Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds

Name: Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds
Start: 2026-03-06T20:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-03-06T21:00:00-06:00
Location: William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College

Schedule

Fri Mar 06 2026 at 08:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College | Champaign, IL

For thousands of years, humanity thought that Earth was the center of the universe. Thanks to our curiosity, imagination, and the urge to explore we now know that planets like ours are nothing are nothing special in the cosmos. The Sun is just one ordinary star among hundreds of billions in our galaxy. With powerful telescopes, we search the skies for other worlds. What we have found so far has surpassed even the wildest expectations of scientists as well as science fiction authors. Most stars have planets – it turns out there are more common than we thought! A huge diversity of worlds is out there, just waiting to be discovered. But the big question remains – is there other life out there?
Admission is $8 for adults or $7 for Parkland students, seniors 65 and older, or children 12 and under. Passes may be purchased at tickets.parkland.edu or in the lobby beginning a half-hour before the first show. Members of the Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium are admitted for free.