Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium

09/29/2026

THIS THURSDAY! Join the Coastal Virginia Sierra Club and our friends at ODU Library and Naro Video at ODU Libraries for a special screening of Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic? There will be a virtual Q&A with Jeb Berrier and the director, Suzan Beraza, at the conclusion of the screening.

Space is limited! RSVP at tinyurl.com/bagitodu

THIS THURSDAY 10/01, 6PM @ Lê Planetarium.

09/23/2026

This weather got you feeling cooped up? Stay dry at the planetarium where the weather is always clear and a sky full of stars.

Tonight - September 23
Tour of the Night Sky
$5 per person, tickets available at the door beginning at 6:30
7:00-8:15 showtime

09/22/2026

Can You Balance an Egg on the Spring Equinox?

The short answer is: yes, but it has nothing to do with the equinox. According to a popular myth, on the spring equinox, you can stand an egg on its end due to some gravitational balance between the Earth and the Sun.

In reality, there is no gravitational change happening during an equinox that would help an egg balance. And there’s no need for it: you can try this egg-balancing trick any random day of the year. All you need to succeed is a bit of patience.

09/21/2026

If you were to take a photo of the Sun at the same time for each day of the year, the Sun's position would trace out a figure-8 shape known as the analemma.

In 2017, a photographer did just this over the Callanish Stones in Scotland.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260920.html

Photo credit: Giuseppe Petricca, gmrphotographer

A different astronomy and space science related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation.

09/18/2026

Universe Uncovered - Our weekly astronomy fact drop.

Proximity to the Sun isn't the only thing that determines a planet's surface temperature. Mercury doesn't have an atmosphere to hold onto heat, but Venus does. This allows Venus to get hotter than Mercury even though it is millions of miles further from the Sun.

09/17/2026

Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with ODU Office of Intercultural Relations at the Lê Planetarium! See 2023’s feature film “Flamin’ Hot”

A comedy-drama film directed by Eva Longoria in her feature-length directorial debut. Based on the memoir A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive by Richard Montañez, who claims to have invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

When: Thursday, Sep. 24th
Time: 6:15pm

09/14/2026

"These observations push Hubble's and JWST's abilities to the limit... described as being equivalent to seeing a swarm of fireflies on the moon from Earth."

These observations push Hubble's and JWST's abilities to the limit.

09/11/2026

The North Star may seem like a steady companion in our night sky, but it's actually composed of three, separate stars. Two of these can be seen with a modest, backyard telescope and are called Polaris A and Polaris B.

In 2006, NASA released photos from the Hubble Space Telescope to find a long suspected companion orbiting Polaris A. The companion was then given the name Polaris Ab, and orbits at a distance of only 2 billions miles.

[Image credit NASA, ESA, N. Evans (Harvard-Smithsonian, CfA), and H. Bond (STScI)]