THE PLANETARIAN Journal of the International Society Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993

Articles

6 The Great Goddess and the Orion ...... Dan Matlaga 16 Peoria Area Solar System Project ...... Sheldon Schafer 19 Perspective and the Crescent ...... Joe Tucciarone 21 U. S. Planetarium Professional ...... David Menke 23 Countdown to "94" ...... Michael Hutton 25 On the Tidal Forces ...... Lars Broman 27 George Lovi, 1939-1993 ...... James Smart

Features

29 Book Reviews ...... April Whitt 32 Treasurer's Report 1992 ...... Keith Johnson 35 Planetechnica: Exorcising Audio Phantoms ...... Richard McColman 40 Mobile News Network ...... Sue Reynolds 44 Opening the Dome: Kingsport Tennessee ...... Jon U. Bell 47 President's Message ...... Bill Gutsch 48 Forum: Survival of the Planetarium ...... Richard Shores 52 Sound Advice: The Patch Bay ...... Jeffrey H. Bowen 53 Gibbous Gazette ...... Donna Pierce 54 Regional Roundup ...... Steven Mitch 58 Jane's Corner ...... Jane Hastings The New SKYMASTER ZKP3

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FOR MORE INFORMAnON Seiler Instrument Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH ABOUT THE Dislributor of Zeiss Planetaria ZEISS Postfach 125 SKYMASTER ZKP 3 , 170 E. Kirkham Avenue Tatzendpromenade 1a SI. Louis, MO 63119 PLEASE CALL OR FAX OUR 0-6900Jena New Orleans Sales Ollice 49-3641 -588·2575 PLANETARIUM SPEClAUSTS. (800}726.8805 Fax 49·3641 ·588·2023 Fax (504) 764-7665 Germany Telex 58 74 52 The Planetarian USN 0090-3213) is quarterly by the In1:erlna1tiolnal Pbme:tEu1ulln SocIety. ~ 1993, International Planetarium Society. Inc .• all rights reserved. OtdnilolltS e;!U)I'es~ied by authors are personal opinions and are not necessarily the opinions Planetarium Society. its officers. or agents. Acceptance of advertisements, anlllc~uIlc~~ments. other material does not imply endorsement by the International Planetarium or agents. The Editor welcomes items for consideration for pUlblic~ltic:m. request) "Guidelines for Contributors." The Editor reserves the unsolicited manuscript to suit this publication's needs. L John Mosley Griffith Observatory President Treuu.rer and Membership PubUootiou 2800 E. Observatory Road William Gutsch Chairman Undine Concannon Hayden Planetarium Keith Johnson Planetarium Adm1lntstrator Los Angeles, California ?

Vol. No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian Eileen Starr also su~r~estect that Aleor, University Press pa1perba<:k). which is associated with the Pleiades in some traditions, grew brighter at about the same time the "10st Pleiad" grew dimmer, before 500 B.c. Although some have suggested the possibility of Akor brighten­ ing, that conclusion was reached through I am writing to comment on Eileen M. stx~culative interpretation of Medieval refer­ Starr's article in the March, 1993, issue of The ences that Planetarian. Her assembly of worldwide Plei­ rather recent ades traditions will prove, I think, helpful to Even if IN EX the planetarium community. J disagree, such a oclcUlrre~dJ it has no n/lIW~'VI"·r. with her final conclusion. She sug­ gests that traditions of a missing seventh logical connection member of the group are a product of physi­ with the cal in the cluster. In fact, the cultural narrative. evidence does not really support the idea When world­ that physical are related wide traditions of the Pleiades are to Pleiades lore. The Greek data, Tl''''''''H''ll1",r. the commentary Aratus, argue taken as a whole, it becomes clear that existence of a 101~merlv the number of Pleiad ru,cu,",'u.P;;,u nh"C11t'!lI1 cnaJ~4es occurred in the duster in the very distant members ass;igrlect to the cluster past, there is no evidence for any si2:ni1:iGmt varies cQ]:1Sieierably over the last few thousand years. of stenar evolution in the from culture to culture. This sug­ Pleiades Journal, vol. 125, gests that some 1957, p. 430) does not help in the span of time decided in The Pleiades are 20 mil­ the canonical pop­ lion years old, its white dwarfs must have formed millions of years ago. What was ulation of the group should be once a grew fainter before reasons. I first detailed these arguments in there was anyone around to see it LHUH"'L. nr",,~,pnt,pti at the 167th of the Amer- Also, the dust douds do not the of a mem- 1986, historic times. A great increase in front of a former Sister does not square with obser­ vations of the cluster.

Jon U. Bell Steve Mitch Opening the Dome Roundup

Jeffrey H. Bowen Georgia Neff nia, but our ultimate Sound Advice Kodalltb, Komer materials and a program that all around the country. Alan Davenport Donna Pierce As the first we to GibboWil Guette the of astronomers (amateur and pnJte:SSl()mHS) who have tried such Jane G. Hastings Sue Reynolds more than once or twice-on their We Jane'. Comer Mobile New. Network would like to ask them to fill questionnaire and advise us Charles Hemann Coleen Rowe & Ervin Batha went well and not-50-well visits. Computer Comer All-Sky New. Anyone who would like to this research phase is asked to can 415-337-1100, Richard McColman Richard Shores fax or write to the under:,igrled. Planetechnie& Forum Andrew Astronomical of the Pacific Jim Manning AprU Whitt 390 Ashton Ave. What'. New Book Rmew. San Francisco, 94112

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FG. 4-16 YAZAKICHO, FUCHU-SHI, TOKYO 183, JAPAN TEL: 0423 (62) 5312 FAX: 0423 (61) 9571 TLX: 2832421 GOTOPT J rhyme. are opaque not because ments of a cat, h alien to us, but are in Un~COI1IVeJt1- • • tional Therein lies the nd h Iia I I

images, one the laughing found in the line: "The little

three headed Halfway up a slope of Hidden Peak, a the Great Mother. He asked the spirit of the hearty outdoor dinner was served late Great Mother , in appreciation for her Wednesday afternoon during the 1992 1.P.s. abundance and power of life, to pass from conference outside Salt Lake City. By the the Earth into him. How did he accomplish measure of this delegate, the highlight of the this formidable task? He danced! conference occurred immediately after din­ ner, when we were privileged to witness the pel:foJrrn,an(:e of several rituals of nomadic Research in archeology. mythology and rr>Il"'rl'~&> and inter-mountain Native Ameri- tence of a female centered cans. European patriarchal It had to be experienced Surrounded by a sunset-illuminated alpine images. symbols and customs 4;A;;./;;/VVItA setting with deer grazing higher up the slope terns and applies them to and an occasional rabbit in the brush, a large as well as to surrounding circle of ground was made sacred with interpretations are consistent prayer and smoke from hand-held sweet­ grass. A young man adorned with eagle stars of Orion. feathers performed a ritual within this circle. While facing in turn each of the four cardi­ The evening of song, dance and prayer nal points, he paralleled his daily life, fusing was in the Native American tradition. Dele­ his being with the East, where the almighty gates to this convention were outsiders to Sun is born from the Great Mother Earth, the rituals whose elements are millennia old. South for the culmination of life, the North Without the English narration of for endurance and strength, the West where Harris, much of the significance of the ritual he, like the Sun, must eventually return to would have been lost to the spectators. Even so, many remain. Does the has been Planetarium tion bearer this ritual within Coordinator at Arizona State Uni- a circle? If so, of what is the cir- for the seventeen cle? is the Earth addressed as feminine? years. In addition to To most spectators many elements of the rit­ standard K thru 12th ual were opaque. tarium presentations, the universi­ The cat ty environment provides the "' • .8U~I.4Q,j!'" VS. We don't have to search Native American dIe whose opportunity to develop "1-"_ ...... 4AU; ...... programs. In years, programs cultures for opaque expressions. Euro­ American traditions offer opaque developed here for graduate classes form ula tions: If it is that a considerable include: "A Glance Through Mark of folklore and equates the Twain's Telescope," liThe Evolu­ Hey diddle diddle, the moon, then several levels of understa:nd­ tion of the Arthurian Legends, The cat and the fiddle, the line: with emphasis on Sir Gawain and The cow jumped over the moon. over the moon." At one level the Green Knight," and The little dog laughed to see such sport, absurd for such a .,In.U1_,onA .. ''''''''' Problems in Ceramics." Currant And the dish ran away with the spoon cow to level, for instance, Slavic folklore descrilbes projects include Moby Dick as "A the misfortune of a couple if, on Voyage of the Celestial Lights," To the European culture that produced these images, their meaning was understood honeymoon bliss, a hare runs from UCA.lca •. " and "The Inner Reaches of Outer their wagon. The hare is the moon, Space." These shows celebrate the without further explanation. In our society however, this set of four mythiC images has is the cow and the will night sky. been relegated to the status of nursery

6 around to work the farm when sickness and Orion, , Taurus, Eridanus, Lepus, Canis old age set in. Without food, for lack of use, Major, Canis Minor and Gemini. As mythic 1I2 The concept of the Great Goddess, "the dish runs away with the spoon. images, they are a hunter, charioteer and the existence of an older The distinctions between opaque and goats, bull, river, hare, large dog, small dog centered belief system that DrE~dates transparent interpretations of mythic and twins. images are all but lost in our culture. The ]udeo-Christian-Islamic mythologies are It is possible, with some reflection. to feel themselves opaque tradition. As]oseph Campbell points out sic Greek interpretations of this section Canis Major and Taurus are often coupled in planetarium Wherever the poetry of myth is inter­ tions, a search of the mythology of Orion as we now preted as biography, history, or science, it not contain an adventure in which Orion fights a bull, is killed. The living images become only remote facts of a distant time or sky. adventures is Orion ever accompanied by a hunting Furthermore, it is never difficult to demonstrate that as science and history It is pOSSible, with some reflection, to feel sent patriarchal one, is not a recent dis:co'VeIY mythology is absurd. When a civiliza­ uncomfortable with classic Greek interpreta­ by sociologists, or tion begins to reinterpret its mythology tions of this section of sky. Although Orion, Studies centers in modem universities. in this way, the life goes out of it, tem­ Canis Major and Taurus are often coupled in it the of the currant women's planetarium presentations, a search of the ples become museums, and the link movement that in the 19605. mythology of Orion as we now have it, does between the two perspectives is dis­ Jacob Bachofen (1815-1887), a solved. Such a blight has certainly not contain an adventure in which Orion was among the first to reClogrlize descended on the Bible and on a great fights a bull, nor in his adventures is Orion 3 matrifocal tradition and coined the deal ofthe Christian cult (1973 p. 249). ever accompanied by a hunting dog. The "Mother to describe it His arg;unlents only references that combine Orion with attesting to this earlier culture were first Taurus and Canis Major seem to refer to their Generally speaking, the more conservative lished in 1861, and were based on his or fundamentalist the views held, the more juxtaposition in the sky. There is a hunter, standing of philology, common opaque the interpretation. In addition, much the hunter must have a dog, so Canis Major lore, and mythologies of Greece and Rome. of Greek constellation lore comes down to must be the hunting dog of Orion, or the In his of material inheritance us through Hellenic Greece. Campbell also hunter must have something to hunt, so family names, he cites the who states: there is the bull, or there is the hare. Yet torically named their children after Orion is said to be so tall that he is capable of mother not the father. The In the latter stages of many mytholo­ wading across the sea without getting his Sarpedon of the heritrure gies the key images hide like needles in shoulders wet Why would a giant of this size king to his dal1ghlter ,L,Q\"...UAUA... great haystacks of secondary anecdote be interested in hunting the timid hare? his sons. Laodamia then and rationalization; for when a civiliza­ Although the constellation Eridanus issues to her son. He cites the term "matrim1on1'{" tion has passed from a mythical to a sec­ forth from the body of Orion, there are no ular point of view, the older images are supportive mythologies which associate no longer felt or quite approved. In Orion with rivers. In fact the mythology of Hellenic Greece and in Imperial Rome, Orion is difficult to reconcile. As Joseph Fon­ the ancient gods were reduced to mere tenrose notes: "Though fifth century civic patrons, household pets, and liter­ Hellenes knew the constellation this not of civil law. Cretan eX1Pn;~ss~~d ary favorites. Un comprehended inherit­ name, the hero Orion had by then faded into love for the land of his birth ed themes ... were rationalized and inter­ the background, eclipsed by Herakles, The­ "mother country ... " and the Dn~fe.rerlce preted to suit contemporary needs. Mt seus, Perseus and other heroes. His has the moon [female] over the sun Olympus became a Riviera of trite scan­ been nearly forgotten, and so it comes to us over the (1967 p. 70-133). Bachofen dals and affairs and the mother-goddess­ in fragments, a confused tradition." After wondered how these customs could es hysterical nymphs (1973 p. 248). relating a tale of Orion from ftlJ'VUVU'UJ Fontenrose further states: "There are gaps in societies unless Thus, saddled with an inherited religious this story: the motives of actions are of an older underlying culture whose background of misinterpreted mythology, as are some of the events. Some gaps can be theon was centered on female rather than compounded further by constellation lore, filled and some obscurities clarified from male deities. much of which is filtered through Hellenic other sources, which do not, however, Supportive evidence for the concept Greece, it is little wonder that with respect to a consistent legend of Orion, but rather the Great Goddess came several decades words to the effect "... but they reveal a confusing variety of traditions con­ the publication of Bachofen's Mother don't look like the things they are supposed cerning nearly every episode of the Hero's with the of the first of several to be," are often heard life" (1981 p. 5-6). dred nude, almost female Visually, the most stunning area of the Is there a central theme that can trans­ urines found in Neolithic night sky visible from the lower mid-north­ form both the constellations and Orion . the turn of this century, ern hemisphere is the area centered on the mythology from opaque to transparent? The of nearly one hundred Paleolithic constellation Orion. The constellations central theme lies in the realization of the caves was discovered, known in this area to the second century Great Goddess. 4 carvings and art A.D. Greek astronomer Ptolemy include: some imrestigat()rs, .. .u.I.IA.U... u ....

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian form. In the 1920s and 30s, excavations of land Greece (1974, p 196-200). The earliest animosity between Orion and the palace of Knossos in Crete by Sir Arthur mention of Orion can be found in Homers in fact reflect historical friction Evans uncovered the remains of a prehel­ Odyssey, and there we find Orion and Arte­ oped from the patriaJrch,a} lenic non-Indo-European civilization where mis in conflict By the time of Homer, 800 rna trifocal __ .___ l~~L __ ~ worship of the goddess was predominant RC., the goddess religiOns had been under-

. . . the legend of Orion had its origins in the Mycenean Age. It is the age In which worship of the god supersedes that of the god­ dess. inj:en~stin1! contrast existed hpirWE'f'n the boasts of Orion and the (1ominl(mS The people who today are known as the ground for at least 700 years. In this study Artemis: Greeks appear to have been a nomadic patri­ Homer has the last word, not the first The archal culture who invaded mainland Greece about 2200 RC. This invading cul­ ture, the pre-Indo-Europeans, spread from their homeland in the Volga River basin as early as the 5th millennium RC. Elements of this culture, such as the mastery of horse­ back riding, have roots that may extend as far back as the 7th millennium RC. The cou­ pling of the horse, chariot, bow, arrow, spear and dagger, produced a highly effective mobile force. The culturally more advanced and comparatively peaceful matrifocal cul­ tures of Old Europe had no effective defense and were defeated As Marija Gimbutas notes, "The Aegean and Mediterranean regions and Western Europe escaped the process longest; there, especially in the islands such as Thera and Crete, Malta and Sardinia, Old European culture flourished in an enviably peaceful and creative civilization until 1500 B.C., a thousand to 1500 years after central Europe had been thoroughly transformed" (1989 p. xx-xxi). Bachofen noted that the historical transformation had an equally profound effect on the matristic traditions:

Not infrequently new and old occur together; or the same fact, the same per­ son may appear in two versions, one pre­ scribed by the other, one by the latter world; one innocent, one criminal; one full of nobility and dignity, one the object of horror and the subject of a palinode. In other cases the mother gives way to the father, the sister to the broth­ er, who now takes her place in the leg­ end or alternates with her, while the feminine name is replaced by a mascu­ line one. In a word, maternal concep­ tions cede to the requirements ofpatriar­ chal theory (1%7p. 74).

Artemis and Orion The prehistoric Great Goddess has a direct bearing on the constellation Orion and its mythology when it is realized, according to Gimbutas, that the goddess Artemis is what was left of the prehistoric Great Goddess Figure 1: Three vulvas as triangles or Vs are visible with after the patriarchal cultures invaded main- Upper Paleolithic rendition on the Angles-Sur-Anglen cave wall

8 Orion is ... Artemis is ... island of Lemnos is a mythology associated with the Great Goddess. The name Kedalion, able to wade across Mistress Of The Carl Kerenyi informs us, was " ... as much as shines Artemis. the sea without Waters to say Ithe phallic oneill (1974 p .156). The getting his shoulders patriarchal giant Orion, with his back to the wet island of the Great Goddess, is striding east­ ward, getting instructions from lithe able to tear out Mistress of the one" to restore his eyesight from the male ash tree Sacred Tree solar deity Helios. Orion is carried to the island of Delos by able to carry ash Mistress of Eos, the goddess of the dawn. According to tree from the The Mountain one version of the story, the sexual union mountain between the mortal Orion and the goddess Orion. Eos so angered the Olympians that Artemis The boasts of Orion become transparent was sent to kill Orion. In another version when we realize the ash tree is known in Orion is killed on Delos because he attacked Greek mythology as the primordial maiden, Artemis or one of her nymphs. Orion is then whose fork had healing powers over infants. in the sky by anyone of the afore­ These boasts allow Orion to dethrone and mentioned deities. It is ironic that Orion is supersede the dominions of Artemis. reborn into the sky from an island which between Orion and Artemis acc:ordiIlg to was the of continued on the islands of the The islands associated with the adventures of Orion are Crete, Chios, Lemnos and Delos. While on Crete, Artemis and Orion are hunting. It is during the hunt that Orion boasts he can kill every wild beast on earth. This boast is an affront to Artemis. As Mis­ tress Of The Wild Animals, she not lives in with them but their preserva­ tion is her dominion. Orion'S boasts super­ sede the dominion of Artemis. Artemis is the preserver of life, Orion is the destroyer of life. Orion, while on Chios, wants to marry Merope, the daughter of king Oinopion. Orion kills all the wild beasts on the island, according to some authors, to the favor of Oinopion, who will then allow the mar­ riage to take place. It apparently did not work because Oinopion blinded Orion and cast him off the island According to Aratus, fenlal(~ genit:alia and bulls. Orion attacked Artemis on Chi os, and she A line extended westward thlrOttgh sen t a scorpion to kill Orion. The grand three stars of Orion's belt will pass thr,ou~~h scale killing of all the wild beasts on ..... u .... ¥i, ...... ~ group of stars the island alone would constitute an star duster whose re]:lresen- attack on Artemis. In some versions in Greek is the of the story, however, Orion raped Taurus the bull. The ...... u,"' ...... Merope while on Chios. The name among the oldest human Merope associates her with bees, insects boIs. It is found as far back as 30,000 years sacred to Artemis. An association between ago ,,·.:ratched in deer antler and rocks. the insects and Artemis was particularly the t~!ne of the upper Paleolithic, strong in nearby Ephesus. triangle is often a To regain his eyesight, Orion must the human female 1'0 ... ,... " .....,,', ... face the sunrise. He travels north­ symbols are found incised ward from Chios toward the all the small nude female figlllrilrl€S island Lemnos, the home of Hephai­ in the vast area of with concentra- stos, the blacksmith of the gods. Orion seizes tions in the river Kedalion, one of the dwarfs on the island, Czechoslovakia and the cave shelters places him on his shoulder and follows the directions by Kedalion to the sun- Figure' 2: The strlldng :resemblance between the appearance of rise where Orion gains his Sight. the bull's head and the human uterus:is illustrated in the upper toa The faScinating mythology associ- two drawings. The third:is a reconstruction of a bun's head found be coincidental.s In the ated with Hephaistos and the atlevel70fCatalHuyuk. Mellart excavated a

Vol. 1993 The Planetarian with Artemis. A marble vase from the Cyclades shaped like the stylized female torso, dated to the third millennium B.C., depicts the breasts and arms of the goddess (Fig. 3), Her abdomen however, is marked by the incised head and horns of a bull. If the stars of Orion were once those of the Great Goddess, and the con­ stellation Taurus was a meta­ large phor for the uterus, a differ­ figure shows she was orijtimuly ...... ,"-A".u. Neo­ ent interpretation of the con- red ochre, the color of life. One intlerpret

10 The Planetarian Vol. 1993 is an indication of pregnancy, a common Orion. is not belief in folklore was that the fluid was nec­ does it have any essary to produce another living asterisms, nor much human being. With some observers aided with tel~~C4)P(;~ North American Indian Books written tribes as well as other cul­ stellations dispa1:ch tures, the woman dur­ ing her menstrual peri­ od would live in a spe­ ciall y prepared area some distance from the village. It was thought that at this time her "magic" was so overpow­ ering, it would negate any magic the shaman would perform as part of The pattern of dark normal village needs (Harris 1992). visible to the unaided eye Evidence provided by Farnell also indica­ ern side of the moon bears an un.cannv tes that there are clear associations resemblance to the hare. between Artemis and waters. In Sanskrit word for hare, "cacas," is Arcadia, Laconia and Sicyon she that describes the dark on was worshipped as the "Lady The appearance of the "hare in Of The Lake" and "... to secure would be to fuse the herself from the pursuit of Alpheus, Artemis celebrated with her nymphs a festival in the night by Letrinoe, where [the river] Alpheus joins the sea, and how she daubed the faces of her atten­ dants with clay to prevent him recognizing them" (1907 p. 428). The ritual continued to be performed by female followers of Artemis. It was thought that after being daubed from moon. head to foot with clay and therefore Often it is the hare who JlUij",U~;;!U unrecognizable, one of the attendants was darts from out of the last standiln,g: Artemis herself. Sanctuaries to Artemis as tion that is "Mistress Of The Waters," were found along It is believed in Slavic folklore that rivers, streams and lakes. of ve~~et(iltion A line extended east­ ward through the stars of Orion's belt passes close to Sirius, which is not only the bright­ life to the west and death to the east. The est star in the constellation of Canis Major stars of Orion, as the Great Goddess, rise from (the great dog), but visually the brightest star the Earth with the symbol of pre­ in the night sky. Sirius is usually depicted as ceding her and descends into the Earth with the nose of the hunting dog of Orion. Canis the shadow of death There are Major is often pictured standing on his hind artifacts where an Artemis is shown with a of an oracle where legs, the stance of adoration. This pose is pair of animals; lions, hares or dogs are flank­ oracle that Artemis would reminiscent of a Minoan gold ring depicting ing her (Fig. 5). She holds one of the animals them. A hare ...... ~u'"' ...... ) amJeared an Artemis goddess on top of a mountain, flanked by two lions standing on their The hunting dog, symbolic of life-taking hind legs with forepaws on eastern side of Orion's belt. counterbalances the mountain. symbol of life-giving on the western side of belt. The hunting dog, sym­ bolic of life-taking and located on the eastern side of Orion's belt, by its hindpaws: in her other hand she holds counterbalances Taurus, the symbol of life­ the other by the forepaws; metaphors for life giving on the western side of Orion's belt. In and death. iar ...... ,,+h,i,...<101 larJlds<:ape. this belt, one of the most striking naked eye The contrast between life and death is fur­ els on either side of the ampbora asterisms in the sky, there is a conspicuous ther by the hare, which is Goddess 6). On one line of three stars guiding us to the symbol of the adjacent constellation to Canis Major and directly beneath the constellation

Vol. No.2, june 1993 The Planetarian placed on either side of the goddess, one struck Asclepius down with a thunderbolt at er goat either with tail held upward, the other with tail the demand of Hades, who was at on his shoulder down toward the earth. The head of a bull losing a valuable soul" (1988 p. 33). three small whose horns form a crescent is above the What is missing from this summary is the dog with upraised tail and is on the same association between Artemis and H ....u'\4".iu_ level as the goddess' waist. Two birds are tus. In Euripides' play "Hippolytus," we are

6: Two from Ii above the outstretched arms of the goddess. aml,holLa, 700 B.c. Rotate the 180· and the second panel is visible (Fig. 6). The central figure is the goddess as a soaring bird with a fish informed in the opening scene that shaped body, beneath her feet a hare, and dite has already set the stage for Uh"l"nr',hrt.. ",,' above her left wing, opposing crescents. death because he refused to worship her. Symbols of water, snakes, mountains, Vs, Hippolytus had already decided to follow chevrons and birds fill out the remaining Artemis exclusively. In the popular version space on the panels. An interpretation of of the tale, it is through the efforts of Artemis these symbols speaks the language of life giv­ through Asclepius that Hippolytus is resur­ to Artemis. ing, death and regeneration, appropriate to rected from the dead Partly from the of There the tomb where it was found Ewipides and partly from we can sur­ than One of the more enigmatic classic Greek mise that is the consort of Arte­ kids constellations is Auriga the charioteer. It is mis. That is, he is her son, lover or husband not that a man with chariot, reins, and whip In fact he can be all three! writes that is unexpected the period of classic when is back to life, Greece, but the pairing with a mother goat and Artemis off to Aricia, one of her and kids presents an image whose elements sacred groves, and there he marries a are in unlikely combination. What trans­ called This is made even dearer Artemis II forms this constellation from opaque to transparent is, the concept of the Gemini represents Great Goddess. Three Greek charioteers are often presented as candidates for Auriga '" tion of night, Erichthonius, Myrtilus and Hippolytus. Of birth, life, death these, only Hippolytus is associated with Artemis, and through her an association with goats, which were sacred animals to when it is realized that ~1 ..,nr.i"h was the

Artemis is forged /I A third identification of son of Hippolyta, an Amazon who was, at Auriga is Hippolytus, son of writes the very a follower of Artemis. It has Ian Ridpath in his book Star 'whose been suggested Barnes that stepmother Phaedra fell in with him. may have been a localized Troezen version as When Hippolytus rejected her, she hanged of Artemis. The followers of Hippolytus rec­ Major and Canis Minor. herself in despair. Theseus banished Hippoly­ ognized him as the constellation Auriga tus from Athens. As he drove away his chari­ (1960 p.l06-123). ot was wrecked, killing him. Asclepius the , the brightest star in the constella­ healer brought the blameless Hippolytus tion Auriga, does not belong to the figure of great cosmic back to life again, a deed for which Zeus the charioteer, but rather represents a moth-

12 of day and night, the rhythm of the seasons, the great round of birth, life, death and TABLE 1 regeneration, all of which were the domin­ ions of the Great Goddess. The mythology THE INDO - EUROPEAN ARTEMIS associated with the constellation Gemini is DMNElWINS the Greek version of a much larger sphere of 1. Sons of the Sky - God Da1Ug.tlter of (Zeus) Indo-European Divine Twin motifs. In his paper titled "The Divine Twins," Donald 2. The Sun Maiden, Sister of the Divine Twins Twin sister of sun Ward lists sixteen traits (Table 1) common in 3. The Horses of the Divine Twins association with varying degrees of prominence to the Indo­ Iranian, Greco-Roman and Baltic traditions (1968 p. 3-27). Artemis parallels most of the 4. Dual Paternity No association traits. An interesting parallel trait, divinities of 5. Saviors at Sea Some association with sea gOdd,ess (pp. 430 - 431) the dance, is related quite strongly to Arte­ mis and to a lesser extent Gemini, in their 6. Astral Nature of the Divine Twins Associations with Ursa Major, role as divinities of fertility. The dance is so Orion and the moon ingrained in the worship of Artemis that 7. The twins as Magic Healers Goddess of pwrtt1lcatilon "where has Artemis not danced?" was a pop­ ular phrase in classic Greece. The dances to 8. Warriors and Providers of Divine Aid in Goddess of Battle 470 - Artemis covered the entire spectrum from Battle little more than processions to those described as orgiastic and lascivious. The 9. Divinities of Fertility Goddess of dances are connecting the participants' The Difference between the Divine Twins Some differences her beings to the power of nature: the moon, dominions plants, trees, animals and the rhythms of life. Campbell quotes Nietzsche: Association of the Twins with Swans Wild water birds associated the 533)

In song and dance man expresses him­ Divinities of the Dance Dance is central to Artemis self as a member of a higher comm'uni­ 436 - 437, 483) tYi he has forgotten how to walk and Divine Twins among Mortals Animals were her epithets and speak and is on the way toward flying, rituals her among w(Jlfsl1ipers dancing into the air. His very gestures are of enchantment "N He feels himself The Aniconic Idols of the Twins Associated with trees (p. to be a god, going about in ecstasy, exalt­ Protectors of the Oath Minimal association 468 - ed, like the gods beheld in his dreams .. M He is no longer an artist, he has become a work ofart In a paroxysm of intoxica­ MISCEllANEOUS TRAITS AND FUNCTIONS tion the creative power of all nature has come to light in him of the rap­ Aids in Childbirth Associated with EilE!ithyia, gOlild4~SS ture of the One that is All. Nature with of childbirth its true voice undissembled cries out to Founding of Cities Colonization of Boiae us: 'Be as I am! The primordial ever-cre- ating Mother amidst the ceaseless listings under Divine Twins are Ward (1968); the ever impelling into exis­ listed under Artemis are from Farnell (1907). in these trans­ formations satisfactions' (1988 p. 46).

The sexual unions that produced the male Divine Twins Castor and Pollux also pro­ Gemini, as the asterism duced a set of female Divine Twins described stars of similar but not identical mag­ by Morford: "Leda, wife of Tyndareus, ni tudes. The head of the mortal twin of Sparta, bore four children to Zeus who vis­ Castor represented by the fainter star, ited her in the shape of a swan; the four were the head of Pollux, the immortal twin, is the born from two eggs-from one sprang brighter star.

The head of the mortal twin is Castor represented by the star; and the head of Pollux, the immortal twin, is the brighter star. name means "to Eur:ipid.es her set houses on fire (1980 p. Polydeuces (Pollux) and Helen, from the' Helen, the divine half of the female Divine pf()minEmt in Germanic, other Castor and Clytemnestra" (1977 p. 306). Twins, was worshipped as a goddess at Baltic characterizations than There were a set of males, one who is divine, Rhodes where a temple was constructed for

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian twin horses who pull the sun chariot across mother the First, several of the sky. According to O'Brian Macha, the pair: Demeter is tions described in this paper, ...... AAA •.U.' mother of the Celtic hippomorphic Divine goddess and and Orion as the Great

Twins was known as Grian Banchure, the therefore derived from their nAn11I", .. asterisms. Sun of Womenfolk (1982 p.l33). The concept of cyclic rather than linear time is well represented in the mythology of Gemini and their entrance and exit from this world The Divine Twins Castor and Pollux were born from the egg, a feminine symbol that represents rebirth rather than simply birth. The separation of the egg from the bird represents the first birth and simultane­ ously the first death, as the entity that was individual must pass. created inside the bird no longer exists. The To .... A.v ..... "" second death occurs with the second birth when the chick emerges from the shell. Birth and death in this analogy are as inseparable Wherever moon as Castor and Pollux were said to be. The there was Artemis. symbol of the egg associated with the begin­ Wherever she was, ning spring is that of the recurrent spring. all the and trees Nature has gone full circle and with the animals and celebrants death of winter it is spring once again. As a Would Dancer symbol of Easter it is metaphor for the sec­ ond birth of Christ from the tomb. More­ over, egg shaped symbols were used in from Roman chariot races. Large used objects were such that they were in full view of the spectators, the number of which would correspond to the number of laps in the race. As one lap was completed, an egg was removed, showing the death of one cycle and at the same instant the birth of another. The cycle of birth and death is rep­ resented further in the special intervention by Zeus after the death of Castor. He decreed, at the insistence of Pollux, that the twins were and would both divine: Persephone is the daughter and mor­ alternate days in Hades and on Mount tal. Persephone was and carried This like that of a down to the underworld by Pluto. Demeter, circle, with no be~~innirtg or end, is m{~tal:m()r of withdrew for eternal and eternal away. With the PfE~-lnldo-EtLrolpean elnphasas on the in Old it should not be surprising tha t the earliest undisputed anthropomorphic examples of Divine Twins are not male but female (Fig. 7).James Mellart from nature until her daughter was returned writes of his finds of the twin motif at Catal to the surface of the earth. Without the Huyuk: power of Demeter fields became barren; seeds were planted but nothing would grow. The double goddess with two heads, two Persephone and Demeter were pairs of breasts but a single pair of arms reunited. Since Persephone ate a pome­ is the earliest representation yet ofa con­ granate seed while underground she was cept familiar to Anatolian religion, reqUired, with the approval of Zeus, to

recurring later at Hacilar 1 and A ....'.~ ..·v_ one third of the year with It probably represents the two aspects, Pluto and two thirds of the time above mother and maiden of the grea t goddess, ground with Demeter. This for the predecessors of the 'Two ladies' of the great round represents the ever changing yet Knossos texts, the famous ivory from constant cycle of the seasons. Mycenae and the Demeter and Kore of An encompassing and perspec- classical Greece (1967). tive is achieved if the stars of Orion are inter­ preted as the Great Goddess, surround­ Demeter and Fe:rsepnlOIle (Kore) are classic 5. Another conspicuous celestial "V" or tri­ Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand "Dioscuric CH:~mIEmc:s angle is the summer triangle. The Greek con­ Faces. Princeton University Press, 1973. Celtic and Germanic I'I.II..:n-nnlr,n-.r stellations often pictured are Cygnus the Campbell, Joseph. Historical Atlas of World ma!o-l~uroOt~an Studies. Vol. 10, U ....U.L"-L'" swan, Aquila the eagle, and Lyra the harp or Mythology, Vol. II, Part 1. Perennial Li­ 1&2.1982. vulture. These three birds are associated with brary, Harper and Row, 1988. KIClparn, Ian, Star Tales. Universe the Great Goddess in that the swan repre­ Farnell, Lewis Richar. The Cults of The Greek Kobbilns. Miriam. liThe Assimilation sents as a water bird, life giving. The stork, States. Clarendon Press, Oxford Univer­ lndlo-l~urlop«~an Goddesses Into In(Jlo-t'~UrlD­ another water bird, would be the modern sity,1907. pean SOciety." Journal equivalent An eagle is metaphor for life tak­ Fontenrose, Joseph. Orion: The Myth of The Studies. Vol. 8, numbers 1 & 2, 1980. ing, and the vulture represents death and Hunter and The Huntress. University of ;)OlJtfllerlanc:1, J..J'VUc(U,..... Barnes, Hazel regeneration. California Press, 1981 polytus in Drama and 6. There are no prehistoric artifacts recov­ Gimbutas, Marija The Gods and Goddesses of Nebraska Press. 1960. ered to date that show how the Great God­ Old Europe. University of California Press, Ward, Donald liThe Divine Twins." dess would have appeared among the stars of 1974. Tn~-.:r.",·dt" of California Orion. If she were positioned in roughly the Gimbutas, Madja. The Language of The 1968. same orientation as Orion, the location of Goddess. Harper and Row, 1989. pp. xx-xxi the M42 as a birthplace of stars is an Gubematis, Angelo De. Zoological Mythology. Vol.l. Amo Press, New York, 1978 (1872). interesting coincidence A very limited number of 7. Kerenyi's statement was: "Where the Harris, Lacy. Personal telephone conversa­ sets to illustrate this paper will moon shone Artemis was present and the tion August 15, 1992 be available June beasts and plants would dance." The Gods of The Greeks. Kerenyi, Carl. 1993. The set of Thames and Hudson, 1974. board mounted 35mm slides References Kunitzsch, Paul and Tim Smart Short Guide .... u·,...h''!Ic.",rt by check to Modern Star Names and Their Deriva­ Bachofen,J.Jacob. Myt~ Religion, And Mother '11''''-,.,/1.., ...... ,. Please make checks tions. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 1986. Right. Princeton University Press, 1967, oa,,'ablle in U.S. dollars to: (1856). Morford, Mark and Lenardon. Classical Myth- ology. David Mc Kay Company, 1977. Dan Ma1tlagla Cameron, D. O. Symbols ofBirth and OfDeath Mellart, James. Catal Huyuk, A Neolithic 938 W. 13th Street in The Neolithic Era. London:Kenyon­ Arizona 85281 Deane 1981 Town in Anatolia. Thames and Hudson. 1967. Photograph caption numbers 70-72. U.S.A.

IPS Scriptbank

The IPS Scriptbank Committee (Tom Hocking, 5. If your native language is not -"--'Hi">""'" Alan Davenport, Gary Sampson, Richard Shores, and be willing to translate an occasional Christine Brunello) would like additional informa­ into your native or into -'--'H,,..,"'''.,. tion from the IPS members to better serve you. Your __ yes no ___ maybe responses will help to determine the needs of the members as well as the best ways we can meet those 6. Would you be more to donate a to needs. Please copy, fill out, and return this survey to: the scriptbank if there were the of financial reward? Tom Hocking, Education Coordinator yes no ___ maybe Morehead Planetarium CB#3480, Morehead Planetarium Bldg. 7. Would you be more likely to donate a if UNC-CH there were the that part of it would be Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3480, USA published in The Planetarian? ___ yes no ___ maybe 1. Are you aware that IPS has a scriptbank? __ yes no 8. Would you be more to donate a script if there were the possibility that it would be pro­ 2. Do you think that this is a valuable resource for duced and marketed at a reasonable price? IPS to develop? yes no ___ maybe yes no maybe 9. If we held a contest for the best script donated to 3. If the scriptbank had a wide variety of quality the script bank, we would need qualified judges. Is scripts, would you use it? there anyone you would like to nominate? __ yes no maybe yes no ___ maybe 4. If you wrote a script that you were pleased with, 10. Please use a separate sheet for any additional com­ would you be willing to donate it to the IPS ments you have for us. scriptbank? Thank yes no ___ maybe

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian T e Peoria r a Sir System Project Sheldon Schafer, Deputy Director lakeview Museum Ilnjr1J,.."l~i+u", sizes or relative 1125 West lake Ave. tances to the same scale if any att~eml;>t Peoria, Illinois 61614 made at all to be accurate. (FrE!quentlv models only show the relative order From February 1992 through April, Lake­ b) student activities planets from the sun). In any view Museum implemented a community c) a description of the community impression is created that our solar project on our solar system. The project had solar system much smaller and the much five components: d) mathematical exercises on scale than they actually are, and a correct 1) Three exhibits on Solar System Explor­ models standing of the vastness of space ation in the Museum Galleries: 5) The Community Solar System Scale lost a) "Exploring the Planets"· a recap of Model. Since the space between the .-~_, ____ ~ three decades of planetary explo­ ration. (toured by Smithsonian In this article, the two unique components Institution) described In more detail: 1) The Community Solar b) liThe View from Space" - Astronaut Photography of Earth (toured by innovative technique for presenting interactive video the Smithsonian) computer responder system. c) "Magellan at Venus" - the most recent NASA photographs from the The model also served as a vehicle for MagellanNenus orbiter. (toured by underwriters' recognition. Planets were locat­ enormous relative to the sizes of the NASA) ed at the major underwriter's place of busi­ few models exist in the world which show ness, and minor donors received "Unnamed the true scale of our solar since would need to be miles across. The purpose The project demonstrates Comet" or Unnamed Asteroid" signs. The project demonstrates how a planetari­ of this project was to create a real .... h'''''.,.., .. 1 how a planetarium show and um show and museum exhibit can be tied model (which would be miles museum exhibit can be tied together into a major community event together into a major com­ In this article, the two unique components of the project are described in more detail: 1) munityevent. The Community Solar System and 2) an innovative technique for presenting interac­ 2) An interactive planetarium show, tive video without a computer responder "Planet Quest" system. 3) A speaker series including Ken Savary and Randii Wesson from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and current space shuttle astronaut William Gregory. 4) Supplementary educational materials for schools, which took the form of a 100 page Teachers' Guide featuring: a) current information on the solar system

Sheldon Schafer was the Sci­ ence/Planetarium Director at Lakeview Museum for 16 years. He ::: was promoted to Deputy Director last summer. He is also on the part­ time faculty at Bradley University, where he teaches introductory . He is a past president of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association. Community Solar System Mars in lobby of WMBD TV, 2 km from Lakeview Museum.

16 The Planetarian Vol. Table 1 Community Solar System lakeview Museum Scale Size Scale Distance Location

The Sun Lakeview Museum (LVM) 11 m Plan. Dome Mercury Approx. 0.4 km from LVM Metro Centre 3.8cm Venus Approx. 0.8 km from LVM Metro Centre 9.6cm Earth Approx. 1.2 km from LVM Beachler's Amoco 10 cm Mars Approx. 1.9 km from LVM WMBD TV, KZ 93, Stereo 1470 5.6cm Jupiter Approx. 6.4 km from LVM Peoria Public Ubrary 1.1 m rings 1.9 m Saturn Approx. 13 km from LVM Greater Peoria Regional Airport 0.97m rings 2.3 m Uranus Approx. 24 km from LVM Edison School, Pekin 0.41 m rings 0.81 m and will be in Neptune Approx. 37 km from LVM Roanoke Motors, Roanoke, IL 0.38m in 1994. Both the rings 0.76 m Peoria model and the BOlo o Pluto Approx. 64 km from LVM Good's Furniture, Kewanee, IL 2.5cm lange model will be includ since each is Unnamed Asteroids - 10 locations in Peoria Unnamed Comets - 35 locations in USA its type. into Guinness OD4ene~a local spacescape artist Walter Kinsman The Uranus and Neptune also had their rings rep­ planets were painted to approximate the resented The full scale utilized is as shown in page banner headline in the detail seen in the best space probe astronom­ Table 1, above. below the 2) an Associated ical photographs. The 11 m sphere of Jupiter The model was billed as liThe Largest photo and story, 3) mention on was surrounded by a 1.9 meter ring system of Model of the Solar System in the Known finally 4) a full story on National clear Plexiglas, and Saturn's 1 meter sphere Universe." Although this sounds pretentious, Radio's diAn Considered" was surrounded by a 2.3 meter ring plane. it is actually an accurate claim if we presume we've received dozens from all around the nation, and Iy an article in the national The STAR.

audience system

automation. Since the Lakeview IJAU,U';;;L

audience response system was created actively involved participants. Community Solar System Saturn at Greater Peoria Regional Airport, 13 km from The audience response system we Lakeview Museum. oped used "Photon Emitters" (see

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian 17 right) which were attached to each of the seat backs. At the appropriate program transi­ the show. tions participants were asked Of the respo:no~em:Sg to target their "Emitter" to one of three projected "Pho­ ton Receptor Spheres." Using the cumulative brightness of the spots of light, both the ets were, in audience and the show opera­ The survey thus re}:lres:en1ted tor could see the vote pro­ a fair cross corT'£1''''' gress. After a few moments of audience based operator chatter, the winning tor. destination was disclosed Par­ 80% of the respOlloe:nts ticipants were reminded that the "transporter" could not show operate with stray photons on the dome, and all "Emit­ ters" were quickly returned to their recepta­ every few years. From this it could cles. When the vote was complete, the opera­ length. Thus, no show used more than 1/3 of eluded that the had a tor typed a single search command while the total program materials generating which to make their cornp;;U'i~ons initiating a "Transporter effect" giving the repeat audiences. Numerous families came ments. to us, program time to search and initiate the pro­ back, and at least one family returned four fact that nearly half (47%) had never gram sequence. The creative program times. Repeat visitors were invited to identi­ ed a planetarium show but sequences devised by our Producer, Georgia fy themselves and if desired, given a "free Respondents were then asked to rate Neff, were extremely effective, utilizing the choice" during the program. 5 point Likert Scale their the full potential of the Planet Quest disks, cap­ In addition, to extensive anecdotal evi­ "Educational Value" and "Entertainment turing the excitement of planetary explo­ dence of the success of this show, the audi­ Value" of past shows and of "Planet ration every bit as effectively as the original ences were formally surveyed The results are shown in Chart 1. program, all without the need for a comput­ During the 10 week period, from February Respondents were asked to rate the er response system and interface. 1- April 12, 1992, approximately 6,000 per­ tance of video to the outcome of "Planet Each show started with a common intro­ sons attended a public performance of the Quest" when comparing it to a plane1:ari1um duction to the planets of the current sky and IIPlanet Quest" space adventure at the show without video. 90% rated it lmPO]~lt basic inventory of the solar system. Lakeview Museum Planetarium. Of these, or Very Important. Respondents didn't Audiences chose between 5 and 7 additional 271 adults were asked to complete a survey the importance of voting quite as program segments, depending on their form upon exiting the planetarium. The 34% responding "Very Important," responding Planetarium Show Survey 14% responded portan t or not

50 The mission of view Museum is 45 prove awareness, appre­ ciation and understand­ 40 II Education Val. ing of art, science and o Entertainment Val. technology for all 35 of central Illinois. This project helped to fulfill gf 30 :.0 that mission in an excit­ r::: 8.25 ing, truly unique ...... 'euv..... , ~ reaching out to the peo· 0:: ~ 20 pIe of central lllinois with visits to model vA<, ...... ~ .. , 15 comets and asteroids. The thousands of 10 pass one of the pACiueu every day are reminded of our home and its special in the vast- o Put Show. PutSbo.. 1 •••. ---.--.--•• -----······-2.····-·-•• ·.- Respondents Rating ·_·_------_·--·_·4-···_·_-_·-.···_-·_-_···--··5

Chart 1; "Planet Quest" Planetarium Show Survey.

18 The Planetarian Vol. 1993 o I

The next time you're pleasantly surprised the moon is affected by our distance from it. by a shiny, new, crescent moon hovering in Through a telescope on earth, you can see the dusk above the glittering lights of your almost one entire, cratered hemisphere. Now its 2,500 kilometer hometown, take a moment from appreciat­ pretend that you board a spaceship and trav­ orbit of ing the view and study our little el out to the moon. The closer you get to it, In both closely. Do you see anything about that thin the less of it you can see because its curva­ sliver of a moon which doesn't sit quite right ture gets in the way. Finally, when you land

... have you ever wondered why the moon's @unlit crescent seem to span a full 180 degrees?

however, with your understanding of geometry? How and step out to enjoy the view, your eyes are your oers'C.ectiv'e about this: have you ever wondered why the so close to the ground you11 only see a ranch course, such lines of latitude moon's sunlit crescent doesn't seem to, span size portion of our huge, spherical satellite. Martian but reallat:ittldilnal a full 180 degrees? The moon's surface curves away from your features can be seen map~!d I had noticed this for years, but never gave feet and drops out of sight beyond a horizon it any serious thought until recently. Then, which is only a few miles away. one evening last winter I had a chance to see Your view of a planet, or your perspective a very thin, crescent moon in a crystal clear of it, depends on it's size and your distance sky swept clean by a cold front The moon from it's surface. Although it will its vast bulk. But the was exactly two days and two hours old, shining in deep twilight, and I could see the entire darks ide lit by earthshine. Even in my Mars Mars telescope, the horns of the crescent seemed to stretch a good bit less than around the rim of the moon. For a long time I had attributed this pecu­ liarity of the crescent moon to my perspec­ tive a quarter of a million miles away on the earth. Later, I found that it was an illusion, which I'll return to in a bit. But it had started me thinking about how perspec­ tive may affect our view of three dimension- al like the moon. Figure is an property which alters the IInormal" appearance of appear full and nearly everything in our three dimensional see a full heInislphe:re world. For example, the rails of a railroad track seem to converge in the distance because of perspective, we know nomenon they remain parallel. And the bloated of the Red Planet is Since the captured by wide angle cameras have suf­ spCilcelcraft was orbiting 2,500 fered the curse casts on anyone kilometers above the at the time, this who tries to squeeze shadows of our three photC)grclph does not show an entire Martian dimensional world onto the two dimension­ , hemisphere. In fact, from the Viking orbiter's al surface of film. altitude, only a fourth of Mars' entire surface

Our view of a spherical is also is visible at all! Closer to home, ""U£A •. U;o;; affected by perspective. A IIthought examples of this illusion can be found in ment" can help us see how the appearance of fish-eye photographs taken by the astro-

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian cent by less than one, f""" ...... insignificant degree. Inter­ obscure those dim, narrow cusps. esingly, since the sun is The to eXl:>erien<:e half a degree in diameter it sion are rare. Aside from ill umina tes half a degree need for a dear the age more than one lunar hemi­ the most variable. sphere, stretching those young moon is too diffkult .... J cusps back out and nearly remember all the articles on the I....lLlI.c:lIU

20 The tions each week. t tu an F Since most schools or colleges, it is not out that 55% serve school groups ite Stat Iy. The data show that 92% of all I rl• m Pr fession I ums are involved in school shows.

The data from the survey 1989 David H. Menke, Ph.D. told us that the typical U.S. planet:arium Buehler Planetarium director was a old man with mas­ ter's degree in a science-related field Broward Community College $36,553 annually (based on an average 3501 SW Davie Rd .. month contract). This Davie, Florida 33314 20.5% increase over 1987. Based upon data from the 1991 Planetar­ ium Directors Survey, we find the Director has aged the past 2 years; he is 3 years older- 46. Once again, the master's sci­ the past decade are noted The planetarium ence-related field is the mode. In addition, professional's direction is indicated The planetarium profession­ the mean annual salary for plametaI'iUltn al has undergone many changes directors in the United States over the years. Initially research was up by some annu­ astronomers, the multi-talented The United States planetarium professional has ally, to ..D,*'U ••~J.U. planetarium professional is truly undergone many changes over the years. Initially based upon a mean annual contract of 10.5 months (since a "Renaissance Man" knowing a research astronomers, the multi-talented planetari­ little about everything. As soci­ most directors are school or ety changes and as the commu­ um professional is truly a "Renaissance Man" know­ college teachers with 9- nities in which we live change, it ing a little about everything. month contracts). The new is incumbent upon the planetar­ salary represents an overall ium professional to help the 10.8% increase from 1989. One respondent took the opportunity to local educational institutions meet the Were we to extrapolate to 12 the preach. He enclosed a religiOUS card and his greater demands required in the more amount would be $46,297. survey answers emphasized that he was a advanced technological world Christian with a capital"C." Other relevant data include the toU.owiruz: numbers: II tsaC:kor'OI III Planetariums-highlights 1 Directors have tenure 12.13 Who is the planetarium professional in For most (77%) planetariums, the control­ years. the United States? He is many things: educa­ ling agency is a school or college. There are a 2. For the fifth time in a row, the tor, scientist, administrator, entertainer, busi­ few that are owned by individuals-like number, 61% of the Directors, come into the nessman. Sometimes he is treated as a profes­ StarLab. planetarium field from sional. Usually his standard of living does The majority of the controlling agencies backgrounds. not reflect his hard work or his formal educa­ are either supportive (45%) or very support­ 3. Some 48% of Directors were ...... "."1"" .. 11,, tion. ive (28%). school teachers while 25% were This study compares the planetarium pro­ The greatest source of funding support dents. fessional's salaries with each other and with (76%) comes from the controlling agency 4. Almost all Directors have bachelor's the business world Trends and changes over (e.g., museum, college, school district). degrees (98%); in addition, most hold mas­ ter's degrees (72.5%), too. More than one­ D lvid H. Menke, Director of th Admissions were the mainstay for 16% of planetariums. Grants were the primary sup­ (26%) have doctorates. Buehler Planetarium and Astron­ port of 4.3%, while endowments pampered 5. The mean annual salary over all cate­ omy Professor at Broward Commu­ 30/0. gories for fall 1991 was $40,510. This is based ni ty College, was born in St. Louis. Some 5.3% of the planetariums claimed to on an averaged 10.5-month contract (About He attended UCLA, where he be closed, 85% said they were open, and 10% 75% of Directors are school or teach­ earned a BA and MS in Astronomy didn't know! ers with academic year contracts. Com­ and Physics, and a PhD. in Science Only 6.7% of planetariums have shows bining this with the 12-month contracts of Education. He has led tours for that are completely automated Half (49.5%) the remaining 25% yields this modal Halley's Comet, solar eclipses, mete­ give a combination of live and taped shows. Annualizing this salary gives $46,297. 6. It was discovered, not that or showers, and star gazing. He lives A large number (44%) give only live shows. among directors, men earn more money in Coral Springs wi th his wife, The mean time required for a staff to cre­ than women. The means are for men JoAnn, and their five children. ate a planetarium show is 27 work days (5 to 6 weeks). and $32,310 for women. (These numbers are

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian 21 not annualized). these Few planetariums have them. other non-director 7. It has been determined that in general, Those planetariums that used to have assis­ the technician is W()lrKlm! the larger the dome, the higher the salary. tant director positions have redefined them contract This survey has once again supported that to be one of producer or education coordina­ The thesis for the most part (see chart) tor. Nevertheless, there are still some plane­ tariums large and complex enough to war­ Dome Diameter, rant such an executive officer. In virtually all cases, the assistant director works a 12-month contract This is the case, since directors at <: 9 (<: 30) $36,304 ($41,490) schools and colleges rarely have an assistant 9-12 (30-39) $36,869 ($42,136) director. Those planetariums that do have assistant directors almost always have them 12-15 (40-49) $41,662 ($47,614) as 12-month employees rather than as teach­ 15-18 (50-59) $41,750 ($47,714) ers. The typical assistant director is a 39-year­ >18 (>60) $41,576 ($47,515) old married (57%) white (86%) male (71%) with a bachelor's degree in physical science 8. Most (72%) are members of planetari­ or astronomy. He has worked at the planetar­ um associations. ium for 5 years and is earning $29,441 annu­ 9. When asked if directors would like to ally. (This salary is thus 64% of the mean have more responsibility, 32% said they annualized director's salary). Most of his job would, while 8% want less. (90%) is planetarium-related The majority 10. In the previous 4 surveys (since 1983), (57%) of assistant directors come from with­ the mean age of directors has been 43 years, in the field but this time, the mean age is 46. This is a remarkable shift, since previously it was felt that new, younger planetarians were enter­ ing the field at the same rate that the senior Education coordinators are De:COJmlng planetarians were retiring. With the aging of more popular in some planetariums. Like the the director, perhaps fewer young ones are assistant director, in virtually all cases, the coming in, or more seniors are not retiring. education coordinator is working 12 months 11. Traditionally men have outnumbered a year. women directors 10 to I-and they still do. The typical education coordinator is a 35- x This survey determined that 91.5% are men, year-old married (50%) white (100%) female Other staff include any full-time po~;iti(ms (60%) with a bachelor's degree in a physical representing a ratio of 10.8 to 1 (see chart) not named It is difficult or other science or in science education 12. About 80% of Directors are married. what those be. In many (see chart) (80%). She has worked at the planetarium for uals to "Other" because 13. Ethnically, 98% are white (Caucasian), 3 years and is earning $27,619 annually. Most 0.3% are Black, 0.3% are Hispanic, and 2% are of her job (62%) is planetarium-related; how­ other. (see chart) ever, more than a third is in science educa­ Similarly educated professionals are earn­ tion not related to the planetarllLUl1 n, ..,ol'"''-':U ing much more. For example, in 1987 when The largest number of education coordina­ tors (60%) come from outside the ..... Ip.~~,+"'.·. the average planetarium director was earn­ in umfield ing $30,500 (not annualized), the mean salary staff" are listed on 12-month COJrltraCl:s. for U.S. government physicists was 86% The "other staff" .. u ...... ,,,...... higher at $56,000. Federal museum curators married (85%) white were getting $34,000. Aerospace engineers Producers have been in for (87%) with a bachelor's earned $41,000. An army colonel got $36,000. many years and are one of the most needed The head of NASA received $75,000. Also in positions in many planetariums. Like the that same year, full-time PhD. astronomers assistant director, in virtually all cases, the that worked for the federal government producer works 12 months. started at $30,000 and experienced astrono­ The typical producer is a mar- mers were getting $46,000. General practi­ ried (62%) white (96%) male (96%) with tion physicians in private practice were earn­ master's degree in astronomy or science edu­ ing $80,000 then; Johnny Carson got over $3 cation (68%). He has worked at the planetarI­ from outside the plane1:aril11m million. um for 10 years and is earning $26,773 annu­ The lowest paid full-time US. planetarium ally. Most of his job (87%) is planetarium­ director is earning only $14,000. The highest related Producers generally (59%) come from paid director earns $105,000 within the planetarium field V Ass;isticsnt tors Technicians have been in great Assistant directors (or in some planetari­ demand in most planetariums. Also like ums, associate directors) are relatively rare

22 The Planetarian Vol. u td n Tourist Devellop,mEmt Installment forms, and the conference CI.~~;.u.YCl.. uu... ""' ...... , written in several Michael Hutton guages, should be e51>ec:iaH,y Memorial Planetarium international guests who may troublesome. Brevard Community College While I am on the of the pos;tcards, Road there is an item must mention. Just because you received a pol;to:n-d, Florida 32926 assume that you are on my maUlrlg hotel and conference regist1:ation matetl.als. In this installment of "Countdown to 94" I International students from Brevard The will share with you the progress being made Community College also will be on hand as ference re~~istJratilon toward assisting our international members. informal interpreters and facilitators po~)tc,U'd, letter, or fax and Having traveled to many countries around the conference. rials. PLEASE DO NOT CALL! :setlQ1r.1g the world, I have memories of the loneliness In addition to the Jaycees and exchange copy of your business card is all someone can experience when no one students from Brevard Community take. On the back, write around you can even say your name. I also the Florida Spacecoast Council for tration." If you did not receive have fond memories of learning how other International Visitors will greet and register then send me sornejthilog. people live and think. The apprehension and international delegates to the conference. cards to everyone in the IPS Dilrect01:V excitement of international travel is proba­ The FSCIV is affiliated with the National you did not get one then we bly what makes such journeys attractive to Council of International Visitors in Wash­ about you. a letter and introduce many people. ington, OC, and has members fluent in over selL We to hear from 30 different languages. be International '"'''' .... ?·1111rn directors As with any conference, the main of the host is to create an environment where NASA officials. people can communicate and easily. At an international meeting, this goal is made more difficult because of the the time you read this language barriers. this you will have received a from problem has occupied our attention since arulo\.mc~ the IPS 94 conference. This last summer. I am happy to report that some card to most of you may seem like a of our efforts have already some thing to do in order to remind about their tecnnOA()gy unique support for our m€~eting. the but it The South Brevard Beaches Jaycees much more. zation plans to announce to the Florida State Most IPS members received ver- Jaycee Conference that "IPS 94" will be the sion of the postcard; but others, depending group's regional for the year; the upon where live, may have received a Jaycees will work with IPS conference orga­ card written in German, Japanese, was it like to grow up on I4ln.... 'Id'lI!ll·(I1 nizers to escort international participants Russian, or Spanish. We applied for, and Coast in the 19505 and 196051 and help facilitate meeting arrangements. received, a $4,500 grant from the Brevard Russians Delrceive

Vol. 22, No.2, june 1993 ThePlanetarian at the time? What did they think of the at least 45 before the beginning of down to 94," I would like to efforts of the United States? Were they aware conference. This would allow our volunteer additional information which of Florida's role in the USA's space program? translators to study the material before you Did people on either or both sides see their present the paper. during the paper ses­ space programs as a way to bring the world sions, our translators could help our interna­ rooms. Both The Hilton together in peace, or as instrument for world tional guests understand you better. be $70 per domination? uGrowing Up With Rockets" the complete text of your paper for one or two will be a vehicle for public discussions and is also a requirement if it is to be learning. Floridians who the induded in the conference Proceedings. So, after the conference. This is days of space exploration and its plan ahead when you dedde to a beach-front ac(:oDrlmod;il­ impact upon our state and this paper: it will of us. tions, and I would region's history and development will get to Spea.k:ers and presenters multi- make your reservations meet someone from the UOther Side." A rep­ national audiences should follow a few sim­ crowded on Florida's resentative from the UOther Side" and other gulde.lin~es to ensure effective communi- international delegates and will cations. Since most of our are techni- get to meet and learn from Floridians. ~V'."A"''''' should and If you haven't guessed now, the repre- and This sentative from the "Other Side" is V. was a comment made at the wrap-up session ,HL,UI...U!jl!, Director of the Moscow Plane­ in Salt and I think a ",;,.+11"111"" .. h, tarium. Within the of the from the Florida Humanities Council are all of the travel expenses for to come to the United States and not in the "flat-dome," and "could have very dif­ With Rockets" program, but ferent to our international mem­ also the entire uIPS 94" conference. Person­ bers. ally, I can't wait to get rid of that bird he We need to be aware of cultural differ·, gave to Van Del Chamberlain, who then ences in and communication dr<)Dt:>ed it in my Ex1:ernporane~ow presentati,oru with We are our efforts to find trav- cant audience which charac­ el expenses for our colleagues from countries terize many North American pl;:me~ta1:iUlm where hard currency is limited. We are cur- sessions, are not well received and often mis­ rently with: the Florida Inter- understood by of other cultures who national Affairs the United are accustomed to a more didactic the National delivery. Council for International Visitors, the Other efforts to better support our inter­ of the of the Netherlands, national guests are in the stages. Errlbassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, But for now, this represents our acc:oIT1PH,sh­ and others. While firm for planetari­ rnents so far. If you have any ideas or sugges­ um directors from other countries is still tions, Bob staff astronomer at our fad!- nej2:ot:iated. we are very that is the chairman of the international more of our colleagues will be with us in affairs committee. Please feel free to contact lY'j'4-,m.amv perhaps for the first time. him directly. What can you do? If you are planning to present a paper at the conference, it would help if we had the complete text of the paper Before I close this installment of uCount- wait until"IP$ 94."

(Professiona~ continued from page 22) istrators (induding uadministrivia," tor in the same public, teaching young childr~ enthusiastic museum directors, bosses who have no and interested students, creativity (induding understanding about what a is, the creation of show ideas and the produc­ and apathy), equipment failures, constant tion of shows), making special effects, inspir­ repairs and maintenance, lack of per­ ing others, realizing dreams, the variety of sonnel problems, teachers and students who the work, "showing Saturn to others while are unprepared, repetitive school shows, using a telescope," being in contact with curi­ scheduling hassles, low pay, overtime work (especially for no extra money), fundamen­ ous people, Useeing a light bulb go on in a In condw;ion. child's eyes," using the planetarium as an talist religion members, traveling for out­ tarium director is one of educational tool, getting everything to work, reach programs, feeling like an outsider in and the prestige within the university and museum or college decision-making, 41jump­ ing through administrative hoops," grant the community. There are some things that planetarians writing and fund raising, the "non-profes­ sional attitude of another planetarium wIec- hate about their jobs: paperwork, bad admin- run.

24 o h

idal The tidal force is gravitational attraction from the the force that is caused lars Broman rotation of the earth-moon system its common center of mass, center of mass moves in ele (really an around time as travels around the sun orbit which is almost a circle and earth rotates around its own axis. From this somewhat cOlnplUc,ated The tides are caused by the existence of te story. In order to fully understand the ment we will determine the motion the moon, and by monthly variations phenomenon of the tides, the influence of caused the moon. We will then induced by the sun In most textbookst, the the moon (and the sun) on the motion of the the earth's center of mass tides are explained as due to the moon's and earth has to be taken into account as wen. on the earth moves in an (aoorclxi­ the sun's gravitational pun on the water This paper presents a correct, but still reason­ mate) circle with one and the same masses of the seas, but this is not the compIe- ably simple, description of tidal forces. 2 the distance between and the orbital

The cen'triftlgal The article by John APIPeldoc:>rn in The Planetarian (December on tides is thus p"~'r"'whprp is most interesting reading, and he makes several aspects of the ('nlnnlk;~tprl nature of tides quite understandable. His explanation of the basic cause of the phenomenon is, however, not Both the gravitational pull of the moon moon varies with the distance, and the forces due to the rotation of the earth-moon system have to be taken center of mass of the moon. Now it into account. As a matter of fact, gravitation and rotation are like frank Sina­ for some calculations: tra's song on love and marriage, "'you can't have one without the other,* Without rotation, the system would quickly collapse-a cosmic disaster which earth's and the moon's would be more enjoyable to experience as part of a planetarium show than in masses:::: 3.845 x let m real life! mE mM :::: the moon's mass:::: 7.35 A correct explanation is also easier to comprehend than an incomplete one. r :::: the distance between The following text was originally presented as a talk at the Northwest Astronomy Conference in Bellingham, Washington, in May 1983. The .. ""e... ,",n;,.",... 4.673 x 106 m is quantitative and thus contains some simple mathematics, which would be omitted in a qualitative treatment aimed at the general public. (comp1are this with the earth's 6378 lQ6m

Lars Broman has been a planetarian since 1974, when he built his first small planetarium together with his students at Falun Borl~nge University. He is President of Broman Planetarium, Inc. and Director of Falun.Science Center with Stella Planetarium-Sweden's largest with horizontal dome. Lars is also

President of Nordic Planetarium P. ,! -<-'I and he was Chairman of the 1990 IPS Con­ ference The Boundless Planetarium

FJgure 1 If you that the earth is seen from with America you then let CE follow the drcular around MAmerica" follows a similar circular path.

Vol. 22, No. 2, June 1993 The Planetarian tEM :::: orbital period for the earth-moon system:::: 273217 days SUN wEM :::: angular speed for the earth-moon system:::: 27t/tEM :::: 2.6617 )( 10"" S-1 ~ Fs

FGM/m:::: the moon's gravitational force per mass unit :::: G )( mM/a 2

G :::: the universal constant of gravitation :::: 6.672 )( 10-11 m 3 kg-I S-2

We will make an assumption which results in a small and negligible error if we let a :::: aEM - d, where d :::: the distance between a point on the surface of the earth and a plane through CE perpendicular to the line CE - eM (the positive direction is toward the moon). Figure 2 shows the magnitudes and directions of the sun's and the moon's For small values of d we get for one relative position of the sun and the moon. The directions and arrows are determined using the equations derived in this paper and the "irrmlihlir1u assumptions that have been made. In the real world, the forces lel due to the moon's relative closeness to the earth.

ton my stay there. Richard Levin ~ ::::-+-Fes FGS m m m = 3.32 X 10-5 + d x 1.725)( 10-\3 N/kg 1. Two examples (textbooks used Thus author): Donald Goldsmith, The Universe, Benjamin/Cummings, 1981, and W. FM/m :::: total force on 1 kg ]. Kaufmann III, Universe, 3rd ed., Freeman, 1991. 13 :::: FCM/m = FGM/m:::: d x 1.725 X 10- N/kg :::: (with close approximation) 2. A version of this paper At the point on the surface of the earth under the title Tidvatten in which is closest to the moon, the force per journal Elementa, Vol. 67, pp. unit of mass equals 1.100 x 10-6 N/kg, and at Swedish). Similar treatments can be found in the point farthest away from the moon the Guenter The sum of the first two terms is zero (of force per unit of mass equals -1.100 x 10"" Wiley, 1963, and Tidvattenlara, in N /kg. So on the side facing the moon we course; the magnitude of each force equals 3 Navigation 2, p ....."',,'"'u.'- ... the Swedish 5.930 x 10- N/kg), so the total force on the have a tidal force directed towards the moon Marine, 1983. ~ and on the other side a tidal force directed mass 1 kg, Fs/m :::: d x 7.927 )( 10-14 N/kg (:::: 46% away from the moon-just as we had expect­ of the tidal force due to the existence of the ed (but hardly as the textbooks usually moon). At the point on the surface of the describe it). earth which is closest to the sun, the sun's tidal force equals 5.06 )( 10-7 N/kg (directed High and low Tide towards the sun) and at the other side of the earth it equals -5.06 )( 10-7 N/kg (directed For the sun-earth system we have away from the sun). The sun's and the moon's tidal forces mS = the sun's mass:::: 1.989 x lOW kg therefore cooperate both 'V'Ihen there is a full The Planetarian accepts at no aSE:::: (the average) distance between the sun's moon and when there is a new moon, i.e. charge classified ads for non­ and the earth's centers of masses :::: (almost) twice per month. The daily varia­ commercial items of interest to 1.4960 X 1011 m tions are, to complete the story, due to the the planetarium rfHYI¥YJJ/Yl"'" tSE :::: the earth's orbital period around the earth's rotation around its own axis. Send ad copy to the sun:::: 365.25 days to the deadlines on page 3. wSE :::: the earth's angular speed in its orbit Ack~owledgments around the sun :::: 27t/tSE :::: 1.991 )( 10-7 S-I My thanks are due to:

Fy Fes and FGS are defined as FM, FCM and FGM but for the sun-earth system. Ajit Rupaal, chairman of the Physics and Astronomy Department, Western Washing-

26 The Planetarian Vol. 1993 .. Ge r L I 1939 -1993 uncompromising pe]:te<:t1(ml~sm. (A Memorial by one who knew him a little) tors used in many of our improved his H<::JLU--aU James Sharp given with no tn()U$l~nt Indeed, it was g-elrlerOS:ltv Albert Einstein Planetarium devotion to our not National Air & Space Museum Criticality, that led him to en(:O\ll1'a~:e make and keep our artificial skies as Washington D.C. 20560 humanly to nature's own celestial grandeur that he loved so We On February 18, 1993, planetarians, sky­ were an abiding passion in George's personal who were touched his all watchers and amateur astronomers around and professional life. In his youth, George the better for the eXJ>erienc:e the world lost a dedicated teacher, valued built a from scratch, Still, what we planet:ari:ans colleague, and friend when popular astrono­ and would inflict [his word] ad hoc sky remember most about my writer George Lovi finally succumbed in shows on whomever he could entice into his two decades of "Rambling thr~[)uj;!:h his year-long, courageous battle with can­ makeshift dome. In later years, he advised on with the accompanying vnr,n"tlhlv cer-a battle kept secret from all but his doc­ the astronomical design of some of the plan­ of his own deSign, in tor, his immediate family and a very few etarium instruments built for the American These unpretentious little close friends. It was typical George that he market by the two Japanese manufacturers, quiet wisdom and did not wish to trouble others with his pri­ Goto and Minolta, and performed the final taught an entire generation that vate problems. He endured his cruel fate so installation adjustments on a number of sky is comprehensible graciously, and fought the inevitable so gal­ these. He worked most recently as an astron­ one. They evoked in even the most lantly that his personal physician, never seen omy instructor at the American Museum­ us an almost mystic reverence for to shed a public tear before, wept openly Hayden Planetarium in New York City. These monthly articles nl"r\h~'hh:l when George died Previously he had served as planetarium to the "real" George Lovi than we George Lovi collaborated on two widely astronomer at the Vanderbilt Planetarium in might say about him. acclaimed books: the monumental Urano­ Centerport, New York and at the Jones Plan­ My own most nn':A1&:>l'h,1 metria 2000, with Wil Tirion and Barry etarium of the Human Resources Center in man of absolute, unquestio:rJled integrUy-a Rappaport (Willmann-Bell 1987) and Men, Albertson, New York, both on Long Island man constitutionally UH.::apCI,UH:: Monsters and the Modem Universe, with maps His fellow planetarians may remember the integrity cost him dearly at times. in by Wil Tirion (Willmann-Bell 1989). Early in awkward, ambling, delightfully eccentric fig­ poverty in his native his his astronomical career, George served for a ure with the Coke-bottle spectacles who all too brief life devoid of .material short time as a writer and general editorial nevertheless could discover with a casual and died h .. ",,,,,,l,,, assistant at Sky and Telescope magazine. glance a fifth magnitude star missing or out inhabitants of this richer Planetaria of all sizes and descriptions of place in a planetarium sky. Without pre- found them in the things that

Vol. 22, No.2, june 1993 The Planetarian 27 SPITZ, INC.

State-of-the-art systems for education, entertainment and training. Spitz, Inc., a full­ service company providing hardware, software, solutions and support to the planetarium and Space Theatre community since 1945.

SPITZ, INC., P.O. Box 198, Route 1, Chadds Ford, PA 19317 USA TEL: (215) 459-5200 FAX: planets' to the universe's structure. It begins In the ...... "'.i'.:II'·O with a general introduction to the scope of author Harold W. G. Allen reminds the universe, devotes three chapters to our often the scientific mind can be solar system, a chapter on stars, one on galax­ "'established" of science. ies, one on the universe's size and structure be on guard toward April (and possible other universes), and devotes a ideas simply because others hold chapter to evaluating the possibilities of Scientific convention has ...... ~~A._ extraterrestrial life and to the possibilities stone, Allen feels. 1300 S. lake and value of making contact with such life. challenge an acc:eptea The book itself is made of quality, coated squashed like a paper. Photo reproduction is excellent. few such fears. Besides photographs, the book makes exten­ One of these sacred cows of ...... ~A"n. sive use of artists' illustrations, such as sur­ thought to Allen) is Read any good books lately? Publishers face views from Jovian or of proba­ lauded "Big of the tormaltiOln occasionally send this editor new volumes to ble worlds orbiting distant stars. The artists' of the universe. It is this review, but it's nice to hear from people out depictions are of excellent quality and are author in this book. there who have come across new books, too. appropriate to the sections of text in which Conduding that the idea of If you've found a new favorite, or want to they appear; they are not simply displayed mology is "without totmolauon, warn your fellow IPS members away from gratuitously to make the book look good. sents a dear, reasonable phiil05;ophic:al some particularly poor book, let me know! The text itself is clear and to the point in argument that this is the case. The most cases. The facts and theories presented chapters of The Eternal Universe are The Universe ... and Beyond, 2nd within are accurately stated. The author of some basic astronomy. his nr~>lTI;ic:p" Edition, by Terence Dickinson, makes a point early on that most specula­ in the final five of his work, Allen's Camden House Publishing, tion is relegated to the section on extraterres­ case is an and I""o..... ""'nhr th()u.f.l:nt- Buffalo, New York, 1992, ISBN trial life. He strongly suggests also that not all provoking one. His argument is based 0-921820-51-8 (bound), ISBN 0- theory is set in stone and that theories do on the belief that the 19th Michel- 921820-53-4 (paperback), 156 pages, $29.95 come and go as new physical evidence either SO][l-!lv1UIH!V light contained a (bound), $22.95 (paperback). negates or supports them. He even titles the critical which affects our current

Afterword, liThe Big Bang in the II understanding of the nature of radiation Reviewed by Patrick E. Frendreis, Adler showing how the related theories propagation. Planetarium, Chicago, Illinois. time goes on. Allen's statements are well and If the text can be said to be flawed any­ the frequently-cited are dear and Terence Dickinson has revised his popular where, it is in the abundance of it Although easy to follow. One criticism: the discussion work, The Universe ... and Beyond, which was it is all to the point, there might just be a lit­ of the evolution of life and reincarnation in first published in 1986. Since that first edi­ tle too much specificity: too many scientific chapter two is somewhat too for tion many important events have taken terms (especially when discussing chemical the average sCienttttca.HY'-lrlClmE!O place in astronomy, and this new edition constituents of various atmospheres) with­ That aside, Allen's work is sure incorporates these events: Voyager at out explanation. It would have been better some new into cosmoiC>gy Neptune, Magellan at Venus, the launching to have eliminated some of the details. Also, Socrates stated that lithe unexamined life of HST, and the COBE results. Dickinson has more explanatory diagrams would (and is not worth II and the Ull

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian 29 bag with binoculars. I welcome any resource the galactic hub, outward toward the Small and nicely done that will assist me in interpreting and enjoy­ rim of the 'S disc. NGC 2158's master cartographer Wil Tirion are sprinkled ing the sky this way. great distance in this direction places it through the book, as are several dozen Binocular Astronomy is a constellation-by­ very near our Galaxy's outer edge. tographs, many by E. E. Barnard constellation tour of the sky, with the con­ I like Binocular Astronomy. It is stellations arranged by season. Each constel­ Two additional chapters that are all too with information (as opposed to lation averages a page and a half, including short outline the structure of the Milky Way easily, and delivers with its nl'/"rni~", maps and photographs, which is adequate and galaxy observing, and appendices out­ my copy. for a binocular guide. It is aimed towards the line constellation history and stellar evolu­ educated person who is somewhat familiar tion. I picked up some good ideas on constel­ The Deep with the sky, rather than rank beginners or lations for future planetarium shows. Uranometria &"v,-,v.'V. I\Aln,,·r~.., children, and it does not talk down to people I especially enjoyed the chapter on the Cragin, who are quite familiar with the sky. It would structure of our Milky Way. The Milky Way Rappaport, be equally great for people with small tele­ dominates the sky, and there is a lot to Richmond, Virginia, scopes. For each constellation you are given notice in it once you know what to look for. 0-943396-38-7, $49.95. a bit of background information and per­ The following brief quote from page 150 haps a bit of history, a brief description of gives the flavor of the Milky Way chapter. Reviewed by John Mosley, Griffith the constellation's highlights, and then an vatory, Los Angeles, California. item-by-item description of the major binoc­ Because we are on the inside edge of our ular objects with emphasis on special areas spiral arm, the first relatively nearby While in high school I laboriously such as the tail of Scorpius and the Canis stellar associations northeast of Sag­ a notebook-full of basic information on Major Association. The style is conversation­ ittarius do not appear until the Cygnus­ sky objects from the Skalnate Pleso al and shows the author's great familiarity Cepheus stretch of the Milky Way. They the Heavens. The catalog-the best available with the subject. It is like having a friendly are: Cygnus OBl, which includes Deneb at the time-was arranged by type of expert lean over your shoulder and point and the North America Nebula and lies so I copied listings for more than a thousand out the salient points of the sky and put about 1,700 light-years distant; Cepheus objects and rearranged them constella­ them in perspective. OB2, involving 1) Cephei and IC 1396 tion so I could better explore the The following quote, chosen essentially at and centered some 2,700 light-years goal was to find every deep space VISI­ random, gives the feel for the book. away; and small Lacerta OBI, scattered ble in my 8-inch reflector, and I needed lists over the southern half of that constella­ of objects arranged so I could find them con­ Only 1/2 0 southwest of M35 is the tion, about 2,000 light-years from us. veniently. I would have killed for The extremely distant open cluster NGC (All three associations are discussed Sky Field Guide to Uranometria 2000.0 and the 2158. It is very faint (magnitude 11), very under their respective constellations.) accompanying Uranometria 2000.0 atlas. small (4' in diameter), and invisible in Notice that these three associations lie The Field Guide is not a general purpose 7x35 and 7x50 binoculars. Even in at or beyond galactic longitude 90: The book. It is the companion to the well-known lOx50s NGC 2158 appears only as a tiny, Cygnus Star Cloud itself, however lies Uranometria 2000.0 atlas. It lists, chart glowing patch behind a couple 9th mag­ between galactic longitudes 60· and 80· chart for each chart in the an nitude foreground stars. This is, howev­ in other words, a bit inward toward the deep space objects shown in the atlas. In er, a cluster of great interest. For one interior of the Galaxy. This is because these 469 mini-catalogs it includes a total of thing, it is very old. Its brightest mem­ the spiral arms ofour Galaxy wind up in 930 open star clusters, 185 380 bers are not the hot bluish stars typical this direction, the direction ofgalactic bright nebulae, 160 dark nebulae, 525 of open clusters, but red giants with rotation. Thus the Cygnus Star Cloud is taries, and over 10,000 . are absolute magnitudes near -2.5. This is actually our view of the Orion Arm's arc arranged by type and then by right ascen­ similar to the brightest stars found in toward the interior of the Galaxy. In the sion, with full descriptive notes on each. the very ancient globular clusters. NGC opposite part of the Milky Way, around The illustration below shows the kind and 2158 is probably over a billion years old. galactic longitude 270· (Puppis- Vela), we amount of information included But the most interesting fact about see where our arm trails outward from This is a monumental work, and no NGC 2158 is its distance: 16,000 light the galactic interior. Toward Cygnus­ observing amateur will want to be without years. As we'll see later in the book, this Vulpecula our spiral arm is somewhat it Willmann-Bell is to be for part of the Milky Way lies in the direc­ nearer the Galactic Center than we are, continuing to provide quality astr01101ny tion opposite the center of the Galaxy­ toward Puppis- Vela it is somewhat references for us all. here we are looking directly away from ther.

56 GALAXIES Notes

Extremely small, bright nucleus, three or four main massive arms with much branching, low su'rface brightness. Emission patch 4 ~ 1 NE of nucleus. OPEN CLUSTERS Stars Notes No. Br* 40 16.0p Moderately rich in stars; moderate brightness range; no central concentration; detached. 50 3.82 Moderately rich in stars; large brightness range; not well detached; involved in nebulosity. Excluding f-l Cephei, visual magnitude == 4.8. 30 The Planetarian Vol. 1993 FOR PLANETARIUMS International Planetarium _lIIII ... "' .... Treasurer's Report, Prepared by Keith H. Johnson Fleischmann Planetarium University of Nevada Reno, Nevada 89557-0010 31 January 1993

INCOME

CATEGORY 92 TOTAL BUDGET

Dues 25314.00 25000.00 Advertising 18813.00 10000 00 Interest 1032.16 1200 00 Publications 1293.00 300 00 Conference 4000.00 2000.00 Spitz Fund 55.00 100.00 Mailing labels 250.00 500.00 Other 236.00 150 00

Totals $50993.16 $39250.00

EXPENSES

CATEGORY 92 TOTAL BUDGET

Planetarian 22418.55 20000 00 Printing 16008.16 Postage 3837.68 Miscellaneous 2572.71 Directory 0.00 7000.00 Special Publ'ns. 0.00 0.00 Administration 7116.81 6200.00 Printing 731.71 postage 940.93 Phone 106.83 Office supplies 173.71 Inst'l plaques 253.01 Council 484.93 Conference 2500.00 Bank charges 381.06 Miscellaneous 1544.63 Committees 2011.42 2000.00 New Projects 0.00 1000.00 Contingency 0.00 1000.00 Spitz Fund 1000.00 0.00

Totals $32546.78 $37200.00

32 The Planetarian Vol. TOTAL INCOME 50993.16 TOTAL EXPENSES 32546.78 NET INCOME 1992 $18446.38

BALANCE SHEET, 12/31/92

Checking account 8895.00 Capital, 12/31/91 28305.60 Money Market 37856.98 Net Income, 1992 ASSETS, 12/31/92 $46751.98 CAPITAL, 12/31/92 $46751.98

1. Here are final membership figures for 1992.

US Non-US Individual 420 120 Institutional 51 26 Total members 471 146 617 Library subscr. 24 20 Subscribers 495 166 661

Memberships were coming in at a good pace in January. As of the end of January 1993 (the end of the the U.S.: see "SuperBowl" in any current U.S. dictionary), we had exactly 400 current members (some were two-year memberships from last year, of course).

2. If any member would like more details on the figures shown above, he! she (we've got to invent a ...... """' ...... noun!) may contact me at the addresses shown below.

3. Some members expressed some concern about why I included a space for email addresses on

ship invoices. My idea was simply to collect a list of addresses of IPS members, and (if there were .... ".... ; ..... F-.... and was enough interest) to publish the list in The Planetarian. I will assume that anyone who sent me mation will not be upset to see it in print in the journal. If you would rather not be listed, and sent in address to me, please let me know.

4. I am glad to report that in December a local geologist built a tower and erected a statue of Aztec god on it, and as a result it snowed quite heavily in northern Nevada and California in January and February. Apparently the drought is about over for the time being, though we're not admitting that to the local (over)developers. I'm considering mounting a statue of Tlaloc on our sundial to ensure continued prE!ci],:)ita.tio:n.

Keith Johnson Bus. 702-784-4812 Fleischmann Planetarium Fax 702-784-4822 University of Nevada Home 702-626-2543 Reno NV 89557-0010 CompuServe 73540,1326 U.S.A. AmericaOnLine KeithJ NV Internet [email protected]

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian 33

system to RFI is primarily due to a variety of in your factors, which are unrelated to the internal resistance to up certain chnic workings of the individual electronic com­ cies, the fact that it is vulnerable ponents. These factors are: external radio source remains prclblemaltic. 1) Intensity/proximity of radio-frequency This Exorcising Audio noise sources. 2) Housing/placement of sound equip­ Phantoms ment and its cabling. 3) Length/number of audio cables in the system. Richard McColman 4) Type of input/output transmission used Morehead Planetarium between audio components. 5) Number of "ground loops" present in Chapel Hill, NC 27599 the system's cabling. In the following sections we will explore each of these factors, and how each affects some EuroI)ean countries). Have you ever presented a show while competing with Rockin' Johnny Discjocky ... these sorts of nightmarish audio for your audience's attention? Have the Bangles ever drifted mysteriously into the to a phenomenon known as "radio background while dubbing the soundtrack for short. To the novice, these elusive for your new public program? Do you seem take on a life of their own. and in to get strange buzzes, crackles, and noise bursts over the planetarium sound system impossible to "kill" ... while setting up for your live school presen­ tation? If you answered tlyes" to any or all of the potential for RFI noise that can be in­ ance" of occurs because these questions, then what follows may be of duced into your sound system. Additionally, mer determines the interest to you. we'll go over a few procedures that you can on and tum-off for each half Most of these sorts of nightmarish a~dio use to reduce/eliminate the effects of radio Hertz A. "sine wave" difficulties are attributable to a phenome­ noise sources as well. This is non known as "radio frequency interfer­ literally can be heard ence", or II RFI" for short. To the novice, these RFI Sources as the filament vibrates from elusive sound phantoms seem to take on a The most obvious sources of RFI are your the electrical ushock" of each of life of their own, and in fact, appear to be AUA.... • .:K,;. local radio stations-particularly FM stations voltage at the 100/120 Hertz rate. ~" absolutely impossible to "kill," no matter that are either close-by (within a few miles of these solid-state dimmers tend what form of cable swapping, component the planetarium), and possess a fairly similar I in the form of reorientation, or general audio housekeeping powered transmitter. Why does the same (RFI) and as electrical noise (elE!Ctr'orr.laglrletic is attempted Indeed, such ghostly aural~lec­ radio station almost always seem to be the interference, or EMU-with the tronic apparitions appear to be watching culprit when you encounter RFI? channeled into the pla:lleUmUm's your every move. For instance, as you place .n.. these are the stations with the roits. u.J.ltVI~U your hand near one piece of your system's mitter wattage found in the cOInmlunity of these devices contain electronic audio gear, the phantom mysteriously scam­ However, lower-wattage stations can also da.lnPE~n the levels of RFI and EMI, pers off into the distant nether-worlds, only cause RFI problems if relatively dose to you. type of interference is eliminated .. nf·... ""I" to come back the instant you return to your A particular transmitter's may your system has shown any previous bodily position. Pushing cables have some around in the back of the sound equipment marginal effect cabinet seems to greatly influence the "pres­ over how sus- Shield ence" of the specter, and when you finally cepUble YOUl Hot think you've successfully banished the mys­ system is to this tical spirit-beast wit h "cable exordsm," picking it up, it returns as soon as you end your elaborate but as a general ritual. rule this is of All this hocus-pocus occurs because your minorconcem, sound system is acting like a big radio anten­ because the na, and accordingly, pulls-in and amplifies system can't Shield any radio waves that have an intensity and discriminate frequency compatible with the reception High .. between radio characteristics of this "antenna." To the Low .. freq uenci es uninitiated, the fault appears to lie in the nearly as well supposed "poor" specifications of the audio 'as a dedicated components (tape deck, amplifier, mixer, radio receiver. etc.) themselves. In reality, the problem is sel­ Even if the dom the result of substandard equipment sound system design. instead, the susceptibility of a sound

No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian 35 whatsoever to picking up interference from a radio station, you likely will be vul­ nerable to RFI generated within your own fadlity as well.

Equipment and Cable Housing one referred to as One way to reduce the amount of RFI ondas low. which is induced into a sound system is to To understand how the locate as much as possible (including both it's to rernernb4er the electronic components and the 1I4-inch phone plug that in electrical circuits, cabling) within a metallic enclosure. This is move in one direction thrlo~:h because the metal of the surrounding of the conductors, enclosure tends to act as a shield agajnst direction any radio waves present in the environ­ ment. This is especially effective if the Fjgure2. metal enclosure is electrically bound to something at Uground potential." The easiest when tackling RFI problems. Much has been way to Nground" the cabinet is to have it written, claimed, and debated in the audio­ electrically tied to the grounding bar of the phile world about the supposed need for an indlerx~ndent planetarium's breaker box. highly-specialized (and very expensive) cab­ does not carry any Unfortunately, it is not always practical to ling and connectors to ensure maximum means that both of the house sound components in such enclosures. performance from a high fidelity sound sys­ First, while metal rack-mount cabinets make tem. Electronic lab tests have shown that for a clean, professional look, as well as pro­ most of these super-duper micro-bundled­ viding some RFI protection, these units gen­ this, and gold-plated-that, erally cost hundreds of dollars each, and no better audio performance (despite some into the two onoo!;in!l!- therefore are out of reach of many small­ elitist audiophile listener claims to the con­ budget facilities. Second, some planetariums trary) than simply using "df'CPlnt-11ua anced line is to ~,,~.4'~_~ have separate setups for recording, mixing, cable/connector combinations. So don't be and dubbing show soundtracks outside of misled into blowing your budget on their theaters. Because of ergonomiC consid­ cables that are of question able value. (Most erations, these sound-production systems are of these cable-claims, by the way have best arranged in a horizontal, or tabletop nothing to do with external radio noise but type of configuration, making the tradition­ on how well the audio signal itself is passed al vertical rack cabinet impractical here. from one component in the system to Nonetheless, the metal enclosure can be another.) Instead, it is important to look at an effective weapon in the arsenal of anti-RFI more basic issues when encountering RFI. weapons, which is why such units are often The first issue to consider in RFI/cable­ found in modern installations. connection concerns the and overall lengths of cables which intercon­ Interconnectlvity nect a sound system. Since we said that the In virtually an planetarium sound systems prime suspect in sound-systemIRFI-pickup (as wen as in home systems, for that matter), is the cabling, it stands to reason that the there is a mass of uspaghetti" to be found more cable you have i)1 the system, the dangling off the backsides of the various greater the potential for RFI. This is decks, mixers, and amps that populate these sound engineers advocate line­ electronic ensembles. Most planetarians sel­ level and mic-Ievel signal cable runs as dom give much thought to the multitude of short as possible. This is even more critical cables and connectors that share space with when a fairly large numt>er of input/output the electronic inhabiting the audio connections must be used in the areas in their facilities. As a result, when RFI Another factor in the susceptibility of is encountered, the blame is often cabling to RFI-induction is the connection mode used to pass audio signals between placed on the electronics rather than on the it nr<::wides cabling. After all, a cable is a cable, is a cable, components. Two primary modes are used for this-unbalanced and balanced lines. In nal return carrier-i.e., the shield right? . TI?VerS1r:>d-lnolari1:v C()untell)art to the Well, maybe so, but then again ... the unbalanced there are most often Remember that problems with RFI-induc­ only two conductors-a center lead, usually tion result from the sound system acting like referred to as the hot, and the shield (see an antenna. In nearly all cases, the cabling to Figure 1), which is a braided, or spiral-wrap connect the uline-Ievel" and conductor forming a long metallic der,'" if you will, around the insulated hot umic-Ievel" inputs and outputs will be the inhibits cancellation lead The shield is wrapped around the hot culprit. However, the actual quality of the as the barrier for hot side. cable is usually of only marginal concern lead to reject "hum", which can be picked up What all of this means is that the I.}(U4U.u.J!;;U 36 The Planetarhln Vol. line does a good job of resisting the effects of ment-especially when using stereo and RFI, whereas the unbalanced line (while multi-channel components and decks retaining a decent ability to uhum" with both inputs and outputs. from electrical sources) is inherently more susceptible to radio interference. is a How can you ten whether your equip­ ment is balanced or unbalanced? First of all, In the stereo or multi-channel any time you see a connector with only two audio component, the ground on each of the connection points on it, such as an RCA jack, input and output jacks are electrically IIcom­ or a two-conductor monaural1l4-inch mon", or tied together inside in unit. In fact, phone jack, it will always be an unbalanced you can actually check this on a unit which input or output (see Figure 2 for shield/hot isn't cabled to any other audio components by connecting the leads of an ohmmeter to the .nr~"'''11'"'.n (shield) of any

from one com-

ponent, ...... v'""tF.u a cable to a sec· ond component, and then back to the first compo­ IN 1 OUT 2 nent via a second cable. hooking up such units to other components with standard cords cre­ ates a scenario in which the shields of these connections on RCA and 1/4-inch cords create several "loops" of con- Home audio will ductors. A is a very unbalanced, unless it is some strange, esoter­ efficient antenna for RFI, much more so than ic audiophile gear. Balanced on a two compo- the other hand, can be a bit less str(l.i,gtlttc~r­ nents. Each can simulate the ward While balanced units will have typical UHF loop antenna for a television set, wi th three such as XLR and multiple patch cords between compo­ connectors or three-conductor 1/4-inch nents will create multiple antennae" phone jacks (or perhaps more conductors, if between the units! they have European-style DIN connectors) a few unbalanced components, like some 1/2- Hon's in an ~f'f""'nn'li" inch multi-track tape decks, also have these what had Sure 'l;;U\;\,A,I&;A ll, types of connectors. This last group, though, out that the station had ternp(>fCllrily "hybrids" the use of its three conductor con­ to another transmitter the nection cables in this unbalanced scheme, so order to wme eQlw:plm4mt you'll have to be careful not to confuse these The task at hand was to affect a ...... i..... IF,.hv with balanced designs. When in doubt, con­ so that audiences wouldn't be sul)jected sult your equipment manual. Earlier we stated that the component Tucker and --"--,..'-J---- during of their shows. input/output cabling should be as short as Glen's televi~ possible because it can act as an antenna for sion work had allowed him to accumulate radio interference. As you can see, this would repertoire of technical tricks--and be especially important in unbalanced sys­ these was a Qutc~:-alt1Q"Qlln:v pr'OC~WllI'e tems as these are relatively poor at combat­ combat RFI in sound ing RFI. But cable length isn't the only prob­ lem to watch out for in audio systems. The ground loop is another menace that must be combated when hooking up sound equip-

The Planetarian replaced one of them with a longer version. the shields in the cables linking the compo­ Using the excess length, he proceeded to fold nents. This is because, taken altogether, mul­ the cable over onto itself a half-dozen times tiple shields which are coupled to the inputs or so, and then tightly bound this bundle and outputs of two components (which together using several nylon cable ties (see themselves are "common", or interconnect­ Figure S). The result-no more Tanya and ed inside each unit), are what create the George under the stars! ground loops. Initially though, this approach appears to be two cOlmplonlents self-defeating contained the sole urrnl.-,ln connection since two con- between units). ductors are The best way around this pOltenUal OUT 1 IN2 needed to rna is to go ahead and disconnect Shields complete an cable shields at one cable-end each, electrical cir­ connect the cOlnpOnj~nt cuit for each component-to­ componen t channel inter­ connection­ and the shield is the second con­ ductor in an unbalanced system! IN 1 IN 2 OUT 1 However, Amplifier remember that the you can maintain between all and outputs of Fjgure6. and outputs of each component are com­ connected units, whether or not mon inside each unit This means that, tech­ one more cables sometime What had happened was that by folding nically speaking, all but one of these future-while still maintaining the cable onto itself multiple times, Glen had connections between the two units is actual­ tant scheme! essentially caused the radio station's RFI, ly redundant which was being induced into the system's Therefore, cabling; to cancel itself out as it underwent the work of the successive direction reversals in the cable the two, folds. In other words, as the RF1 folded back four, eight, onto itself, its polarity was reversed, thereby or more canceling itself out cable-shield Should you ever have need of this emer­ interconnec­ gency quick-fix, it is important to note that tions can be the procedure calls for the cable to be dou­ reduced down bled- back onto itself rather than U11"nrliina to only one the cable up into a coil. While the doubUng­ for each back method serves to cancel the RFI, coiling in tercon- the cable will probably, if anything, enhance nected com- the RFI effects. Also, the larger the nwnber of ponent folds in the cable (or the greater the total This does length of cable fold-back), the greater the not mean, CD reduction in RFI. Keep in mind as wen, that that IN 1 the folded-cable bundle is effective only if the shields the folds are tightly bound together. can be elimi- In the end, though, this method represents nated from more of a "band-aid approach" to radio­ their role as noise, since it can reduce, but will not elimi­ hwn-protectors for their hot nate RFI in a system. Rather than merely try­ leads within the cables. It means that ing to reduce the noise in your sound system, a scheme must be introduced to shield the To reduce future confusion a more permanent and superior plan would hots and stop the ground loop scenario simulta­ these one-end shield dlslcormec- be to eliminate it altogether. neously. This is achieved by simply 1'n2Id.."tv tions in your it up cables whose shields are connected to their a convention Eliminating Cround lOOp5 plugs at one end only, although one (and one) ground connection must be maintained The key to eliminating ground loops, par­ to complete all of your input and output cir- (please see Planetechnica ticularly in an unbalanced system, is to break

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~ Superior New Air-Cooled Technology gives Super Brightness Comparable to Water-Cooled Systems

~ Laser Art Projector/AC comes with 150 milliwatt year on Argon Laser and 20 milliwatt HE NE Laser Standard be a task for the~ Ja]Jan.ese org;anllZer of the conference. 2 When thinking about the technical (star projectors and auxiliary instruments) and teaching (programs, ideas, objectives etc.) lev­ els there are not many differences between mobile, small and For this reason the plenary meetings could be devot­ R ...,., It,ht to you and of interest to: ed to both small and mobile planetaria. Powerfullntera<:tive Planetarium :Sv~£tems 3. If during the next IPS conference it will still be difficult to collect the prc)ce~~au1gs, Loris Ramponi and Susan Reynolds could write to authors of papers which interest mobile planetaria users and ask them to send a copy of their paper to us. We will then put Madison together a publication to be distributed to the authors free of charge and on request to others. P.O. Box 4. It is a pity that mobile and small New taria don't have the opportunity to pate in the international planetaria staff USA exchange. Many times small and mobile planetaria are located in schools or are used It is really great to hear from so many of with students. It could be interesting to pro­ you. I keep getting new ideas and inspiration mote an exchange between two cities where from your stories and materials. there are students learning lan­ guages-for example, between an American With future IPS conferences in mind, Loris location where students are learning French Ramponi (Associazione Amici Dei Planetari, and a French location where students c/o Museo Di Scienze Naturali, Via Ozanam, learning English/American. Each mobile 41-25128 Brescia Italia) has been kind enough planetarium interested in this proposal could to forward his concerns and requests to me. communicate which foreign are Listed below are some of his thoughts. They studied in their city. are ambitious and wonderful. Let us hear 5. I think it would be to see all from you if you would like to be involved in the models of mobile planetaria in use making some of these ideas a reality. world-wide displayed IPS confer­ 1. It is necessary to have a complete idea of ences. Another objective would be to have the existing situations (ie. locations and available a complete list of all of these mod­ numbers of portables in use, organization els (to be updated yearly) with their national and management, financial problems of representatives named. mobile planetaria), the instruments (models) 6. Invite '96 IPS to and the proposals (programs, objectives, orig­ pare English translations of their programs inal ideas) around the world about mobile (leaflets). planetaria. To reach this objective it could be Thank you Loris for your continued inter­ useful to arrange specific continental meet­ est and help in making this committee an ings during IPS conferences. A plenary meet­ extremely valuable one. those ideas ing, for mobile planetaria, during the IPS '94 coming! conference in Florida could be a good start­ To add to Loris' comments, I would ing point and the beginning of a tradition. At like to see workshops of interest this conference we would examine the diffu­ the three types of users mentioned in the sion of portable planetaria in America. The March 1992 Mobile News Network presented European situation of mobile planetaria at international conferences. Those could be studied in the following year dur­ who to use a portable planet:artllllD ing an European meeting in October (1995) outreach program and send a with in Brescia. Finally the Eastern situation could the dome, others who would train users and be the specific objective of the plenary meet­ then loan it out, and those who want ing during the '96 IPS conference in Japan. to start a business will need to draw on our Each meeting could be opened with a specif­ expertise . ic continental study: Mobile planetaria in the Americas (1994), the results of the Euro­ pean census for 1995, and Japan, , and other Eastern and Pacific countries situa­ tions to be explained during the 1996 confer­ What an exciting and inspiring eX1Jerjience ence. Obviously the last study/census could you provided Lorna! Those of you who par-

40 The Planetarian colleagues which will facilitate dissemina­ Kindergarten tion of accurate information to the public. What's Up homemade for six. years Is there anyone else interested in this kind condemned by the fire First Grade of project? Please write or phone Lorna (Apt another and had some QuestiOIlS Day & Night #3, 4401 Chestnut Ridge Road, Amhurst, NY fire coded materials and sources of 14228 USA; Phone:(716) 691-7561) Second Grade tion bulbs. Write if you can Lorna says she will always have a special The Sun, Our Star ideas. (Let me know too n!f>a"'If'-fOr place in her heart for planetariums because Third Grade reference.) of her four years full time at Strasenburgh. Who's Who in Space Howard I. Miller (119 Delaware She hopes to continue with some part time Albany, NY 12202 USA) is an engineer teaching there in the future. Good Luck Fourth Grade curious about tlrf'-C()ae~a Lorna and thank you again for all your con­ The Sun, The Moon, The Planets materials used in tributions to your fellow planetarians. Fifth Grade you have information to share Latitude, Seasons, The Calendar Story him know as soon as oossil)le. Public Scott (511 Sixth Grade side, PA 19038 USA) Bright Stars & Constellations, Time & Trease Le Mond (West You are all keeping me on my toes with Longitude, Milky Way, Mythology­ requests for information, wonderful sugges­ Heroes, Monsters & Heroines tions to consider for IPS conferences, and new materials for the files. I love it-contin­ Seventh Grade ue the good work! English: My plea for Foreign Language Lessons Mythology I brought a letter and materials from Richard Mythology II - Zodiac and runs a Astronauts group Monda (Planetarium Director, Schenectady Mythology HI - Non-Classical ST ARLAB from an Educational Coom!rative. Museum & Planetarium, Nott Terrace Social Studies: Fowler (Grove Street E14ementaI'Y Heights, Schenectady, NY 12308 USA). Longitude & Latitude 1315 Grove Richard writes," After reading about your Navigation need for foreign language scripts i.n the Science: December Planetarian, I remembered we had The Sun and The Zodiac these around the office for over 10 years. Spring Sky -From March to McKenna (Woodbine El~~m~~ntary Hope you can find a use for them." These for­ Eighth Grade School, Box 528, Woodbine, GA 31569 eign language planetarium shows were pre­ Mathematics: Renee M Dees pared under a grant from the Institute of Calendar Elemf;~nt,ary School, PO Box 428, Museum Services by the Wagner College Geometry of the Earth and the Heavens GA 30453 USA) Planetarium (Staten Island, NY 10301 USA) A Heavenly Problem -How to determine Teressa Kimbrell! Geneva V. lVJ.I\,..;;."uun; Some of the copies received are very faint the orbital period of a Planet from (Rt. 1 Box 1200, c/o Altamaha but perhaps dear enough if you read the lan­ observation of its movement in the GA 31513 USA) guage. Lessons are in the following sky. De Loach (525 languages: Arabic (19 pgs), Chinese (19 pgs), Time the Stars Glennville .Ele~m~~ntary French (22 pgs), German (23 pgs), Hebrew (19 Science: GA 30427 USA) pgs), Italian (19 pgs), (18 pgs), The North Star and Constellations From James Alonzo Smith (Klem;inj~toln Norwegian and Danish (16 pgs), Spanish (17 the North Pole to the STARLAB PO Box pgs), and Russian (18 pgs). Ironically the Star Trails Around the World maunga, GA 30707 USA) English script is missing! If anyone has this The Daily Path of the Sun (Seasons) D. Chambless (Walker "" ..... u .....,...... and/or dear copies of the others that Ringing The Stars (More Observations of we could examine please let me know. I'll the Sun) make further inquiries about this grant by Time and Longitude contacting Wagner College and other The Moon sources mentioned I suspect some parts of :StE~phanlle Teston, Media :::'OleClanSt the show are outdated but may still be inter­ Ninth Grade Bright Stars & Constellations Street .;)'-AiV'-'.I., esting to read and possibly update. Jim Wenham (Dir. of Science Services, Celestial Observation "" ...... ·IIJ. GA 31545 USA) Rita Barrow (Todd Grant Elelmeltltal':y­ North Syracuse School District, 5355 West Analysis of Sun's Path Motion of the Moon Box 456, Darien, GA 31305 USA) Taft Road, North Syracuse, NY 13212-2796 USA) sent some interesting folders (Kinder­ garten through Grade 9) that he found in his cupboards. They were created by Stan Sim­ mons (Planetarium Director, S. Packard Battaline called to see if anyone had School, North Idaho Avenue, North Massa­ a used Starlab for sale. Does anyone have a new "clear" I"u'Il ..... ,rio.. pequa, NY 11758 USA) and still could be Starlab or any other mobile planetarium to with non-permanent appropriate for your location. Lesson titles sell? Let me know and I'll pass this informa- you can make your own PfCJlections. are: tion to all inquirers. can also use it as an overhead Of()jector Ray Worthy (15 01.lleenslJU1:V Avenue, trarlSpalIendes to

Vol. 1993 The Planetarian flashlight pointer that they believe is many tions of the atn[1osphl~ric times more durable. It is similar to a "mag­ pf()fe5;sional communities. light" flashlight This unit illuminates by an While serving as a judge at our Greater Syracuse Science Fair I met Rose - present workshol:JS LED instead of a bulb. They say that batteries Marie Camarda who told me about this spe­ -serve on will last ten times longer than before. If all cial project It may be of interest to some of claims prove to be true the $75.00 price tag you. resource materials may be worth it Project Atmosphere is the American - are available Three new lessons are now available from consultations on curriculum de~/el()prnerlt Meteorological Society's education program Learning Tech. "Name That Star (or Constel­ which promotes studies in the atmospheric You can write for more inf'orlmaUOin lation)"," The Changing Earth," and "Where sciences at elementary and secondary list of resource agents at on Earth Am I?" were written for Starlab by address: American ME~teIDrCllOJ~ICaj schools. It is designed to encourage teachers the late Dr. Gerald Mallon. These new items to use the science whose data and products 1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 300, come with worksheets and cost $7.00 each. are most frequently reported to the public in DC 20006-1509. A new inflation fan for Starlab is now classroom learning activities. Its main goal is available. The new SL-40 is advertised as to help teachers utilize atmospheriC topics to being more powerful, quieter and smaller generate student interest and understandings than the older version. Snaps are attached to in science, technology, and mathematics. the grill-work surrounding the fan making etarium(s) and how The American Meteorological set up very similar to the normal procedure. enclosed a Questiorma,ire (AMS) has established a national network of The fan is also available in 220V for Euro­ of ... ,,'.P ....· ... Atmospheric Resource Agents. When pean users. When ordering the new SL-40 be developed, it will have representation in sure to request a case that will fit it every state of the nation. Starlab manufacturers recommend using a attenders at conferences. It is great Resource agents: solution of one part Clorox Bleach to ten able to support to so - act as regional points of con tact for parts warm water to remove mildew and/or even some 4(old" plametarianls. teachers who are seeking information on mop the entry tunnel. Lysol Disinfectant can summer! atmospheric science topics. be used to destroy bacteria when needed - act as liaison among teachers, ...... "',.,.... .

and teachers organizations, and v .. " ....u ......

(PL~uu~tet:hnica, continued from page 38) all inputs and disconnected at all outputs. Still manufacturer(s), or check your others say that components can be hooked bookstore, or electronics up with the cable-shields disconnected at both detailed book "''''''C7''~:;'''''''' nent(s) get the shield-disconnected plugs. For ends (remember that in balanced the balanced audio systems. any two interconnected components, choose shield doesn't actually carry any of the audio Also note that you should not dis:co:nnect one of the units to receive all of the shield­ signal). To be safe and least it is the shield of hard-wired ...... ;.,...... £'0 ...... "\;"'" disconnected ends of the cables. It would be a usually best to use a similar good idea to mark the cable ends as to which defeat convention as described for unbal­ is shield-connected and shield-disconnected anced systems. While one-end shield discon­ (which should minimize future headaches if nects may prove to be totally urmecessary in re-lpatchling cables). Additionally, it is a good many of these situations, balanced systems practice in systems having more than two with large numbers of multi-channel components, to chose the unit most at the connections c an be prone to center of traffic" (a mixer, patch problems as well. or amplifier) as the origination point of the The main caveat here is the chassis system shields (see 7). many balanced components, are not Until now, we have concentrated on pro- sadly common with the shield connections tecting unbalanced components from on the and output In still others, RFI. When it comes balanced systems, the and opinions vary widely as to what connection §!f(lUIlCI--Wnl<:n is tied to the power approach should be adopted Since balanced of the unit's AC. power cord-can either be systems are more RFI-resistant than their connected or disconnected via a switch on unbalanced audio users the unit. (You did realize that an audio simply ignore taking and ground is different from a power allow ground beh didn't you?) This makes the whole issue a bit On the other hand, some equipment manu­ more complex than can be discussed here facturers specify that their balanced compo­ with brevity, so consult the com t)O!lerl ts' nents be hooked-up with shields connected at operator's manuals for suggestions, call the

42 "PUTTING THE UNIVERSE AT YOUR FI1~GEB~T1PS The Universal Theater Control System gives you control your entire theater through one computer IIrft."'lIIlIl""~"O of your special effects, projectors and video spring to life with just a few keystrokes. Now you have the power to create beautiful presentations easily, quickly and better than ever JUlI'lL.-JIIl'OUll'JIL Universal Theater Control System! P WERFUL USER FRIENDLY o Astound and educate your o Gain complete control of o AU you need is one host audience with multiple your theater with easy to computer to control your simultaneous effects! use commands! entire theater! o Breathtaking animation o Program, edit, and playback 0 Add as many prCl.je(~to.rs sequences are easy to do shows with user friendly and effects as you like! at 100 commands per software! Video control is a snap secondl o o Edit shows quickly and with the addition of a o Grab your audiences atten.. easily with simple Cut, simple interface tion with looping of many Copy, and Paste functions! card! independent events! o All of your projection 0 o Projector names are as· devices are controlled from signed by the user for fast one location! software! and easy programming!

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__--'IAqUILA GEMINI L Time Code Projection Control Controller POLLUX Special Effect Audio Source Interface EAST COAST CONTROL SYSTEMS. 407 631 ... 9799 4955 Brookhaven Street • Cocoa • Florida • 32927 With each passing year light encroach­ The arramgemeJnt ment at Bays Mountain Park increases, and Cub members conduct a If'nr\nt-Ihlv meetlnl,gp ening the with it we've had to make gradual changes field and other activities in exc:halage in the way our observing programs operate. for financial from In the remarks that follow, I will try to recap A first project was to an nh<::

A group of students prepares to observe sunspots before entering the domed observatory.

44 The Planetarian Vol. on a regular basis, your ability to conduct Watch" programs. In the beginning we tried any outreach into the community is being to announce the events for the best of greatly hampered. Each year a Spring the month avoiding the glare of near full "Astronomy Day" and a Fall "StarFest" have . However, we found that the public become major focal points for the group's couldn't keep such a floating schedule in urn resolution camera of our own activities. their minds. We even tried gimmicks like are fortunate to have a volunteer In 1988 good fortune brought us into a our uanti-werewoU" calendar. That is, we some time CO!lstJrUCUnJ!. cooperative arrangement with a local col­ astronomers would always set up telescopes Steward n}.''''''Y''''''''+I"1I'I'''<1 lege. The school's physics department had on the Friday nights nearest to new moon. donated a large refractor and they were look­ Our current schedule is the second and ing for assistance in setting up and using the fourth Saturday of the month. Not very cre­ This unit will become an aut:o~l.lidc~r telescope. In short, Bays Mountain Plane­ ative, but people are remembering the sched­ when our homebuilt camera is COlmpl!etea. tarium agreed to construct an observatory ule. It also doesn't hurt that we conduct an Most of our has been building within our park if the college observing program regardless of weather. tary exposures, but one goal is would maintain the 20 centimeter refractor. The planetarium theater serves in a pinch on database of short exposure The domed observatory was constructed cloudy nights. People don't have to wonder known deep with labor provided by our volunteers and or call us to decide whether or not to make in the nhc~nT:::It(.,.rv much of the funds or materials being donat­ the trip to the mountain. One final com­ will be ed by community businesses. Our only ment on promoting public observing, is to major expense was the five-meter diameter co-sponsor such events with local media. For scope's IPvl~ni,prlP Ash Dome for the structure. Our choice of several years we tied our IIStarWatch" to the to produce any "live" imaging. product was made after consulting a number broadcast of a local television weatherper­ For the few bright objects that be of facilities with small observatory domes. son. He was provided with weekly sky infor­ imaged in real time, we use a small surveil­ We encountered some horror stories about mation to include with his forecasts in lance video camera. This GBe-SOO camera some designs that were not weather tight. exchange for announcements on each provides excellent light with a From our good experiences, I can highly rec­ observing date. This was a very successful good 500 lines of horizontal resolution. The ommend Ash Dome as a superior product way of keeping our program in the public camera is smaller and than of Since Halley's Comet, the planetarium has eye. been promoting a series of annual "Star- Our most recent projects have centered

Dressed in costume, several volunteeIS portray andent astronomers as part of Astronomy Day activities.

Vol. 22, No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian 45 pe r sis ten c e of Yision

LASER FANTASY INTERNATIONAL 1721 132ND AVE NE BELLEVUE, WA 8B005-2224 USA [206] B81-5356 fax [206] 883-7168 • cussed was the establishment of a speakers which met to tentative I network of research astronomers. This Conference pre- and post-ICOor1ted ums when out-of-town astronomers would be in their area on other business so talks or series of talks at several regional planetari­ ums might be set up. Such a network would also serve to provide feedback on the most near popular and accomplished speakers. We also to meet with ...... ,...... ,..le.~.~~ York discussed the possibility of the IPS acting as a the Phase I Committee based there. conduit for the duplication and distribution I met with Dr. Nakano, who is IJAJL~""&.VJl of slide sets and videotapes created within Osaka Science Museum (and our In my first "missive to the masses," I want­ the astronomical research community for '96), as well as members of his staff, ed to address a few points made by the mem­ use in planetarium shows, lectures and government and re]:)re:senlta:Uv,es bership at Council and General Business exhibits. Minolta We toured the Science Mll1S€~UIlIl, Meetings and the last session of the IPS I will be placing a request for cooperation conference site and area hotels Conference held in Utah last year and also on these ideas in an upcoming AAS New­ Hon, discussed and 1O~nSl:1C:S bring you all up-to-date on some of the sletter. In the meantime, I would appreciate drew up a draft schedule for the cOlnferenlce. things I've been working on since becoming from IPS colleagues lists of which includes paper sessions, w()rksh()os President in]anuary. larlyeffective with whom you have and discussions, eql111plmE~nt ae:m('m~ And, so, in somewhat random order '" had experience. I would also like to hear strations, tours of at least two usall:rl~arf'a -After hearing comments from some from colleagues from beyond North Amer­ plane1tariUIrls, an Osaka members that copies of the Astronomical ica regarding your use of outside so tural Society of the Pacific "Universe in a Class­ that such a network can be created world- room" materials were not being received (or wide. For can you use ~A'LI'\'.'''''' were being received IPS sp4ea}(in,1l. lecturers because much of your members, I spoke directly with then-ASP audience would understand or Executive Director, Andy Fraknoi, and the because you could provide translators? Do one-and-a-half person at ASP responsible for data entry. In you know of local astronomers who Conference tour of the ancient turn, I put them in touch with Keith John­ English, are good speakers, and occasionally and Nara, which are sites of be,mtllful son, who supplied them with our latest make trips overseas? Could networks of, for membership list and who will continue to shrines and ~'-"."IJ.'''''>. or Jalpalles:e-s:peakin2 I also traveled to supply updates. With this, I the astronomers be established Iem has been solved Any IPS members not -Mike Hutton (our host for IPS '94) and I receiving "Universe" should let Keith or me had two (one in Cocoa know, and we will follow up. the other in New York) to review and -In the final IPS session, Jane work on details for the next IPS Co:nfererlce. commented on the serious state of affairs includlin.g schedules and I also had many small in the the to visit and tour both of the United States and elsewhere, where directors hotels (on the beach and within and staff are with rocket at the r.ICJlUH:::u.V and no new star projec- that will house the and serve as tors. I cannot at this go into focal for most paper sessions. And I got detail, but I want to report to the member- to tour an "work in n ..,,,,,,,,,',,,,,,,,, that I am working toward the creation Iy Mike's wonderful new facilities. of a network aimed at putting planetariums include a 7D-foot that wi th such needs in touch wi th sources of ture a Minolta Infinium and lIJA.I!;.A.>IlCU, good quality, used instrumentation It is my state-of-the-art video, an Iwerks movie hope that such a system will be an impor­ theater, thousands of square feet of exhibit tant source of assistance to many. I will space, a 24" telescope with CCD camera'), and country you posted more. All this and the 25th of -As a follow-up to the desire on the the Moon Landing at the KSO It should be a of many members I have with to cre­ great conference. Look for more details from ate a stronger link between planetariums Mike in recent and upcoming issues of The and the astronomical research I Planetarian met with American Astronomical -At last Education Dr. at the AAS in Phoenix to I had sent to her some ways the IPS and ue to

available to people 1I:.. rl+;&...... <1- h:I~'V:rl'" .... their homes?

If we use it in a way appropriate for our times, the planetarium's survival is assured because people want to leave their homes. Richard They do so when there is something excit­ Consulting Services ing, enriching, or entertaining enough to draw them out the presenter and ",no,,,, .. ·,.. '4'-'''';';' U\.)1H;! 108 Thompson Bldg. Nashville, Tennessee 37211 Our future could indeed be in Jeopardy if we were CompuServe to hang on to the outdated notion a tarium 113 a "place where you go to rp/-"""''''' It is amazing every day to see how tech­ mat/on," or that astronomy In nology has affected our lives. We can turn on a television and discover vast amounts of pre13ented In thi13 unique ""'1'11111"'l"1l>'1i>'1't&>I>'I"I' information about any topic you can imag­ enough." ine. With the cost of personal computers becoming lower and lower each year, many Not so much the hardware, but "_1 __ -.-~. individuals have a personal computer in the urns" as an uexperience" can continue to On the other hand, there are home. The number of software packages have plenty of drawing power, if we have would rather attend a plane1:ari"urn available, from personal finance to exploring the insight to employ it in a manner that is the universe, is staggering. Now that CD-I as once exciting, ermching, and en1:ertaining, (Compact Disc Interactive) technology is We now have awesome technological props taking off, a person can have a mind-bog­ at our disposal, tools of sensory stimulation gling amount of information, previously undreamed of when I first entered this chal­ available only to research libraries, by press­ lenging and rewarding profession ing a few keys and experiencing the images years ago. Of()ml0ts! In addition, and sound on their television sets. many with computer "' .... ,.,~,.,<.~, Still, I fear some of us have not yet come to Here is a good example: I have a shareware embrace both these marvelous audio-visual would never use a program for IBM compatible computers tools, and the effective new ways of Planetarium called Skyglobe that gives me the ability to them that are possible, even within the limi­ ized for ... """11',,,,,, view the sky from any location and for tations of modest facilities. any time or date that I choose. The program OUf future could indeed be in 'o ...... ,.riu allows me to set the magnitude of stars visi­ we were to hang on to the outdated notion ble for viewing conditions or for total­ that a is a where you go ly dark skies and any conditions in between. to receive or that astronomy It can plot constellation outlines, show the in and of when this DO:Sl nons of the planets, and a cursor and a mouse, it even tells me the name of a star. If you would have told me a few years ago that a pelrsonaJ cOInpl1ter could do all of this, I would have said that exOeJ:ieIlce that you were ...... ,.... U&u,.".,. in no way can be As we the century, we will peer­ have the ability to learn more and more at a computer about the universe without our screen or video mon- homes. Some have told me that itor. see a road for the future of plane1:ari- and ums. Institutions will ask should ogralnnrUI1Ul of sufficient fund the continued operation Tjlanetari- diversity to appeal to a of interests urn if a vast amount of inform;;rtion about and tastes, and with effective m(lU'k~~tlI11,g, we astronomy is as close as the teItvision set or should do just fine well into the 21st f'~n!hl"'" the personal computer. David I asked a number of planetarians to Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium reslOOflCi to the Forum Grand Rapids, M1~chiJ~an

48 can be used to alter the and bring out better views. This in tum could lead to inno­ Your assessment of the is vative planetarium exhibits and courses for interE~stin.2. and thorough. I have no idea students to try their own hand at image pro­ how the planetarium will survive, altitlOlJ,gh cessing. At minimum, a vignette of slides can I we'll debate it constantly at be shown to demonstrate how cm technol- tarium conferences. , ogy allows new discoveries from old or low contrast IJH_U.u~;;.:>. There is another reason PC's can't the In the basic sense, we show visitors our best and simulation of the that they can see without I think there's one way we can make it, or computers; stars, constellations, the however. Planetariums should be a not of a or the dramatic burst of a

ence, in my ODinilon. fondest memories. know it, and are Noreen Grice about it. Here's what I observe: the insur­ Charles Planetarium gence interactive" plane1:artum Boston, Massachusetts and drama under the stars; the 00l:nll,artty of classes about our Universe. How can the plal11etariwn continue to sur- I'm out on a limb now, but I think vive more and more astronomy informa­ the medium to small dome has a tion becomes available to without chance of surviving, not because it's their homes? to run (although that will be a would anyone read a fiction novel? because it's better able to offer the "PE!I'SOnal The story will be about fictitious characters touch" that's in cOlmplut~E!r and fictitious events. Why would anyone see disc/compact disc information. I have a a film? The action on the screen is not real. small planetariwn, so you may consider this Novels, films and planetariums do more view prejudiced. software. than make information available. do This uperson to person" contact will also things with information, and in the process ensure that teachers and actors in a ulive they entertain us as they teach us about our­ play" will still be around., even infor~ selves and the universe we live in. mation will be so available as to Information is sterile and The warrant our consideration that te(lctaers, actors, and .... ,...... "...... " ans may not come to dinosaurs. But I don't come to ""VI,}PI""I""!'lrp think so. Unless

man nature ... u/.. i",,,.. ,

more than a computer that pro- desired and embraced, I think the interac~ names, outlines, and The tion with other humans will still is an environment of the senses need. Planetariums are a nice and one that us to wonder and ask to UU}.Iy.;;.u. the more important It has done so Jane G. ~itinJgS thrlou~;h an of recorded and will con- tinue to do so in the future. I believe do not come to plalIletari- ums for information, as do not read fiction novels and view films for informa- I do not believe that the exlDlosion in~ ~nIbe~n ~ formation ais,pensin~ tec:hnolc)gy such night sky. As as as CD-ROM or the of SOP'hisiticated long as they crave exI>erilenlces, video productions will um will survive. ad,rers>elvaffect plane­ taria. The strength of plaJrletima lies in their Spitz, Inc. ability to create envi­ Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania ronmental experi­ ences which immerse visitors in the universe institutions must be fil'tmc:ialIly CC):mJmltted

Vol. No.2, June 1993 The Planetarian to investing in new technologies that will Will so much information cause understand­ ence for our visitors COtIPH;~ allow them to compete successfully with the ing or confusion? If someone has a bucldirlg of a and kn()Wll~dgleable increasingly sophisticated information interest in astronomy, but no background, doubt that the cornpllter experience deUvery systems and uedutainment" oppor­ will all that information be useful or ate the same sense of wonder that aucuelllces tunities that are available elsewhere. intimidating? Without planetaria, where feel under a dome full Simply stated, the future survival of plane­ will they turn when they come across some­ taria does not depend on fleeting social/po­ thing they don't understand? liticallenvironmentalleconomic trends or For that matter, there will almost surely be the explosion of new technologies and the those who shudder at the thought of proliferation of accessible information they computers, or who cannot afford the hard­ make possible. Rather, the continued sur­ ware and software. They will also need some­ vival of planetaria rests with our ability as one to help them satisfy their professional planetarians to pioneer new about the Universe. techniques and programming, to successful­ A willingness to adapt and change in order ly lobby for our cause, and to proactive roles to perform a planetarium's mission will be a in and shaping our future. critical factor in a survival. There Sharon K. Parker will be a number of institutions Buehler Planetarium that will the need for corltirllWl'lg Davie, Florida their plalnetax'iulrn's op1eranons, but that's nothing new. I wonder how many of those institutions will be the same ones who con-

Most planetart,ans have r--'----J had sUn- understaff their or hire Har experiences with novice ... ,u''i •. uuu ...... pelrso:nn1el to run them; who confronted with their first or anow the facility to become unattractive, telc~()PES: the instructions are right there for unpleasant, or dangerous because of disre- them, but they just don't have the back­ who expect ever ...... "' ... ,"\"<1 .... "" """,1'111'''_ ground to understand them. Lucky for tions with out of date eQllipment; there is a nearby with a staff or who fail to ensure that their platnetariia have eQl11ip~m4~nt at I doubt the computer experience will create same sense of that feel under a dome full of planetarium stars. I suspect that etaria will be all member who can explain what the instruc­ as long as we are able to with the tions mean. times. As planetarians have done for decades, I wonder if the coming home information we will need to adapt to new tecnn01C~l€~S. I'll continue my reS]pOIlSit)Ui­ not have the same effect providing a stimulating intellectual editor.

(Dome, continued from page 45) tors. These inexpensive units are of displaying 700 lines of horizontal Jres()lution, our S

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"Bear Tales and Other Grizzly Stories ': "Daughter ofthe Stars n. More exciting shows in production now. Production Facilities Original artwork by staff artist Joe using our in house recording studio Audio VisualEquipment Representing Major AIV Manufacturers: Wiko Lamps, Panasonic, JVC, Tascam/Teac, Sound & Lighting Design Experienced, professional designers and on to ensure highest quality in your acoustic and luminous Laser Systems Multi-color portable laser systems that produce high quality images graphics animation are available at affordable lease or leasel purchase rates 1-800-JHE-S The front of one easy to use system small mixer and like use contains open 1/4" female in two rows, number of sources ... such as in with 16 (or 20) jacks per row. Each tion studio. jack is called a so this is called a 32 (or 40) point

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to buzzzzzzlz to show tape ... to the howl- screech feedback .. . Oh, the agony ...

No, this is not Halloween program, rather a of show in some to get the proper audio source to appear in those Ies time to coalesce loudsr;leru:::ers can be a a look at #2. But it doesn't have to be this way. Lets suppose the outputs of the CD I have had many conversations with frus- appear at 1 and 2 in the top row and trated in which we address the that you want the CD appear on channels 1 &: 2 avoided Hon of a Thus, I devote this installment to all understand a patch bay more fully. A Basic Patch

What is a patch bay? co OUT CASSOUT MICI MIC 2 DISK A patch bay is a system of jacks mounted L R L R L R in a 19" rack mount panel, usually in two or o 0 o 0 o 0 0 0 more rows. The jacks can be linked together o 0 o 0 o 0 0 0 o 0 o 0 by patch cords, allOWing quick connection 2 3 4 5 6 '1 8 9 11 12 of all the audio (and/or video) inputs and .....,------MlXERINPUTS------outputs in your audio system or production studio.

Q Why do you use a patch bay? connect jacks 1 and 2 in the bottom row to All of the inputs and outputs of your sys­ inputs 1 &: 2 on your mixer, a 110rmaHed Easier ... faster ... more reliable ... tem will appear on one panel with easy patch will pass the signal through for you. access. You can plug any sound or video then why bother with a patch bay! Well, you device into your audio system without might want to plug something other than reaching behind or crawling under your the CD player (like maybe the video hardware package. You won't have to fight machine or reel-to-recl) into channels 1 &: 2 with all those loose wires; just make one sim­ on the mixer and the patch bay makes this ple connection instead very, very easy. And when you "patch" the new device into the selected jacks on the year. Q; What are the different desJgm of patch bottom row, the Mnormal" is interrupted and bays? the new device replaces the old one. The Patch bays come in many shapes and size. patch bay is especially helpful if you have a

52 cist Weinberg says that lithe money spent on Good luck and our best wishes! A ; b us the SSC is an indispensable down payment on the future of human culture." Way to go, Steven! (l'm going to mail a copy of the book to Gazett President Clinton.) New-age musician ]onn Se:rrie takes "space Mills is now at the new plalnetarlwn music" literally. "He regularly performs in Valley CornmlLmilty planetariums worldwide for astronomy address is: 800 West 1200 shows" quotes the World-Herald Bureau. We know that-Jonn has been active with IPS Highland Park and several of the affiliates for years! Emerson Carlson (Lueninghoener Planetarium) in­ formed me that ]onn performed "Romantic Concert Under that Stars" at Place (Dunn, that is) at the Ralph Mueller Planetarium last winter. But, did you know that Serde's synthesized music has been heard on National Public Radio's "Music From the Hearts of Space" (Mark Petersen's at "Fourth Universe" has also been featured) and on Discovery Channel's Wings aviation with our own ",+",~YY·~~l1~. The stars turn-a spherical planetarium series? Also, don't forget his project at the The providing the world's first 360-degree view Hayden Planetarium that involves the chil­ of the stars is planned to be built on the dren's interactive project starring the robots meridian at Greenwich! The floor will turn C-3PO and R2D2. Keep up the good work, transparent as shows begin in the 30 meter And Mark! to view this one! diameter sphere, revealing the stars of the Bowen Music Productions has announced Two supernovae in my lifetime! southern hemisphere below and the north­ Phil Groce's "MoonWitch"-a wonderful luck! SNl993J is else! ern hemisphere above, and giving visitors production on moon phases, and Laura in the Northern heInisphlere the feeling that they are floating in space! (McDonnell Star Theater) "Sandy, Isn't the curve ???? The outer all-glass skin will at night become Pepper, and the Eclipse" for the '94 Eclipse, Be sure to look out for either an internally illuminated model of the earth, and Sharon Parker's (SpaceQuest Planetar­ July issue of & the showing the path of satellites. The planetari­ ium) "Life Style of the Stars" plus and "Planetariums"-should be ve1yi]1.te~res;tirltg. um will be designed by architect Ian Richie. Diana Bowen's "Living Chemistry" Bill Bailey, chairman of the SOciety of the The Bromam are expecting, quotes Lars! In time for Christmas! Robin Meridian Planetarium, said: "We have out­ to Bill Gutsch IU~,yy,:a,,~ lined planning permission from Greenwich planetarium and Starlab educator at the Council and are negotiating a lease with Sudekum Planetarium gave birth last to baby boy Max Emil! I have it from a Morden College, the site owners. We are A...... [IJ .... ,.... us 1n-thf'-!OOnl source (Kris McCall) that one of the first seeking to raise £15 million in donations, to the Sudekum Planetarium pr

26003 AHa Cultural Center Planetarium in v ....., .. u'v LlO) for (304) 243-4034 Monterrey, Mexico. The hosts for the sum­ groups their astronomy merit mer meeting will be Jose Emmo Amores and children's classes in astronomy (304) 243- 4110 (new Director and Miguel Angel Delgado, Generai be on weekends this number) Manager. Additional information about the In March, the Illinois State meeting may be obtained by contacting hosted an in-service NASA Teachers CompuServe 72467,2051 Sergio Gonzalez de la Mora, General shop for teachers of K-6 and Secretary of OIP. week adult education class in astronomy "Thank you" to all of you who submitted conjtmc:ticm with the Twin articles for this edition of Regional Roundup. BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF ...... ~ Astronomers. Remember, your contributions are valued by TARIUMS (GAP) The Staerkel Planetarium in Champai.sm. your fellow colleagues because they want to Illinois welcomed veteran Russian The Armagh Planetarium in Northern know what is going on in your facUity and naut Grechko on March Ireland is celebrating its 25th afi1nivp1'~.a1'V in your region. school groups and this year in style. Ian Griffin's new starshow Just a note to clear up a couple of items. Dr. James Kaler pre~seIllted "Majestic Lights" concerns a planetarium Some articles in this edition of Regional ciallecture on recent astronomical tii..:rn"T&'1'. to Alaska to film the aurora Roundup are from submissions that came in ies on 1st Work has already begun on a 10-hectare after the deadline for the last issue, and as a The P-H-M Planetarium and astronomy theme park called IIAstropark." It result, may already be "old news" to some of um in Mishawaka, Indiana, is aCCluiI"iru:! will contain a walk through the universe, an you. However, I do everything that I can to more Smithsonian space exhibits: astronomical stone calendar and an astro­ get your valuable information into the arti­ space suit, nomical maze. It opens to the public in the cle, even if it is late. Also please note my new fuel fax number which is a direct line to my spring of 1994. In September, work on a major extension which will double the office. Hons the number of space ",v+iif",,,,,4-.. planetarium's exhibit space. The exhibit The deadline for the next issue of Regional their collection to 41, eleven of space, called l4f.artharium," will be an interac­ Roundup is Monday July 12, 1993. Please been to the moon and back. tive science center devoted to the Earth's mark your calendars accordingly. Shuttle astronaut interior, surface, atmosphere and environ­ present at the Planetarium ASSOCIATION OF FRENCH-SPEAK'" ment. Albert Einstein delivers the 25th .I.ilcllanal)olis, Indiana for the ...... , ..... ,;"" ... '" anniversary lecture on May 7th followed ING PLANETARIUMS "Reach for the Stars" beg;inrliIl2 a massive fireworks display. plane1tarium is also in the process No report Agnes Acker, representative. In January, the London Planetarium a full-size audience interactive robot launched their "'Planet Earth" show. Its will rise out of the at the onset of ASSOCIATION OF MEXICAN theme is planetary atmospheres, and it com­ show. The ~u,:"'__ <::"'.H"""" ET ARIUMS (AMPAC) pares our own planet with Venus and Mars from the in particular. Some ecological issues connect­ The 21st General Meeting of AMP AC took American Chemical ed with Earth's atmosphere are also covered place January 18-21, 1993 at the new school show entitled Visitors who expect to see the same show Planetario de Ciudad Victoria, in the border This program is also made available in they saw 35 years ago when the planetarium State of Tamaulipas. The new facility houses 'idE~ot;am:: format (for the cost first opened are disappointed, but most seem an elevator-mounted Goto-il instrument in a for teachers who to think it is timely and thought-provoking. 14 meter dome, making it one of Mexico's Greg Barnes. The London Planetarium recently hosted finest planetariums. "Settlers of the Sky," pro­ The Abrams Planetarium in East ... "" .... u,lJIio, the launch of a TV program liThe Last Soviet duced by AMPAC President, Fernando Mllch~~an Dn~milen~d its new Citizen in Space," produced with the help of Oviedo, received favorable reviews by those tor in March. Piet Smolders from Amsterdam. It covered in attendance. Director, Eduardo Gutierrez The 1\11211'""",,-1-1,,0 Astronomical is the collapse of the icon of the Soviet space and his staff were commended for their dedi­ laser program, during the days when cosmonaut cated enthusiasm and hard work in making disk ca}:)abiUities of the Shiras Planetarium to

54 produce astronomy shows for their own dub meetings. The Cleveland Regional Association of The 3rd National Day of Planetariums was Planetariums (CRAP) held meetings in held on March 21st and was promoted at the January and February. The January meeting national level by the Italian Planetaria's featured a slide show based on vintage sci­ Friends Association. The initiative represents ence fiction cards hosted by Bob Sledz of a good annual occasion-the date is on the Garfield Heights, and Rod Thompson of the Sunday before or after spring equinox­ Mentor High School Planetarium demon­ which promotes the existing planetariums strated his new video system at the February and the new projects under way. Each year meeting. the "Day" also gains support of some foreign John Surendonk, Planetarium Director of planetariums. This year the Pamplona Plane­ the Racine Unified School's Planetarium, was tarium (Spain) and the Armagh Planetarium recently awarded the State of Wisconsin (Northern Ireland) participated in the event Teacher of the Year award in the Special A rather unique program was proposed as Services category. Earlier, John received the part of the "Day." A program entitled Kohl Award for teaching excellence in the "Children Under the Stars" was proposed by state of Wisconsin. Towne, Fels Planetarium, the Milan Planetarium which is a show for The Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio P A took over the children only; in fact, adults without chil­ state meetings were all held on Saturday President at the conclusion dren were not admitted 24th. The Wisconsin and Minnesota business Steven Mitch, BenCclU]D Several efforts were made to '-'41".... U44 __ state meetings were held April 23-24th. Natural Science Theater, activities outside the dome. In Modena, an The Great Lakes Planetarium Association now Past-President and Fred exhibition on astronomical books was orga­ welcomed 35 new members this past fall and Owens Science Center, .L.a.UAI'UA.IAp nized The Ravenna Planetarium exhibited winter. President-Elect Steven L.). Russo, Sotltbem astronomical paintings by local artists and a photographiC exhibit on the local sundials. In Rome, the only European without a planetarium, the local astronomy The 1993 Inter-Council (IPS) meeting will dub organized a trip to the Museum of the be held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on History of Science and small in Wednesday, October 27, 1993. This meeting Florence. immediately precedes the Triple Conjunc­ A new planetarium (name unknown to tion, a joint meeting of the Southwest Pl~­ the author) opened in the village of Cres­ etarium Association, the Great Plams pano, located in the Grappa Mountains, dur­ Planetarium Association and the Rocky ing the National Day. Nearby is an open air Mountain Planetarium Association. The collection of old astronomical instrument Conjunction will be held October 28- reproductions. 31, 1993. The conference host hotel will be The small planet:ari'UID in SeIlligama, the Inn West, Interstate 40 and the of Ancona also South Meridian Oklahoma shows on the Oklahoma 73108. For additional information Tl..~~ •• ,.,.h the of Ancient c011ce~rnilng the conference, con- tact Host and a Starlab was used for programs KiI'kpatrick Planetarium, Omniplex Science and a exhibition of the UWon- Museum, 2100 N.E. 52, Oklahoma City, derful World of Planetariums" was set up. Oklahoma 73111. (405) 424-5545 (voice) Of (405) 424-5106 (fax). Wayne Wyrick is also seeking assistance from anyone who has successfully negotiat­ ed contracts with school districts to The Middle Atlantic Planetarium students to the planetarium and museum on held its 1993 conference at the H. B. Owens Science Center in co­ a regular basis. If you can help, contact him at the address or phone number listed in the hosted by Fred Stutz and the Davis Plane­ previous paragraph. tarium at the Maryland Science Center locat­ Current GPP A officers are: Bruce Daniel, ed on the famed Inner Haroor in BalltiIl(lQI'e, 2284. President, L. Russel Ke1ce co-hosted by James O'Leary, April 21-24th. Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS; The conference hotel was the Baltimore James Gilbert, Treasurer, Longview Commu­ Hyatt and "Back to Basics" was the theme for nity College, Lee's Summit, MO; and Gillian this year's conference with many papers and No report Lars UHJU...... ret)reientatlve Gableman, Secretary, Barton County Com­ workshops the current trend A munity Jr. College, Great Bend, KS. total ofl38 persons attended the con­ ference. Conference highlights induded a PACIFIC PLANETARIUM ASSOCIA­ Cowboy Astronomer" will be available for TION (PPA) distribution later this year from Loch Ness Productions. The 1993 Solar System Observers' Welcome to another new planetarium! Workshop at Chabot Science Center, The new facility is located in Orem, Utah at tarium, urlando; Oakland, C~ April 3O-May 1st was sponsored the Utah Valley Community College, 800 Planetarium, St Petersbw~1!: by the Association of Lunar and Planetary West 1200 South, Orem, Utah 84058. The of Science and i .... rl, •.,· ...... , Observers (ALPO) and the Chabot director of the facility is Paul Mills and the Other rep1resent:atives Observatory and Science Center. The event phone number is (80l) 222-8000 ext. 8650. Coast Control 'IO:u., ... .o ...,,,, featured observations using Chabot's 5O-cm The new operation contains a Spitz A3P and 20-cm refractors, lectures and demon­ under a 7.3 meter dome with 47 unidirec­ strations on CCD imaging, Comet confirma­ tional seats. tion and observations, conventional photog­ raphy, eclipses, photometry, and video imag­ Planetarium in Ft Pierce, FL, as the att~oct()r. ing. Workshops were led by Don Machholz, SOUTHEAST PlANETARIUM ASSO­ The three school Dr. Don Parker, Jose Olivarez, and John West­ CIATION (SEPA) planetariums Fulton and Northside> fall (all of ALPO) as wen as Dr. Mike Rey­ One of the highlights of this upcoming have installed an East Coast Control nolds, Executive Director of Chabot Obser­ summer will be the 1993 SEP A Conference at automation vatory and Science Center. the Bishop Planetarium in Braden ton, identical shows. The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles Florida, hosted by Planetarium Director, Rollins Planetarium in installed a new exhibit "Planet Odyssey," John Hare. The conference hotel will be the Georgia is looking for a person to fill which is a sophisticated computer-con­ beautiful Riverfront Holiday Inn and confer­ Westlake his trolled laserdisk tour of the solar system that ence rates are a very reasonable $59, single or leave of absence 1st If highlights the best planet photography of double. ested, cali Dr. Clay Dotson, (706) 379-3111 the space age. The exhibit was developed The theme of this year's conference is additional information. under contract by Sky-Skan, and it will be "Technologies," and a wide range of activi­ Dave Hostetter, La1:aVE~tte. marketed by them to other planetariums ties will address this theme. They include his remains out of oPE~ration and science museums later in the year. And a eleven planetarium shows: "More Than cane Andrew). There is some po:ssH>Hi1tv 1/5 scale model of the Hubble Space Tele­ Meets the Eye" (revised edition) and "The the entire museum and planet:arilUIT1. scope, on loan from Lockheed, is on display Cowboy Astronomer" (Loch Ness Produc­ to another and has through the end of the year. tions), "Daughter of the Stars" (THE), "The Sky authorized for a detailed study of that The Riverside Telescope Makers Confer­ Tonight" (HPS), "The Alien Who Stole Christ­ condition and what would be ence will be held May 29-31, 1993. mas" (Brevard Comm. College), "Lifestyles of to renovate it as a museum. Since the the Stars" (Bowen Music Productions), not due until the end of the summer, "Cosmic Whispers" (Memphis Pink Palace), PLANETARIUM ASSOCIATION OF tarium and astronomy pr()grarrlmlng "The Planet Patrol" (Sudekum Planetarium), revol ve around a "Aniara and Spaceship Earth: Chapter H" No report Ian Cameron, representative. school classrooms well into 1994. (Bishop Planetarium) and "The Little Star Blair is the That Could" (St Louis Science Center). the East Tennessee :soeakers include Jack Dunn of the Mueller the Akima Planetaril.lm Planetarium in Lincoln, Nebraska who will Gates Planetarium at the Denver Museum give a talk entitled "Lighting Up the of Natural History in Denver, Colorado, which emotionally details how laser shows reports that the museum's Aztec exhibit was can aide the seeing impaired Don Hall of the a smashing success, and that its popular Strasenburgh Planetarium in Rochester, NY accompanying planetarium program U Aztec will deliver the Keynote Address entitled Skywatchers," written by Dan Neafus and ''Me vs. Technology." Carolyn Collins Petersen and scored by Mark Ten workshops in"ol'llina all Petersen, will continue to run there through planetarium technology will be October, 1993. Dan Neafus reports that the some of the leading technicians in the field program is doing very well. Other conference highlights include 9 The Campbell County School District meals, 1 buffet reception, 2 cocktail recep­ Planetarium in Gillette, Wyoming, pre­ tions, a SEP A group photo, all for the low Merit miered its new program liThe Cowboy conference registration fee of $100. Of Astronomer," in February. The program, course the beaches and other Florida attrac­ written by Loch Ness ProductiOns' tions are well within a few hours driving dis­ Collins Petersen, scored by Mark Petersen tance of Bradenton. For additional informa­ and based on a concept by tion, contact John Hare, SEPA '93, Bishop The Southwest Association of Vl"l1"'o~·",,,_ director Nello Williams, is narrated by well­ Planetarium, 20110th Street, Bradenton, FL iums was ...n.I""uu .. ~" known cowboy-poet and storyteller, Baxter 34205. and is ofplane1tari.urrls Black. The program will compliment the Florida planetarians (FlorPlan) met at the states of Texas, Oklahoma, n.... "' ..u.,,"'JiJ National High School Rodeo Finals hosted John Young Planetarium in Orlando on Mexico and Louisiana. The by the city of Gillette this summer. uThe April 3. Planetariums represented at the Association is to and imnr()ve

56 planetarium field and the communications 'lJUJ'UV"~ continued from page 53) within the field As of April 1993 SWAP had fifty paid members and ten paid institution­ aI members. SWAP's famous awards are: the to Reed (West Chester Univelrsitv) H. Rich Calvird Award is awarded in honor for Second Prize for his entry in the of founding member Rich Calvird of El Paso Griffith Observer Writing Contest! I love to a planetarian for outstanding profession­ George's "'Aurora Mallelis," the NShopping Mall alism and service to the planetarium field Dawn, II don't you! The article goes The Bent Planet Award is awarded to a was turned over to the

SWAP member for suffering a major disaster CUA'Ll "va,~~ Center in Hutchison. in the planetarium field the With that in mind, do plan to attend the USheldon's solar system model is certainly SWAP Annual Conference to be held in than the solar my scale Oklahoma at the Plane­ but since my model also includes tarium on October 28-31, 1993. This confer­ Proxima Centauri, in Melbourne, ence will be a of SWAP, GPPA Australia, my model is still, far, the and RMP A The IPS Council will be World's Scale Model of any kind To the to the conference on beat me, Sheldon would have to include October 27th. For additional information, model of a star on the MooIL" writes See details in the Broman. (Broman Planetarium). "One of * these years I would very much like to Sheldon and as it seems, very inter~ solar system model." 47) .. "".."", ... ,i" to Sheldon Schafer's Museum of Arts & Science) World's Information brochure has been translated Model. JalJanlese and the kind cooper- ation of Goto and Minolta will be distribut­ ed for us to the more than 300 plametar:iunrls Look forward to Pine "".'..... ,... .,,"" School Planetarium in Cibsonia, to announce that Undine vania and Denison Planetarium Concannon of the London Planetarium has Granville, Ohio, for new Zeiss installations. ",....~a."\ ... ""rI the of Publications The Pierre Mendes France in Poitiers, I am confident that Undine SciWorks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will do a great job and make the "I" a and the Indian River ComInunH:y little in IPS. Undine will be Ol1~anllZ­ Planetarium at Ft. Pierce, Florida, and the a committee of assistants around the Fundacion Mediterraneo in Isla Margalrit.a, and on a number of UJ.V'I~'"'" Venezuela as new installations. UH.. IU'LUIU:' considerations for future IPS Publications. Undine and I both wel­ come your I have been up to more, but 111 leave it for the next column. In for now I'd just Orson Welle's Mercury Theatre like to remind all IPS members that the Could Have Used These Fellows strength and value of IPS rests in us. At the When you're a space museum in rural shoulders. final session in Utah in a debate about IPS's Kansas it can be hard to get people to take you value and future, I believe Tom Clarke of seriously. Where 0 Where is my 1992 the McLaughlin Planetarium in After recent events, it may be even harder. said it best when he said that, above all, IPS is a "marketplace of ideas." I think we can all use as many good ones as we can get and the New more active we all are at publishing papers and giving papers or workshops at confer­ The non~profit Astronomical Society of the Pacific has ences, the stronger we all will grow and the interesting materials for the teaching and enjoyment better we will continue to serve our public. log includes video and audio tapes, books, computer softwcue. I look forward to seeing many of you at aids, posters, and charts. There are many new items. the upcoming SEPA and "Triple Conjunc­ To obtain a free copy of the new catalog, send your name and address tion" Conferences, and, over the next few first class stamps to: years, I will try to get to as many meetings as . Catalog Requests travel funds permit. In the meantime, please Astronomical Society of the Padfic give me your feedback and ideas. My direct 390 Ashton Avenue number is (212) 769-5912, and my FAX is San FranCisco, CA 94112 (212) 769-5007. *

Vol. 22, No.2, june 1993 The Planetarian 57 lights out of the car. It was the Drl;gm:est school entrance I think I have ever seen. When I saw it, I was mentally and planning as I drove up, how to get out of this. Luckily, Venus was across the a UJ't, i ~1'\P1l" street from the school, 50 I took the tele­ an ymore. I started pac:kirlg scopes out to set them up near the school lowed me to my UJ'!11!"lt-ilna entrance and 50 people just materialized and sornethinlg. I'm not sure I acc:onlplilshE~d stood in line to look through them before I great deeds for that had even put my gloves on. uI'm not the in my memory yet," I said They just stood there. WHAT IS excited old mother IT ABOUT PEOPLE AND TELESCOPES? all my Venus information and Luckily, Venus is easy to spot, yone in line to as thrilled of with a large field of view made realize that the Us tar" it easy to find and it looked like a cre!)ceIlt Venus set quickly, about 15 minutes into That made me smile. my 11/2 hoW'S. Now what? I decided to move to a udarker" site; that move gave me 20 Whlleroaming through the main office of more Venus minutes because of a treeline .my school, I started with a change. I that people wouldn't ven- school senior and her mother, who were ture from their and the nice u7~iHrHJ' for someone. As we talked, the warm inside activities. trick did not became excited as she realized that she had work. Fifty people were lined up, no matter come to my in the 5th I went. THEY JUST HAD TO LOOK Her mother said: don't you tell Mrs. THROUGH THAT TELESCOPE! The 50 peo­ Hastings what she did for you?" The ple were all standing in line behind the who was still about 5th ger, telescope-looking When I said, days, did not hear this. The mother turned to uSome of you can come over here to this me: «You have her a love of the sky. tel~~()pe; it shows the same , no one She takes kids and the kids budged. The Astr05can doesn't look she for outside all the time to show impressive enough. them the stars." Wow! When Venus gave up for sure, I let Later on, in the early evening of that same people look through the at any- day, I had been invited to my telescope they wanted to, while I away to an elementary PTA meeting and stand from THAT scene and tried to find Orion's outside the school to Mshow some- belt and Sirius in the real sky. A haze for 11/2 hoW'S. Inside the school, 300 and so even this was difficult. pal'ents and students would be '-V"VAlLA .."", I found Mars but realized it wouldn't show something or the much in the so it Here are some comments from the

-"What a pretty crescent moon!" Wfhat's not the moon; it's Venus. You come

-WI can't see lU'HJthinl7 thlrO\ll~h Me: UUt me see ••• Yes you can. you can see LOTS of stars, more than can see WITHOUT the " mean, that's it? I saw -"Are you an astronomer? I am ested in and want to know to in school to become one." Me: "No, I'm a teacher, but ... " MOh, thanks any~

-."")'UI'-VI!:CU old when told that the pinkish looking object overhead is Mars: "The planet, huh; it looks like a star. What's the difference between a planet and a star, "Come on, -"I heard you were looking at Venus out all on here." Me: "Yes, we were, but it isn't in the Soft little voice from sky anymore. It was over there ... "014 must be Uranusl" can't you find it in the telescope?"

58 The Planetarian Florida's Brevard Community College will unveil a new achievement in planetariums ONLY when it hosts the 1994 meeting of the International Planetarium Society. This FROM THE ground-breaking planetarium features a startling and innovative design as well as the first MIND Minolta Infinium in North America. If you can't wait until 1994, call your nearest Mirtolta representative now. After all, at Minolta we know that once you have seen our sky, you too OF will believe. MINOLTA Worldwide: In North America: In Japan: Minolta Camera Co., Ltd. Minolta Corporation Minolta Planetarium Co., Ltd. Planetarium Operations Planetarium Division World Trade Center Bldg. 2-4-1 Esaka CTS Center 101 Williams Drive Hamamatsu-Cho 2-30 Toyotsu-Cho Ramsey, N.J. 07446, USA Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105, Japan Suita-Shi, Osaka 564, Japan Tel: (201) 934-5347 Tel: 03-3435-5511 Tel: 06-386-2050 Fax (201) 818-0498 Fax 03-3435-5520 Fax 06-386-2027 MINOLTA The Difference is Astronomical. Travel through time and space in three object, special effect and graphic art can be dimensions. See the effects of movement on projected. star positions. Get a viewpoint from anywhere Since virtually all systems are compatible, within a universe of 400 . users can share special effects and programs Presenting DIGISTAR~ the world's first fully through the DIGISTAR Users Network. digital planetarium system. That means your DIGISTAR library can be DIGISTAR uses computer graphics technology expanded for just tape and postage costs. to display in real time any image consisting of For more information on the planetarium lines, points and alphanumerics - including system that makes an astronomical difference, complex chemical or molecular models, as contact: Evans & Sutherland, Jeri Panek, shown above. Unlike mechanical systems, DIGISTAR Sales Manager, 600 Komas Dr., Salt virtually every astronomical structure, space Lake City, Utah 84108, Tel: (801) 582-5847 EVANS & SUTHERLAND

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