Entry No. 20 — the Las Vegas file — filed under: planetarium
Dale Etheridge Planetarium (CSN)
Southern Nevada's only public planetarium is tucked inside a community college campus rather than a museum district — under its 30-foot dome and Digistar 5 projector, weekend shows end with a genuine payoff: free telescope viewing set up in the parking lot right after the 8pm Friday and Saturday shows, weather permitting.
The story
While the rest of Las Vegas spends millions selling artificial light shows to tourists on the Strip, Southern Nevada’s only public planetarium quietly operates out of a community college campus in North Las Vegas. Named after its founding director, the Dale Etheridge Planetarium isn't framed as a high-octane resort attraction. Run by astrophysicists—including campus manager Dr. Andrew Kerr—the facility takes an explicitly uncompromising stance on science, explicitly refusing to censor or dumb down astronomical realities for public consumption.
Underneath its 30-foot dome, a Digistar 5 digital projector renders deep-space phenomena, planetary orbits, and distant galaxies in sharp detail. But the real insider secret of the operation isn't inside the dome at all—it's what the crew sets up on the asphalt outside once the main event winds down.
What it's like
Finding the planetarium means navigating the parking lots of CSN's Cheyenne campus, which feels more like showing up for night class than a typical Vegas night out. Inside, the 30-foot dome offers an intimate seating setup where you're never more than a few yards from the projector. The key move here is booking an 8pm show on a Friday or Saturday night: as soon as the lights come up inside, staff roll astronomical telescopes out into the parking lot to host a free, outdoor stargazing session right on the asphalt.
The move: Catch the 8pm weekend dome show, then stay for the free after-show telescope session outside — no extra ticket needed for the stargazing part.
- 📍 North Las Vegas
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue, North Las Vegas, NV 89030
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Woodlawn Cemetery — Pair a daytime walk past historic Las Vegas gravesites with a late-night gaze into deep space across town.
- The Neon Museum — Night Tours — Trade the glowing, defunct casino neon of historic downtown for natural starlight projected on a 30-foot dome.
- Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum — Contrast the dark macabre relics of downtown with the silent, cold expanse of the cosmos in North Las Vegas.
Good to know
Do I need a separate ticket for the telescope viewing?
No, the parking lot stargazing session following the 8pm weekend shows is free to showgoers and open right after the projection dome lights come up.
Is the outdoor telescope viewing guaranteed?
It's strictly weather permitting—heavy clouds, high desert wind, or rain will cancel the parking lot telescope portion.
Where on campus is the planetarium situated?
It sits on the College of Southern Nevada's North Las Vegas campus at 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue, housed inside the main campus facility.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · csnplanetarium.square.site
last checked: 2026-07-20