The Science Dome hosts free and low-cost special public events approximately once a quarter that include planetarium shows and hands-on science demonstrations appropriate for all ages.
Upcoming Events
Story Time in the Science Dome
July 13, 20 and 27, 2022
10:30 a.m.
Experience story time in the Science Dome! Join Pierce County librarians for stories, songs, movement, and a craft for families with children, ages 2 - 6. Registration is recommended but not required for this FREE event.
James Webb Space Telescope First Images Release
July 12, 2022
7:30 a.m.
NASA, in partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), will release the James Webb Space Telescope’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data during a televised broadcast beginning at 7:30 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, July 12, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Released one by one, these first images from the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope will demonstrate Webb at its full power, ready to begin its mission to unfold the infrared universe.
Join at the Science Dome to see this all unfold as we tap into the livestream!
Registration is recommended but not required for this FREE event.
If you would like to follow along at home, each image will simultaneously be made available on social media as well as on the NASA website.
James Webb Space Telescope - First Images Party!
August 6, 2022
12 - 4 p.m.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most complex space science telescope ever built – the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies, launched in December 2021 and its first images will be released this summer. (We have a separate event on July 12 to watch the big reveal of these images!)
Join us on August 6, 2022 to learn about the science behind these new images through a planetarium show and hands on activities. This event is put on in partnership with the Tacoma Astronomical Society.
Free and great fun for all ages!
Register in advance for a planetarium show time. Hands on activities will be open 12 - 4 p.m. with no registration necessary.
Space Camp
August 15 - 19, 2022
11:30 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Calling all space enthusiasts entering grades 6 - 12!
Space Camp is a 5 day adventure including numerous hands-on activities, both indoor and outdoor, including some special time in the Pierce College Science Dome.
- Take real pictures of space with robotically controlled telescopes
- Collaborate and compete with fellow campers on challenges and quests
- Learn how to navigate the nighttime sky, discover the mysteries of the Solar System, plan a space mission, see the beauty in the life and death of stars and find your place among the galaxies of the universe!
- Lunch provided
Cost: Free! Space Camp is supported by the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, the Pierce College Science Dome, and Pierce College EDI CARES.