Planetarium and Observatory

The Dale Etheridge Planetarium at the College of Southern Nevada's Cheyenne campus is the only public planetarium in Las Vegas — a 66-seat theater under a 30-foot dome, running public shows Friday evenings (6, 7 and 8 PM) and Saturdays (3:30, 6, 7 and 8 PM). Tickets are $6 general, $5 for seniors over 55, kids under 12, active military and CSN students — and when the sky cooperates, the observatory opens free telescope viewing after the 8 PM show. Advance tickets sell online through the operator's store with Will Call pickup at the astronomy shop.

Know what you're buying: this is a community-college teaching planetarium, not a Strip production — charming, earnest and $6, with a short educational sky talk before each feature that fidgety toddlers may not survive. It runs weekend evenings only, the small dome fills up, and late seating isn't allowed, so arrive with minutes to spare. The campus sits in North Las Vegas, a 15-to-20-minute drive from the Strip, with free, plentiful parking in the two lots beside the building.