School Field Trips
Field Trip Information
Check our field trip calendar below.
On dates and times that are marked “Field Trip Open,” you may reserve seats for your group’s choice of show. You’ll find current options for shows on our full dome show page.
On dates that are marked with a show title, please click on the title for more information.
During the school year (through June 15, 2018), you may schedule a field trip show on any regular school day at 10 a.m. or 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, or at 1 p.m. on Fridays only.
During the summer (June 18 through Aug. 2, 2018), you may schedule a field trip show at 10 a.m. Monday through Friday or 11:30 a.m. on selected Fridays only.
Group discount admission fee: $5 for students, $5 for adult chaperones, aides and teachers.
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 isn’t feasible for us to collect individually from each member of your group.) No deposit is required to reserve a field trip show.
The Fujitsu Planetarium is closed during school holidays and breaks. Sorry no field trips can be scheduled for evenings or weekends.
Our 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.
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. The maximum seating capacity is 139.
To Reserve a Field Trip
Email requests to hawthornmargarita@deanza.edu or call 408.864.8814.
Please reserve two months or more in advance, when possible, to ensure preferred date and seating availability.
Provide the following information:
- Name of teacher or person making reservation
- Contact phone number and email address
- School name and mailing address
- First choice of date and time, plus two alternate dates and times
- Number of seats needed for your entire group – including students, chaperones, aides and teachers
- Title of full dome show you would like your group to see
Show Descriptions and Trailers.
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
On weekdays, 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. All cars require a one-day parking permit, which can be purchased for $3 from yellow machines located on all lots. The machines accept one-dollar bills, coins and credit cards.
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 across the street behind the Oaks shopping center.
Public Transit: VTA buses routes 23, 25, 53, 54, 55, 81 and 323 serve the De Anza campus.
Title 1 Schools Field Trip Project
Thanks to the generosity of private donors and foundations, the Fujitsu Planetarium at De Anza College is offering discounted ticket admission for the 2017-18 school year to any student enrolled in a Title 1 school who is visiting the Planetarium as part of a school field trip.
Title 1 School Admission Price is $3.
To qualify for reduced admission, attendees must be enrolled in a Title 1 school, at any grade level. The school must fall within the 25th percentile or above for participation in free and reduced-price lunches.
When booking your reservation, please notify our office staff of your school's current percentile for free and reduced-price lunches.
Trip Etiquette: DOs and DON'Ts
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.
Please don't use your cell phone or camera (for still or video recording) inside the Planetarium while the show is in progress.
Please don’t wear shoes with flashing lights. These distract from the presentation. Students will be asked to remove them while inside the Planetarium.
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.
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.
De Anza College Fujitsu Planetarium
planetarium@deanza.edu
21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, California 95014
Office Hours: Monday to Friday - 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Call (408) 864-8814 during office hours to schedule
a Special Event or Field trip.