After months of hard work and anticipation, the Shiras Planetarium’s renovation is officially complete! Our upgraded facility now features state-of-the-art ZEISS projection technology, new seating, lighting, and sound systems that will elevate every visitor’s experience under the dome.

Now that construction is finished, our team is shifting focus to the next exciting phase—training, content creation, and event planning. We’re working behind the scenes to build new educational programs, update our systems, and prepare for a full relaunch of field trips and public events.

Our top priority remains serving students through daytime school field trips and class visits. These experiences are the heart of our mission and the reason Shiras Planetarium exists within Marquette Senior High School.

As we grow, we’ll begin offering public programming again—starting with laser shows and fulldome movies, which are easier to staff during this transition period. Over time, we’ll expand to include interactive programs, live presentations, and night sky tours, bringing back the hands-on, community-centered experiences you’ve come to love.

We are also working closely with Friends of Shiras Planetarium, our nonprofit support organization, to finalize fundraising efforts for this major renovation project, which exceeded its original projections. The ongoing support of our donors, volunteers, and community partners continues to make this work possible.

We truly appreciate your patience and enthusiasm as we rebuild and grow into this next chapter. The future of the Shiras Planetarium is brighter than ever—and we can’t wait to welcome you back beneath the stars.

Since closing our doors earlier this year, incredible progress has been made behind the scenes at Shiras Planetarium. With the help of our community, our partners, and a lot of hard work, the dome is being transformed into one of the most advanced planetariums in the Midwest.

Major Facility Upgrades

The renovation has touched nearly every corner of our space:

• New infrastructure: extensive rewiring to support our cutting-edge technology.
  
• Building improvements: a brand-new roof, refreshed paint throughout, and all-new carpeting.
  
• Comfort & accessibility: new ceiling, updated lighting, modern air conditioning, and a completely rebuilt seating area (new chairs are scheduled to arrive within the month!).
  
• Workspace additions: cosmetic renovations upstairs created a new server room and a redesigned technical workspace to support our growing programming.
  

Technology Highlights

This summer brought several landmark milestones:

• ZEISS VELVET DUO System — installed in June, bringing razor-sharp imagery and immersive full-dome experiences unlike anything we’ve had before.
  
• ChromaCove Lighting — added in August, creating dynamic, energy-efficient lighting that enhances every show.
  
• Audio & Lasers — upgraded sound, along with our laser system carefully reconfigured to fit the new open floor plan.
  
• New Control Desk — a completely rebuilt hub designed to integrate all these systems into one seamless experience.
  

We are deeply grateful to our partners at Seiler and ZEISS, whose expertise and collaboration have been essential in building this state-of-the-art facility.

Team Effort

Behind the technology, it’s people who make the difference:

• Jacob Phillips (Technical Director) and Becky LaBrecque (Facility Director) have been working tirelessly to integrate new systems and design fresh programming for both school field trips and public shows. Every aspect of programming is being reimagined from the ground up. Along the way, they’ve been mastering several new software platforms—a learning process that is still ongoing. The system’s capabilities have already far exceeded their expectations, opening possibilities they never could have imagined before.

• Steve Solinski (Astronomy Teacher) spent his summer break training on the new system and has already begun teaching astronomy classes in the dome. Students are amazed by what they’ve seen so far!
  

What’s Next

We are tentatively planning to reopen in mid-October for both field trips and public programs. Early visitors lucky enough to catch a sneak peek have been stunned by the new capabilities—and we can’t wait to share them with the entire community.

Stay tuned for more updates as we count down to reopening day. The future of Shiras Planetarium is brighter—and more immersive—than ever.