Their purpose is to link individuals to the wonders of the cosmos to inspire and engage curious minds.
Clark Planetarium has been Salt Lake’s go-to location for guests of all ages who have wanted to investigate and learn about space and science for more than 50 years.
Clark Planetarium is a science center in downtown Salt Lake City. It provides out-of-this-world All-ages fun. Clark has 10,000 square feet of exhibit area, a full-dome cinema, and an IMAX theater. Clark also has one of the state’s most significant scientific gift shops. Clark Planetarium is many people’s first voyage to space; they hope it isn’t their last.
EXHIBITS
Investigate the Earth
The Clark Planetarium has three levels of free, interactive displays. Indulge your curiosity by experimenting and playing with the exhibits and learning new things about our Earth, space, the solar system, and beyond.
The Elements That Shape Our Changing Planet
The Earth is a dynamic globe, with everything from wind, water, volcanoes, and earthquakes to cosmic collisions.
Earth Exhibits
Restless Planet
Step inside a massive storm, build a volcano, or rally your friends to create the largest possible earthquake! Take time to see how the spinning Earth causes a peg to fall in our Foucault Pendulum display. Examine our Rand McNally Earth Globe and interact with authentic geological specimens from Earth’s history.
Impact!
Space objects continually batter the Earth. In this fantastic game to repel asteroids, team up with someone to defend the Earth from terrible dangers. This exhibit hall showcases Clark Planetarium’s remarkable meteorite collection, which includes the second-largest meteorite on display west of the Mississippi – a 1700-pound Nantan that you can touch! A Martian meteorite and one of the most significant chunks of the K-pg (previously KT) border on exhibit are also included in this collection.
The Moon
Earth’s Moon, the brightest and biggest object in the night sky, is the only location beyond Earth where people have set foot. View one of the enormous authentic moon pebbles on public display and learn how the Moon’s phases operate. Try one of their Lunar Lander exhibitions to learn about gravity, acceleration, and inertia.
Space Weather
Space isn’t void. It’s brimming with plasma. Explore interactives by launching solar flares at the Earth and other planets to determine the strength of their magnetic fields. To control an auroral show, stand in front of it in the far north and wave your hand. In their Planeterrella Exhibit, you may control plasma using several exhibits and cause the auroral oval to develop (one of only 2 of this type on public display). View a massive collection of our active Sun and a time-lapse video from space, the aurora borealis.
The Clark Planetarium has three levels of free, interactive displays. Indulge your curiosity by experimenting and playing with the exhibits and learning new things about our Earth, space, the solar system, and beyond.
Our Solar System and Beyond
Discover incredible locations and thrilling destinations such as our solar system, black holes, alien landscapes, and more.
Beyond Exhibits
Planetary Processes
What exactly is our solar system like? What is your knowledge about the planets? Take our Solar System quiz to test your knowledge! Put your nose to the test and discover what planets smell like. Create your weather prediction from any place. Watch water freeze before your eyes and analyze the crystals with a polarizer. With our Solar System Explorer, you can see all the big bodies in the solar system in scale and explore them on your own. With their “Icy Bodies” display, you may learn about the early solar system and its comets.
FACT ABOUT SOLAR SYSTEMS:
According to current scientific understanding, our solar system has one star (the Sun), eight planets, five dwarf planets, 188 moons, 566,000 asteroids, and 3,100 comets!
Far Out
The size of a star influences its final destiny. Consider how difficult it would be to lift one cubic centimeter of white dwarf material. Consider a neutron star or a black hole. In their “Vanta Black Hole,” view (or don’t see) the darkest substance made by humanity, which is 99.97% light-absorbing.
In their Gravity Floor interactive digital display, you may collect stars with your black holes or check who in your group has the most “gravity.” See how you appear in Infra-Red—our hot and cold forms may create a lasting impression!
FACT ABOUT THE STAR:
Every star in the night sky is larger and more brilliant than our Sun!
Io
Enter the planetarium’s most immersive experience. You will be standing on Io, Jupiter’s nearest big Moon, to get a close-up glimpse of the massive planet. Do you want to drive a rover around Io collecting resources? A simple serial program to control your rover is so simple that even a toddler can do it!
FACT ABOUT IO:
It is our solar system’s most volcanically active body. It may spew sulfur up to 190 miles into the atmosphere!
Northrop Grumman Exploration Space
Allow your children to conduct their space voyage as they explore our climber. Take advantage of the galaxy glow-in-the-dark painting visible only from within. Some family members may use their giant globe magnet board to tell a tale, dock a lunar lander, or construct and launch a rocket. Combine fuel and oxygen to power your rocket and compete to see who can get it to fly the furthest! See how you appear in Infra-Red—their hot and cold forms may create a lasting impression!
FACT ABOUT ROCKETRY:
The heat generated by a rocket in the first few seconds after launch could heat 85,000 houses for an entire day.
Education
By connecting people to the marvels of the galaxy, the Clark Planetarium hopes to inspire and engage inquiring minds.
This is accomplished through delivering their programs innovatively and engagingly. Each year, Clark Planetarium’s “AstroVan” outreach program and in-Planetarium field excursions provide high-quality astronomy and space science instruction to over 100,000 Utah schoolchildren. Special Thank you to the Utah State Education Board and the whole state of Utah. This Informal Science Education Enhancement (iSEE) funding for Utah’s public and charter schools supports field trips and classroom visits.
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STEAM Projects
Clark Planetarium Classroom is your online resource for STEAM activities for people of all ages.
Clark Planetarium’s scientific professionals provide a look into the universe via social media activities and science projects. You’ll also discover a variety of STEAM activities that you can complete from the convenience of your own home.
For more information, visit their web or call them at (385)468-7827