Private Group Tours

Observatory with Saturn in the background.

How to Schedule

Private group tours can be scheduled by appointment upon tour guide availability for daytime hours Monday-Sunday as well as evening tours Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday. Here’s what to do:

Please email holcombobservatory@butler.edu with:

Your organization’s name
Dates and times you are interested in
Number of anticipated guests
A cell number as an emergency contact
Choose a planetarium show from our list of full dome planetarium programs and include the title of the show you would prefer in your email. Note that most of our shows also are accompanied by educators’ guides. If you would like to choose later, please indicate that in your email.

Payment is made at the time of the tour. The planetarium admission fee is the minimum of $99 per visit, with $3 per extra person over 33 guests payable by cash, credit card, or check made out to the Holcomb Observatory. The Holcomb Observatory can accommodate up to 116 attendees per visit (58 limit per each tour guide assigned). If paying by credit card, please have it with you to avoid an additional 3.5% transaction fee. A student to adult ratio of 15:1 is recommended for all group visits to maintain quietness during the tour. One person / representative of your group should be responsible for the group’s payment. This payment should be given to the tour guide upon your arrival.

Butler University is committed to ensuring its programs, services, activities, and benefits are accessible on an equitable basis to all qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are planning to attend an event at the Holcomb Observatory and feel you may need a disability-related accommodation, please submit this form.

For disability-related accommodation requests, please share your request with two weeks’ advance notice to allow adequate time to make arrangements. Although attempts will be made to honor accommodation requests with less notice, it cannot be guaranteed that a reasonable accommodation can be provided without two-weeks’ notice.

*****Important accessibility note:
While the planetarium area is typically wheelchair accessible, the accessible lift is currently undergoing a replacement and therefore non-operational. Holcomb Observatory is working as quickly as possible to get the new lift up and running. If you are unable to navigate stairs into the planetarium and feel you may need an accommodation on an upcoming visit, please be in touch as soon as possible by completing the above form and contacting holcombobservatory@butler.edu.

Explore Our Full Dome Planetarium Shows

Visitors will enjoy an hour-long tour consisting of a 3D immersive full dome planetarium program, an interactive seasonal star planetarium show, a tour of the lobby with explanations of the symbols on the terrazzo lobby floor and the stair railing, along with a visit to the telescope dome. In the telescope dome the guide will explain and demonstrate the operation of the Holcomb Telescope. If your tour is scheduled after sunset you’ll get a chance to look through the telescope if weather conditions permit.

From 2018 to early 2019 the planetarium underwent a $250,000 renovation. It had its old Spitz AP3 star projector replaced with a fulldome Digitarium Kappa projector that projects more that 4 million pixels onto the dome of the planetarium which gives visitors a fully immersive 3D experience in addition to nicely rendering the night sky. Beside the new projector, new comfortable theater seating, a 5.1 surround sound system, new carpet, and cove lighting were added to enhance your experience with the help of our corporate partner Indianapolis-based Bowen Technovation. In addition to the planetarium from 2013 to 2015 our large telescope underwent a $425,000 refurbishment by Astronomical Consultants and Equipment with a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation via Frank Levinson, PhD.

To prepare for the tour first choose a full dome planetarium show from this list of shows. Many of these shows come with educational guides. The Sun and planets are typically included in the planetarium presentation. To prepare yourself for the planetarium seasonal star show it is suggested that you look at the star chart and current night sky pages. To learn about the telescopes at Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium, look at our history and telescope page.

Tour reservations will be held up to 20 minutes after your prescheduled tour time (your tour will be shortened if another tour is schedule after you). Following that your reservation is subject to cancellation and you will be charged a service fee of $25.00 per tour. If the need arises and you must cancel your tour reservation, please email holcombobservatory@butler.edu at least two business days in advance to avoid the service fee. Returned checks will be charged a service fee of $20.00. Group leaders should collect the appropriate admission fee from the group members in advance. Payment can be made either by cash, credit card, or check made out to J. I. Holcomb Observatory at the door. Payment should be given to the planetarium personnel upon entry. It is recommended that you arrive 10 minutes before your tour so that you may be seated.

Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium is located on the north end of the Butler University campus and can be reached by heading west on 46th Street from Meridian Street (Butler University Campus Map). Patrons can utilize our parking garage for a fee or park in the Hinkle Fieldhouse lot at no charge (provided no sports or special event is scheduled).

For accessibility information or to request disability-related accommodations, please visit butler.edu/event-accommodations. Wheelchair accessibility is available in the planetarium, lobby, restroom area only. There are three sets of steps to get to the telescope. No elevator is available to the dome where the 38-inch telescope is located.

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