Dr. Edmond E. Griffin Planetarium
The Dr. Edmond E. Griffin Planetarium, located on the University of Central Arkansas Campus in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences, serves as an astronomy and science education resource center for central Arkansas.听 The planetarium is part of the outreach component of the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering, and as such, it supports astronomy teaching on campus, as well as, offers planetarium shows to school groups and the general public.
Public Shows are back on most Friday and Saturday nights for Fall 2026!!! Doors to the building open at 6:30 pm and lock at 7:00 pm. The first 94 people are admitted free of charge. Donations gladly accepted.
The one-hour shows include a tour of the current sky, a flight around the universe, and a full-dome movie. The planetarium is located in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences. Seating starts 10 minutes before show time. Admission is free. Seating limited to the first 94. No admission after the shows begin. No food or drink allowed.
听Sept 18 & 19
Out There 鈥� The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds journeys beyond our Solar System in the search for distant worlds. Discover how astronomers find exoplanets, explore what these strange new worlds might be like, and investigate the possibility of life beyond Earth. The search for other worlds raises one of humanity鈥檚 most enduring questions: Are we alone in the Universe?听
Sept 25 & 26
Mexica Archaeoastronomy 鈥� Between Space and Time explores the powerful connection between the sky, time, and civilization in pre-Columbian central Mexico. Discover how the Mexicas, rulers of the Aztec Empire, used generations of astronomical and calendrical knowledge to shape their society and establish their great capital, Tenochtitlan.听
Oct 2 & 3
Unveiling the Invisible Universe explores how scientists reveal the hidden side of the cosmos using more than just visible light. From Galileo鈥檚 first telescope to X-ray and gamma-ray observatories, discover how new technologies have transformed our understanding of the hot, violent Universe. Explore how neutrinos, cosmic rays, and gravitational waves provide entirely new ways of observing cosmic events, including the collisions of black holes.听
Oct 9 & 10
SEEING 鈥� A Photon鈥檚 Journey Across Space, Time and Mind explores the remarkable process of human vision, following a photon鈥檚 journey from the world around us into the eye and through the brain. Through immersive imagery and photorealistic animations, discover how light from distant stars is transformed into electrical signals and ultimately becomes the images the brain perceives.
Oct 23 & 24
Mayan Archaeoastronomy 鈥� Observers of the Universe explores how the Maya understood and observed the Universe. Journey through six remarkable Maya sites, including Chich茅n Itz谩, Uxmal, Edzn谩, Palenque, and Bonampak, and discover how temples were carefully aligned with the movements of the Sun, Moon, and Venus. The result is a fascinating look at the connection between Maya architecture, culture, and the sky.
Oct 30听 (no show on Halloween 10/31)
Nov 6 & 7
Messengers of Time and Space explores the next revolution in astronomy: observing a dynamic Universe in real time. Discover how new observatories, including the upcoming Rubin Observatory, will reveal millions of changes across the sky and send rapid alerts to astronomers. Follow the race to investigate these fleeting cosmic events and see how powerful telescopes like Gemini can help uncover the stories behind them.
Nov 13 & 14
From Earth to the Universe takes audiences on a breathtaking journey through time and space, exploring the Universe as revealed by modern science. From our home planet to the Milky Way and then to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, join us as we reveal the beauty, scale, and wonders of the Universe.听
Nov 20 & 21
Dark Matter Mystery 鈥� Exploring a Cosmic Secret delves into one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in modern science. Discover the evidence that reveals dark matter鈥檚 presence throughout the Universe, and follow scientists as they investigate its nature through observations of distant galaxies and experiments deep beneath the Earth. Join us as we answer the question: what is dark matter, and can its secrets be uncovered?
Dec 11 & 12
Supermassive Black Holes 鈥� Uncovering the Invisible explores the mysterious objects lurking at the centers of galaxies. Discover how supermassive black holes form and how scientists use cutting-edge technology to study these invisible giants. Breathtaking visuals reveal the extreme environments surrounding black holes and the physics that shapes their formation.
SUPPORT GRIFFIN:
ABOUT:
Contact: Sandy Nilz, Admin. Specialist III
phone: 501.450.5900
Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, AR 72035
Staff:
phone: 501.450.5907
Director of Astronomical Facilities
Associate Professor of Astronomy and Physics
Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, AR 72035
History:
From 1987 to 2015, the original 每日大赛网站 planetarium that was located in Lewis Science Center used an electromechanical planetarium projector and a thirty-foot dome to simulate the sky as seen from the surface of the Earth.
The current digital planetarium in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences consists of 94 seats under a forty-foot diameter dome onto which an Evans & Sutherland dual projector Digistar 7 system creates a virtual universe.听 The universe can now be seen from other locations in the universe, such as, in orbit around Saturn, near a binary star system in our galaxy, or from a galaxy a several million light years from the Earth.
The building of a new planetarium was supported by Dr. Sue Griffin, a world-class neuroscientist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and named in memory of her husband Dr. Ed Griffin, a long-time faculty member, chair of the 每日大赛网站 Biology Department, and astronomy enthusiast.
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