Jhamandas Watumull Planetarium

I’ve been to the planetarium in SF so I was expecting the same thing but on a smaller scale. I gotta say, though the show was somewhat interesting, I just didn’t care to be lectured to for an hour. I was expecting a movie type deal on the planets and space instead of some lady talking about the constellations and horoscopes. If you want to kill some time, I say go for it, otherwise, skip the trip and save yourself the $ 8 admission fee.

My husband and I chose «Sky this Month» as our date night last week. Every few weeks at the Planetarium, they host this special evening event with a planetarium show set to live music followed by trips to the viewing deck and observatory to check out the sky with experts.
We were warned to arrive early, but apparently 30 minutes early is not early enough. By the time we had arrived, the line hugging the walls of the lobby almost circled the entire room. However, if you walk to the far end of the room, you can still grab a seat in the back row since everyone usually walks to the closest rows to the entrance. Despite everything, I still recommend the planetarium change their seats to a larger recline to ease the tension in the neck for the hour show.
The new equipment they installed this past year is impressive with the video imaging and the star maps. I would love to be in the middle of the ocean checking out the sky like this. The music was a nice intimate touch to the show. Afterwards we all took our turns peering through the telescope at two colliding stars.
My husband and I learned a lot, including learning we had a shared interest in astronomy! I don’t know if I’d come back since I could probably recreate this on my own with the basic knowledge I learned at this event, but I would suggest everyone go at least once to experience it.

It is true not a Super large planetarium like DC, San Francisco, or San Antonio and I am sure my neck will hurt tomorrow. However they totally made up for it with information, a hand out, the observatory, and price/​parking was not bad! Great location there is fast food places, restaurants, and stores near by. My 5 y/​o loved it and made me promise to take her back so we will be there again soon!!!

This review is specifically for the Sky Tonight show, as I’ve now visited twice with my girlfriend. First off, take their advice to arrive early in order to get seating in the back (i.e. the best seats) and bring a sweater. The recently-​renovated space comes complete with a high dollar star machine and full-​dome video system. The program itself is interesting and suitable both as a family show or as a date night activity. The host is a lovably corny museum employee who treats his audience to songs on his classical guitar while he takes you on a «journey» from one part of the planet to another. After the official show part is finished, the staff then leads the group up to the observation deck to point out what can be seen with the naked eye and then onto the observatory so that you can check out some things in their telescopes. The overall experience is well worth the price of admission. 5 stars

Not a bad planetarium but not great. It is more like you might see at a university or community college. Don’t expect anything like the much superior planetariums in San Francisco, New York, or even Chicago. I was expecting a much better experience after reading about their recent remodel. Don’t get me wrong. If you’ve never been to a planetarium before its totally cool. But if you’ve been to a good one you’ll likely be disappointed.

I enjoy star gazing on the beach & decided it was time for a crash course. The Bishop Museum hosts ‘The Sky Tonight’ in the Planetarium every 1^st & 3^rd Friday of the month.
It’s recommended that you make reservations, as the seats fill quickly in this little theater. For $ 6, you’ll be able to learn the basic stars we can see from HI, as depicted on the domed ceiling. The overview is intended to be an interactive dialogue and is pretty interesting.
I thought the scientist did a great job and while he got a little long winded @ times, provided novice star gazers like me a great overview.