Faulkner Planetarium Theater
Opened in November 1995, the Faulkner Planetarium (Idaho's largest and most advanced) seats 144 under a 50' (15.2 m) dome, and features a state-of-the-art Digistar 7 fulldome projection system and 10,200 W Dolby 5.1 surround sound.Centennial Observatory & Telescope
The Centennial Observatory features one of the world's largest fully wheelchair-accessible public telescopes. The main instrument is the Norman Herrett telescope, a 24" Ritchey-Chrétien reflector on a computer-controlled fork mount, manufactured by DFM Engineering of Longmont, Colorado, USA. An elevator takes visitors to its second-story location at the south end of the museum. Once there, a wheelchair elevator takes visitors with limited mobility to the observing deck under a six-meter (20 foot) motorized dome manufactured by Observa-Dome of Jackson, Mississippi, USA. The ARE-125, an optical "periscope" designed by DFM, allows unprecedented access to the telescope for wheelchair-bound or limited-mobility visitors. An Apogee Alta E47+ CCD camera is available for imaging, a generous gift of Dick and Jody Shotwell.
Weather Forecasts
Find out if skies will be clear for telescope viewing.
Our Research
When not open for public viewing, the Norman Herrett Telescope is used to measure asteroids by the stellar occultation method.
Eclipses Visible in Twin Falls
Dates, times, and details of every lunar and solar eclipse visible in Twin Falls for the next 20 years.
The Olive & Miles Browning Gallery
Currently on Exhibit:
- "ViewSpace" - NASA's continuously-updated high-def video program with the latest images of the universe, news on ongoing missions, and more. ViewSpace videos tell the stories of the planets, galaxies, and univerese, giving viewers the opportunity to experience space and Earth through the view of satelites and telescopes.