Parkland’s Staerkel Planetarium Announces Summer 2026 Shows
The Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College has announced its summer 2026 schedule, featuring a variety of shows for everyone to enjoy.
Select features include “Prairie Skies,” “Niyah and the Multiverse,” “Solar Superstorms,” “Dawn of the Space Age,” and “Cosmic Mashups.” Children will be able to enjoy many features too, including “In My Backyard,” “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure,” “Solar System Safari,” “The Little Star That Could,” “Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?,” and “Cosmic Colors.”
“During the summer break, we give families more opportunities to visit us on weekday mornings and afternoons in June and July,” Staerkel Planetarium Director Erik Johnson said. “We are always happy to show One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure and Niyah and the Multiverse, shows which were both produced by Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Solar Superstorms has imagery which was produced by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois. We’re also showing America’s role in the history of space travel in Dawn of the Space Age to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.”
During the summer months, the Planetarium accommodates Parkland’s four-days-a-week schedule. They will offer matinée shows to the public on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings. Shows will not be held on May 22 and 23, and July 2 and 3 for the holidays.
Sensory-friendly shows are also scheduled. With “lights up, sound down” settings and a relaxed atmosphere, patrons can come, go, and move around as needed. These shows are designed for guests with autism spectrum disorder, sensory sensitivities, or young children. All are welcome to attend these events, even for those who don’t need sensory accommodations.
More information on the summer 2026 schedule, free observatory open houses, Galaxy Club, school field trips, sponsoring a planetarium chair, or renting a telescope can be found by calling 217/351-2446 or online at planetarium.parkland.edu.
