Planetarium

You are at the Planetarium of Nîmes, on avenue Péladan, on the hill of Mont Duplan. It is part of the city’s Natural History Museum and has been on this hill since 1982. The idea is simple: you settle into a round, air-conditioned room with 65 seats, under a dome 8 metres across. In the centre stands the projector, a Zeiss ZKP2 designed and built in the late 1960s. It projects the Moon, the planets and the stars onto the dome, and can move them at will, as if time were speeding up. The shows are suitable for children aged 6 and over and change theme from month to month. The Planetarium also keeps a rare object from the city’s collections: a cosmograph acquired at the end of the nineteenth century, a rare object kept with the astronomical equipment. Check the programme before going up, as shows take place on set days.

History

The Planetarium is part of the Museum of Natural History and Prehistory of Nîmes, run by the city. It has been on the hill of Mont Duplan since 1982. Its projector, a Zeiss ZKP2, is older than the building: it was designed and made in the late 1960s. The site also showcases a heritage instrument: a cosmograph acquired at the end of the nineteenth century, transferred to the Planetarium. Together with the museum and the DNA School, it is part of the city’s science offering.

Art and architecture

The projection room is hemispherical, with a dome 8 metres in diameter. It has 65 seats and is air-conditioned. The projector stands in the centre of the room: it projects the Moon, the planets and the stars onto the dome, and can show their movements. The city presents the venue as five simple ways to discover and understand the Universe.

Anecdotes

The cosmograph kept at the Planetarium was acquired at the end of the nineteenth century: it sits alongside a projector from the 1960s. This pairing illustrates the evolution of astronomical instruments, the theme of an activity offered during the 2023 European Heritage Days.

What to look for

As you go in, look at the Zeiss projector in the centre of the room. During the show, watch how the 8-metre dome becomes a complete sky, then how the stars and planets move when the motion is sped up. If the cosmograph is on display, compare it with the projector: two ways, almost a century apart, of explaining the sky.

Practical

The Planetarium is open: as of 6 October 2026, nimes.fr announces no closure for works and no relocation. Address: avenue Péladan, telephone 04 66 76 72 60. Shows on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; closed on Mondays and public holidays, and on the weekends of 3 and 4 and of 25 and 26 October. Shows for ages 6 and over. The room is wheelchair accessible, with 4 reserved spaces, and parking is available nearby.

Nearby

The Planetarium complements a visit to the Natural History Museum, on boulevard Amiral-Courbet, in the former Jesuit college. On the same hill, Mont Duplan is also a stop in this guide. For school groups, educational sessions are held on weekdays, on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm.

Test yourself

Sources

• City of Nîmes: Planetarium of Nîmes
• Google Arts & Culture (Muséum de Nîmes) : le Planétarium
• OpenAgenda: The evolution of astronomical instruments (European Heritage Days 2023)

Information checked on 6 October 2026.