Field Trip

Presentations: In-person presentations last about 1 hour and 10 minutes. They include a featured full dome show, "Tour of the Night Sky," and a "Question and Answer" segment. Presentations for younger astronomers may last one hour or less. Detailed full dome Show Descriptions here.

Group Size: The maximum seating capacity is 139. All groups must have 25 or more in attendance to reserve. We will do our best to accommodate groups with less than 25; however, your preferred date and time may not be available.

Fees & Payment: Groups with 50 or more: $6 for students, adult chaperones, aides and teachers. All groups with less than 50 attendees, will pay a flat rate fee of $300. Admission must be paid in full on the day of the field trip, at the time you arrive. We accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover), school checks payable to De Anza College Planetarium, or cash if submitted in a single payment. (It is not feasible for us to collect individually from each member of your group.) No deposit is required to reserve an in-person field trip.

Availability & Schedule: In-person field trips are available from September 25, 2024 through June 6, 2025. To see our field trip calendar for availability click here.

To Reserve a Field Trip: Please reserve two months or more in advance to ensure preferred date and seating availability. Please use reservation form found here, for your field trip request then allow 1 -2 business days for a response.

Confirmations: A confirmation/invoice, general information sheet and campus map will be emailed when your reservation is placed on the field trip calendar. Groups should arrive at the Planetarium building at least 10 minutes before the start of the show to check in and pay for admission. Please allow plenty of time for parking and walking to the building from parking lots or bus drop-off area. Due to the nature of our shows, and for safety reasons, we are unable to seat late attendees once the lights have been dimmed. 

Parking: Please allow at least a half an hour before the start of your show for parking on the De Anza campus.

Cars: We recommend using the parking structure in Lot C. The Planetarium is located across the pool area, opposite Lot C.  Parking is currently free but we will update your group if that changes.

Buses: Drop-off areas are located in Lot C near the parking structure and Lot E near the Science Center. Buses may not drop off students from the frontage road. Once students are dropped off, buses may park in lots.

Public Transit: VTA buses routes are available. Please use the VTA trip planner here.

Title 1 Schools Field Trips:  Thanks to the generosity of private donors and foundations, the De Anza College Planetarium offers discounted ticket admission for the 2025-2026 school year to students enrolled in a Title 1 school who visit the Planetarium as part of an in-person school field trip. Title 1 School Admission Price is $3 per person.

To qualify for reduced admission, attendees must be enrolled in a Title 1 school, at any grade level and their school must be above the 40th percentile for participation in free and reduced-price lunch.

When booking your reservation, please notify our office staff of your school's current percentile for free and reduced-price lunch.

In-Person Field Trip Etiquette - Do's and Dont's: 

1. Chaperones: At all times, please supervise all students assigned to you and make sure they observe field trip rules while at the Planetarium and college campus.
2. Please don't use your cell phone or camera (for still or video recording) inside the Planetarium while the show is in progress.
3. Please don’t wear shoes with flashing lights. These distract from the presentation. Students will be asked to remove them while inside the Planetarium.
4. Please do keep quiet. There are classrooms adjacent to the Planetarium. We ask that all students keep their voices down while they wait to enter and after they exit the Planetarium. Please plan a quiet activity, such as reading, if your group expects to arrive earlier than your scheduled show. Do not bring play equipment such as jump ropes or balls on campus.
5. Please do use designated eating areas. There is no eating, drinking or gum-chewing permitted inside the Planetarium. Your group is welcome to eat their snacks or lunch on the cement quad located next to the Planetarium, the grassy area next to the library, the tables located in the campus center, or in Memorial Park across the street from De Anza. Unfortunately, these eating areas are not covered; please plan accordingly in case of rain.