CHANGING LIVES AND INSPIRING LEARNING THROUGH SCIENCE AND WONDER.

Millholland Planetarium

 

Science that is Out of the World!

The Millholland Planetarium is a 65-seat, digital planetarium theater featuring a giant screen, 30 ft dome images, and surround sound to transport visitors beyond the confines of Earth. Journey to the center of a black hole, tour the surface of the Sun, the rings of Saturn, and more! We cannot wait for you to experience shows and programs in the Millholland Planetarium!

Upcoming Showtimes

  • Flight of the Butterflies

    Sat, Jun 7 2025  11:00 am - 11:40 am

    40 minutes

    The monarch butterfly is a true marvel of nature. Weighing less than a penny, it makes one of the longest migrations on Earth across a continent to a place it has never known. Follow the monarchs' perilous journey and join hundreds of millions of real butterflies in the remote mountain peaks of Mexico.

    Show Begins at 11:00 AM

More Showtimes!

Now Playing!

*Planetarium shows are included with admission based on seat availability

Living Worlds

23  minutes + Star Talk

The exploration of space is the greatest endeavor that humankind has ever undertaken. What does it take to be part of this incredible journey? What does it take to become an astronaut? Astronaut takes you from Earth into space... and beyond.

Flight of the Butterflies

40  minutes + Star Talk

The monarch bu@erfly is a true marvel of nature. Weighing less than a penny, it makes one of the longest migrations on Earth across a continent to a place it has never known. Follow the monarchs' perilous journey and join hundreds of millions of real bu@erflies in the remote mountain peaks of Mexico. This show is kid-friendly.

Always Above

12  minutes + Star Talk

Always Above explores how close space is to our daily lives, what type of satellites are up there, the threats that exist, and the role that the U.S. Space Force plays in launching, operating and defending these assets.

We are out-of-this-world excited to announce that the Millholland Planetarium has a state-of-the-art digital projector! The new projector still has old favorites, now with brighter and more crisp images, along with new shows!

Features of the new projector include...

  • The ability to 'dome cast' or share live and recorded events from other planetariums!
  • Access to the database of over 400 partners that CSC can use as programmatic elements!
  • The Digistar 7's connectivity will allow CSC to stream live feeds like NASA's Perseverance landing mission control experience!

Thank You to our sponsors

The following sponsors' generosity help support the Millholland Planetarium:

John & Eileen Leach
Kenneth K. & Suzanne G. Millholland Endowment
Pepsi Bottling Co. of Hickory, NC
TSH Foundation
E.R. Carpenter Foundation
Underdown Family Foundation

Special Group Shows in the Planetarium

You can book a planetarium show for your group! For more information contact our Office Staff at info@catawbascience.org or 828.322.8169 x. 0

Meredith C.

What a wonderful place to visit! Great environment to learn and the staff is very helpful! Hickory is lucky to have great family education and entertainment.

– Meredith C.

Sam H.

This place was great. We have kids from 8 to 1 and they all had a great time. What I really liked is most of the exhibits are hands on and that really kept them occupied.

– Sam H.

Tiffany F.

We love the Science Center! I take my 2 and 4 year old boys weekly to play and enjoy the exhibits. The staff are wonderful and the classes offered are excellent! We are so blessed to have such an amazing resource in our area.

– Tiffany F.

Larry W.

Took the kiddos and they loved it. Employees were nice and helpful. If your looking for something to do with the kids give this place a shot.

-Larry W.

Denise G.

Fabulous and I don’t often give praise. We took our grandson and were there for hours. He loved it and so did we.

– Denise G.

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