During School Spring Break, Come Experience The Exciting New Vanderbilt Planetarium

By Patrick Keeffe

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium will expand its schedule during school spring break and will be open all week, Monday through Friday, March 25-29, in addition to regular Saturday hours. (Closed Easter Sunday, March 31.)

The newly reopened Planetarium will offer shows Monday through Friday at 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. In addition, the Planetarium will have shows on its regular weekend schedule: Friday, 8:00 and 9:00 p.m.; and Saturday at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 8:00 and 9:00.

The museum, mansion, collections galleries, marine museum and animal habitats will be open 12:00 to 4:00. Guided mansion tours will be given at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30.

March 25-29 Planetarium

Show Schedule

2:00 p.m. – Stars: Journey to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and experience both the awesome beauty and destructive power of Stars. (Adults and families)

3:00 p.m. – One World, One Sky: Elmo and Big Bird live in the United States and Hu Hu Zhu lives far away in China, but they discovered that they see the same stars at night. (Children)

4:00 p.m. – Solar System Odyssey: Take a futuristic journey through the Solar System. With Earth’s resources being rapidly depleted, a tycoon sends hero Jack Larson on a mission to discover a new home to colonize. (Age 10 and older)

During the day, visitors to the Planetarium pay general museum admission ($7 for adults, $6 for students with IDs and seniors 62 and older, and $3 for children 12 and under), plus $5 each for a Planetarium show. Since the museum is closed in the evening, no general museum admission is charged — visitors pay only for Planetarium show tickets: $9 for adults, $8 for students with IDs and seniors 62 and older, and $7 for children 12 and under.

Regular Planetarium Show Schedule

Friday Evening

8:00 – Long Island Skies; 9:00 – Stars

Long Island Skies — This live presentation for the whole family, developed by the Vanderbilt Planetarium staff, introduces the brilliant night sky that can be seen on Long Island from everyone’s backyard, including seasonal constellations, stars and deep-sky objects. Afterward, on clear nights, the audience can view the night sky in the Observatory through the 16-inch Meade telescope.

Observatory — Night-sky viewing (weather permitting) on Friday only, 9:00-10:00 (free with show ticket; $3.00 without show ticket)

Saturday

12:00 – One World, One Sky; 1:00 – Solar System Odyssey; 2:00 – Stars; 3:00 – One World, One Sky; 4:00 – Solar System Odyssey

Saturday Evening

8:00 – Solar System Odyssey; 9:00 – Stars

Sunday

12:00 – One World, One Sky; 1:00 – Solar System Odyssey; 2:00 – Stars; 3:00 – One World, One Sky; 4:00 – Solar System Odyssey

Program descriptions and schedules also can be found at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org

MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM INFORMATION

Winter Hours – Museum and Mansion

Through April 15: Open Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. The museum and mansion are closed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Winter Hours – Planetarium

March 15 – April 15: Shows on Friday, 8:00, 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 8:00, 9:00 p.m.; Sunday 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00. The planetarium is closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Observatory – Year-round viewing of the night sky (weather permitting), Friday only, 9:00-10:00 (free with show ticket; $3.00 without show ticket)

Spring Hours – Museum and Mansion

April 15 – June 16: Open Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. The museum and mansion are closed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Spring Hours – Planetarium

April 15 – June 16: Shows on Friday, 8:00, 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 8:00, 9:00 p.m.; Sunday 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00. The planetarium is closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Museum Admission

General museum admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students with ID and seniors (62 and older), and $3 for children 12 and under. General admission includes estate-grounds access to the Marine Museum, Memorial Wing natural-history and ethnographic-artifact galleries, Nursery Wing, Habitat Room, Egyptian mummy and Stoll Wing animal-habitat dioramas. For a mansion tour, add $5 per ticket. (A video tour of the mansion is available on request.)

Planetarium Admission

During the day, visitors to the Planetarium pay general museum admission ($7 for adults, $6 for students with IDs and seniors 62 and older, and $3 for children 12 and under), plus $5 each for a Planetarium show. Since the museum is closed in the evening, no general museum admission is charged — visitors pay only for Planetarium show tickets: $9 for adults, $8 for students with IDs and seniors 62 and older, and $7 for children 12 and under.

Vanderbilt Observatory

Night-sky viewing on Friday (weather permitting), 9:00-10:00 p.m. Observation is free to visitors with a planetarium show ticket, $3.00 for those without a show ticket.

Location and Website

The Vanderbilt Museum is located at 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, NY. Directions and updated details on programs and events are available at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. For information, call 631-854-5579.