"One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure" and "Laser Kids" will be shown Friday, and "Zula Patrol: Under the Weather" and "Laser Kids" will be shown Saturday.
“Kids Weekend” highlights Wayne State College’s free planetarium and laser shows on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, in the Fred G. Dale Planetarium. Admission is free and open to the public, but free-will donations are accepted.
The shows and lectures for this weekend are intended for preschool through second grade children.
The planetarium has been upgraded with a new single-lens ultra-high-def projection system and the immersive Digistar Astronomy software. The planetarium has once again become the most technologically advanced and educationally versatile planetarium in the region.
On Friday, Feb. 6, the planetarium show “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” will be at 7 p.m., followed by the laser show “Laser Kids” at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, Feb. 7, the planetarium show “Zula Patrol: Under the Weather” is at 1 p.m., followed by the laser show “Laser Kids” at 2 p.m.
"One World, One Sky" is a brilliant spectacle of light and color that follows Sesame Street's Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a new friend from China. Together, they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth. This cross-cultural adventure opens children's eyes to the sky, helping them see how people all over the world are connected.
From the far reaches of outer space, comes the Zula Patrol! The stalwart heroes of the Zula Patrol are on an expedition collecting samples of weather for scientist Multo's research. When the Zula gang inadvertently hurts their loyal pet Gorga's feelings, he decides to leave Zula and find another planet to live on. Villain Dark Truder then tricks Gorga into helping with his latest nefarious scheme to rule the universe. The Zula Patrollers find out and go after him - in the process learning all about weather, both terrestrial and interplanetary.
“This spring features five new planetarium shows that add to our growing and diverse library of planetarium shows,” said Dr. Todd Young, director of the Fred G. Dale Planetarium. “They are ‘Dynamic Earth,’ ‘Liquidverse,’ ‘Edge of Darkness,’ ‘Living Worlds,’ and ‘Tales of a Time Traveler.’ We will also have a Kids Weekend, Sci-Fi Weekend, an Earth Day Celebration, and a romantic Valentine Weekend. And after a planetarium show, everyone is welcome to enjoy the lights and music of our many laser shows, including Classic Rock, Laser Zeppelin, Laser Beatles, and our new laser show Women Who Rock!”
The planetarium is located on the lowest level of Wayne State’s Carhart Science Building. Guests should use the southwest doors to enter. Once inside, go to the stairs at the south end of the building and go down to the lowest level. You may also take the elevator. Carhart Science and the planetarium are handicap accessible.
All shows last about 45 minutes. Doors open 20 minutes prior to the start of a show and shows generally include a tour of the current night sky, how to find the constellations, and current events in astronomy.
The shows will cycle through the planetarium’s vast library of shows, and each planetarium show will be followed by a laser show.
For more information, or to view a complete schedule of planetarium and laser shows for the Spring 2026 semester, visit the planetarium, contact Dr. Todd Young, director of the Fred G. Dale Planetarium, at 402-375-7471 or [email protected].
Those wanting to book a private planetarium show should also contact Young. School and community groups and organizations are always welcome to book private shows.