Public Shows

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Tickets are required for all planetarium and live animal programs. Observatory activities are included with admission.

Planetarium programs run Saturday/Sunday with additional programs Friday evenings.

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These shows are for general admission visitors. School groups and other groups may attend regularly scheduled public astronomy or entertainment shows, but are limited to 35 people per program. Private astronomy or entertainment shows for up to 75 people can be scheduled weekday mornings and afternoons throughout the school year. Further information is available on our For Teachers Web page.

VISITOR'S TIPS

• Programs begin promptly. We suggest you arrive an hour before showtime. Always leave yourself enough time to park the car, purchase tickets, check your coats and strollers, visit the restrooms, etc.
• Planetariums are not like movie theaters. Planetariums are too dark to allow audience members to come and go as they please (it is dangerous and disruptive). Latecomers will not be admitted.
• Visit the restrooms before the program begins. Once the lights go down, visitors can leave, but are not permitted to reenter (see above).
• Planetariums are great places for kids, but to recreate a nighttime environment the planetarium theater has to be dark. Note that strollers are not permitted.
• Please turn off cell phones, beepers and other noisy electronic or light emitting devices while inside the theater.
• Note: food and drink are not permitted in the planetarium.

Observatory

Join Institute astronomers in the observatory as we explore the wonders of the night sky through the Institute's 6-inch refracting telescope. The observatory is free with museum admission.

Hours:
Friday evening, 8:30 to 10pm, weather permitting.
Every first Sunday of the month, 1 to 4pm, weather permitting.

The Sun & Moon

Lunar Phase

Solar Activity

Will the sky by clear?
Below is a link to an indicator that attempts to show at a glance when, in the next 48 hours, clear and dark skies are expected for Cranbrook Institute of Science.

The forecast data comes from a numerical weather model run by Canadian Meteorological Centre.

Click on the link then read from left to right. Locate a column of blue blocks. That is when the sky will likely to be clear and dark.

Cranbrook Institute of Science Clear Sky Clock

LIVE Bat Programs

Weekdays June 27-Labor Day: 12:30 and 2:30pm

Saturday: 12:30 and 2:30pm
Sunday: 1:30 and 2:30pm

Friday Night Bat Walks

Join the experts at the Bat Zone each Friday evening this summer starting June 17 for a walking tour of bats and their habitats. We’ll show you some of our bat houses, discuss bat feeding habits and benefits, and search the skies for some of the bats living on campus.

June 17 - July 29 at 9pm
August 5 at 8:45pm
August 12 & 19 at 8:30pm
August 26 & September 2 at 8pm

$5 general public; $4 for CIS and OBC Members.