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Como Planetarium is a 55-seat planetarium that specializes in educational experiences. We have been in operation since 1975 and we operate both our 'classic' star ball and an updated system. We are located at Como Elementary School (780 W Wheelock Pkwy, St Paul, MN 55117). Our system provides the opportunity for visitors to take virtual trips through the solar system, as well as enjoy interactive lessons.
Join Como Planetarium and Saint Paul Natural Resources to celebrate the night sky!
Drop by between 6pm-8pm to peek through a telescope and see stars, visit comet C/2022 E3, and other celestial delights! Ask staff your questions and learn all about astronomy, then step inside to try a few astronomy-themed activities and crafts.
Inside space is limited, so please dress to be outside. Winter nights in Saint Paul can be chilly!
Telescopes will be set up in the athletic field northwest of Como and Lexington. Accessing the scopes will require traveling across the snowy, uneven ground: up to 500ft from the Como East Picnic Pavilion parking lot, or up to 1/2 mile from the Historic Streetcar Station.
If you need accommodation to participate in this program or have questions about its accessibility, please send us a message!
Getting there:
Metro Transit Buses 3A and 83 stop near Lexington and Como.
Limited parking is available at the Historic Streetcar Station (1224 Lexington Pkwy). Additional Parking is available at the Como East Picnic Pavilion (1199 Midway Pkwy).
Bicycle racks may be under snow, but there are features to lock a bike to at the Como East Picnic Pavilion (1199 Midway Pkwy).
Public Tuesday Night Programs (See 'Upcoming Programs' for more details)
February 7th, 6-8 pm- Star Party (at the Historic Streetcar Station-Como and Lexington Ave)
February 14th, 5:30 & 7:00 pm-Family Valentines Day
March 21, 5:30 & 7:00 pm-Seasonal Changes
April 18th 5:30 & 7:00 pm-NASA Missions
May 2, 7:00 pm-TBA
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Como Planetarium
We will resume hosting programs in September 2022. To request a program for a group, please fill out this form.
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Upcoming Public Programs
Public Tuesday Night
January 24th, 7:00 pm
Get ready to look up and explore Minnesota's night sky! This program looks at strategies for finding your place in the universe through constellations, planets, and motions in the sky by tying together culture, science, and the human experience. Learn how to tell a planet from a star in our sky, and how the moon changes throughout the month.
February 14th, 5:30
Bring your favorite, sweet little person to enjoy Big Bird and Elmo in the film, One World, One Sky! We will also look for shapes and patterns in our sky for this ‘heartfelt’ day.
February 14th, 7:00 Family Valentines Day
Enjoy our planetarium skies and cultural connections that make February special. Hear stories old and new that celebrate love and care humans have for one another and our planet
March 21, 5:30 Seasonal Changes
We begin SPRING! Celebrate our seasonal constellations and enjoy some hands-on activities about what we observe in our spring sky!
March 21, 7:00
TBA
April 18th 5:30 NASA Missions (young families encouraged)
Take a tour of our nearest neighbors- the planets! Explore the solar system and everything in between through the lens of NASA’s historic missions.
April 18th 7:00 NASA Missions
May 2
TBA-7:00
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Group Availability
Schedule a time to visit the planetarium on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 2:30-4:30. Minimum group size is 10 visitors at $6 per person. Contact Sarah Weaver for availability (sarah.weaver@spps.org)
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St. Paul Public School Visits
St. Paul Public School Visits
Como Planetarium is part of St. Paul Public Schools (ISD 625). Our physical building is currently OPEN for St. Paul Public School students!
Teachers can register for an onsite field trip HERE!
(SPPS virtual field trips can also be scheduled for online schools here).
Attending the planetarium in person is highly beneficial for student learning
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Virtual Field Trips
Virtual programs are available to schools both within and outside St. Paul Public Schools (ISD 625). Please contact Sarah Weaver (sarah.weaver@spps.org) to schedule a virtual experience for students. We served over 15,000 members of the community in the 2019-2020 school year!
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COVID Information
Como Planetarium limits COVID exposures by:
1. Being an SPPS site run by a SPPS teacher- all district protocols apply, including cleaning, distancing and vaccination/testing personnel.
2. Potential for hosting only one classroom at a time in a space designed to hold twice as many people (built for 55 people). Social distancing can be maintained
3. Using a separate building entrance for the planetarium field trips-students. This enables field trip students to have no contact with any other personnel or students from the rest of the building.
4. Having students bring their own iPads to eliminate a shared touch surface and increase the interaction for the lesson.