule for age restrictions. Age restrictions will not be waived for the 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. programs.For more information, sac-ScobeeCtr@alamo.edu or call 210-486-0100
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We offer advance ticket sales online starting Saturday the week prior to each Friday night planetarium program.
Online sales will end when the Lackey Camp Casper ticket booth opens for onsite sales at 6:00pm. Please, check this site before coming to the center to ensure a program has not been sold out before you arrive.
Advance tickets will be full-price seats $5/child and $6/adult.
Discounted tickets will only be available through the onsite sales at the Lackey Camp Casper ticket booth. Onsite discounts are as follows:
Alamo Colleges Student or Employee with Current ID $3.00
Senior 65+, Military, Teacher with ID $5.00
Child under 17 yrs of age $5.00
Adults $6.00
*Parents, please do not ask us to waive the age restrictions for the 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. shows.
For more information, sac-ScobeeCtr@alamo.edu or call 210-486-0100.
Programs Offered
Public programming is available on Friday Evenings only.
School, camp and community group programs are available by reservation only during other times and dates. It is recommended that large scout and community groups prearrange their own programs instead of meeting at the public presentations in order to have everyone in their group seated. If you are coordinating a large group, please, contact our center to make special group arrangements during weekdays prior to the Friday evening public performances. Call (210) 486-0100 or email sac-ScobeeCtr@alamo.edu
*Educators may download a summary of the planetarium presentations: 2024 - 2025 Planetarium Show Listings w/TEKS
School Group Planetarium Registration Form
(Group presentation) Our planetarium programs are designed to be “grade-specific.”
Virtual “Sky Tonight Live” presentations have a $150 fee and are astronomer led for up to 100 students via a secure zoom web platform. To plan a virtual journey, contact our planetarium coordinator, Michelle Risse at mrisse2@alamo.edu for more information and scheduling next steps.
Scalan Observatory
Housed atop the iconic blue Charles E. Cheever, Jr. Star Tower, the Scalan Observatory houses a 10-inch refractor telescope and features a 360-degree rotating dome, enabling stargazing in any direction. The adjacent Powell Star Deck accommodates up to 50 guests for a rooftop star gazing experience or an outdoor classroom for astronomy students.
The Scalan Observatory is only available on Friday evenings in two viewing sessions at 9:30pm and 10:30pm. Observatory availability is subject to weather conditions and availability of staffing. When available a limited number of single price $3.00 tickets are only sold at the Lackey Camp Casper ticket booth in the center. Guests attending the 9:30 presentation may purchase observatory tickets at the time of their planetarium purchase. Tickets will not be sold during evenings of extreme temperatures or cloud cover and will never be sold in advance online.
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