L ETARIAN tional Planetarium Society
31 September 1996
Articles
c;;u.\.4.~;.lI.l.""V''''''''' ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Francis Biddy
JI...... l..l...... I...l..A.'... l. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Christopher S. Reed
Study ...... e ••••••••••••••••• Roger W. Dignard
Features
3 ••••••••••••••••• 0 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• e •••••••••••••••••••• April S. Whitt Law. Stu Chapman/Gregory Plotycia ...... Sue Reynolds
A.1'U' ...,' ...... Jon Bell leSSa{!e ...... Jim Manning
••••••• 0 ••••••••••• 0 •••••••••••••••••••••• o •••••••••• 0 •• •• • • • •• • •• •• •• Jim Manning
God ...... 0 ••••• Steve Tidey
Memories ...... 0 ••••••• Kenneth Perkins
....'V' ...... 1-' •• • • •• • •• •• •• • • • •• • •• • • •• • ••.• • • •• •• •• • • • •• • •• •• •• • •• •• • •• ••• Lars Bro man
...... "' ...... ~ ""-JIQ...... L1l.'I.- •••••• 0 •• 00 ••• 0 •••••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 •••••••••• 0 •••• Christine Shupla
...... JL'I.- ...... J...... ""'..... · Stop Wasting Kodalith ...... Richard McColman
'-J...., ...... , ...... '-J'.., ... A. ...'...... World Wide Web ...... Ken Wilson
'-"'UP ...... •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Jane Hastings " l1,c ZKPJ ;'\' jalltastic ... It IJrojec/x Ih e 11/ 0 0 1/ phases wilh (l rea/ism I 'lel 'a kllew Iw .'is ihle ;11 a plalletarium. l Is .wllIller sh e opells lip Ih e .~ k)' 11111£'1, beller for III tl1l)' .\'/lldellis. I dOl/ 't have to 1I'0r,)' about poillliug Ollt Sirius. all(/ 1I(1I1iug IIlI(f l /i e cla .~s flllable (() see ",/t al I 'm PO ;U(;Uf.: to . ..
•J ;/11 lJ eaber. IJira lur Robel" II. j O/I1I .WJII P/a ll elllrill lll l.llkew()(}(/. C% rtul"
ln~lallC'tI in ktli:r:-on Count) SdlOUI Di..,tr1ct", Rohl..'TI 1-1 . John ... on Planetariulll in 19lJ5. the ZKPJ Skyma~ll'r projector from Zci ...... hOI!'> exceeded Jim Beaber· ... C'xpectation:.. J)c ... igncd (0 fit new or exi:.ling dome :-.i/(" of 1610 36 fccLlhe Z KPJ i:-. small in diIl1CIl!'>iu lls. btl! vcr:-.a tile in performance. II :. ~\;lrtkld will projC'cl 0\ cr 7000 :-'\<1["'''' and can be cu\101ll (ksigncd 10 (,1I"'- IO lller speci fication..;. Control desk and (,.'()m pUl er aut()1l1:lliotl an: pan of Ih ... ba:-.ic ..;y:-.I ... Ill .
The ZKP3· Quality performance. Compact & versat ile.
For morl' information ahout the S k~ ' nHls t e r ZKPJ. the Star master Z ~ II'. or Uninrsa ri um ~ I V III l',1I1 P(, 170 E Kirkham Ave , St. LOUIS, MO 63119. N ew Orlean s Sales Office:1-BOO-726-BB05 Fax:504- 764- 7665 em ail:[email protected] The Planetarian (ISN 0090-3213) is "'~'~~'H''''''''' Society. ©1996, International Planetarium Society, Inc., all reserved. Opinions expIres sed e by authors are personal opinions and are not the opinions of the Interrlatiomil etarium Society, its officers, or agents. Acceptance of advertisements, announcements, Vol. 25, N . 3 material does not imply endorsement by the International Planetarium Society, its agents. The Editor welcomes items for consideration for publication. Please consult (or ....,.nnp<:!tl Septe ber 1996 "Guidelines for Contributors" printed in the September 1995 issue. The Editor reserves to edit any solicited or unsolicited manuscript to suit this needs. Executive ...... Iho_... JobnMosley E F E Planetarium ...... (1) 213-664-1181 work phone (1) 818-708-7314 home fax Davis [email protected] East Advertising ...... , ...... -....., ... Sheri Barton Trbovich Evans Sutherland ...... Hansen Planetarium 15 South State Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 USA Joe (1) 801-531-4949 (1) 801-531-4948 fax [email protected] Miami Membership Individual: $40 one year; $70 two years Minolta Institutional: $150 first year; $75 annual renewal NEOS Library Subscriptions: $24 one year Direct membership requests and changes ofaddress R. S. to the Treasurer /Membership Chairman Seiler 1 To receive word of new position openings in the planetarium field, send up to six self-addressed stamped envelopes to: S. Fentress, Director Strasenburgh Planetarium P.O. Box 1480 Rochester, New York 14603 USA soc te it Issues of Jon U. Bell Kenneth Perkins Available from: Ouenilnj! the Dome Planetarium M«~m.or:u~s Charlene Oukes IPS Back Publications Repository Lars Broman Strasenburgh Planetarium P.O. Box 1480 Christine Rochester, New York 14603 USA Gibbous A cumulative index of major articles that have Jane G . .l.Jl(JL.;:JIl.JU. ...~ • .;:J Steve appeared in the Planetarian from the first issue Jane's Comer Forum through the current issue is available on paper ($12 ppd) or disk ($5 ppd) from the Exec. Editor. Richard McColman Ken Wilson Planetechnica Jim Manning March: January June: April 21 Wbat's New September: July 21; December: October 21 http://www.GriffithObs.org/IPSPlanetarian.html Vol. PJanetarian Lee Ann Hennig. Planet.artum John Hare Thomas Jefferson Ash I<'.",t",.-nr;c"·,,, Museum of the Rockies 6560 Braddock 3602 West Bozeman Montana 59717 USA Alexandria, Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA 406-994-6874 941-7 46-3522 406-994-2682 fax 804-266-7966 fax [email protected] Publications ThomasW. Undine Concannon The Natural Keith Johnson Planetarium Administrator Rumfordstr. Fleischmann Planetarium London Planetarium D-80469 Muenchen University of Nevada l\Jf <,,....,]""}-..... ,.,,"'" Road Reno. Nevada 89557 USA NW 1 5LR, J..JH.=""UU. 702-784-4812 171-487-0227 702-784-4822 fax 1 71-465-0862 fax Elections Committee Chmm&lUl Steven Mitch President Undine Concannon Benedum Natural Science William Gutsch Planetarium Administrator Center 25 The Crossway London Planetarium '-'~~'~'Jav Park 1\Jfr."..'!""},...... "P Smoke Rise Road H'-'_.LUAI"., WV 26003 Kinnelon, New Jersey 07405 NW 1 5LR J:<.;ni~larld (1) JV'-!'-L."i-·':>-<+V0'-± 201-492-8165 171-486-1121 (1) 304-243-4110 fax 201-492-1836 fax 171-465-0862 fax 72467.2051 @compuserve.com Planetarium Assoc. Nordic Planetarium AsSOcUl.ticln Planetariums Lars Broman Acker Broman Planetarium Planet:arlum Stmsbourg Ostra 1 Universite Louis Pasteur 8-791 Rue de L'Observatoire 6700 Strasbourg. France (88) 36-12-51 11870 Mexico City, D.F. Mexico Jon Elvert (52) 55-16-13-57 Lane ESD Planetarium (52) 5 5-16-55-20 fax British AsIllOC. Undine Concannon London Planetarium MRITIVOO11f' Road NW1 5LR. England Loris Rampom 171-487-0227 National of Planetaria 171-465-0862 fax c/o Centro studi ricerche Serafino Zani Ian D. Cameron Council of via Bosea 24. CP Lockhart Planetarium Dr. Erich Uebelacker 25066 Lumezzane (Brescia), Italy 500 Dysart Road Planetarium Hatrnl)w~J!. 871861 UTinninp·(f Manitoba 872545 fax Haml:)llr,g, Germany 0) 204-474-9785 0) 204-261-0021 fax fax Nakano, Director [email protected] The Science Museum of Osaka Nakanoshima, Kita-Ku Rocky Mountain Phiane:taltiw:n Osaka 530, Japan Association Dennis SirnolJOutlos John R. Peterson. RMPA President Eugemdes PU:me:i:a1iulm El Paso ISD Planetarium Avenue-Amfithea Fred Stutz 6531 Boeing Dr. 302 Be1edlj:lflJVe Court El Paso, Texas 79925 USA Millersville, 21108 USA 915-779-4316 915-779-4098 fax IPSPlanetari Planetarian Vol. says "an 'informed' patron called with the first hard fact; a book titled 5-5 -2000 exists." Allen then recounts his quest in search of my book. After some difficulties, a local bookstore found the offered to l"e!eS(:ofle Science order a copy for him and told him it wowd Institute! cost him $12.95. Allen does not want to pay of you may not be aware that the the bookstore and says, "I have trouble Office of Public Outreach at STSd has a new .. !J.,u.,...... j'J!;;. money for that is sure contact person for the and sci- in the neck. ence museum name is Prue He then makes a to the where he can see what's in the book, for free. vaUH-J!.X::U and I'll be the requests you used to send to Rob Landis. In of at the Allen learns the book his career interests, Rob has moved from is checked out. Undaunted, Allen's quest for Outreach to the technical side of the Insti the 5/5/2000 Ice: The Ultimate Disaster tartare, tute. (I want to thank Rob for the enthusias continues. meals in store. tic support he has us. Cong1:atlllaltimls His next is to a used book store There is, ".""e+",lnlu on the career move!) where he find a copy at a tans and igrlor;amUs(!s I have been in for the at the store, Allen diligently search- tru'ou2:h title after title alas! his third last ten years, and I look forward to May one whose name and book title was mentioned several times in your (Vol. 23, No.3, '94) to the points in Wade Allen's 115-5-2000" article. made aware of yours are not Wade E. Allen writes that his first indica- As the astronomer, I repeat, astronomer, Hon that, new was ooculrru:1g," Dennis Rawlins wrote in his expose of the occurred when "several CSICOP's in the short from the Michelin lial11qlleliJrlj questlOI1.S about astronomy are as rare as calls to the May tag repainmaJrl. Allen that, rate information from the be as easy as to ture about the slide prc)je,ctclr bwb bums out/' but then he Vol. .,.;:"",.... ·..,· ...... •...... 1996 Planetarian 1001 over the years of its evolution. The r\hiorl~h"",,, During the spring of 1994 we decided that 1. Visitors who see Sky should we would throw out our venerable old the eXJ>erten(:e. preschool programs (Magic Sky opened in 2. Visitors who see should not 1970, and Wonderful Rocket debuted in 1972) have any cOlnplailrlts and create new shows for our youngest visi ence. tors. We had, of course, revised and upda1:ed 3. Le,arrling ""hi,.,...... ii"'" .... Visitors who see both shows many times, but this time we Magic Sky should decided to start from scratch, forma a) Recognize that there are four tive evaluation to produce new shows. We directions, named south, east, also decided to get a little evalu and west. ating audience reactions to Magic Sky before b) Be able to name objects in the it dosed. time sky, such as douds and the sun. c) Be able to name objects in the The ..,rl'.nr.~1I'lI"II sky, such as the stars, the moon, and Magic Sky was produced for 3 to 5 year olds constellations (induding the Bear, (although the audience ranged from pre-sen the Queen, and the Swan). tient beings to the older brothers and sisters, d) Be able to describe constellations as parents, and grandparents of the target audi areas of the sky, or as star pat- ence). The 3O-minute program was presented terns, named for or as a live lecture in a story-telling format with objects. pre-recorded music. The program re-created e) Recognize that the stars, sun and what children could observe from their own moon move across the backyards during a 24-hour period: the east to west. to west movement of the sun; a sunset f) Be able to state the reason for sequence; twinkling stars; a few seasonal east-to-west movement of the constellations; the east to west movement of moon and stars (the earth's rotation). the stars and moon; and a sunrise sequence. g) Be able to describe the sun as The program also induded a song about the bright, and the dosest star to us. sun, and we encouraged children to h) Be able to state that the stars twinkle. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Uttle Star" along with D Be able to describe the stars we see the narrator. The character of Mr. Moon night as distant suns. occasionally interrupted the program (ills it j) Be able to name craters as pr()mim~nt my tum yet?"), and finally got 'his turn' just features on the moon. before sunrise. puttmg all of the on paper made it dear that Magic rather ambitious program. We The process outlined pect that we needed to limit and "."", ...... l;.fu ence. The variables were nume:rmlS First we obtained a list of the vU'l'iaJIICU 1 our even identifiable), behavioral objectives for the program. Then not For ""v"'''''''..... ,'''' we deduced from the content of the pro audience did most of the QUestloflinJl!:, gram a few additional which or we had no way appear to have been added to the program dren and/or the Jerome &. Sandra, us what Planetarium Programs for Pre-Schoolers, children we interviewed in age from Planetarian, Volume I, #3, 1972. 2.5 6. We conducted the survey fol- 6 Planetarian Vol. way, and allowed them to react to which near the end of the program the show and some of the concepts we were the children to communicate. As such, the process (stars, moon, a small (33%) of those CllW'UPtTM may allow us to draw some if number (20.5%) named objects in the tentative, conclusions ... sky which were not mentioned 1. For years, we asked children in the audi the show (clouds, SUfi, airplClllles, ence to blow at the douds to get them pJamets); and a small number (20.5%) Moon hirnseU); ....,.,... "' ...... or to get the wind It was named constellations as objects visible a 'cute bit' near the start of the show. The in the sky, consteHa- children it, and it may even have feature of the show. them a sense of some measure of pr€~sclh.Q()jelrs (just like every on the moon was a control over the place in one else) bring their own pers()n.u orable for the children. their environment. But, when we did our observations and expelrlell1CCeS first audience survey, only 1 of 20 (5%) them when they come to the plane1tar What'sNext'1 stated that earth's rotation caused the east ium. Their ideas about the world may This to west motion of in 35% stat run counter to the scientific ed that the wind caused the sun, stars and world-view. It would be to moon to move. Hmmm ... we were appar investigate how children the our nh,it>r-H'.7P<: what we did not want physical world around them (e.g. what cepts to the de'lreJ()prnelltal to teach abou t celestial (H11IEIl:1:S they already believe about the move ence. What we think is hnnn,rt!'lint appear to move in the sky. So we ment of objects in the sky) before the 'cute bit.' When we cut bJc)winsz come to the planetarium, and to then handle the level of abstraction reqluiI'ed. douds from the show, 31.5% stated that try to address their misconceptions in have also learned a bit about how the earth's motion/rotation caused the our programs...... ",1'..<:11"'1...,,'£1 questioninlg children will east to west movement of in the c. The apparent east to west motion of We think it would be int,ere:s;tirlg to Que:sncln sky. We were still not successfully teach- the SUfi, stars and moon was a children at some time after the pl;:me:tal~lUlm children about the earth's rotation, emphasis of the show ... A but at least we were no teaching (64%) of those surveyed stated that the them wrong information. sun and stars move across the sky; a 2. We succeeded with the ovenllThehll1irlg small majority (56%) stated that the majority (95%) in a positive moon moves across the sky; a small eX1Derierlce which made them want to majority (53%) were able to ''''''T1r.rv visit the Planetarium correctly the direction of motion of 3. 54% of our visitors had no comJ)Iaint:s. the sun; and a minority (37%) were 33% of those had negative com- able to identify correctly the direction mcmomg 23% who disliked wait of motion of the moon and stars. and 5% who disliked d. A minority of those (31.5%) the darkness. We introduced gathcertng stated that the apparent motion of want to visit the pIGme:taI'imn darkness as and ",,, .. ofl,lh, objects in the sky is caused the We went on to meet pvf·pn .. ivp!v but there will earth's motion (rotation). If we want to school teachers to solicit their sU~~2'esti<)ns some prleSC:hOIOllers who dislike, or are teach this concept to the darkness. Because so (probably an impossibility), we11 have many chHdren disliked around to do a much better job. More realisti for the show to start (we suggest that visi cally, this concept should be rI ..,,,.,. ... ,t>rI tors arrive at least fifteen minutes before from preschool shows and saved for article. showtime, in order to allow time for tick- older children who are de~vellopBnentaLl visits to the rest rooms, etc.), we ly ready to more easily grasp the have to activities for abstract concepts involved hundred spans can children to engage in before the show. e. A major emphasis of the show is that than 50,000 years. But 4. In terms of the show's behavioral objec the SUfi is a nearby star and the stars spent their lives in caves or worse; tives ... are distant suns ... A minority (41%) of 70 had any a A (74%) of those sur- those surveyed described the sun as a with one another; the last six ever could name some or all of the star; a (23%) described the saw a word or had any real means the ...... lI'Y> ....·u directions following the stars as distant suns; and a millolflty show. (15.4%) described the sun as hot and/or b. A We did not communicate well of objects visible here. Again, we may have been expect in the and skies: sun more from the children than douds (64%), the stars (77%), and the weredevelopmentaHy ready for. moon (64%). However, Significant f. Mr. Moon interrupts the show several numbers (49%) of those ""'"'It7 Vol. Planetarian • I 'T'lL._~ • .,.... h the newsroom, you text of all NASA's The latest buzzword in today's modern looking for? this article is the Internet-a vast web of com will you answer that qm~stion. puter systems connected to each other. The Be warned, that many of the sites listed in Internet is one of the best research resources this article contain and thus available today because of it's and ease may take several minutes to load LAu'V ....""u of use. your browser. You may consider the Most information on the Internet can be pages without to see if the page has created a found through the World Wide Web is worth your time, and if so, then reload 11 memorabilia, cal system. ith gr 8 Plane tar ian Vol. .jpl.nasa.gov/planets/. The page is a World page is http://isc.nasa.gov, and contains infor Wide Web copy of a CD-ROM program dis mation and reports on the current status of tributed by the Jet Laboratory to the space shuttle program. The Johnson educational institutions. From the home Space Center also maintains a photograph sional scientists at mission '-UJU LAVA, page, you can select a solar system body that archive with photographs of Earth taken just what NASA and STScI interests you, and obtain more information from the shuttle, induding a separate IMAX the Internet, NASA and as wen as photographs in GIF and JPEG for image gallery of 70 millimeter images. teamed up to create a series of lnt:enictive mats. In addition to the Johnson Space Center, nr(")iP,r"t .. that tie the homepage of the Kennedy Center with the pr<)tessi~[m'l! also holds a wide variety of information on NASA, the Jet One of the best sources on the Internet for the space shuttle program and their launch the Space TeiesoDPe These "" .. ,,,,.or.,.,, information and photographs of deep space facility in Florida From their homepage, at objects, is the Space Telescope Science http://ksc.nasa.go~ you can obtain the status Institute (STScI) homepage, that can be of the current or upcoming shuttle as reached by pointing your browser to wen as view and print a copy of the entire http://www.stsci.edu/. Through the STScI Shuttle Reference Manual. You can is changing aU the time, so are homepage, you can access a massive elec also view information on how to obtain car interactive so search the tronic photograph library of recent deep passes to watch a launch, if you're in the STScI web pages for more information space discoveries as seen through the Hubble area current and "Uve From_" Space Telescope. The URL for the "Hubble and activities. Space Telescope's Greatest Hits of 1990-1995" Each interactive the .. l11"IPl"'ui .. ino- photograph library is http://www.stsci In addition to the above listed resources, .edu/puhJic.html. Hard copies of many of the there are also a number of homepages and online images can be online Internet sites that cater to edu through the Public Affairs office. Infor cators, looking for lesson-plans, and informa mation on recent discoveries, press releases, tion to educate their students about astrono creative and AAA'."UA&"'",A. and educational information from the edu my and the night sky. mission scientists, submitted via electronic cational outreach department can also be NASA operates one of the largest electron mail. As the scientists found on the STScI homepage. ic educational resource libraries. call it many of the on a pel~SOina! In addition to the above resources, the the NASA Spacelink and it can be reached on Internet interaction is often SU1PpllenleIlted Space Telescope Science Institute also collab the World Wide Web at http://spacelink with materials on PBS orates information and photographs from .msfc.nasa.gov. From the homepage, NASA Television Centers, located at various NASA .L and at various locations +h.e"" •• n- .... '"' •• + the United States. All manned space missions are coordinat ed by the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and likewise, it's on their homepage where much of the information regarding the While many people consider the Internet Space Shuttle missions can be found. The to be simply a new way of and address for the Johnson Space Center home- organizing information, the Internet is Henrietta Leavitt Flat Screen Space Theater http://ucsucolorado.edurpeterscc/Home.html Fiske Planetarium Laser Fantasy International http://stripe.colorado.edurplanet/Home.html http://wwwJaserfantasy.comrmlutz Morrison Planetarium - excellent IIweb documentary" on the show Laser F/X International production process http://wwwJaser-ix.com http://wwwJaseriumcom/planetarium Technofear McDonnell Planetarium http://www.technofear.com.au http://www.slsc.org/docs/mod2/proginfo/pgmgOO5.htm Laser Production Network Laser Images, Inc. http://www.gate.net/lasernet http://wwwJaseriumcom Vol. Planetarian • • • • • J I I I I A nen ts. Commercial e t d become Iy used in museum aPtIUcati(ms. effects and accessories resemble Roger W. Brook Design 4 Bicentennial Square of the Concord, New Hampshire 03301 one for red (see couldn't be formed to the curve Planetarium lighting that is based in the of, was the norm for many years. ers make a flexible projection pit serves a number of purposes. I This approach has a number of disadvan allows track cOintinu.ity will use a recent planetarium renovation as a tages. without inl:enrll1J1tir12 eirCll1itiim! case study to illustrate some applications of • The color quality of the red and blue placement. pit lighting. lamps is less than ideal. The themselves are In early 1995 the Charles Hayden Plane .. The lamps are fully exposed to view and in individual fixtures sUI:ml]ied tarium at the Museum of Science in Boston, do not present a neat or high-tech ry holders to receive color filters. Massachusetts, underwent a major renova imagery to the audience. is now a standard white, 75W par 30 tion. One objective was a complete restruc III The bare lamps themselves are very hot The red and blue color filters cover turing of the projection pit including its and a hazard for the public and staff lighting system. alike. Pit lighting is used for several purposes. • There is no fleXibility in the system. • In a theater which does not have cove lighting it is the means by which pre Working Towards a Solution sentation lighting effects are projected Working with the planetarium staff, we onto the dome. were able to develop effective solutions for III It provides general illumination of the the design and operation of the renovated planetarium environment for the audi theater. However a solution for the pit light ence as they enter and exit the theater. ing was elusive. Working with the electrical audience view. In this aD1DfClacih. " The projection instrument is featured for engineers and lighting manufacturers, we trough, the the audience directly or indirectly by developed several prospective solutions and throw the pit lighting which surrounds it. field tested them, but with limited success. In The The Hayden was originally constructed in hindsight the approach at the time was too when you are seated in the pl 10 Planetarian Vol. and vurctlase. Accessories and -*--____ 87" RADIUS ( 221 ) parts tend to be manufacturer ACCESSORY TRIM specific and therefore not inter changeable. However each pro LIGHT FIXTURE vides a similar broad array of accessories that can be combined to achieve the desired result. The BLUE CIRCUIT parts and accessories are also was fIt'.r::>r·"'..... Hu RED CIRCUIT available in a standard matte lights in an ...... " ,,...... POSlltlOlrl. S'vmptC)mlltic black finish, as was specified for of dome HgJltirlg the Hayden. The installation is readily ser viceable. Individual lamps are PROJECTION PIT WALL replaced by removing the accesso ry collar. The lamp fixtures them ACCESS FLOOR selves quickly connect and dis- connect from the track for service or inspection. Stock parts are gen erally available from a local dis tributor or they can be ordered overnight from the manufacturer. The track system is flexible in FIGURE 2 SECTION OF PIT WALL that you can with color filters and other trim acces examine the Zeiss VI without any significant sories. Accessories can be mounted over the glare. The housings and filters are still hot to color filter to elongate beam, spread solution continues the touch but not nearly as hot as the bare cutoff at 45·, reduce brightness, etc. The fix sive, but this installation is effective bulbs were. ture housing is also adjustable so that you serves wen. As with many situations The interior radius of the new projection can aim the to distribu it is at the Hayden is 87 inches (221 cm) and tion in the dome. mock ups and eX1PeirirrleIlltation accommodates a total of 80, 75 watt R.30 effectiveness of these can flood lamps. The blue to red ratio is 4 to 1. Feedback The system as noted before The red lamps are equally distributed I recently visited the for feedback to allow for some m(:xiificati~::m, amongst the blues and are set into the lower on the effectiveness of this and other solu time and effort eX1:Jeilae~a in eX1P101rrnig circuit track. This results in an array of 5 tions that were implemented. Comments rel- natives at the was well spent. lamps for each of the 16 segments. ative to the pit lighting were favor- this informa Hon The pit lights are circuited through and able. The only mechanical relative some value. I would welcome controlled by dimmer modules. The blue are circuited and controlled by quadrant, whereas the red lamps are on a sin- circuit. This allows for an asymmetrical distribution of blue daylight should this effect be desired. A sunrise or sunset is effect 5 LAMPS ed by bringing up the red circuit and super PER SEGMENT imposing the blue. The red circuit can also RED LAMP be "flashed" to supplement a special effect eX1Plosion. I have noticed that some facilities RED CIRCUIT also introduce a green light component BLUE CIRCUIT which could be readily accommodated in TYPICAL OF fOUR this The lower in this case the red track, could be a dual circuit track allowing separate power and control of an additional color such as green. Distinct advantages of the use of track lighting are its availability, serviceability and fleXibility. The track, accessories and fixtures are available from at least the following three manufacturers: PrescoHte, and Halo. Having several suppliers of FIGURE 3 PLAN OF PROJECTION PIT the product is a plus when it comes to Vol. Planetarian pOAIVAA.un.... in ALPO's n .. ",,,,t,,,,.. lu ...,.",,,,II".,,lT Astronomer. The Astronomical League, which distributes the booklet for $3.00 shipping and also recog nizes observers with achievement certifi cates. (Note: send $3.00 + $1.00 for shippilng (US) for each booklet ordered to Astro nomical League Sales Office, P. O. Box 572, West Burlington, Iowa, USA 52655-9998.) While author Robert Lunsford asserts that even the most novice stargazer ca contribute meaningful data to the professional astro hours at Fermilab's Tpv;!!hron nomical community, the booklet's errlptlasls tide accelerator) where scienUs1ts alrlxilousJlV At the turn of the season, nothing's better is on having a pleasurable under await the collision than turning some pages. Especially in these the firmament tons. A SlX~ct,iclll!ar great generously reviewed readers in a shower of exotic sut.at()mic partid~:!S like you. It's never too late to jOin the review radiation. Cheers erupt as ers in IPs. Just let me know your name, postal From Quarks to the Cosmos fum that the very briefest address and favorite astronomy topic, and be (book number 28 in the Sci field in """'U""''', willing to exchange a review for a free book. entific American series) Thank you to this issue's reviewers: Bob by Leon M. Lederman and universe some ...... ~,~ .... ,~ Ballou, Chuck Bueter, Richard Dreiser, John David N. Schramm; distributed second after its creation the Flynn, Sandra G. Holland, Rob LandiS, and by W. H. Freeman and Com known as the Dennis Mammana. pany,41 Madison Avenue, New And so we're to search for ..,...""t,,,,,.,,,,,,,, York, New York 10010; 1995i hitherto unknown palrtiC:1eS paperback; 242 pages; ISBN 0- here and from the neoavE~ns. The ALPO Guide to Watching 7167-6012-6. $19.95 (trade paper that will eff.~tivellv Meteors, Robert D. Lunsford, back) and outer space and allow The Astronomical League, Washington, DC, 1995, $3.00 + Reviewed by Bob Ballou for Plane $1.00 shipping. tarium, Fernbank Science Center, 156 Heaton Park Drive, Atlanta, GA 30307. Reviewed by Chuck Bueter, Fairview Park, Ohio. In the introduction of The Story Philosophy, author Will Durant muses that Spotting a meteor is often a chance cir we are an like the Dostoyevsky character nomical questlorlS cumstance. The ALPO Guide to Watching who doesn't want millions but rather Meteors supports anyone who wants to turn answers to his questllonls. "We want to seize halJpenstan<:e into a fun, SCientifically useful the value and of event. Participants are encouraged to submit and so to ourselves up out of the mael- simple data about observed meteors with the strom of daily circumstance. We want only required equipment being paper, a pen- know that the Uttle things are little, and the a watch, and a lounge chair. big things big, before it is too late." The booklet opens with back- you're looking for answers to your quest tOilS ground information on meteors and tips for about the little things and the viewing them effectively. A chart listing the seize From Quarks to the Cosmos Leon major annual meteor showers suggests when Lederman and David Schramm before it's and where to look, typical meteor speeds, too late. and anticipated numbers per hours. Also This book is a in palperbacx included is a calendar that indicates favor of the authors' 1989 work of the same able viewing dates with consideration given which brings together the little (sub- to the moon's phase. atomic particle phenomena) and the A blank Visual Meteor Observing Form is ones Vol. Planetarian ing a section maudUnly and alliteratively I had never heard of such a thing and was titled The Sad Story of the Superconducting astonished. It was years before the first terms more COllIlE'U:!lce Supercollider (SSC) and the Hope for the Year humans walked on the surface of the Moon, some other nrll"111I!u' 2003, concludes the major work of the book. sinking their boots into the regolith, a pul bibliography. This is a readable book, although the read verized surface built up over billions of years The book is for nOln-1ici~:!n1:ists, ing is challenging. But this is because the sub by meteoritic impacts, and few seemed to and it contains little to thwart ject is challenging, often in a disturbing, believe that Earth had been affected by dizzying way, sometimes requiring the read major meteorite impacts. er to suspend long-held beliefs about what In Bombarded Earth I first learned about makes up inner and outer space. The authors fossil meteorite craters, including the wisely include many good visuals to soften Canadian Clearwater Lakes and Brent Crater. and asteroids. The the blow of the often recondite text. There Every vaguely circular structure on a map as a popular work under four he.ululgs: are photos, charts and graphs, illustrations was a possible meteoritic crater. oids, comets, and extinction and wen captioned diagrams, on almost At the time, of course, Mr. Gallant was gy). every page. considered to be something of an eccentric. I am not a nnv".,r... T Quarks lacks a bibliography, which isn't so But by the mid 198Os, few doubted that plan to cross-check Steel's bad, but a Further or Suggested Reading et Earth, like the Moon, Mercury, and the speed, mass, and other nhv.. ir~ I would be helpful after the tortuous ride. rest of the rocky planets, moons and aster Let's assume he is correct. The I-'A~.lU Bay, Wisconsin, USA 53191-0258 possibilities. The book is divided into three Rogue Asteroids is alt1emlat4e1y major themes: 1) The threat that impa<:tors Cinlattng, sometimes a trifle lOJ1I2"-lNlfUlea. When I was young (and fascinated by pose; 2) Evidence that such devastation has never dull. I wish the world could witness a everything), I chanced upon a discounted been caused by impacts on the Earth in the sampling of a relatively safe cosmic catastro soft bound book (regular price $1.95, now past; and 3) The plans for searching out and phe (say, one-dozen 100meter forty-five cents) entitled Bombarded Earth, destroying incoming objects, if we decide to on Antarctica over a ten-day John Baker Publishers Ltd, London, 1964. In do so (pg.14, paragraph 2). mass extinctions need occur, but such an his preface the author Rene Gallant begins What follows within this reasonably short event would bring about in an by saying: "Here is another book dealing book (259 pages) is a curious spellbinding instant, and who can foresee what would with cosmic catastrophism." (pg. 16, para combination of undisputed facts, physical learn, aside from the salvation graph 1) laws, and acknowledged speculation. The species. 14 Planetarian Vol. Space Sailing by D. M. Souza; Traveler's Guide to the Solar Five Bird titles Lerner Publications Company System by Patrician Barnes Bendick: The Sun: Our 241 First Avenue North, Minne Svarney; Sterling Publishing Star ISBN apolis, Minnesota 55401, USA; Company, Inc. 387 Park Avenue 1994; ISBN 0-8225-2850-9, South, New York, New York, $14.96. 10016, USA; 1994; ISBN 0-8069- verse: Think 8672-7, $9.95. 49-1, The Planets: NeHll1tJo,rs Reviewed by Sandra M. Holland, Horned 1-878841-51-3, Toad Academy, Pleasanton, Texas, 78064. Reviewed by Sandra M. Holland, Horned and Meteors: Visitors Toad Academy, Pleasanton, Texas, 78064. ISBN 1-878841-55-6, The Mill With the unlikely but accurate title of brook Press Inc., 2 Old New Space Sailing, this 64-page book aimed at 44So let's take a space hike. We will base our ford Road, Hr()01cti~~Jd, readers 10 years of age and older delves into views of the planets and satellites on pictures ecticut 06804; 1991. the research that has been done on fuel-less and data from spacecraft and Earth tele space flight. Based upon the popular short scopes." Reviewed Bob Ballou, story of the sixties by Arthur C. Clark Another book on the Solar System? That ium, Fembank Science Center, 156 "Wind from the Sunil-the book addresses an was my first thought. This book, however, is Park Drive, Atlanta, GA 30307. increasingly common outcome of science very interesting and informative. fiction, that "yesterday's fiction is becoming "Where have we traveled in the solar sys This is a nice, colorful set of young toda y's reality." tem? Twelve astronauts have walked on the dren's books (32 pages and Chapter 2 details the ideas and specifica moon. The Viking spacecraft landed on mars Jeanne with illustrations tions for sailing instead of rocketing through and sent pictures back to Earth. The Venera Winey, Mike and Chris space. II Although faster at first, a rocket-pow spacecraft took the first photographs of the depending on the title. These are thcmghttluJ ered spacecraft will eventually run out of rocks of Venus. Other spacecraft, such as the little books with some concepts fuel and be forced to coast. A sail, however, Mariners, Pioneers and Voyagers, have sent solar wind, earth's magnetism, neutron will require no fuel. The push will be con back photos of other planet and satellite sur light-year), simple to with stant as long as the Sun shines on the sail, faces. In fact, Pluto and its moon, Charon, are the understanding, and and the speed of the sail will continue to the only planetary bodies we have not yet face and nicely explained increase year after year. visited" To wit: a total "Scientists realized a space sail would have This attractive, colorful book is 80 pages inner atmosphere looks Uke a to be made of a material that reflects as long, incl uding three charts, a one-page in ring around the black shadow of the Moon. many photons as possible. It would have to dex and a short glossary. It has nine chapters The sun's outer atmosphere, which is be extremely large, perhaps extending over plus introduction and conclusion. The text is the corona, extends past the ring in rays, as much as several miles. The larger the sail, interspersed by informative photos and fact flower petals. But the moon is much the greater the number of photons that will boxes ("Why is Venus Like a Greenhouse?"). than the sun! Can you guess how sOIlnethiI1!g hit it." The writing is vibrant and meaty, easy to as small as the Moon can cover sornethlIlig The author goes into detail about why read and easy to understand Barnes-Svamey big as the sun? this. Hold your hand various materials and processes, such as sil takes the theme of traveling to the features in front face. Oose one eye. Can ver or crinkly aluminum, will and won't of the Solar System but does not use the hand cover a car?" And so on. work in space sails. theme in a cute way. The book, for children You can't go wrong with these This book deserves a place in the library of of about middle school age, is very informa neither can the children for whom you every budding astronaut and junior or tive and detailed The author contrasts and to buy books. You'll senior space historian. The unlikely scenario, compares in interesting ways. smart books with them. based upon a science fiction story, of ships of "Whoosh! We had better watch out as we space actually carrying sails like ships of the approach this moon; it is one of the most sea, makes an interesting read The ship itself, active in the solar system. It is called 10 .. ," however, more resembles a kite or some kind "Mars also has four seasons like the Earth ... of odd-shaped sea creature such as an octo There are no fall leaves or spring growth as pus or a jellyfish than sails of a clipper ship. on Earth, and no rain, sleet, or snow. Seasons The book leaves off with the information on Mars are marked by frost on the that "inJapan, Europe and the United States, the strength of the desert storms, and the scientists are actually assembling giant sails changing of the polar caps ... " for a race to the Moon." Readers will want to To keep readers interested, the author pre dig into other resources for the fate of those sents such scenarios as, "Will we see life on sails. Uranus or its moons? There is probably no This deJigtltfl111 little book is .... "".·f-irnU"" ..1 Five chapters and a conclusion detail this Ufe on the small moons because they don't wen suited for 8 to 12 year olds and would historical narrative of a different kind of seem to have atmospheres. But is there life a useful addition to any school space travel. The book is adequately illustrat on the planet? Probably not. If life were to Despite the small size (32 it contains ed with mostly black-and-white photos to exist on Uranus, it would have to be able to quite a bit of information. More is flesh out the idea of space sailing. The text is breathe hydrogen, helium, and many pOi the kind of information contained very straightforward and factual A two-page sonous gases. And it would have to be able to Types of satelHtes and their irnnnl'1-<>~"Ir'" index and a glossary of 20 words round out withstand extreme cold" Young readers will are looked at. It is very slgnulcCimt this book. find a browse through this book is almost as first types of artificial satellites considered good as spring break. are environmental satellites ...... '~ .... ,I ... .n ... Vol. Planetarian Earth's environment. In this way the impor have been made to address this nll",..,hl,pn1I tance of satellites is brought home to the That is the most negative thing I have to say and truth. reader. about this otherwise wonderful book. blown away. For instance, Hitler Other types of satellites are considered: The moons of the other are then ridiculed the Wehrrnacht's weather, military, navigation, communica examined and with a total number of at least ment efforts. It was in late l':l4!·.j-IOTI2" tion and astronomical research satellites. The 63 moons in the solar system the book will after the Luftwaffe lost the Battle descriptions of their purposes are a bit brief, remain useful even after other moons may but they do convey the essential message be discovered. resort. GenerallJornt:>erl~er, nevertheless. mander at Peenemunde, and Orbits, gravity, energy for satellites, and opposed the use of the A-4 (what what a satellite is are all considered and ex Wemher von Braun, Crusader for the 2 weaD4on"-thaJI1KS plained in a manner simple enough for the Space: An Illustrated Memoir and young reader to follow. A straightforward A Biographical Memoir, Ernst weapon. Accused of not sufficiently ""n~n£'II'T_ one-page simple index makes this informa Stuhlinger and Frederick 1 Ord- ing the war the SS imprisofled tion easy to find and can provide a useful way, III; Kreiger Publishing Braun. In von Braun relates exercise in "looking things up" for young Company, Malabar, Florida, his darkest hour when Himmler students. 1994; ISBN 0-89464-824-1 and wrenched control of the A-4 from Almost every page contains a colourful ISBN 0-89464-824-X, respective The illustrated memoir contains illustration or diagram by Mike Raffe, each ly. $29.50 and $42.50 respective tographs, all of which are th()rou~jh.l.y of which is not only accurate and informa ly. Honed, which detail von Braun's tion, but also quite pretty and will interest earliest are from his hn,,,hr,nri the child almost as much as the text. Reviewed by Rob Landis, Space Telescope (age 10 - 15). :sut)SeQlue1u A child who reads this book carefully Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. his life c:tl1ril71ina should know what an artificial sateUite is, what powers it, what is does, and why it is At the CORONA conference in Wash important. I only wish most adults knew ington last year I had the pleasure of me1etirlg that information! Fred Ordway (the second author of these double volumes) whose earlier books are an Sp;:lceflbtht Center, walshlln~:toll1, inspiration for anyone thinking of a career The collection punctuates Moons and Rings - Companions in space science. Ordway also worked with high notes of the rocket scientist's to the Planets, ISBN 1-56294- von Braun's rocket team at HuntSVille, Practically aU of the individuals 000-7, The Millbrook Press Inc., Alabama for several years. photograph are named This must have 2 Old New Milford Road, The first author, Ernst Stuhlinger, was a research Brookfield, Connecticut 06804; member of von Braun's Peenemunde team. it aU, I detected 1991. $4.95. Following World War il, more than 100 Ger minor error, on the bottom man scientists and engineers (induding aerial shot of the Alabama Reviewed by John Flynn, Armagh Planetar Stuhlinger), continued their rocketry work ium, Armagh, Northern Ireland at Ft. BUss, Texas and White Sands, New Mex ico before settling in Huntsville, Alabama This little book is another "Early bird" This two-volume set presents a retros,pec: book on astronomy by Jeanne Bendick. It tive, in words and pictures, of a man recog dome-L emaillistserver.) has set out with the rather ambitious task of nized as a unique genius in this century. The The last section is a series of color covering the subject of moons and rings in purpose of these two volumes is to accurate Bonestell's artwork that aPlJeared the solar system. Considering the size of this ly chronide Werner von Braun's extraordi Collier's in the 1950s. task, and the fact that it has only 32 pages to nary life. The books accomplish this exceed do it in, I feel the book has succeeded wen. ingly wen. Not only are von Braun's space station, a lunar base, and the The reader begins with a look at our own sional accomplishments discussed, but his eXI)lolratilon of Mars. Moon and touches upon gravity and tides. personal life is nicely detailed. I cannot think What the illustrated memoir says The phases of the Moon are also covered, of any authors who could write a bio~ralphy tures, the OiC)gr,apluca! ITlemlOir although I am unsure if the average 8 to 12 better than Stuhlinger and Ordway who had The memoir is year old would understand the phases from very dose personal and work rel:ati()m:hilJS detailed narrative of von Braun's Hfe the information in the text. Lunar phases are with von Braun. childhood to death. While extremely complicated for children to More than 100 carefully recorded, seem a bit understand, and the book only allocates four and documented interviews with the into von Braun's character. pages for the subject, so it is a brave try, and, who knew him well were used in the cre the book is written so that given the limitations, one of the better ation of these books. of detail is All QU()ta1:iorls, efforts I have seen. The biographical memoir begins with a bal and written, are wen documented On a slightly negative note, the book does history of rocketry in war and in peace. endnotes. This is the best and most cornpllete use the term "half moon" for what we call Rockets have long and deep roots within the biography of von Braun this reviewer "quarter moon." I know some people will context of their use as military weapons. The of. shrug and accept this abuse, but I feel the book contains numerous, pithy quotes by The final very tas1teflilly deS4:ribes concept of a "quarter moon" is not beyond von Braun and his gut-level feelings on the most kids this age and some attempt should issue of technology vis-a.-vis the military. (Please see Book ReWews 16 Planetarian Vol. Kea, Australian Outback, Space Shuttle in Orbit and A Goto GSS .. Helios Planetarium Theater. .... What do all these have common? A spectacular view of a crisp, star Shonandai Culture Center GSS-Relios The GSS-Helios (GSX) features 25,000 stars reproducing a sky seen only from space. Digital shutters mean panoramas without stray stars twinkling through the image. Computer-assisted functions give manual mode the ease of auto mode without replacing the lecturer. The list of special GOTO features goes on and on. Contact your nearest representative and find out what your planetarium could be like. The G1014si offers Space Simulator functio:q:s plus GOTO's exclusive automatic lamp replacement mechanism. No more shows lost to lamp burnout. With the G 1014si, your spare lamp leaps into action with a simple touch of a button at the console. Simple, fast and efficient. That's a GOTO Planetarium. GOlD OPTIC 4-16 Yasaki-cho Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183 JAPAN TEL: Inti No. +81-423-62-5312 FAX: Inti No. +81-423-61-9571 Email: [email protected] GI014si ter to the earth on The application of abstract mathematical concepts to concrete "real-world" observa tions is the basis for any advanced of 3. science. The identification of mathematical reJ.,ati 1. the sun image from the orrery onto the dome along with the meridian. Adjust the solar image so of seconds. Have the students that it is centered on the 90 degree mark number in the data table in the '-V.U.UUB ing of the meridian (Le., in the zenith) labeled Period (in seconds). Since 2. the orrery Earth image onto the 01 ution :::: one year, the average nUffiloer 18 Plane tar ian Vol. < ~ N ~ Z P KEPLER'S THIRD LAW: DATA TABLE ~ ""t'I> "'C,... tI) Earth Data: Observed Period (seconds) 1 year 3 C" Observed Aphelion Distance (tics) = tI) ""I Observed Perihelion Distance (tics) ...a \0 \0 Average Earth-Sun Distance (tics) 1 Astronomical Unit 0\ Planet Measured Calculated 2 3 Calculated period period P A Distance, a (sec) (years) (astronomical units) Mercury l! § f'C)...... Venus ~ §' Mars ~ Planet Observed Observed Observed Observed Aphelion Perihelion Average Average Distance Distance Distance Distance (tics) (tics) (tics) (AU's) Mercury Venus Mars ...a '0 of seconds:::: one year. 65 sec onds of time represents 1 However, it would be year of real time). 1nt:en~stjlng: exercise for students to use 4. Tum on the meridian to the stu- their dimensional data (seconds instead dents that they will be the dis- of years, and units instead of au.s) tance between the planet and the center to calculate the value of the of the sun in "tics". Since the stantk!) orbits are we must measure the (in This is distance at both aphelion and at to Hon in order to calculate the average dis calculate the value of a (where a is the tance. average distance in astronomical 5. Tum on the orrery motor and have stu units). dents observe and record the earth-sun c. Have the students calculate the aver distance (in tics) at and age number of tltlcs" that should exist lion. Students should then calculate the between and the Sun average distance. Explain to the students the constant found in that this average distance represents 1 step 5. Record the average distance in Astronomical Unit. 26 tics rep "tics" in the data table in the column resents 1 AU). labeled "Predicted distance". 6. Tum off the and 8. the meridian onto the dome and onto the dome. Have the students mea have the students observe and record the sure and record the number of seconds .. pu...... au •• and distances of 11."",... 1"'''''' takes one orbit. Have 1\.A",·.. r""", The students should then calcu the students calculate and record the late the observed average distance from orbital period in years the propor the sun. Record this number in the col tinn!:1llihT constant found in step 3). umn labeled 1I0 bserved average distance 7. The students will now use Third (tics)". Convert this number to AUs Law of Planetary Motion to calculate the th~' n"nnn.. t~!i"..:'''_~_''' __ J constant from step average Mercury-Sun distance. 9. steps 6-8 for Venus and Mars. law can be written as p2:::: kA3. If the units 10. Turn the orrery off. the Sun, used are AUs and years, then since the 1\.A",·rr"r'U and the ecliptic onto the dome. earth orbits the sun in one year at a dis Have the students observe the date indi tance of one AU, the constant k becomes cated by the sun's pOSition. Turn on Reviewed Dennis L. Mammana, Reuben H.Fleet Theater, San California von Braun's last In his later years von Braun was often asked what it took to land If men on the Moon. His remarkable responS{~"! gap between an astronomical for "The will to do it." uninitiated and the advanced ama- This incredible man was by be the ticket. It's not James Michael Ernst Stuh- pulbH(:atilon with Riccardo Giaconni, and others. Gia conni, the first director of universe's most glc)ri()Us phen~::>mlena. Science Institute, his own a valuable and no-nonsense about Wemher von Braun: into the of amateur "He had a nobility around him that set him apart from all other in the space The book is aimed at one who program. He ... believed in the of cant of the man ... " the next step-a teJlescopilc cosmos. Not does PorceUino describe the basics of amateur astronomy (how tele scopes the ..... !'>"".nlr.. n' the Tellf!sC(}pe: A Guide of the eye, atnlos·ph{~riC turlbUlenc:e, for the Amateur Astronomer, also takes a step Michael R. Tab teurs can contribute in a way to Blue Summit, Pen- science. Entire sections are devoted to comet 1989, ISBN 0-8306- hUIltinlg, rrle~mrlng double stars, mc>nt1torilng: 1459-1, ISBN 08306-3159-3 stars and solar observations, among others. These serve to the reader and further resources for more informa urn store. AA VSO, IAU, etc.). 20 Planetarian To p/anetarians who say~ Ul1d control my theater with SPICE Automation if it cost IITIif , The best media control system money can buy now costs less money. A lot less. Take our new TlIYME II Data/ Time Interface. It costs over 60% less than its predecessor. Our new NUTMEG utility cards make automated dimming and switching functions dramatically less expensive. New pricing on existing SPICE Automation hardware delivers even more savings. If you1re planning a new or revi talized theater, call us for a quote. The best is within reach. Sky-Skan.. Inc. 5 J Lake Street Nashua NH 03060-4513 USA Toll-free 800-880-8500 Tel. 603-880-8500 Fax 603-882-6522 Fisher Brought Warmth to the Earth", and then discussed how it is used in the station ary dome versus the mobile dome. In Starlab it is a much more interalctivepn~ltation. Ted Stalac (Herkimer BOCES, 480 Gross Blvd, Herkimer, NY 13350 USA) showed us a demonstration he uses with and Brought to you by and of interest to: senior high school students. He calls this Powerful Interactive Planetarium ;)Y~,(t:U:l:!l demonstration "A Reason to Study Astron omy-It will save you thousands of dollars and make you more comfortable." A Suntracker and a Sun Sensor combined with a small model house makes a new tool for teaching practical astronomy. The use of a mini mag light as the sun (or the real sun) lets the student quantitatively examine the positive and negative aspects of windows in different walls of a structure. Solar radiation variations are measured as the sun's position to shifts through the day and the year. These and a copy of the apIJ!iCaw:m Phone: variations are examined as a function of Susan at the address fax: (315)433-1530 direction and its heating of the structure. this column. The following is a list of the components: [email protected] hot glue and 2 two inch (5 cm) wires; Fisher Scientific (90-91 catalog) SUNTRACKER, S42213-5, $59.95 and SUN SENSOR, S42212, Zimmerman (National ;:)Clen(:e $17.90; model house cut from Styrofoam Center, ATZH-NSC, Fort June Meeting: plate. 30905-5689 USA) tens me Starlabs at their location and are in'l.rol,,,M The seventh PIPS USERS' Group meeting Of course a multitude of interesting offering extensive She was nUlVi(1ea was held on Monday, June 24, 1996 with and resources were shared-too many to with a eleven enthusiastic (experienced and novice) keep a list. People were delighted to spend sion was for her to dU1PUc:ate planetarians. The host facility was the the day with colleagues and plan to meet out some of the committee's Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES (Informa again in the month of September. Thank materials each author tion and Technology Division, 1900 Bleeker you Lindarae for a wonderful day ! as the committee). Street, Utica, NY 13501 USA), where the Carlos zat>aJtl:OltlLa. dynamiC Lindarae Bauer wowed us with her IPS '96- Buenos Aires, writes, gracious hospitality and ingenious teaching As I write this column, plans have been letter I to contribute to enhCUlce methods. Lindarae led us to explore some finalized and a three-hour workshop will be of the IPS as you said in an earlier ... v,'uu,.... , unique ways to use the Geographic cylinder presented at IPS '96. A printed copy of this and the Ocean Current cylinder. She uses a workshop will appear in the Df()ceediings. sewing tape measure with markings applied The workshop is called I/LD.E.A.S. Inter that we visit with our portable plametarturn. with glow-in-the dark paint (each inch ::: active/Interdisciplinary Didactic EXloeriences This is wri Uen, of course, in Spanilsn about 40 mi; or 2 cm::::: about 66 km; this is a with Advanced ST ARLAB". Discussion could be useful for other .:11-""'U~'JU sr)eal!~ers very rough scale, please check this yourself). will include: Starlab as a Versatile Teciching With this tape students can measure such Tool; The Lapp (SarnO Sky; The Cosmic things as the distance traveled by explorers Moose Hunting Scene; A new Starlab and compare it to the time it took them. Cylinder; Interdisciplinary Experiences with Then the Ocean Current cylinder could be STARLABi Introduction of used to discuss why certain routes were pop Cylinders; and Methods of Making New ular. Students could also measure, with this Hemispheric Images wi th tape, areas of land masses to compare such Cylinders and Photographic Film Presenters things as population per square km, amount will include Loris Ramponi, Susan Reynolds was also ...... ,"""';£'1".£'1 of oil from a square area, and to notice real and Torbj0ffi Urke. schedule. sizes of nations (Australia to USA) on the more size-accurate continent projection of ...... n,IL...... , .... Transparent Starlab. Mary Stebbins (Museum of Science and Learning Technologies, Inc., is sponsoring Technology, Franklin at W. Jefferson St., a contest to inspire creative uses of their Syracuse, NY 13202 USA) presented a clear cylinders. For rules etc. please contact Dn:!-nx:ord(~d Native American Show, "How Learning Technologies, Inc., Trcms:parerlt 22 Planetarian Vol. since the discovery of ancient bones and the first use of the word "dinosaur" to describe the creatures they once were, people around the world have been fascinated by prehistoric beasts. Now, your audiences too can share the excitement and wonder at diversity and magnificence of these beings who once dom inated the earth as no other group of creatures has since. Presented in a smoothly-flowing your audience back for the feel of the how geologic time works in a method that is understood. By using fresh, new and exciting depictions of than twenty overall), this dynamic show answers e Exactly what were the dinosaurs? e Were all creatures of that time dinosaurs? .. Are there any dinosaurs left? e How big were they? @II Did they live all over the world? CD What did they eat? From some of the smallest to the most gigantic, the very earliest to the latest, "Dinosaurs!" tells their @II did they die? • How did we find out about them? Best of all, this dramatic 30-minute show featuring more that 1 .0 (Plus Joe Hopkins Engineering • P.O. ox 14278 • Call 1- 00 dates, culled from Chases' Calendar old and astronomy textbooks and so on; but it's been rather nOQ2,£>-T)O(12£> exercise. I'd like to be able to put the stuff I've collected into a booklet that could be distributed to the IPS member- because it occurs to me that many you may find in a similar situa- tion, and could find the information useful. It also occurs to me that many have similar a;)~,,:;aJL .. u .. a~;, ... .:> mtiterial, some of which I ...... ,""I"\'"nl'U collection at least one .:JIaJlO .. U'LU...... historical astronomy event for each calendar day), would you send me a copy of "Opening the Dome" addresses what collected, and then I'll try to logistics active, nu,,.r... ~~h,p put it all as 44 An Astronomer's Book sky observation programs as adjuncts of Days tanum shows. If this I've got some other ideas for PUlDJICCilWJns: 41 An Astronomer's Book of Quotes;" "An Astronomer's Book of "An Astronomer's Book of Art;" and "An Astronomer's Book of Cartoons." I've been doing these "skywatch" type newspaper columns and radio programs for a few years now. Sometimes it's incred ibly easy, sometimes it's an amazing For example, before leaving for summer vaca At the 1996 South Eastern PJametaI'iUlm tion, I had to write and narrate two month's Association conference in Nashville, worth of I-minute programs, so that the Tennessee's Sudekum Planetarium, the first local pbs station would have in ever Constellation Shootout was held (so far the can until I got back into town. as I know... ) The idea was make up a I do five different Skywatch programs each list of stars, asterisms and week, which air at 7:20 a.m. and 1 p.m. sky objects, and then have contestants Monday on WQCS Classic them out. Last person left is the Radio. Each program consists of winner. amJroxrnnatelv 40 seconds of narration (10 to Sixteen people up for the Shootout. Hlines in the Courier font) and 15 seconds of When I put this I was afraid musical introduction and On that there would be so many contestants average, it takes me two and a half hours that the Shootout would take a each week to write and record the time and tend to on. Then when start- spots. So for two months worth of ed to folks at the I discov- Skywatches, let's see, that's nine weeks times ered the who 2.5 ... well, anyhow, it's a lot of time. would want to put themselves on the I try to make the information useful to the like this, in a dark theater filled Hs1:eners, so that later on that pVIf>ninu. can try to find the stuff that I've been about. Of course, you don't have m()011-TH31n£>t cOlnjutnctiolns, meteor showers - the contest or eclipses every day, so I have to come with I had had H~/;U'."'''''''. lots of filler for those times when n01thullg's asked someone to out a co:nsteUaticJn, Good filler includes various pnJm.inc~nt all of a sudden there'd be a dozen red stars and constellations visible in dots on the dome. (in fact, the first the evening or basic concepts in astron- the conference, that's what omy, or historical haDDlenilmzs, when the went down.) So to cir- such as, IIW. H. Olber's is cumvent Sudekum Planetarium this astronomer came up with a very Director Kris McCall us with a bat cant about the universe, -you I'why is the dark at And then I a filament talk about alber's Paradox for the next thir as a arrow. I put a ty seconds. over it and it made for a very distinctive I've collected a lot of these historical which the contestants 24 Planetarian of us est from Hubble in his Public Outreach tion, and with Carol Christian, who heads that effort. AI Holm to me the convoluted come from Hubble to rc;r·"""";". ... ,... area in which I stood (and had a chance to ask Charles Kowal, back. the "correct" of Pluto's moon; he said Charon as in uKaron," not Charon as I was invited to the in II and if it's good for Te:lesc::o]:)e Science Institute to deliver a collo- Charles ... ) ... Conrad Sturch showed me an on the and interaction .... A':.UU~H. of the monstrous Palomar between astronomers and I and the and used to the talk the title "Mar- tum them into computer files for Hubble ... Made in Heaven: The Astronomer ...... ,"''''iiau''''£! some of the video pnD<111Ct;~a Planetarian Connection/' loaded up the slide STScI for their NASA TV broadcasts, and saw tray, and left an unseasonable 80 in the Helix Nebula "tacipolles" noT,".. "" ...... "'" Montana for an unseasonable 40 was released ... and Anne in Baltimore. about affiliate contacts to press I'd never been to the Institute release Ust to get materials into the hands of was with great that plane1:arians for and the brisk that I showed up on the the same with video segments buildilmr I'd seen many times ever the rat, I before in next to a tree left with slides and filled ravine in a woodsier section of the and a new If everyone or anyone could have such Scientist for Education, who served as as I how could the my host for the visit. And what a excitement and reward of scientific discov- visit it was! ery not but rub off! The collloolLllUllIl And yet there are and everyone can Q"o-ano I was at such a Museum in Washington D.C. Granted, with so many visitors to the U.S. one could a crowd for almost "",",u·H.. ;.,..,, But for me, this was of size or the old OR.A.II.UIIJU.... ,F,,, The other part was the a Gemini astronaut's chance to be where the action was, and to as an aU-dome aPlJeared in the n!;lnp·t Planetarian Item: On the same date as the Sdence News astronomy, to them get better and do article, JaUe Phifer initiates a Dome-L discus 'better. But it's Dositivellv critical to enJltgl:1ten sion by how others deal with a ques those who are of even the most tion she gets all too often from visitors: "Why should learn about astrono myanyway?" It's to one up short. And to feel gored by both horns of the dren or their students. dilemma So what's the solution? As with all If this has reminded me of any- QUiestiloncS, there aren't easy answers-and all thing, it's that we must be wary of the "selec involve hard work. We need to do more of tion effect" with which we often deal: name what the Science News article I ly, that our own interests and our own work think: to try to 'better understand the belief throw us with systems and attitudes and of those who are to some who don't come to our who those people we hardly ever see-the ones scientific ideas, who see no value in who don't visit our or the another little at Mars. If world's Air and Museums, who won- we can understand better how Gloria Rall's der what good it does to bother with astron naturalists came to be so "'..... " __1"1 .. "'1" we must watch out that we unschooled in astronomy, our NASA need to reach the most, that are the hardest wClrk!ihclp didn't attract more teachers with of all to reach. no or materials and no apparent This]une, our museum conducted a three motivation to we can day NASA workshop on the upcoming Mars discover how to reach them better-and ear missions for about two-dozen teachers from lier. all over Montana During the opening intro out to malls with a duction, each was asked to say a few words about what they hoped to get out of the workshop. Invariably, the answers came: I'm with the universe. really interested in science and space, I love a laser show to attract the to teach science, I conduct a unit on space then them with nrl"vi~'lAT" every year with my class, we visit the muse it means um, we use lots of NASA resources, I'm of the next time hits or ing to find some new sources of materials, I'd Hale-Bopp whizzes by, when even the most like to know more. The selection effect in all hardened non-scientists may come out just its glory: we'd attracted the teachers who to see what all the fuss is about. it were motivated to teach science and means out what are interest astronomy, and who wanted to learn more. ed in, and working new themes into your The teachers who didn't like science, who shows. didn't feel comfortable about astro- it means, when ask convince them that th~eplra(:tice nomical concepts because didn't under- astronomy?", that we need to Good luck! Share your ideas stand them wen themselves, who didn't out that there's a reason we're at the cess stories. And let's have space materials and didn't know how the food that we didn't get here there! to get any, were not much in evidence. eschewing the study of the natural or Contrast this with Gloria Ran's Dome-L hllrniTHT off our brains when our 'bellies account of her with a group of were full We got where we are because we teachers in their twenties who were had ancestors with enough to trained as naturalists for summer camps: tum and the assimilation and use a lesson plan that stated the earth was of knowledge into not only but warmer in summer because it was closer to advancement. That when we started out, the sun, an exercise that involved looking at knowledge was survival, and if some of we received ...... "'...... "',,,1"" the sun, about how to create or knowlecisre seem less necessary for survival This thunderous lack of respolilse sug.gests use a simple sundial ... the Big readily today, it doesn't mean lost value; one of two either members identified without knowing how it moved, they've just changed context. fied with the current custom of "A~"~'A'1P'o how to use it to find the Little ...... AIJIJ .... I. study astronomy? Because astrono conference in the summer, knowing any Big Bear legends ... ~nrnr ..,., my us to get where we are today, and is a matter of concern. discover that stars had different it's a foolish person who doesn't realize it's The results will have been that that meant sornethulg to know how we got here. Oearly, Gloria Rall had the more difficult Because it's not a smart long-term survival who did reSl)Ona. task -and the more one. strategy to live off the of m'OW'je(l£e It's of course, to support and to gathered our forebears without adding advance teachers who are motivated and ",,,,,,·ut-t"',..,,lT new to the store. Because it can knowledgeable about basic science and our lives and roles in perspec- Last year, Don Han innovative, and dis:trraguistlcd Vol. Planetarian and have aDlDfecia!ted us all to see a Httle more behalf of IPS, I thank him a lifetime dedi cated to the stars, and wish him well in his active retirement. Our efforts continue ... In Undine the world Concannon a paper entitled "The Current Role of Planetariums in 4l."".A'lJJ"~"U Bill our rep- resentative on the IAU Commission 46 on at the National Air the of before the IAU as director of the Hansen. CoHo~Uium on the of AsltrolnOlmv He established of pro- in London. This is another way for us to grams in plcme~taliwn Michllgan reach out and make connections with other State prclfes~)io:rlals in the field. conference of our at Abrams in 1970, and hosted in 1992 at Hansen. He has served our as nn... " ...... extensive research in ar(:haleoastrOlt10lrny The initiatives mentioned in the ...... " .. ri,"""" Native American issue continue, discussions with education, and in other on materials the national as wen as his aCl'VOI:ac:v of for- m;:lgazif1le SIUbSCI'ip!tion discount program, mative evaluation, has made him a weU- and As1tronolmy Link. Watch for more word known in far our own ranks. of these in the next issue. And can a meaner Indian flute! His Governor's Medal for Science and received from the governor back from the IPS conference of Utah and the Utah State Council up on Science and on the occasion deadlines as I write this last section, so look of his retirement, was wen-earned indeed. for a full report on the conference next issue. Von Del's career and many Suffice it to say for the moment that those ac(:ornplisllmlents have advanced our fortunate to attend had a wonderful sion in immeasurable ways; his has been an and of the best eXlpeI'ierlce,d, ulfhlerlticu, and voice for the and the it seeks to intlemret. For aU those who love the (we put their names into a then set up the Ust as we them out.) Besides there were three other renowned for their onds to and Dave Hostetter, to be not time, es{:>ecial.ly Louisiana Plane contestant wanted to relocate to «AU'ULan... I asked them to of the dome to get a better LV ...... V'-.~u , ...... F.A'''bl as we could confer with on the part of the the target each other whenever a questilon arose about was located. AU contestants assembled near the correctness of a identification. the center of the and the And also served as a net in case I around as their tum came up. Next mislabeled (I momentari- time we try this I'll make it a 15 sec- ly confused Alnitak with Alnilam ond grace to alleviated some of the Belt.) Atone inevitable pressure. The Shootout turned out The last before we con- two of tinued on to the next one. When I some- mont Planetarium in M!;~rnlPhils, Tennessee, 28 Planetarian SHOW KITS AVAILABLE FROM THE A fun, friendly and exploration of sky! Designed through 1st graders, this is an ideal first primary school audiences. Your presenter program blending live interaction with nco.cr\,·"r,'Ir\/'i segments. • 20 / 108 slides / $450 the possibility of life '-""'-"/""'->< in our galaxy and throughout the universe. ·31 minutes / 368 slides / $350 visual educational materials Soundtrack on Journey into future from a space station out to the stars . Dolby Bf Cor dbx • 38 minutes / 321 slides / $350 Slides Investigate some of the exciting discoveries made about the worlds in our Solar System . • 25 minutes /314 slides / $350 * Explore our planet from its violent birth to today and see how its wealth of resources make life possible. noise reduction: Find out how we can preserve and enjoy the future of the world. • 25 minutes / 250 slides / $350 Prllllfll'nmC funded by the Eledric (1I'III'nll'lll'flii,nlt II Roswell Museum and Arts 11th and North Main Roswell, New Mexico ask you, God, You, who were 'there' outside outside space, outside time. Because there time. So 'there' and 'then' n01thiIu! else. Then, Since I became aware of the environment around me, of those strange and that appear in the I have tried works. Now, I claim that Bess your answer and if so, what would rest of my existence like afterwards - assum that there is an answer .... could Hon, I would ask and understand the Universe eqluatiorlS and numbers. The Universe is ulated with material such as stars nebuJ!ae. but we describe these the mathematical constructs called equa tions. Consider, for a in orbit around the Sun. We can write an equa- of the form xl/a:!' + (the equa- that describes this orbit. eauattoln derives from some others: and F=ma At what times and of the week can I see 'STAR HUSTLER'? ANSWER: Most TV stations air 'STAR HUSTLER' just before nightly sign-off. However, due to 'STAR HUSTLER's' enormous popularity a number of stations find the show's 5-minute format can fit anywhere during the broadcast day and air the show more frequently. Local TV listings seldom include 5-minute so ifs best to call the station for the broadcast schedule. QUESTION: If I can't find 'STAR HUSTlER' on hometown PBS station, how can I see It where I ANSWER: 'STAR HUSTLER' is provided free of charge by WPBT, Miami to all PBS stations. If you can't find it, write or call your local PBS station and ask if they will air it and remind them that it ~ available free of charge. QUESTION: Is It necessary to get special permission to use HUSTlER' for astronomy dub meetings, In the dassroan, sdence nua.m cr pIanetarUn La? ANSWER: No. In fact, many astronomy clubs, teachers, science mU5ellTlS and planetariums have been taping 'STAR HUSTlER' off the air and using it regularly as a way to reach their public. QUESTION: Is there any way I can get 'STAR HUSTLER' other than my local PBS station? ANSWER: Yes. A month's worth of 'STAR HUSTlER' episodes are fed monthly to a satellite from which all PBS stations take it for fl••• knows how to come down from the their local programming. ~ with a satellite dish is welcome to the satellite feed. Again, no permission is required. For satellite feed dates and times call Monday through Friday (Eastern time) 305-8544242. Ask for Mrs. Harper or Mr. Dishong. "... 1 never miss it. involved in science with Jack Horkheimer's science John Nathan Turner, ANSWER: Any teacher anywhere around the world can obtain 'STAR HUSTlER' episodes in advance through their NASA C.O.R.E. Teachers' Resource Center. For details write:NASA C.O.R.E.; Lorain County Joint Vocational School; 15181 Route 58 South; Oberlin, OH. 44074. Produced in ,..nl'\nc~r~tlf'\n Miami Museum of Science removed and placed on the top shelf of the The third observer sat on coat closet off to the right. The door of the the demonstration table with closet was unscrewed from its hinges for the immediately under the softball duration of the demonstration. eyes the eyes of all nh~~1!""[1""K In the years that followed, the softball Planet Earth. earth was painted with more realistic and Where was the audience? Out in proportional colors, the ping pong baU on a Space Platform or moon was painted light yellow and the watching what was happ(Din~. chicken wire frame was replaced by a one Beginning with the rpm furnace damper motor. It was noisy between the and the .:>VJ!.UJ' served well for two years. That damper Hons were recorded on the 'l.-U<1U\.U'J 34 Planetarian Vol. r~'~ntl~'itspn~sclho~~ sound success among ,-UU,,-,La-'U teachers. The XI National of Italian Planetaria will be held 6 October in jjOl~~a The program includes communications about new and the latest interna- tional in the a conference about an astronomer from the of the first meeting of the users of the Italian manual planetarill1m model Galileo and the visit to the Aula Didattica Planetario where a Galileo works under a half dome. Prof. Turricchia chairs The National for the awareness of Ke:~lonaJ KC~UIlldtm col umn. ae'pel1ds on contributions that I receive from polliution will be held on October 12, in Mfiliate Associations allover the world. connection with the solar Please continue to contribute as you have ble also in Also the Italian plalnetarila done before. To be sure that your text will collaborate in this initiative. the up but some are ..-A'''-U't::lClLlIILHU is the second the Internet as an effective means to and one of the main reach audiences and their activi country. The star nr...... i~.,..tr' .. ties. The Planetarium of Ciudad Victoria in Italian craftsman lilan1pa()10 'arrlaulipciS, Mexico uses it to present sched shows 3200 stars up to 5th mclgnlitulde. of its shows as wen as other hole of the star services as information related to astronomy. Check it out via Internet at hi-ihn>.i'''A7'''~'' Unfmtwrlately no AMP AC member ~u:geIuo Saraceni (geoglraphv tarians attended the IPS 13th Conference at Sandro Rossano and Alberto but some will attend the tion teachers). cOIljUlnction of RMP A, SWAT, GPP A, and AMP AC at ill Paso, Texas on 18-21 ;:,elpte'mIDer 1996. Texans do meet in a The Nordic summer themselves to much outdoor d·~... nF"'+,~'h:;~~ but this summer has been even worse: We Fernando haven't seen much of our cherished rI.""o.;.~~ What is a Planetarium. It either. basic nH~, ... .,.t",,~·;.n..... of most Instead, at least some of the Nordic AMP AC member plCimetariluflls. tarians have traveled, some to the IPS in "'..-'''''"l':>U. '-'~'''",.''''')'' in Osaka, some to the First Inter- The Planetario de national Science Center held Pianetarian prc>dtlctilon that will feature the voice of 1996. RMP A this year will be the de Lancie. The program is designed to Southwest Association of the tie in with a new $1.5 miHion permanent Great Plains Planetarium Association, and exhibit at the Museum called Landforms/ the Asociacion Mexicana De Planetarios, A.c. Lifeforms, chronicling the of This is titled "On the geology and in the northern Border in 96". The EPISD Planetarium sits on Mountain The also the border of RMPA, SWAP, and AMPAC. received a $40,000 grant from the Taylor The to this conference will be conveni Foundation to install a new laser system and ence. The EPISD El Paso umin production equipment. The new equipment International III was shook will debut in a new show Laser Rock Hall of Center, our host hotels (Radisson and educational Fame in the faU Oarion), and several restaurants are all with the planet:ar1lum The Faulkner Planetarium of the Herrett in a two block area Automobiles are Cen ter for Arts and Twin Fans, al and conference travel time will be mini Idaho, added Chris Anderson to its staff 21 mal. Planetarium's nrU"1I1<-'I"P'I1,OI"T March as Planetarium Production Specialist. With six conference rooms reserved, there Formerly with the Science Center of Iowa, should be plenty of rooms for various activi Chris' new position includes handling show ties. There will be a permanent vendors' area, presen tation and production assistance. a 'IStar-Lab" area, as well as rooms. Having just opened in November 1995, the As a school district there will planetarium's second show to the public was be an emphasis on the educational uses of a Inner Space, which opened in May. This pro planetarium as weB as classroom astronomy duction, funded by Glaxo Welcome Pharma education materials. Alan Hale of "Hale ceutical and produced by John Stoke at Sky Bopp" fame will be one of the guest sP(~akers Skan, focuses on the human immune system at a star party hosted by the EI Paso and how medicines are used to help combat Astronomy Oub. Registration materials will diseases. Rick Greenawald, Director, reports be sent out during May. For further informa that the planetarium is still enjoying an aver tion contact: John Peterson at (915) 779-4316 age attendance rate of over 50% for public or [email protected] feature programs and nearly 70% capacity for school shows. It win soon add Planet Patrol as its new school show. For its first In this spring, many Russian plametarilunls summer, the Faulkner Planetarium ran an participated in many interesting "h,... 111-;<,,:r<;."· expanded schedule of 17 shows/week from The day ofplanetariums, The Memorial Day to Labor Day. tics, The day of astronomy, The day The Rocky Mountain Planetarium Associ The day of the nation ation will hold it's annual conference at the planetarium is fine place where every El Paso ISD Planetarium on 19-21 Se]:)teln~er concluded from page 32) from the process of discovery. But I do want to find out why those arcane con- structs called do seem to me) and I would like to work, and that is what I would ask. know the answers to but I wouldn't Dale Smith ask them. Why not? Planetarium Director Because in science it's not just the answer & Asu'onC)my that counts, but the also the of the Bowling Green State answer. Much of the fun in science lies in the process, in the quest to what the universe and its parts are like. Scientists relish the quest for its own sake as wen as for the *** answers it will eventually yield One cosmol ogist quipped that he liked working in that If I could ask God a pla.ne'rarmI1[l-[lelarea field because the problems were so hard! It's question, the light-hearted, rhetorical one like getting to that viewpoint at the top of would be inspired England's curren t the mountain: the view is so much richer Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, who is occa when I've sweated my way up the trail than <;:10n:;l!lU asked by members of the when I've driven up the paved road. So I "Why didn't the Big Bang happen earlier?". don't want to be told these answers if But the serious one would be "ls there cur are in fact ones that I (or someone) can ...... ~.... AJ.. life elsewhere in the I'll be deU:ght€~d uncover the sweat and rigor of Universe?" I wouldn't want to know where tions October 10. scientific research. I don't want to be short they are, as we'd have a lot of fun A~U'''''AA''' Have ch,an~~ed out of the excitement that comes and knowing there is an answer out Vol. Planetarian Tennessee) for a very successful SW AP con pJ2metar'iUITI stories ference. Kris was awarded a Uolld-lnaintf'l1 entire column. Pam EW5tlJlct \,..... "" ..;l'i.U' ... u, let plunger by the "Great Plains ...... , .... ,."' .. Guam) had an inter~~stiln2: eXlper'ierlce Association" by Tim for the conference; Tim She was had given a talk on 11101 Best Ways to Teach Astronomy with a Toilet Plunger." to Keith (Chanute High School, lola Kansas) on being awarded the 1995 Outstanding Physics Teacher Award, by the Kansas-Oklahoma-Arkansas regional of the AAPT last fall. to George Fleenor (Bishop Planetarium, Bradenton Florida) and his Wife, who should someone have a newborn by the time you read this. pick it up and Congratulations also on being elected as the will go out." The kid was am:)an~nt- SW AP's President-elect! ly to steal the uai>U.l.JI.}"UL, Know... You may have heard, Von.Del Chamber lam. (of Hansen Planetarium, Salt Lake City) has retired. I hope he keeps in dose touch to Yoshiya Watmabe and all of the staff of with the international planetarium commu the Science Museum of Osaka for hosting a nity that he has done so much for. wonderful IPS conference! It was described 'lbomas is no longer with Forum der by President (Museum of the Technik Planetarium in Munich. His friends Rockies, Bozeman Montana) as one of the know that he definitely has a bright, starry Institute, Baltimore 1\/I"" ..ug",,,..,,H best IPS conferences ever, with more than future ahead of him, and that he'll be suc 300 participants in attendance from about cessful wherever he is. And Tom Hoddlrul HST. Sounds like a ch,illengiing 30 countries. On the post-conference tour (formerly of Morehead Planetarium, Ask Elizabeth ROE~er alone, some of the participants were from Sri Hill NC) has moved on to Indianapolis. Not Lanka, Canada, South Africa, China, Belgium, to worry, he's still keeping in contact with Finland, Italy, the United States, and (of the planetarium community on Dome-L. course) Japan. AIm Gould (Lawrence Hall of Also on the move is Andrea Gilmc)oolw()S Science, Berkeley California) said that this (Ethyl Universe Planetarium, Richmond Vir conference has had the strongest interna ginia). She started on May 1st as the new that is sometimes tional"feel" to it that he's ever experienced, Education Coordinator. Andrea was former sometimes black with little As a part of the last SWAP cortferem:e. and that it kind of feels like being at the UN. ly the Planetarium Specialist at the Univer Bell (Indian River r" ...... "",,~:.·.v '"-"UH'.lI:, .., (I presume that it's a kinder, gentler, friendli sity of Wisconsin-Fox VaHey Planetarium in er United Nations to which he's referring.) Menasha. Time Rahunen (Tampere Planetarium, Thanks to (Sky-Skan, Inc.) for Finland) said that it was his first trip to Japan, passing around his laptop the IPS ina and that it exceeded aU of his expectations. post-conference tour and posting O .. 7<> .... ""'~"..,<' And Joban Gijsenbergs (Europlanetarium, messages to Dome-L. Those of us unfortu your own. The winner was (National Air and Museum, ""I_.~ .... '-- Belgium) said that whoever wants to orga nates who were unable to make the real nize another IPS-meeting should meet the ly enjoyed reading about the wonderful ton DC), who was awarded a laser .., ..... au ...... Japanese standards met during the confer experience everyone had (Some of us have courtesy of lIDA. ence, but that it would be hard to beat them. to experience these things vicariously.) Sue More news on SEPA-the featured to Wendi Elliot (Kirkpatrick Planetarium, Reynolds (Starlab Planetarium, for the was Dr. Mark LU:tmlan,n Oklahoma City) for receiving her black belt New York) really enjoyed of Tennessee). He was the in Aikido. She says that after years of being tality and culture at the IPS conference. Her tor of the Hansen Planetarium in in the dark, she can finall y protect herself. message posted to Dome-L lists her as from 1965 until and wrote many of their shows still n",• .f",..,,,,,,,_ Now she can butt heads with the best of "Watashi no namae wa Susan Reynolds desu them. from OCM BOCES Planetarium ... " ed worldwide. to 11m Slater (formerly of the Ke1ce Plane dever! Others got into the international tarium, Pittsburg Kansas and now at Mon it by writing messages in French and tana State University) and Kelle HID (also for German. tarium, merly at Pittsburg KS and now planning to An update from June's edition: Mike and scoutmaster. He and fonner relocate to Bozeman Montana) for their Barb Lutz (Laser Fantasy Int.) had daughter LmdJs (STScI, Baltimore) awarded Rod's recent engagement during the SWAP confer Natalie Jane on April 25th. Mike says the Scout award Rob ence. He proposed during the beautiful river two little ones really keeps you hopping. The of the boat cruise and she accepted Congratula announcement was a very cute baseball tions also to Krls McOill and all of the staff at card, which listed Natalie's hobbies as eating the Sudekum Planetarium (NashVille, leisurely meals and sleeping in late, Vol. Planetarian needed from one-half of turnbuckle. hlJ1C1:Sight, it can nlu,hl,D1IY'I could have been solved swltCltlml£ the moon arm crank to the other end of the motor shaft. The chalkboard rI .. ",u,hnn-c slide visuals in that the around the dome. Moon and How It Works was an on,goi.ng show. Later, it was "off the shelf' and used as a to the star shows for two groups of Elderhostelers. The chicken wire orrery and the it! ...... u ••-' .... motor version were used in focus remains constant.) While this system of exposures the works wen most of the time, it does have a of distinct disadvantages. (We've touched on the of unneces- xposur1e-t,racKettng in a ~ .. r.' JUl"HUJUU,'''-AJlLj but it's an issue worth repeat First, variables such as the "whiteness" of the paper stock can the (blackness) of the film background Likewise, sh()ottng of very small 'U ....& ...... " an associated extension of the lens to com pensate for focus-can alter the relative amount striking the film. These vari- abJles--t()gE~thler with in the ~:h-(:ontra:st films explore some ways to minimize have with a shot-in- "Kodalith system" a more efficient one. the-arm for text, and slide masks without those Fat Re(:tmlg1~es (BFRs) that our simulated space envi POSiti011illlg of the copystand I1CTn1"':_r'~n ronments. The down-side of using .l'\.'U'uaULI,I, rnlnC;:Y",irp to throw the exposure out hn'<4'o'""".. is that and developing it side of the entire bracketing range. pn~bllenls for the occasional .... M,n .... ,fVi'. Second, taking three (or more) shots for 2t'~rnir~ I characteristics. every final image used in a show is a waste of ul1:ra··hi:~h··cont]rast nature of the film- materials and money. And we know all-too stock, with the need for devel- wen that most aren't opment chemicals available in many cases capacities often create waste and wasteful shrilllking-I)arUc:ularly now, in an era of habits at the and in the dark- impo~;ed t-r.,,,,<>I.t"u and cutbacks in ...... _v ..... "...... room. Let's some ways to minimize it institutions. this waste and make the "Kodalith system" a more efficient one. The alternative to bracketing is to do a 1I.l .. '.,. .... llI .... 11"o ....,....., Waste better of determining the expo The biggest advantage of Kodalith film sure for a particular piece of "art" and a par also creates its biggest the ticular copy setup. Because of the num- film-stock's extreme contrast. WhUe the ber of variables which can affect expo high-contrast of this negative film serves to smre--cCln\rliQrht output and distance, ""tt",ririn,plu drop-out the of a and camera-lens extension (to n ..,-...... ", .. h, gfGlptilic- or text-slide into opaque it focus on dose subjects)-it's imlpGlrtamt makes the stock very intolerant of inexact to be able to "meter" the exposure. Some users of Kodalith compen adjust exposure for each shot, or group sate for this "bracketing" their exposures. of similar shots. This entails shooting not a IIstandard" I Metering when shooting Kodalith I exposure, but also at least a couple more would be pretty str.:ngnttor J one with a stop more than ,standard ward except for one problem: the sub- \ and another with a stop less. (text, line art, etc.) are far from \ \ pV'nprlP,nr'p \ For let's say "average", and the camera meter is set I \ with our hypo,theUcal up to "see" average scenes. What I mean Hghtilng setup, that our best vu.J, ... v.uaJt-. by "average" are scenes which have f exposures with Kodalith around more-or-Iess equal amounts and I f f/S.6 at 1/2 second. To bracket shots for a par I dark areas, or lots of middle tones. f I ticular text slide (one stop either way), we'd That's why camera meters work f I \ f \ I \ take one exposure with the lens aperture set I \ I \ for shots of Grandma and Grandpa at f I I \ I \ I \ at f/S.6, one at f/8, and a third at f/4-all with the beach-except in special situations, I \ \ f I I I the shutter set for 1/2 second. such as when the Sun is behind the f I (Alltet'TIativelv we could take an exposure at "ancestors" in question. In such excep I 1/2 second, one at 1/4 and the third tions, the meter tries to make the super one at 1 second-all with the aperture set at bright sky behind our seniors fit into its f/S.6. The advantage with the second brack- "", Vol. Planetarian tion-exhausted chemicals...... ""hl"" ..... is that Kodak ae'"el,on~'r as chemical which tends the entire bulk While most of us can divide >to-clllenlicaJ solutions, pn~packiagE~d soUd chemicals aplpeaJing. This is eS1Jeciallv gr;;mtllalted chemicals very limited shelf-lives, their solid cent rate can last almost indefi- in sealed COIltallnelrs. an accurate and convenient way measure these materials would lot way to measure solid chemicals or is with a kitchen scale 2). Of KodaUth, and, as a result, will course, these inexpensive little devices- your film costs. available in or houseware are somewhat inaccurate. But rhn...... ~ii,..·"'1 Waste there's a way around that too. Another KodaHth-related waste-prlobJem check the accuracy of the scale concerns the In the of known and use tarium, the ro .. ," ..... ~·~4-~, variance in the scale's to calculate that gets mixed and stored is much conversion factor. For instance, than what is consumed the chemi darkroom (the taller and cal's shelf-life. (The amount of this ,rl.o,,,""I,,,..... "' .. that I've had to in my ... I<.... "'.+ ....• •• ,,~ solutions. career is more than I care to remember!) The rated shelf-Hfe of most solu- ~'~''''U''~H''', I measured out 8 U.S. tions stored in bottles with- ounces (0.24 liters) of water and accuracy out or use is about six months. If the checked my scale with that. Since 1 U.S. bottle is on a basis, the 1 ounce (28.35 is a lot due to fresh oxygen n ..,~",iirl""rl me with a enterilng the container and with the mark from which to check the variance chemical solution. This the scale. In this case, the scale read ment in the bottle reduces the useful life of ounces with 8 ounces of actual (jp,,,pl,nnpr to around a month or so. Kodak's u-·rm~ani.ng that this unit reads 0.9375 of the (jp,,,p!,nnE>1" KodaHth RT, is the "stan- value. Similar water-volume dard" for KodaHth film and (mass) can be pelrtormled LPD4, and comes in solid, form metric measurements, if needed. with a to make 3.8 Hters (1 U.S. Once determined how to accurate- Ion) each of parts A and B solution. ly with an otherwise inaccu- There are few that can use up rate it's easy to r1 """1"'_"' .... nn'IAI,,rl,,,, .. ,,,r1 7.6 liters (2 of KodaIith in chemicals into smaller for six months-and none that can do more efficient (md Jess wasteful) volumes of so in about a month or so. As a many solutions. The shows the pl,m{~talriums around world volumes of and water, quan1:iti~~ of unused, KodaIith devel- rp~:nprHvpllv to make up smaller batches of oper every year, or else ruin film oxida- solution for Kodalith 42 Planetarian 4 before film de'vel,oplment.) a system set up with your scoops, and it'll few minutes to get divided With a little investment of time UUlaI-{)aCJKer of KodaUth was associated with volumes of solution. cre;attrlg their One altema- Vol. Planetarian tronic kudzu! Even after cutting away all the elec- tronic mail, nei£hlbors endless vacation slide is much of interest to IJI~Hlf-'·T:;!l·l:;n' .. 'brave new world wide web.' To with a common of planetarians the world over, consider new images and discoveries from space and Earth-based observatories. In the past the wire services or TV networks break a story about a new in our local communities. Often the new media present or distorted in1terlDre~ta· Hons of these discoveries. con- fused members of the turn to the local for clarification and addi- tional information. In the local If you haven't noticed the .... ""~A ...... '" of the World Wide Web of the Inter etarian could be of little unless he or she net over the past year, then had access to the original wire story or was been in a coma for the last twelve months! enou.2:n to be on the list for Even the computer phobic among us could the press release. that, all we could do not fail to notice those little electron- was wait for some Sdence News or Sky & story a week or more later. I'm sure this lem was even greater for outside of the U.S. when it came to NASA and U. observatories. Now we can see NASA 44 Planetarian make NASA's 'select' list. computer fad, give it a try and I think you The Earth Satellite Service: In much the same way, if you wanted will find that it offers more than passing http://www.chara.gsu..edu/sat.html local times of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and glitz. There is much of value to planetarians Satellite Tracking Pass Predictions: moonset you needed to spend some time in cyberspace. All you need is a 386 or better with a set of tables or a good computer PC compatible computer with VGA graphics Radio/sattrack program. Now you can go to the US. Naval (or the Mac equivalent); a 14.4 or faster lh<;:pr'[.r~t'"'Il",{J"<;: Web site (http://tycho.usno modem; dial-up account to give you access The Aurora Page: .navy.mil/time.html) and have it do it for to the World Wide Web (or a service like you! CompuServe, America Online, or Prodigy); Inc:reasingly teachers are using the World and good browser software like Netscape or Wide Web as a teaching tool. A Microsoft's Internet Explorer. number of museums and planetaria in the I'll dose with a list of a few more of my fa Solar System Live: U.S. have been involved with NASA spon vorite sites on the World Wide Web. I know sored projects to develop Web-based lesson there are many more out there. Drop me a Look at: http://www.cea.berkeley line with the addresses of your favorite sites. .edu/Education/sii/sH_modules.html for Observatory: some great examples. Other ports to surf to: pubinfo/leaflets/ of our fellow have been to weave their own webs. You1l Jet PropulSion Laboratory: find many individual planetarium web http://www.jpl.nasa.gov / pages. The best place to look for them is at The EurmJeam University of Arizona Students for the Ex http://wwwJochness.com//pHweb.html a ploration and Development of Space: site produced and maintained by Loch Ness eaae.htm http://sedsJpl.arizonaedu/UASEDS/UASEDS. Productions. Even I.P.S. now has a Web site at html AstroWeb: http://128.32.190.143/ips/ips.html and one for the Planetarian has been up and running for Space Telescope Electronic Information months. Service: http://www.stscLedu/ If you have gotten up in this latest PER WAVELENG11i 2.5mm STANDARD Vol. Se[)ternOcer 1996 Planetarian Mountain View, California; she recommend we had Httle ed that site. Mr. Horne's pictures were fantas cornp.l.ete. For one assignm(~nt, tic; they were eventually featured in Astrono my and Sky & Telescope magaZines. Seeing images of Comet Hyakutake eight hours after they had been taken showed me just how fast one can travel on the "information superhighway". Hyakutake consumed my create a ne'wsJlett:er. computer visits in those months every day, about the comet. A~)igll1rr.tenlt: not just Mondays. I had been fonowing its to put story since early February. Though Sky & product: a "slide show" on the comet. Telescope magazine did not feature Comet I paid $S to the Oub Hyakutake until the issue that came out in the computers on the school network April, I wasn't afraid to ride on the "coattails" tise the dates for slX>tting of the comet from the beginning of its wasn't the appearance. Maybe they were afraid to take life" was COMET MANIA! I'm sure every has Comet Hya- the chance, but I wasn't. No, sir! I wasn't kutake stories. Here's mine: On each Monday afraid of another Comet Kohoutek, the 1974 from March through May, 19%, the schedule fizzIerj instead, I remembered Comet West, the qm~sti(ms. of my time usage at work was a killer. During the 1976 dazzler that astronomers were afraid got them all every those months, I was taking a three-hour to announce lest it be an instant replay of saw, for the month of March. It was wcmdler computer class which was added to the end Kohoutek. They didn't talk about it much; ful fun and everyone was of the school day, from 4 to 7. The class was then Comet West came and astronomers comet's arrival! entitled "Educational Uses of the Computer" were sorry that they hadn't alerted people to What is it about comets? We have or some other educationalese title. I've for its appearance. up for the gotten. At any rate, one of the requirements I was convinced by reading comments on have to be for the class was a nebulously defined the Internet that this comet was going to be "research project" which was to be a Signifi something! Ken Wilson, planetarian from cant percentage of our final grade. Every "down the street" at the Science Museum of Monda y, as I entered the classroom at 4:00, I Virginia, convinced me too. He saw it eady would wonder, "now what can I do for a pro on, in his telescope. We discussed the fact ject?" Mondays were enough as it was, that you could see it all night, and it would without the addition of the computer class. be near the Big Dipper, a star pattern easily After arriving at school, I would make my recognized by the public. As an astronomy usual morning rounds (get some coffee, educator, I decided that I needed to do some check my mailbox, school gossip). Then I thing about it for my school district. I put would head to the computer lab to "check together a 3-page mailing about the comet. the Web" ( search Internet addresses) to see The first page was Q &A format. Here's a sam what overnight surprises Comet ple: Question: "When is it coming?" Answer: Hyakutake had provided for me in photos liThe best time to see it will be the f'Vf'nl1111(J<;: and articles posted at several sites. I would of March 24-28, when it is closest to earth reluctantly tear myself away from the fan (No, it will not hit the earth!)." number tastic images to attack my "things to do two was a chart of a northern view of the today" made the day before. My sky, showing prominent stars and constella tarium lessons were next: preparation for the tions overlaid with a curved line crossed day's handouts, do the lessons, and tiredly with little slashes with dates shown for the collapse for a few seconds in blessed relief as diurnally changing position of the comet. the last yellow bus departed This part of my The third page consisted of diagrams and in day was like most other days. But on formation about how to use the 2nd page! I eye and binoculars. From my Mondays, I wasn't finished yet sent copies to all the teachers in my school the tail I would have a very quick IS-minute system. Oh, weB, back to the'Internet! lunch before my 11/2 hour high school I altered my planetarium lessons to in One in late I entered the astronomy class began. The first thing my clude a Comet Hyakutake update using 1) computer class at 4:00 and asked the students and I would do each Monday (as the overhead projector to show a diagram usual question, "Now what can I do for well as other days) would be to head to the with earth and comet paths going around ject?" Then it hit me. The comet! I had fold computer lab. We would check the "book the sun and 2) a single-slide "fuzzy dot" pro er fun of resources noted from net marked" images and text captured earlier in jector which I moved each day to show the to work on the idea the day and placed in a special Netscape (a comet's position that night among the stars. popular Internet browser) file. We especially The IS-second blurb about the comet on liked the images Home, the evening news just wasn't enough. I turn a photographer with the Fayetteville News ed to the Internet for information. It was and Observer (North Carolina). Thanks go to then that I became slightly obsessed with the Edna DeVore, former who is comet. As part of the reqUirement for the currently at NASA Ames Research Center in Monday afternoon computer class I was tak- 46 Planetarian Vol. Last July, Florida's Brevard Community College hosted the International Planetarium Society. Pictured above are some of the nearly 500 planetarians from around the ONLY world who gathered to exchange ideas and witness America's first Minolta Infinium FROM THE Planetarium. The result was nothing less than dazzling. For more information about MIND the Infinium and other model projectors, call your nearest Minolta representative today. OF After all, at Minolta we know that once you have seen our sky, you too will believe. MINOLTA Worldwide: In North America: In Japan: Minolta Company, 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 DIGISTAR©II Is THRILLING PLANETARIUM VISITORS AROUND THE WORLD AND THE LIST GROWS ON ... WE'RE EXCITED THAT THESE PRESTIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS WILL BE USING DIGISTAR II TO ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE THEIR AUDIENCES. DIGISTAR II IS THE WORLD'S ONLY DIGITAL PLANETARIUM SYSTEM FOR DOME THEATERS. CALL US TODAY TO FIND OUT WHAT ALL THE EXCITEMENT IS ABOUT!