1. News
  2. AZPM News - Local, independent journalism from the NPR 89.1 newsroom
ASTRONOMY March 26, 2025 / Modified mar 27, 2025 10:18 a.m.

Tucson's Flandrau Planetarium receives national recognition

Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this fall, is ranked among the top in the US.
by Tony Perkins

Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium The Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium on the campus of the University of Arizona.
AC Swedbergh / AZPM

One of Tucson's major science attractions is receiving recognition.

USA Today listed the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium for a spot in its 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards. It's ranked 4th best planetarium in the United States.

Planetarium design manager Shiloe Fontes says being located on the University of Arizona campus gives Flandrau an advantage.

"We really do have that benefit of being on a campus that has such a history in space exploration and planetary science and optics, and that gives us a lot of contact to be able to communicate to our public," she said.

The planetarium will celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. It attracts nearly 70,000 visitors every year, including about 14,000 K-12 students on field trips.

MORE:
ASTRONOMY
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona