Fryxell Geology Museum
Planetarium and geology museum open house
Augustana College's John Deere Planetarium and Fryxell Geology Museum will be open to the public on Saturday, April 25, 2026, for an evening of gazing and space shows.
The museum will be closed Saturday, March 21-Sunday, March 29 for Spring Break. The museum will reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 30.
Regular hours: The museum welcomes visitors from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday when classes are in session.
School group tours are now available. Please email Susan Wolf for information.
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The collection
The museum is named after Dr. Fritiof Fryxell, professor of geology from 1929-1973. It began in the late 1880s with a modest natural history collection. Today, the collection holds over 20,000 rock, mineral and fossil specimens, with 1,500 on display.
Highlights include a wall of glowing, fluorescent rocks, a cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, and a complete 22-foot long skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a large crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica.
Hours
The museum will be closed Saturday, March 21-Sunday, March 29 for Spring Break. The museum will reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 30.
Regular hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday when classes are in session.