The Rock Creek Nature Center’s planetarium is reopening after a years-long closure

The planetarium at the Rock Creek Nature Center (5200 Glover Road NW, NPS photo)

When the Rock Creek Nature Center reopened in May 2022 after a two-year pandemic-related closure, its planetarium remained closed. But that had nothing to do with Covid-19. The only planetarium in the national parks system had been closed for several months prior to the pandemic shutdowns.

The problem: a broken projector. Now, with a new projector installed, tested and cleared for duty, the National Park Service is reopening the planetarium. Shows are appearing on the Rock Creek NPS events calendar and the agency’s Facebook page.

The planetarium shows are free. Tickets are distributed at the front desk of the Nature Center in the half hour before each show.

The Rock Creek Nature Center and Planetarium (5200 Glover Road NW) is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The planetarium shows, as of January 2023, are scheduled once per day on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. (“Zula Patrol”), Fridays at 11 a.m. (“Oasis in Space”), Saturdays at 2 p.m. (“Faster Than Light,” “Two Small Pieces of Glass – The Amazing Telescope” or “Black Holes”), and Sundays at 2 p.m. (“Oasis in Space,” “IBEX-Search for the Edge of the Solar System,” “Two Small Pieces of Glass” or “Black Holes”).