Science Building and Planetarium - A Dome on the Hill

A stop on College of San Mateo Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.

At the top of the mall is the Science Building, Building 36, completed in 2006, with the round planetarium dome at its western end. It was designed to fit Warnecke's campus, with a long horizontal front and tall, narrow vertical elements that echo his columns.

Inside are labs and lecture halls for astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, physics and health sciences. The planetarium, finished in January 2007, seats 97 people under a digital dome with an opto-mechanical star projector, and it is open to students and the public for astronomy shows. Up on the roof is an observatory whose roof rolls back so telescopes can track the night sky. Check the astronomy department's website for current show times.

Behind the building, on the highest part of campus, is its outdoor amphitheater, the Plaza of the Sun. When you're ready, walk back down the mall to College Center to close the loop.

Getting here: Keep walking north to the end of the mall. The Science Building is straight ahead, with the planetarium dome on its left.

Did you know?: A planetarium was part of the original 1963 campus too: it was one of the buildings still unfinished when classes began that September.

Photo op: Step back from the building's front until you can fit the planetarium dome and the long glass facade in one frame.

More on Wikipedia: College of San Mateo · Planetarium · Observatory

Science Building and Planetarium - A Dome on the Hill

Stops on this tour