The Salt Lake City Clark Planetarium, originally named the Hansen Planetarium, opened in 1965 as a cutting-edge space science education center. With expansions and program additions in 2003, Clark Planetarium replaced the historic Hansen Planetarium and became a nationwide leader in star show production and space education.

Exhibits
The Clark Planetarium features 19 free exhibits within its 15,000 square-foot facility. “Science on a Sphere” (SOS) is one of the planetarium’s newest exhibits. SOS is a computer animated globe by NOAA that projects video image sequence sets into the globe including Earth’s weather systems, plate tectonics, ocean temperatures and the Earth at night. “Newton’s Daydream” is an audio-kinetic sculpture by artist George Rhoads. The sculpture is two-stories tall and features a maze of interconnected balls, bells, drums and other instruments that stir the senses in numerous ways. Newton’s Daydream is located in the main lobby of the Clark Planetarium. “Meteorites” is another popular exhibit offering visitors a rare glimpse and even the opportunity to touch meteorites of all sizes and shapes. The Moon: Our Companion in Space exhibit includes a Moon sample brought back by the Apollo 15 astronauts. There is also a companion Moonscape exhibit that allows visitors to experience the moon as 12 astronauts have. Other exhibits include the Earth Globe, Telescope displays, ATK Launch Systems of Utah, Moon Gravity Simulator, Hubble Space Telescope and NASA TV, International Space Station, and Foucault pendulum.

Hansen Dome Theater
The Hansen Dome Theater is a 55-foot, 205-seat digital dome planetarium with a state-of-the-art Digistar 3. Digistar 3 utilizes six high-definition video projectors located behind the bottom perimeter of the dome to project a larger-than-life, seamless image onto the aluminum dome without a projection area in the middle of the theater. Each seat features individual interactive seat button control paddles. The Hansen Dome Theater features a 13,000 watt sound system with 5.1 surround sound and 21 speakers. Clark Planetarium Productions creates and distributes it own, unique full dome animation films. To name a few of the Hansen Dome Theater current features, Black Holes immerses visitors in the power and mysterious awe of the black hole. Dawn of the Space Age takes you back to the early days of space exploration in an educational and exciting space history film. Other features include Extreme Planets, Holiday Music Magic, Night Vision, Secret of the Cardboard Rocket, and Ultimate Universe.

ATK IMAX Theater
Salt Lake City Clark Planetarium features an IMAX certified big screen theater called the ATK IMAX. Current films include Fly Me To The Moon 3D, NASCAR 3D, Santa vs. The Snowman 3D, and other science and nature oriented films. In the evenings, Clark Planetarium features various entertainment films.

Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City also features cosmic light shows to rock music such as Pink Floyd and U2. Serving over 80,000 school children a year, Clark Planetarium combines education, amazement, and fun for the perfect family, school, or special event trip. Clark Planetarium is dedicated to its public education outreach and also rents some of its rooms for special events.

Access to Clark Planetarium is free with show ticket prices as follows: $8.00 for adults/teens/seniors, $6.00 for children 12 and under, $6.00 matinee tickets for adults for programs beginning before 5 pm, except special engagements, and $6.00 for all 2nd show tickets, for the same person, on the same day. Check with Clark Planetarium for updated pricing information. Clark Planetarium is open year round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

The 1887 Hansen House offers cozy and convenient Sandy Utah Lodging near all the best Salt Lake City Attractions, including Clark Planetarium and The Aquarium Sandy Utah. Our Salt Lake City Rooms are located less than a mile from Utah TRAX. To get to Clark Planetarium, take TRAX to the new Clark Planetarium Stop. UTA bus schedules also pass by the planetarium.

Hours:
Open to the public 7 days a week 11:00 AM.
Open for schools and group events only at 9:00 AM.
The concessions stand closes immediately after the last IMAX presentation begins.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at 801-562-2198, email us, or use our online request form.