uaf just got stars
Fairbanks just officially became one of the only places in Alaska where you can sit inside and watch a full sky simulation any time of year.
Daily Alaska staff · May 5, 2026 · Fairbanks
Daily Alaska staff · May 5, 2026 · FairbanksUAF just opened a brand new planetarium.
The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium opened at the UAF Museum of the North on April 25th. Stargazers and space nerds have been waiting on this thing for the better part of thirty years. Construction took close to a year to wrap up.
The dome theater can run full-sky projections, so you can sit and watch the aurora, the planets, or the deep field on a single screen. It tied into the existing museum on West Ridge without a major footprint change. Regular programming has already started.
For a town that already has some of the best night sky viewing on the planet, this fills in the missing piece during the months when it's too cloudy or too cold to actually be out under the stars.
Fairbanks locals get another year-round indoor venue, which we can never have too many.