Support

The Lê Planetarium is ODU's newest planetarium and the 2nd largest planetarium dome in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our original planetarium, the Pretlow Planetarium, was a part of Old Dominion University from 1967-2020. Our formal education has helped thousands of ODU students complete their general science requirements in the Planetarium as part of our Introductory Astronomy courses. Even more impressive is the dedication the people of Hampton Roads have shown for weekly plantarium shows. These weekly shows continue to enlighten the audience of what's currently happening in the world of astronomy.

The support from our community is ever expanding and continues to impress us. In 2014, our annual attendance at our various public events was just over 2,700. By 2019, just before the COVID pandemic, our annual attendance was nearly 10,000!

As we continue to move forward, we have big plans for your neighborhood planetarium. We ask for your support of the formal and informal educational missions of the Planetarium. We encourage anyone who is willing to help us to improve this unique, educational experience for future generations.

If you have any questions about donations made to the Lê Planetarium, or would like to discuss how your support could be targeted toward a specific program area or activity, please contact the Planetarium Director, Justin Mason, at jrmason@odu.edu or (757) 683-3865.