The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium

The design of the Shafran Planetarium building allows its exterior to function as an astronomical instrument. Nighttime visitors can use the building's angled roof to locate Polaris, the North Star, around which all other stars in the sky appear to rotate.

The building's titanium-coated, stainless-steel outer covering sparkles with stars created by embedded fiber-optic lighting. This system emits a subtle glow without contributing to the light pollution above University Circle. Inside, the domed planetarium theater offers comfortable, stadium-style seating for 87 and is wheelchair accessible.

In May 2017, the Shafran Planetarium re-opened after a brief closure to install state-of-the-art equipment from Evans & Sutherland. The new digital projection system expands the planetarium's capabilities, allowing our astronomers to take you on virtual trips through the Universe and beyond. Evans & Sutherland’s Digistar 6 software far exceeds the capabilities of a classic planetarium projector. Guests can see astronomical bodies draw trails as they move through the sky, while planets zoom in with full motion and 3D texturing as they move to the foreground.