The Barlow Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin‐Fox Valley, the first major planetarium in the state of Wisconsin, opened to the public on March 20, 1998.  The 48-foot diameter projection dome with seating for 98 (in addition to 4 wheelchair accessible spaces) is powered by an Evans and Sutherland Digistar II®, cutting-edge video projection and automation technology.

The Barlow, at the time of its opening, was considered among the most state-of-the-art planetariums in the United States. Today, the Barlow is the second largest and second most attended planetarium in Wisconsin.  The Barlow serves approximately 35,000 visitors annually from Northeast Wisconsin including the communities of seven of the twenty-six UW System campuses: five two-year campuses (UW-Fox Valley, UW-Fond du Lac, UW-Manitowoc, UW-Sheboygan and UW-Marinette) and two four-year institutions (UW-Green Bay and UW-Oshkosh).

The Barlow is also one of the busiest university planetariums in the Midwest as well as in the United States.

The Barlow has experienced exceptional growth over the last 18 years.  In the most recent fiscal year, the Barlow generated approximately $150,000 in gross revenue and realized a positive net revenue.