Hastings Museum’s Planetarium dates back to September 12, 1958, when the Museum presented its first shows to the public.

The Planetarium was built with funds generously provided by the J.M. McDonald Foundation. The Museum was so appreciative of the contribution that the planetarium is officially named the J.M. McDonald Planetarium.

Today, the Planetarium contains two projectors.

One is our Minolta MS-8, which offers a stunningly realistic representation of the night sky, including more than 3,500 stars!

A full dome projector, added during a Planetarium remodel in 2008, allows Museum staff to show astronomy-related films that fill the entire smooth dome – putting you in the middle of the action.