Contact Us

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Mailing address:

UW Planetarium

1000 E University Ave

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: 307-766-6506

Fax: 307-766-2652

Email: planetarium@uwyo.edu

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Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium

 

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The Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium is named in honor of the Windy Ridge Foundation’s owner, who was a professor of meteorology in the Iowa State Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences. Vaughan taught courses in meteorology, earth sciences and agronomy, and before teaching at Iowa State, he worked at the Ames Laboratory.

Upon retirement, Vaughan moved to Laramie, Wyo., where he befriended a number of faculty members in UW’s Department of Atmospheric Science. He devoted his time to his love of astronomy and built a personal observatory in his backyard to make his own astronomical observations and also mentored UW students.

 


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Location of Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium

The University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium is located in the basement of the Physical Sciences building. Enter the Physical Sciences building at the south-western entrance closest to the classroom building and follow the signs down a level to our lobby. The planetarium is located under the computer lab with an elevator and stairs in our lobby area. The planetarium is wheelchair accessible. 

Physical Sciences is located at D 9 in the University of Wyoming map.

 

 

 

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Parking

For parking information please contact Transit and Parking Service at 307-766-9800 or visit the parking webpage.

Parking at the Ivinson Parking garage is free after 5PM on weekdays and all day on weekends. Street parking is available after 6PM.

Due to construction the closest ADA parking is near the Geology Building alcove

The closest street parking is marked below in the red borders with yellow fill along Bradley and Ivinson Street between 9th and 11th street.

 


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S.T.A.R. Rooftop Observatory

Next Public Observing: TBD

The tours will be very informal, stargazing and telescope use will be limited by clouds and weather. The University of Wyoming’s STAR Observatory is located on the roof of the Physical Sciences building through the western stairwell. There is no elevator/wheelchair access to the observatory. The observatory is home to five 8' Meade telescopes and the 16" LX200 telescope, we also have a Coronado Solar telescope for daytime observing.

Public Observing nights don't require reservations but check the weather and this page for cancellations or re-scheduling. We can also open up our Student Training And Research (S.T.A.R.) Rooftop Observatory by reservation with the planetarium coordinator via email. You can combine your field trip or private show with a visit to the observatory. 

 

 


FAQs

All programs are approximately an hour in length. Doors open ~15 minutes ahead of the show time. Seating is first-come first serve outside of designated ADA/wheelchair seating 

Tickets are $5 for the general public.
Tickets are $3(cash only) for UW students/staff/faculty, veterans, first responders, or children.
Seating is free for children under 5.

Reservations or pre-purchase is not required, walk-ins are welcome. You can purchase tickets online with credit card, reserve tickets over email or voicemail, or walk-in and purchase tickets at the start of the show.

You may need to disable your ad-blocker and/or enable pop-ups to complete your online ticket purchase. Online ticket sales can occur upto the show time but be prepared to show your email receipt.

If you have a large group or are unable to attend our public shows don't hesitate to contact us for a private show.

Private Shows are available by reservation for you family, friends, school field trip, birthday parties, wedding, etc.

Field Trip/Private Show Request

We can schedule you private program to occur any day of the week at anytime given enough notice so please give us as much lead time as possible to book your show and guarantee availability. . We are generally closed on campus, state, and federal holidays.

If you are interested in combining your planetarium visit with other activities on campus like the Geology Museum, Science Kitchen, or a campus tour, please request a visit through the Campus Visitor Center.

We always recommend that at least part of your planetarium experience should be a live presentation by our talented staff but the films are also available by request for private shows, rentals, field trips, and other events.

We also can do virtual field trips for your group over zoom or other online meeting software.

$60/hour. $30 minimum. Discounts are available for return/recurring visits, small family groups, or charitable and educational non-profits.

Contact us for a quote or for any questions.


Contact Us

To get more information contact us via email or voicemail Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 4:00PM 

email: planetarium@uwyo.edu

voicemail: 307-766-6506 (if you don't leave a voicemail we won't be able to return your call)

Contact Us

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Mailing address:

UW Planetarium

1000 E University Ave

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: 307-766-6506

Fax: 307-766-2652

Email: planetarium@uwyo.edu

Find us on Instagram (Link opens a new window)Find us on Facebook (Link opens a new window)Find us on Twitter (Link opens a new window)Find us on LinkedIn (Link opens a new window)Find us on YouTube (Link opens a new window)