Free Events Our Shared Sky Outdoor Stargazing Friday Night Show

« All Events

Event Series: Northern Lights

Northern Lights

November 20 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm CST

Northern Lights, Fridays, November 6, 13, 20, December 4, 11 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Enjoy the radiance of the night sky and colorful displays of dancing lights with a behind-the-scenes tour of the science behind one of nature’s most remarkable light shows. The program will include an indoor stargazing session of the night sky followed by the opportunity to ask questions.

This event is open to the public. Not recommended for children under 4.

Event Information

DateStart TimeEnd Time
Friday, November 6, 20267:00 PM8:00 PM
Friday, November 13, 20267:00 PM8:00 PM
Friday, November 20, 20267:00 PM8:00 PM
Friday, December 4, 20267:00 PM8:00 PM
Friday, December 11, 20267:00 PM8:00 PM

Ticket Options

Get Tickets Learn More About Memberships Directions and Parking

You can buy tickets in advance on our VBO Tickets website. We also sell tickets at the door starting 30 minutes before the stated show start time. However, we recommend buying tickets online because shows sometimes sell out. If tickets are sold out, you can have your name added to a waiting list at the door. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee admission to people on the waiting list.

General Admission$7
*UWM Student$5
*Planetarium MemberFREE
*Please log in when visiting the Ticket Purchase page in order to display UWM Student and/or Planetarium Membership ticket pricing.

Instructions & Door Policy

Please arrive 15 minutes before the show start time. Upon arrival, check in at the ticket table in the hallway by the planetarium doors. If you purchased tickets in advance, our staff will have your name on their list. Otherwise, you can purchase tickets from them or get added to the waiting list if a show is sold out.

If you have not checked in 5 minutes before the show start time (for example, by 6:55 pm for a 7:00pm show), we may release your ticket to someone on the waiting list.

Please help us start on time! We cannot guarantee admission after the show start time.

Location & Parking

Address

The Manfred Olson Planetarium is located inside the UW-Milwaukee Physics building:

Physics Building Room 139
1900 E Kenwood Blvd
Milwaukee, WI, 53211

The main entrance to the Physics building is on Kenwood Blvd.

Accessibility

There is one wheelchair-accessible entrance via the path between the Physics building and EMS building off Cramer St. (see map below).

Unfortunately, our rooftop stargazing deck is not wheelchair accessible.

Map

Map of Physics building, Planetarium, and surrounding buildings/streets

Parking

There is no free parking on campus. Please allow extra time to park when you visit.

Parking ticket booth
Parking permit booth

Cunningham Lot parking is available for purchase just north of the Physics building. The entrance is at the corner of Cramer and Hartford. Please be sure to avoid the spots that are for permit holders (they say “This spot is reserved for staff/faculty”). Pricing varies from $1-2/hour depending on the time and day.

You may be able to find street parking (both metered and free) but be sure to read the street signs for restrictions.

Payment for parking spots can be done by using the Parkmobile smartphone app or pay stations located on the perimeter of the lot. Purchase a parking ticket from one of the booths by entering your license plate number and the amount of time you will be parked. The booth accepts cash, Visa, and Mastercard.
For additional information, please visit Transportation Services.

How to park your vehicle.

Transportation

The Green Line and 66 bus routes have stops near the Physics building. Other nearby routes with on-campus stops are the Red Line, Gold Line, and 30. For more info see the MCTS website.