James S. McDonnell Planetarium

The Saint Louis Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium is one of the nation's leading space education facilities. In the planetarium’s Orthwein StarBay, the central area is dominated by the Zeiss Universarium Model IX which projects more than 9,000 stars onto an 80-foot dome creating a brilliant star field. Visitors can look up and see what the actual night sky would look like without the interference of weather, pollution, or city lights. Special features allow Planetarium staff to demonstrate eclipses, meteor showers and other celestial phenomena. The immensity and clarity of the view creates a sense of wonder and stimulates the imagination.