The first things I noticed after I sat down in the Sharpe Planetarium were the giant, barbell-shaped machine in the center of the room and the dozens of projectors circling the room. That, and the disco balls. Sadly, the disco balls weren't used  during the presentation of "Bear Tales and Other Grizzly Stories".

The lights dimmed, and I leaned back and watched as the star machine and projectors flashed the night sky onto the planetarium's domed ceiling. The current program at the planetarium is about a family looking at the night sky and telling the stories behind some of the most well-known constellations. The current show, "Bear Tales and Other Grizzly Stories", is about 30 minutes long and completely family friendly (it closes with a singalong, too).

Following the regular program, Planetarium Supervisor David Maness projected some images of the night sky as seen from Memphis onto the ceiling and pointed out where common constellations are located. He also mentioned that currently (as in, tonight) Venus, Mars, and Saturn will all be visible, though, to the naked eye, they'll just look like extra bright stars.

The Sharpe Planetarium has been open inside the Pink Palace Museum since 1979. Currently, there are 16 public and school group shows in the planetarium every week, and usually a few special private shows (the planetarium can be rented for the evening). The planetarium's shows change about every three months, which keeps them seasonally appropriate - the constellations that are in the spring are different from the ones that appear in the fall.

The planetarium has shows every week,  Tuesday - Saturday. Admission is separate from regular museum admission, but it's a bargain at $4.50 for adults and $4 for kids.

Go There:

Sharpe Planetarium

3050 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111
(901) 320-6362