One of the highlights of the Vanderbilt Museum is the Planetarium, with it's 60-foot Sky Theater. The Vanderbilt Planetarium opened in 1971 on the grounds of the Vanderbilt estate, and it is the largest facility of its kind on Long Island. The Planetarium's purpose is to provide visitors with information about the nighttime sky. The Planetarium's main feature is the domed, 60-foot Sky Theater. The theater's GOTO star projector can display the sun, moon, stars and planets. It also recreates celestial events during our various Sky Shows. The projector can simulate the heavens at any moment in time, from the distant past to the future, as it appeared from any place on Earth. The projector can show 11,369 stars, the Milky Way and several deep sky objects. This allows Planetarium staff to recreate the visible night sky, as seen under perfect conditions.