Pierce College Science Dome

Pierce College Science Dome The South Sound's Only Digital Planetarium! Rainier Building 263
Pierce College Fort Steilacoom The Pierce College Science Dome is located in Lakewood, WA.

We opened to the public on the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom Campus in 2013. The facility has a 38' domed screen that gives a brilliantly detailed 3-dimensional perspective. Casual strolls through our solar system or even exploring the tiniest components of life, DNA, become so realistic making it another reason to love the South Sound's only digital planetarium! The dome comfortably seats 58, wi

th additional options on pillows in the very front. Families and friends are welcome to lay down for a more enjoyable experience. As an extension of Pierce College, our mission is to create quality educational opportunities for a diverse community of learners. We hope to inspire exploration and create a deeper understanding of our universe through every visit. We offer public shows every week! Special events with hands-on science outside of the dome are offered about once a quarter. Our services are also available to Pierce College classes, pK-12 field trips, and private showings. Our website PierceCollegeDome.com has a full schedule and prices.

Do you have (or are you) a high school student (grades 10-12) looking for a great summer space camp opportunity? We are ...
06/04/2026

Do you have (or are you) a high school student (grades 10-12) looking for a great summer space camp opportunity? We are excited to offer our High Altitude Balloon Camp again this summer at Pierce College in Lakewood, WA!

This camp is a project-based experience in which students will construct, test, launch, and analyze data from their very own experiment sent to the edge of space on a high altitude balloon (HAB). This two-week day camp includes an overnight trip to eastern Washington, where you will launch and retrieve the HAB. This is a great opportunity to learn scientific, engineering, and coding skills while being creative and having fun with peers!

Applications for the High‑Altitude Balloon Camp are open now through June 10, 2026.

⭐ Dates: July 27 through 30 and August 3 through 6, including an overnight trip (August 3 and 4) to Eastern Washington for balloon launch
⭐ Hours: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
⭐ Cost: $75 per participant. Campers will be responsible for bringing a water bottle, snacks, and lunch for each day. Food is provided during the overnight trip.

Apply Now! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCS1qTskF-Go5AndORBwEti8iJOP6r3X8cYJUN4xDt3eFe_A/viewform

This camp is made possible by funding from the Pierce College Science Dome, the Washington Space Grant, and generous donations from Science Dome patrons.

You may recall that we’ve been observing Venus and Jupiter moving closer to each other in the western sky since early Ma...
06/03/2026

You may recall that we’ve been observing Venus and Jupiter moving closer to each other in the western sky since early May. Next week, the two brightest planets in our solar system will be very close together in a spectacular planetary conjunction. Let’s review what a planetary conjunction is, what you can expect to see during this conjunction, and when you can see it for yourself!

⭐ What is a planetary conjunction?
A planetary conjunction is an astronomical term for when two objects in the night sky appear close together. Remember, was say appear because objects in space are actually very far apart from each other! Since all planets orbit the Sun along the same plane (the ecliptic) but at different speeds, sometimes the planets are all very far apart from each other and sometimes multiple planets are “clumped together” on the same side of the Sun. When two or more planets are in a similar area of their orbital path and it lines up with our view from Earth, we see a conjunction. Conjunctions can be between planets, between a planet and the Moon, between a planet and the Sun, or occasionally even between multiple planets or other objects. Conjunctions between Venus and Jupiter only occur about once a year.

⭐ What will the Venus-Jupiter conjunction look like and why is it describes as “spectacular”?
Most conjunctions we observe from Earth are between objects separated by an average angular distance of 0.5° to 1.4°, which is about 1 to 2.5 times the width of the average full moon. This time, Venus and Jupiter will be separated by about 1.5°. That’s not particularly close, but the exceptional brightness of the planets makes this a more rewarding event to observe. Since both planets are especially bright and easy to find in the night sky, and since they will be so close to each other, this is one of the more impressive astronomical events of the year for casual viewers and experts alike. You might even be inspired to try your hand at some astrophotography, since the subjects are so photogenic this month!

⭐ When, where, and how is the best way to see the conjunction?
You can start watching Venus and Jupiter moving closer together now, but they will be closest around June 8th and 9th. Look to the west just after sunset, and you will see the planets appearing brighter and brighter as the Sun dips below the horizon. Venus will be slightly higher and to the right of the slightly dimmer Jupiter. Once the sky is fully dark around 10pm, the pair will appear as the brightest objects in the sky, separated from each other by about 1.5°, or, about the width of your pinky finger held at arm’s length. The planets will be brilliant in the night sky, but don’t wait too long to head outside to catch the view! Both planets will move below the horizon by midnight.

While Venus and Jupiter are the stars of the show, you may also see other bright objects nearby. The two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, Castor and Pollux, will be a bit up and to the right of the conjunction and should be visible as well, even if much fainter. If you are lucky, you might also be able to make out Mercury, which is one of the hardest planets to catch a glimpse of. It will appear lower on the horizon than Venus and Jupiter and much dimmer, but your best chance to see it will be just after sunset, before it dips below the horizon around 11pm.

As always, try to find a viewing spot that has as little light pollution as possible, with an unobstructed view of the western horizon. Luckily, the third quarter moon won’t rise until around 1:30am, so your eyes won’t be distracted by its bright light. You definitely won’t need a telescope or binoculars to see the conjunction, but even a cheap pair of binoculars will give you a slightly better view. If you are able to see Venus and Jupiter in your binoculars or with a small telescope, look for the difference in color to tell the two planets apart. Venus will appear bright white, and Jupiter will be a slightly dimmer cream/yellow color. If you have a steady hand or a more powerful pair of binoculars/a telescope, you might be able to catch a glimpse of a couple of Jupiter’s largest moons.

Good luck and happy viewing!
📷: Jupiter and Venus move closer and closer together until their conjunction on June 8th and 9th. Modified from EarthSky.com images.

06/02/2026

Playing This Week at the Science Dome!

💥 Spark: The Universe in Us - Wednesday, June 3rd, 5:15pm
From the oxygen we breathe to the iron in our blood, the silicon in Earth’s mantle to the uranium that warms our planet, we owe it all to the stars. Narrated by Diego Luna, ”Spark: The Universe in Us” explores how hundreds of millions of celestial events have forged the elements that make up the Solar System, Earth—and us!

🎶 Pink Floyd - Wednesday, June 3rd, 6:30pm
Pink Floyd’s iconic album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, originally released in March 1973, recently turned 50, and what more fitting a place to celebrate it and experience it than in a Planetarium, through the music set to visuals.

🌎 Dynamic Earth - Friday, June 5th, 6pm
The award-winning Dynamic Earth explores the inner workings of Earth’s great life support system: the global climate. Audiences will ride along on swirling ocean and wind currents, dive into the heart of a monster hurricane, come face-to-face with sharks and gigantic whales, and fly into roiling volcanoes.

👑 Cosmic Legacy: Tribute to Queen - Friday, June 5th, 7:45pm
Get ready to take off into an unlimited sound universe! Queen, the band that shook the cosmos with its music, leaves us a COSMIC LEGACY that pierces the soul. On-screen visuals guide you on a hypnotic journey that inspires nostalgia with hits like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Love of My Life’.

📡 Messengers of Time and Space - Saturday, June 6th, 4:30pm
Messengers of Time and Space is a stunning visual and educational experience that leads you on a journey through the dynamic Universe during a night of observing at the International Gemini Observatory.

🎶 Pink Floyd - Saturday, June 6th, 6:30pm

Each all-ages public show features a 30-minute live night sky talk in the planetarium PLUS a 30-minute fulldome video (except for music shows, which do not include a live talk).

$8 general admission (except for music shows, which are $15)
Pierce College Students are free with ID

Did you know that sharks have lived on Earth longer than Saturn has had rings? The earliest shark ancestors first appear...
05/27/2026

Did you know that sharks have lived on Earth longer than Saturn has had rings? The earliest shark ancestors first appeared on Earth about 450 million years ago in the Ordovician period, but it took another ~50 million years for shark-like fishes to become common, and “modern” sharks didn’t appear until about 200 million years ago in the Triassic period. Saturn’s rings, on the other hand, are believed to be at least a little bit younger.

⭐ What are “rings” on a planet?
Planetary rings are disks or toruses (a 3D donut-like shape) that orbit a planet. These disks of material contain dust, rocky debris, and chunks of ice that range in size from tiny microscopic particles to massive house-sized boulders. Typically, rings form when a comet, asteroid, or small moon gets a little too close to the planet and is torn apart by the planet’s gravitational forces or collides with other small bodies. Eventually, the debris spreads out and flattens into a disc shape by the planet’s gravity and rotation. Four planets in our solar system have ring systems – Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune – but ring systems are theorized to exist with planets outside of our solar system as well, such as planet J1407b that has a ring system about 200 times larger than Saturn’s!

⭐ What are Saturn’s rings?
Saturn’s rings are thought to be composed of pieces of comets, asteroids, or small moons that were broken up by Saturn’s powerful gravity before they even reached the planet. As with other ring systems, the particles range in size from dust grains to the occasional piece as large as a mountain! Saturn’s rings are only about 30 feet thick on average, but they extend as far as 175,000 miles from the planet. The rings are named alphabetically in the order they were discovered, but are not in alphabetical order physically. Starting at Saturn and moving out, the rings are named D ring, C ring, B ring, A ring, F ring, G ring, and E ring. Though most of the rings are very close together, there is a large gap between rings A and B, called the Cassini Division, that measures 2,920 miles wide.



⭐ Where did Saturn’s rings come from?
Though scientists have been studying Saturn’s rings for decades, we still don’t know exactly where they came from. New research suggests that the rings could have formed from the debris of two small icy moons that collided and shattered a few hundred million years ago, which may have also led to the formation of some of Saturn’s current icy moons. Fun fact: as of the last official count, Saturn has 274 moons!

⭐ How old are Saturn’s rings?
Scientists have been studying data from NASA’s Cassini mission, which spent over 14 years orbiting Saturn and collecting data, to see if there might be a clue as to how old Saturn’s rings are. One thing the scientists have determined is that the rings are almost entirely pure ice, without much “pollution” of dust particles from micrometeoroids. This, and other evidence, suggests that the icy ring material can’t have been exposed for more than a few hundred million years. Additionally, further research suggests that Saturn’s rings could have reached their current mass in just a few hundred million years as well. Based on all of this evidence, researchers believe that Saturn’s rings are not more than 400 million years old. Interestingly, one thing the Cassini mission discovered is that the rings are losing mass quickly, so scientists believe Saturn may lose its rings in the next few hundred million years.

As with all things in science, our understanding develops as more evidence is gathered. Research is still ongoing regarding the origin and age of Saturn’s rings, and though the leading theory is that Saturn’s rings are much younger than the planet itself, there are those who argue that the rings formed around the time of the planet’s formation, about 4.5 billion years ago.

So, are Saturn’s rings younger than sharks? Maybe. Probably. Possibly. We don’t know for sure at this point. But given the evidence we’ve seen so far, it’s fair to say that sharks have been alive longer than Saturn has had rings!

📷: Saturn and its rings, taken by Cassini. Via NASA/JPL-CalTech

05/26/2026

Playing This Week at the Science Dome!

⭐ Secret Lives of Stars - Wednesday, May 27th, 5:15pm
We will witness the amazing variety of stars and peer into their secret lives. Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart of TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men films.

📡 Messengers of Time and Space (sensory-friendly version) - Wednesday, May 27th, 6:30pm
Messengers of Time and Space is a stunning visual and educational experience that leads you on a journey through the dynamic Universe during a night of observing at the International Gemini Observatory.

🕳️ Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity - Friday, May 29th, 6pm
Be dazzled with striking, immersive animations of the formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super-massive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy.

🎶 Pink Floyd - Friday, May 29th, 7:45pm
Pink Floyd’s iconic album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, originally released in March 1973, recently turned 50, and what more fitting a place to celebrate it and experience it than in a Planetarium, through the music set to visuals.

🚀 To Worlds Beyond: Journey Through the Solar System - Saturday, May 30th, 4:30pm
From the fiery surface of the Sun to the icy realm of comets, travel to worlds with enormous volcanoes, vast canyons, dazzling rings, and storms that would swallow the Earth. Learn more about Mars and Pluto too!

👑 Cosmic Legacy: Tribute to Queen - Saturday, May 30th, 6:30pm
Get ready to take off into an unlimited sound universe! Queen, the band that shook the cosmos with its music, leaves us a Cosmic Legacy that pierces the soul. On-screen visuals guide you on a hypnotic journey that inspires nostalgia with hits like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Love of My Life’.

Each all-ages public show features a 30-minute live night sky talk in the planetarium PLUS a 30-minute fulldome video (except for music shows, which do not include a live talk).

$8 general admission (except for music shows, which are $15)
Pierce College Students are free with ID

Since we have several interesting things involving the Moon this month, we’re going to keep the lunar theme going and wr...
05/19/2026

Since we have several interesting things involving the Moon this month, we’re going to keep the lunar theme going and write about earthshine! Neil Peart, the famous drummer and lyricist from the band Rush, wrote the following lyrics for their song Earthshine:

On certain nights
When the angles are right
And the Moon is a slender crescent

Its circle shows
In a ghostly glow
Of earthly luminescence

Peart’s poetic descriptions of earthshine hit the nail on the head, and the entire song is definitely worth a listen. Read on to learn more about earthshine and how you can see it!

⭐ What is earthshine?
Have you ever looked up at the bright crescent moon and still been able to see the faint outline of the rest of the Moon? Earthshine is the faint glow that illuminates the “dark” portion of the Moon when it is in a new or crescent phase. The light that illuminates the part of the Moon in shadow is not coming directly from the Sun – which *is* illuminating the bright crescent portion – it comes from sunlight reflected off of Earth.

⭐ Why does earthshine occur?
You may recall that a new moon occurs when the Moon is between Earth and the Sun, so we only see the half of the Moon that is facing away from the Sun, in shadow. Usually this means that we either cannot see the Moon well at all, or it may have a very faint outline. But sometimes, the dark face of the Moon can appear slightly illuminated due to sunlight reflecting off of Earth.

Earthshine varies in strength throughout the year, but it tends to be brightest in the Northern Hemisphere from April to June because that is the time of year when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and the surface snow and ice leftover from winter reflect more light than at other times of the year.

⭐ How “bright” is Earth?
All celestial objects reflect light to some degree. We call the amount of light that is reflected off the surface of an object albedo. In general, objects that have bright clouds or ice reflect more light (higher albedo), and objects made of rock or carbon-rich materials reflect less (lower albedo). For example, Saturn’s moon Enceladus has the highest albedo of any object in the solar system because it is covered in fresh ice that reflects nearly 99% of sunlight, while Comet Borrelly reflects only 3% of sunlight because it composed of (or covered in) very dark carbon compounds. Interestingly, the Moon reflects only about 12% of sunlight, which is similar to the albedo of asphalt, but it still appears bright in the sky because the blackness of space around it creates a stark contrast. Earth’s albedo varies, but it averages to about 0.30 (30%), which is significantly higher than the Moon’s. If you were in space and looked at the Moon and Earth at the same time, Earth would appear brighter.

⭐ How can I see earthshine?
Earthshine is easiest to see for the few days around a new moon because the Moon appears as a bright sliver or crescent while Earth is reflecting maximum sunlight onto the Moon’s surface. May’s new moon was last Saturday, so you may be able to see the earthshine tonight and tomorrow night, if the clouds cooperate! If not, you’ll have another shot around the new moon on June 15th. It will be easiest to see in the western evening after sunset, in an area with as little light pollution as possible.

Good luck and happy viewing!

If you’re interested in hearing more science-themed songs from Rush, check out Countdown (about the Space Shuttle Columbia’s first launch), Natural Science (about environmental, quantum, and scientific integrity issues), V***r Trail (comparing aspects of life to the fading v***r trails left by jet engines), and more!

📷: The Moon, illuminated by the faint glow of earthshine, taken from the International Space Station Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science Remote Sensing Unit in July, 2011. Via NASA/Johnson Space Center

05/18/2026

Playing This Week at the Science Dome!

🌎 Habitat Earth - Wednesday, May 20th, 5:15pm
Through stunning visualizations of the natural world, dive below the ocean’s surface to explore the dynamic relationships found in kelp forest ecosystems, travel beneath the forest floor to see how Earth’s tallest trees rely on tiny fungi to survive, and journey to new heights to witness the intricate intersection between human and ecological networks.

👑 Cosmic Legacy: Tribute to Queen - Wednesday, May 20th, 6:30pm
Get ready to take off into an unlimited sound universe! Queen, the band that shook the cosmos with its music, leaves us a Cosmic Legacy that pierces the soul. On-screen visuals guide you on a hypnotic journey that inspires nostalgia with hits like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Love of My Life’. Celebrate Queen’s cosmic legacy with music and visuals that will take you to galaxies of emotions!

🚀 Mars: The Ultimate Voyage - Friday, May 22nd, 6:00pm
This new, animated planetarium production highlights NASA research and training initiatives that are preparing the next generation of astronauts who will head to Mars. The film shows how creativity, collaboration, communication, and expertise in a diverse number of fields are key for the success of deep space travel—while also inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals! Witness what it takes to embark on the first human mission beyond Earth’s orbit.

🎶 Pink Floyd - Friday, May 22nd, 7:45pm
Pink Floyd’s iconic album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, originally released in March 1973, recently turned 50, and what more fitting a place to celebrate it and experience it than in a Planetarium, through the music set to visuals?

👩‍🚀 Marte: El Ultimo Viaje - Sábado, 23 de Mayo, 11:30am
¿Alguna vez te has preguntado qué les tomará a los astronautas viajar a la Luna, Marte y más allá? En este largo viaje, ¿qué desafíos enfrentarán? ¿Cómo se mantendrán motivados y saludables en su nave espacial tan lejos de la Tierra? El nuevo programa planetario original de Bell, "Marte: El Viaje Definitivo", explora estas preguntas y más.

🌊 Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars - Saturday, May 23rd, 4:30pm
In Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars, learn how to read the stars and interpret the wind and waves as we follow the story of Hawaii’s Polynesian Voyaging Society and their efforts to recover the nearly lost techniques of traditional Polynesian navigation aboard the double-hulled canoe Hōkūleʻa.

👑 Cosmic Legacy: Tribute to Queen - Saturday, May 23rd, 6:30pm

Each all-ages public show features a 30-minute live night sky talk in the planetarium PLUS a 30-minute fulldome video (except for music shows, which do not include a live talk).

$8 general admission (except for music shows, which are $15)
Pierce College Students are free with ID

TOMORROW! Our free Frontiers of Physics event is tomorrow from 5-8pm!
05/14/2026

TOMORROW!

Our free Frontiers of Physics event is tomorrow from 5-8pm!

May Moon Moments!Lucky for us, there are several interesting things to watch for in the skies this month, but since none...
05/13/2026

May Moon Moments!

Lucky for us, there are several interesting things to watch for in the skies this month, but since none of them are “big ticket items”, we thought we’d share them all at once so you know what to be on the lookout for. And if you’re interested in the Moon, this month may be particularly exciting!

⭐ May 17th – The Moon Reaches Perigee
As you may know, all celestial objects – including the Moon - travel along an elliptical orbital path, rather than a true circle. So, there are times in the Moon’s orbit when it is closer to Earth, and times when it is father away. When the Moon is at its closest distance to Earth, it’s called perigee, and when it is farthest from Earth, it’s called apogee. On May 17th, the Moon will reach perigee and it will be about 16,356 miles closer to Earth than the average Earth-Moon distance.

The Moon appears at its largest and brightest when at perigee, but because the Moon will be in a waxing crescent phase, you won’t be able to notice much of a difference in its appearance on the 17th, but it will make a beautiful scene when paired with Venus and Jupiter during the days following.

⭐ May 18-20th – The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter
Venus and Jupiter, the brightest natural objects in the sky after the Moon, will join the crescent moon in the evening sky. On May 18th, the angular separation in the sky between the Moon and Venus will be about 2-3°, or about the width of two fingers with your arm fully extended towards the sky. Check out the view about one hour after sunset and you should be able to see a thin sliver of the Moon paired with bright Venus. Jupiter will be a bit higher in the sky, but still close.

The next evening, May 19th, the Moon will be positioned between Venus and Jupiter and the slightly larger crescent will look impressive sandwiched between the two bright planets.

By the evening of May 20th, the Moon will be closer to Jupiter and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. Remember to check out the western sky sometime before midnight, when the show sets below the horizon. The conjunction of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter will be a great opportunity to try your hand at amateur astrophotography or practice using a pair of binoculars or small telescope. If you’re interested in learning more about amateur astronomy, be sure to check out the Tacoma Astronomical Society’s new workshop series (visit tas-online.org for more information)!

⭐ May 30-31st – Full Blue Micromoon
We’ve already written about the upcoming rare Blue Moon at the end of the month, but the second full moon of May is special in another way as well! When a full moon coincides with or occurs near apogee, we call it a micromoon because it appears slightly smaller in the sky when it is farthest from Earth. Both full moons this month (May 1st and May 31st) are micromoons, but the Blue Moon will be the most distant full moon of the year. During this time, the Moon will be approximately 252,360 miles from Earth, causing it to appear about 7% smaller than a full moon at average distance. That difference isn’t really enough to be noticeable to the naked eye, but it’s still the “smallest” full moon we will see all year, so it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate!

⭐ End of May
All month, Venus and Jupiter will be getting closer and closer together in the sky. By the end of the month, the two planets will appear about 8° apart. They continue to close the gap in early June, finally culminating in a fantastic planetary conjunction on June 9th, when the two are exceptionally bright. Both planets will be brighter than any star in the sky and easily visible to the naked eye just after sunset in the western sky. Additionally, Mercury may also be visible low on the horizon during the last week of May, though it will be significantly more difficult to see.

⭐ Mars and Saturn in Early May
Though we are pretty much past “early May”, you may still be able to catch the planets Mars and Saturn in the eastern twilight, just before sunrise. Mars will appear quite low on the horizon, with Saturn a bit higher up in the sky. Neither planet will be particularly bright at this time, but if you happen to be up in the early morning, it’s worth a look!

Good luck and happy viewing!

📷: On May 18th, the crescent moon, Venus, and Jupiter will get cozy in the western sky just after sunset. Via EarthSky.

05/12/2026

Playing This Week at the Science Dome!

🌎 Birth of Planet Earth - Wednesday, May 13th, 5:15pm
How did Earth become a living planet in the wake of our solar system's violent birth? What does its history tell us about our chances of finding other worlds that are truly Earth-like?

🪐 Solar System Exploration: A Deep Dive Live Talk - Wednesday, May 13th, 6:30pm
Learn about all of the celestial objects that orbit the Sun!

🌕 Moons: Worlds of Mystery - Saturday, May 16th, 4:30pm
Experience the amazing diversity of moons and the important roles they play in shaping our solar system.

🎶 Pink Floyd - Saturday, May 16th, 6:30pm
Pink Floyd’s iconic album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, originally released in March 1973, recently turned 50, and what more fitting a place to celebrate it and experience it than in a Planetarium, through the music set to visuals?

Each all-ages public show features a 30-minute live night sky talk in the planetarium PLUS a 30-minute fulldome video (except for music shows, which do not include a live talk).

$8 general admission (except for music shows, which are $15)
Pierce College Students are free with ID

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9401 Farwest Drive SW
Lakewood, WA
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