The Starshow is the main service offered by Schull Planetarium. It is a must-see for those of all ages whatever their interest in Astronomy and the stars. The present starshow format is the product of years of refinement, and is aimed at both entertaining and educating all, from the youngest to the oldest, and from the veteran astronomer to the novice.

The show is presented by a trained Planetarium Lecturer and comprises of three elements. The Starshow opens with a short video presentation. This is intended firstly to entertain and educate, and also to allow the audience's eyes to adjust to the low level of light necessary for the show. Among the wide array of video presentations available to the lecturer are a number of productions which have been created specifically for the Starshows by Mark Sweetnam. Senior Lecturer at the Planetarium.

The main part of the show consists of the projection of an accurate, and convincing representation of the night sky onto the Planetarium dome. The lecturer gives a guided tour of the constellations to be seen at a given time. The night sky projected is an accurate representation of the starscape visible at the time of year. As a result, a Winter Starshow will be almost completely different in content to a Summer show. However the projector allows the Lecturer the freedom to navigate easily between the Winter and Summer night skies visible from the pole to the equator and any constellation can be viewed on request during the next part of the show. This section also includes a variety of observing advice, and of astronomical mythology and anecdote, at the lecturer's discretion. Because each lecturer has sole responsibility for their own presentation, different lecturers will bring their own unique perspective to the show, ensuring that Starshows are always fresh and original.

The final section of the Starshow is the Questions and Answers session. The audience can ask for information on anything from Red Giants to shooting stars, or to be shown any one of the 88 constellations. The Lecturer will endeavour to answer any questions asked. Schull Planetarium is one of the last planetaria in Western Europe to retain this interactive element, and is very anxious that it should be retained and encouraged. Audiences are actively encouraged to participate, and many after-show discussions have proved most stimulating, both for lecturer and audience.

Each Starshow lasts for approximately 45 minutes. Details of timetables and ticket prices can be obtained by clicking the Schedule button on the left.