Vol. 37, No. 2 June 2008 Journal of the International Planetarium Society

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Vol. 37, No. 2 June 2008

Journal of the International Planetarium Society

A whole new dimension…Page 10 The fulldome evolution…Page 14 LZbV`Z^ik^h^WaZ# Articles June 2008 Vol. 37 No. 2 8 Another Dimension in the Executive Editor Planetarium Shawn Laatsch Sharon Shanks Ward Beecher Planetarium 14 The Evolution of the Fulldome Youngstown State University Planetarium Tobias Wiethoff One University Plaza Youngstown, Ohio 44555 USA 21 ESA and German-Speaking Planetariums (1) 330-941-3619 Collaborate for IYA Show Production [email protected] Adam Majorosi, Thomas W. Kraupe

Advertising Coordinator 36 KidsCall Calls on Planetariums Around the World Thomas W. Kraupe Chuck Bueter 15893 Ashville Lane 50 International News Celebrates Granger, Indiana 46530 USA a Jubilee Lars Broman (1) 574-271-3150 [email protected] www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/ratesheet.htm Columns 70 25 Years Ago...... Thomas Wm. Hamilton Membership 64 Calendar of Events...... Loris Ramponi Individual: $50 one year; $90 two years 33 Digital Frontiers...... Ed Lantz Institutional: $200 first year; $100 annual renewal Library Subscriptions: $36 one year 41 Educational Horizons ...... Steve Tidey Direct membership requests and changes of 44 Forum...... Gary Lazich address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman 47 General Counsel ...... Christopher S. Reed 4 In Front of the Console ...... Sharon Shanks Back Issues of the Planetarian 51 International News...... Lars Broman IPS Back Publications Repository 72 Last Light ...... April S. Whitt maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair; 62 Mobile News...... Susan Reynolds Button contact information is on next page 30 Past President’s Message ...... Martin George 23 President’s Message ...... Susan Reynolds Button Index 67 Reviews...... April S. Whitt A cumulative index of major articles that have appeared in the Planetarian from the first issue through the current issue is available online at www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/planetarian_ index.pdf Index of Advertisers Final Deadlines allsky.de ...... 13 March: January 21 American Museum of Natural History ...... 29 June: April 21 Astronomy for All...... 46 September: July 21 Astro-Tec Mfg., Inc ...... 26 December: October 21 Bays Mountain Planetarium...... 72 Clark Planetarium ...... 22 Associate Editors Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc...... 61 Evans & Sutherland ...... 32, outside back cover 25 Years Ago General Counsel NASA Space News Thomas Hamilton Christopher Reed Anita Sohus Global Immersion...... 5-7 GOTO INC ...... 71 Calendar Reviews Loris Ramponi Gibbous Gazette April S. Whitt Konica Minolta Planetarium Co. Ltd ...... 66 James Hughes Digital What’s New Learning Technologies, Inc ...... 20 Frontiers International John A. Schroer Mirage3D...... 54 Ed Lantz Lars Broman R.S.A. Cosmos ...... inside back cover Education Last Light Rudinec & Associates ...... 28 Steve Tidey April S. Whitt Scott Electric...... 48 Forum Mobile News Sky-Skan, Inc ...... 35, centerfold, 38 Gary Lazich Susan Button Spitz, Inc...... 25, 43, 49, 65 Zeiss, Inc...... inside front cover International Planetarium Society home page: www.ips-planetarium.org Planetarian home page: www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian On the Cover: Who looks more natural in 3D glasses than kids? These youngsters are checking out the ‘Imiloa Planetarium’s new 3D Stereo Universe. Story begins on page 8. Guidelines for Contributors and Advertisers: Photo courtesy Sky-Skan. www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/ guidelines.html

June 2008 Planetarian 1 Affiliate Representatives

Association of Brazilian British Italian Russian Planetariums Planetariums Association of Planetaria Planetaria’s Friends Association Officers Alexandre Cherman Dr. Tom Mason Association Zinaida P. Sitkova Planetário do Rio de Janeiro Armagh Planetarium Loris Ramponi Nizhny Novgorod President R. Vice-Governador College Hill National Archive of Planetaria Planetarium Susan Reynolds Button Rubens Berardo, 100 Armagh BT61 9DB c/o Centro Studi e Ricerche Revolutsionnja Street 20 Quarks to Clusters Rio de Janeiro RJ 22451-070 Northern Ireland Serafino Zani 603002 Nizhny 8793 Horseshoe Lane +55 (21) 2274-0046 ext. 264 United Kingdom via Bosca 24, C.P. 104 Novgorod Russia Chittenango, New York +55 (21) 2529-2149 fax +44 (0)2837 524725 I 25066 Lumezzane +7 831 2 30 51 51 13037 USA [email protected] +44 (0)2837 526187 fax (Brescia) Italy +7 831 2 30 51 66 fax +1 315-687-5371 www.planetarios.org.br +44 (0)771 0013453 cell +39 30 872 164 [email protected] +1 315-432-4523 fax [email protected] +39 30 872 545 fax [email protected] [email protected] www.armaghplanet.com [email protected] www.planet.nn.ru [email protected] [email protected] Association of Dutch- Canadian Association www.planetaritaliani.it Past-President Speaking Planetariums of Science Centres Southeastern Martin George André Milis Ian C. McLennan Planetarium Launceston Planetarium Planetarium of the Royal #404 - 1275 Haro Street Japan Association Queen Victoria Museum Observatory of Belgium Vancouver, British Columbia Planetarium Society John Hare Wellington Street Boechoutlaan 10 V6E 1G1 Canada Kaoru Kimura Ash Enterprises Launceston 1020 Brussels, Belgium +1 604-681-4790 Japan Science Foundation 3602 23rd Avenue West Tasmania 7250 Australia +32 (2) 474 70 60 phone + fax Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda-ku Bradenton, Florida +61 3 6323 3777 +32 (2) 478 30 26 fax +1 604-240-0938 cell Tokyo, 102-0091 JAPAN 34205 USA +61 3 6323 3776 fax [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] +1 941-746-3522 Martin.George@ www.planetarium.be [email protected] [email protected] qvmag.tas.gov.au Middle Atlantic www.sepadomes.org Council of German Planetarium Planetariums Society President-Elect Association of French- Thomas W. Kraupe, Gloria A. Villalobos Southwestern Dr. Tom Mason, Director Speaking Planetariums IPS contact person Director, Robert J. Association of Armagh Planetarium Agnès Acker Planetarium Hamburg Novins Planetarium Planetariums College Hill Observatoire de Strasbourg Hindenburgstraße 1 b Ocean County College Donna Pierce Armagh BT61 9DB 11, rue de l’université D-22303 Hamburg College Drive, PO Box 2001 Highland Park Planetarium Northern Ireland 67000 Strasbourg France Deutschland Toms River, New Jer- 4220 Emerson United Kingdom +33 3 90 24 24 67 +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 sey 08754-2001 USA Dallas, Texas 75205 USA +44 (0)2837 524725 +33 3 90 24 24 17 fax +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax +1 732-255-0400 ext. 2111 +1 214-780-3858 +44 (0)2837 526187 fax [email protected] +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax +1 732-255-0467 fax +1 214-725-8131 cell +44 (0)771 0013453 cell [email protected] +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] thomas.kraupe@ www.ocean.edu/planet.htm [email protected] www.armaghplanet.com planetarium-hamburg.de www.rdp-planetrium.de Executive Secretary Association of Mexican Nordic Planetarium Ukranian Lee Ann Hennig Planetariums European/ Association Planetariums Planetarium, Thomas Ignacio Castro Pinal Mediterranean Lars Broman Association Jefferson High School Torres de Mixcoac, A6-702 Planetarium Teknoland Klim Churyumov for Science and Technology C.P. 01490, México City Association Stångtjärnsv 132 Scientific and 6560 Braddock Road D.F. México Manos Kitsonas SE 791 74 Falun, Sweden Educational Centre Alexandria, Virginia 22312 USA +52 (55) 5500 0562 Eugenides Planetarium +46 2310 177 Kyiv Planetarium +1 703-750-8380 +52 (55) 5500 0583 fax 387 Syngrou Avenue [email protected] Str. Velyka Vasylkivska 57/3 +1 703-750-5010 fax [email protected] 17564 P. Faliro www.teknoland.se Kyiv 04053 Ukraine [email protected] Athens Greece +380 44 287 27 81 +30 210 946 9674 klim.churyumov@ob- Treasurer and +30 210 941 7372 fax Pacific Planetarium serv.univ.kiev.ua Association of Spanish [email protected] Association [email protected] Membership Chair Planetariums Gail Chaid Shawn Laatsch Javier Armentia Great Lakes Planetarium Independence Planetarium ‘Imiloa Astronomy Planetario de Pamplona Association 1776 Educational Park Drive Center of Hawai’i Sancho Ramirez, 2 Dave Weinrich San Jose 600 Imiloa Place E-31008 Pamplona Planetarium California 95133 USA Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Navarra Spain Minnesota State +1 408-928-9604 +1 808-969-9735 +34 948 260 004 University-Moorhead +1 408-926-9515 fax +1 808-969-9748 fax +34 948 260 056 1104 7th Avenue South [email protected] [email protected] +34 948 261 919 fax Moorhead [email protected] [email protected] Minnesota 56563 USA gestion@pamplonetario. +1 218-477-2969 infonego-cio.com +1 218-477-5864 fax Planetarium [email protected] Society of India Position currently vacant Great Plains Planetarium Australasian Planetarium Association Society Jack Dunn Rocky Mountain Martin Bush Ralph Mueller Planetarium Planetarium Melbourne Planetarium University of Nebraska-Lincoln Association 2 Booker Street 210 Morrill Hall Dan Neafus Spotswood 3015 Lincoln, Nebraska Manager, Gates Planetarium Victoria, Australia 68588-0375 USA Denver Museum of +61 (3) 93924503 +1 402-472-2641 Nature & Science [email protected] +1 402-475-8899 fax 2001 Colorado Boulevard [email protected] Denver, Colorado www.spacelaser.com/gppa 80205 USA +1 303-370-8352 +1 303-331-6492 fax [email protected]

2 Planetarian June 2008 Standing Committees IPS Permanent Mailing Address Awards Committee Conference Host-2010 Membership Committee Lars Broman, Chair Dr. Omar Fikry Shawn Laatsch, Chair Teknoland Head of Shows & Programs Unit Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii International Planetarium Stångtjärnsv 132 Planetarium Science Center 600 Imiloa Place Society SE 791 74 Falun, Sweden The Library of Alexandria Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA +46 2310 177 PO Box 138 +1 808-969-9735 c/o Shawn Laatsch [email protected] El Shatby, Alexandria 21526 Egypt +1 808-969-9748 fax Treasurer/Membership www.teknoland.se +20 3 483 9999 ext. 1881 [email protected] Chair +20 3 482 4988 fax Conference Committee Publications Committee Imiloa Astronomy Center Susan Reynolds Button Elections Committee Dr. Dale W. Smith, Chair of Hawaii Quarks to Clusters Steve Mitch, Chair BGSU Planetarium 600 Imiloa Place 8793 Horseshoe Lane Benedum Planetarium 104 Overman Hall Chittenango, New York 13037 USA Oglebay Park Physics &Astronomy Department Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA +1 315-687-5371 Wheeling, West Virginia 26003 USA Bowling Green State University +1 315-432-4523 fax +1 304-243-4034 Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA [email protected] +1 304-243-4110 fax +1 419-372-8666 IPS Web Site: [email protected] [email protected] +1 419-372-9938 fax www.ips-planetarium. [email protected] org Conference Host-2008 Finance Committee Dr. Paul Knappenberger, President President, Past President, Presi- Adler Planetarium dent Elect, Treasurer, Secretary Please notify the Editor 1300 South Lake Shore Drive of any changes on these Chicago, Illinois 60605-2403 USA +1 312-322-0325 two pages. +1 312-322-9909 fax [email protected] www.adlerplanetarium.org Contact the Treasurer/ Membership Chair for individual member address Ad Hoc Committees changes and general cir- culation and billing ques- Armand Spitz Job Information Service Script Contest Committee tions. Planetarium Education Subcommittee Steve Tidey, Coordinator Fund (Professional Services Committee) 58 Prince Avenue Finance Committee Steve Fentress, Chair Southend, Essex, SS2 6NN England Strasenburgh Planetarium United Kingdom Education Committee Rochester Museum & Science Center [email protected] Dr. Brock Schroeder, Chair 657 East Avenue Strickler Planetarium and Observatory Rochester, New York 14607 USA Strategic Planning Committee Olivet Nazarene University +1 585-271-4552 ext. 409 Tom Mason, Chair One University Avenue +1 585-271-7146 fax Armagh Planetarium Bourbonnais, Illinois 60914 USA [email protected] College Hill The Planetarian (ISN 0090- +1 815-939-5361 Armagh BT61 9DB +1 815-939-5071 fax Outreach Committee Northern Ireland 3213) is published quarterly [email protected] Jon W. Elvert, Chair United Kingdom by the International Planetar- www.olivet.edu Irene W. Pennington Planetarium +44 (0)2837 524725 ium Society. ©2008, Interna- Louisiana Art & Science Museum +44 (0)2837 526187 fax Full-Dome Video Committee 100 South River Road +44 (0)771 0013453 cell tional Planetarium Society, Ryan Wyatt, Chair Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 USA [email protected] Inc., all rights reserved. Opin- Director, Morrison Planetarium +1 225-344-5272 www.armaghplanet.com California Academy of Sciences +1 225-214-4027 fax ions expressed by authors 875 Howard Street [email protected] are personal opinions and are San Francisco, CA 94103 Technology Committee not necessarily the opinions +1 415-321-8156 Planetarium Karen Klamczynski , Chair [email protected] Development Group Education & Training Specialist of the International Planetar- Ken Wilson, Chair E&S Digital Theater Division ium Society, its officers, or History Committee 9346 Drawbridge Road 770 Komas Drive agents. Acceptance of adver- John Hare, IPS Historian Mechanicsville, Virginia 23220 USA Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 USA Ash Enterprises [email protected] +1 801-588-7409 tisements, announcements, 3602 23rd Avenue West +1 801-588-4520 fax or other material does not Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA Portable [email protected] +1 941-746-3522 Planetarium Committee www.es.com imply endorsement by the [email protected] Susan Reynolds Button, Chair International Planetarium So- Quarks to Clusters ciety, its officers or agents. International 8793 Horseshoe Lane Web Committee Relations Committee Chittenango, NY 13037 Alan Gould, Chair The Editor welcomes Letters Martin George, Chair +1 315-687-5371 Holt Planetarium to the Editor and items for Launceston Planetarium [email protected] Lawrence Hall of Science consideration for publica- Queen Victoria Museum [email protected] University of California Wellington Street Berkeley, California 94720-5200 USA tion. Please consult “Guide- Launceston, Tasmania 7250 Australia Professional +1 510-643-5082 lines for Contributors” at +61 3 6323 3777 Services Committee +1 510-642-1055 fax +61 3 6323 3776 fax Mike Murray, Chair [email protected] www.ips-planetarium.org/ [email protected] Clark Planetarium planetarian/guidelines.html. 110 South 400 West The Editor reserves the right Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 USA +1 801-456-4949 to edit any manuscript to +1 801-456-4928 fax suit this publication’s needs. [email protected]

June 2008 Planetarian 3 and improve student engagement in the class- In Front of the Console room.” I’ve already wished her all the best and I know the results of her university work will observe the power and results of “different is be shared with us. wrong” in religion, education, and high school Normally this bit of news would be in Gib- hallways, not just in forms of government, so bous Gazette, but it’s missing in action this the message in the book is timeless. issue. What’s New and NASA Space Science This issue of the Planetarian brings these News also are on hiatus. But news, like time, separate thoughts together for me. marches on, so I’ll finish off with some items Once again, this is a truly international is- that otherwise would not have appeared. sue. Thanks to the efforts of Lars Broman, who celebrates his 50th International News column In Memory with this issue, there is planetarium news from Jack Callow, a long-time science educator 20 IPS affiliates. and former director of South Florida Museum The more I read International News, the and Bishop Planetarium in Bradenton, Florida, more I’m reminded that from so many differ- passed away on April 3 at the age of 80. ent parts of the world and from so many dif- According to his obituary, “He was one of ferent people, we are all really the same. We NASA’s first lecturers to visit schools through- share the same passion for educating others out the country with its Spacemobile in the about astronomy and we share the same prob- early 1960s. He helped explain the space agen- lems, whether our planetarium is in Nizhny cy’s goals as astronaut John Glenn became the Novgorod, Russia, or in Youngstown, Ohio. first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.” When A Wrinkle in Time was written, the Jack had worked in educational television thought of empathizing with colleagues in in Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh before Sharon Shanks Moscow who faced the loss of their plane- moving to Florida at age 45. At first he worked tarium would have been scandalous. Today, in a shell and gift shop that he and his wife Ward Beecher Planetarium with computers and e-mail uniting the globe, opened, but later taught middle school sci- Youngstown State University we embrace the fact that people in Russia—or ence before being hired at South Florida/Bish- Ghana, or Ukraine, or Portugal, or Rio de Janei- op in 1977. Youngstown, OH 44555 USA ro—are all just the same as us. They aren’t dif- He stepped down after less than a year, after [email protected] ferent at all. suffering his second heart attack in two years And, like the heroes in L’Engle’s book, we at age 49. share a common goal: fighting the threaten- I have a sign hanging in my office that says ing darkness that the lack of science educa- Eclipse Webcast “Different is not wrong.” It reminds me con- tion brings with it. NASA’s Sun-Earth Connection Education stantly that people have different ways of do- Oh, my. That got a little strong, didn’t it? Forum and the Exploratorium (San Francisco, ing things: dressing, talking, walking, think- Sorry. California) are co-hosting a live webcast from ing. That’s a good thing, too—“the universe I’m personally happy that planetarians, China of the August 1 total solar eclipse. As- would be a really boring place if people were no matter where they’re from, are so willing tronomy educators are invited to link to the all the same, wouldn’t it,” according to Bleam- to share their different ways of doing things. satellite feed and registrants will receive free er, the alien main character in Calgary’s Great Different isn’t wrong; different is exciting! packets of information, program ideas, cultur- Space Treasure Hunt. It would be boring, and Through the pages of the Planetarian and real events, DVDs, and downloads of animations it would be stagnant, too. Without other peo- gional newsletters, on line through Dome-L and movies on topics like eclipses, solar vari- ple who do things differently, there would be and other sites, and through sharing personal- ability, space weather and solar cycles. no progress or innovation. There would be no ly at conferences, we all learn new and differ- A special guest will be the Director of the creativity, and certainly no joy. ent ways of reaching our audiences and teach- Urumqi National Observatory, Dr. Na Wang, I also just re-read A Wrinkle in Time by Mad- ing our lessons. and you’ll hear about the latest U.S. and Chi- eleine L’Engle, prompted by the request of an If Bleamer landed on Earth, I can imagine nese solar—and lunar—missions. eighth grade teacher whose class was reading that planetarians would be among the first Go to www.sunearthday.nasa.gov and/or it and she wanted to touch on some of the sci- there to greet him, say hello, and ask what size www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse for more in- ence in the book for her planetarium visit. If, dome he has. formation. like me, you haven’t read the book in the last If a real short, green, fuzzy alien landed on 40 years or so, pick it up and refresh yourself. Earth, however, it would probably be greeted Afterschool Universe It’s an allegory that works on many levels. by the military and looked at in fear because Afterschool Universe, a hands-on after- L’Engle wrote it at the height of the Cold War it was different. Sigh. school astronomy program that explores ba- —post-Sputnik, but pre-Yuri Gagarin. In it, she Speaking of Bleamer, Susan Cannon, the sic astronomy concepts through engaging ac- made a strong statement about what happens source of many of the wonderful children’s tivities and takes participants on a journey when “different is wrong,” and the ills of liv- programs from Calgary Science Centre’s pro- through the Universe beyond the solar sys- ing in a completely totalitarian system. duction department, has left the planetari- tem, is now widely available to afterschool She might have been voicing the early-60’s um world. Don’t mourn too much, however; program providers to be run in local commu- American fear about the growing strength of she’s now working with a professor in Geo- nities. Russia and its system of government, so differ- science at the University of Calgary “manag- The program is targeted at middle school ent from what we knew in the United States. ing projects designed to enhance the quali- students. More information is available at If it’s different, it’s wrong, right? But you can ty of science education and science literacy universe.nasa.gov/afterschool. 

4 Planetarian June 2008 planetarium_global_279x216mm x3 V3:Global Planetarium Ad 18/4/08 16:55 Page 1

history

06/1984: SEOS Displays is founded…

04/1997: Trimension Systems Inc. is established…

11/2001: Trimension Systems merges with parent company, SEOS Displays…

7/7/2007: SEOS Visualization Systems Division undergoes a management buyout…

and Global Immersion is born.

June 2008 Planetarian 5 planetarium_global_279x216mm x3 V3:Global Planetarium Ad 18/4/08 16:55 Page 3

O ONE N year on.

journey

6 E Planetarian June 2008 planetarium_global_279x216mm x3 V3:Global Planetarium Ad 18/4/0818/4/08 16:55 Page 3

O ONE ONEyear on.

We’ve come a long way; with over twenty years heritage and an installation portfolio that includes more than 120 immersive theaters.

Over the past twelve months, we’ve worked on some great projects with some great clients, and we’d like to say thank you.

These clients include INTECH Planetarium, Denver N Museum of Nature & Science and the California N Acad emy of Sciences. Not forgetting the Swedish Museum of Natural History, the University of Plymouth, and The Renaissance Computing Institute, plus many, many more.

Global Immersion. One great year. journey Come and celebrate with us at IPS 2008.

immersive theater. no limits.

June 2008 Planetarian 7 E talk to us tel uk: +44 (0) 845 0 global (456225) tel usa: 303-357-4760 email: [email protected] Another Dimension in the Planetarium

’Imiloa Explores the 3D Stereo Universe

By Shawn Laatsch Planetarium Manager ’Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii 600 Imiloa Place Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA [email protected]

8 Planetarian June 2008 Imagine being able to take your ence for a Digital Dome Symposium and audiences to the surface of the moon and mak- to Domefest in Albuquerque, New Mex- ing them feel as if they were there with Neil ico to see a demonstration of Sky-Skan’s Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Looking out, you definiti™ SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective can see children and adults reaching to touch Display) system in stereo 3D. The system the lunar surface, gasping in delight. You voy- used Sony SXRD projectors with a resolu- age through the solar system where the plan- tion of 4K projecting through specially de- ets are not flat images, but orbs in space that signed high-definition definiti lenses and seem as if people are almost able to reach out viewed through Infitec 3D glasses. Digital- and feel. Traveling outward, you and your au- Sky 2 provided unparalleled astronomical dience explore the latest exoplanet discover- computing power. This, coupled with Dig- ies by flying right up to their stars and seeing ital Universe, provided a system with the where new worlds are located. Imagine expe- most advanced astronomical datasets cur- riencing the Virgo Cluster, where the galaxies rently on the market. seem to surround you. Does this sound like the Steve Savage, president of Sky-Skan, set holodeck on the Starship Enterprise™? Could up the demonstrations and ’Imiloa was it be a virtual reality environment from the given the opportunity to put the system future? through some tough tests following the Actually, it’s the virtual reality environ- public demos. ’Imiloa staff explored the as- ment of today at the ’Imiloa Astronomy Cen- tronomical datasets and imagery, pushing ter’s planetarium, and this is where our story the system by jumping around from real begins… time complex data set display to playback In 2007, the planetarium at ’Imiloa Astron- and then back again, and moving from omy Center of Hawaii was searching for a dig- 2D to 3D stereoscopic modes. The system ital planetarium system that would meet two software is incredibly user friendly, and I very distinct needs—a public outreach tool found myself flying through the universe that would allow us to share the cosmos with with a mouse using basic instructions. The children and adults in awe-inspiring ways, and demonstrations convinced our team that a system capable of displaying the most recent this was the solution to our needs. Real scientific discoveries in a way that would cap- time 3D stereo images of the solar system, tivate and engage astronomers. Milky Way and multiple galaxy surveys Our planetarium is at the base of Mauna were stunning. Objects jumped off the Kea, home to the largest astronomical obser- dome and into the viewers lap and it real- vatories in the world. Given this location, the ly added a new dimension, so to speak, to planetarium needed to deliver imagery that the way a person experienced astronomi- was visually dramatic, scientifically accu- cal content. rate, and extremely realistic. The traditional Playback content was limited to some night sky with stars, constellations, and plan- short clips, given that no one had perma- ets had to be exceptionally good, and the abil- nently installed such a stereoscopic sys- ity to display objects well beyond what we tem at that point. This meant some risk. could see with our unaided eyes was of the ut- When would feature shows become avail- most importance. Real time and playback ca- able? How expensive would they be? If pabilities were required, but real time power our facility was to be the first in the world and flexibility were essential for live program- with this technology, we would need spec- ming and potential research applications. Of tacular content to captivate audiences and course, being in the planetarium world, bud- leave them wanting more. If one had a 3D gets, as always, were limited. To realize these stereoscopic system, the audience expecta- goals, new technology and a new “dimension” tion would be that the programs be spec- were required. tacular, much better than the old-fash- The ’Imiloa staff traveled to Edmonton, Al- ioned 3D movies or even recent 3D IMAX berta, Canada to visit the TELUS World of Sci- films.

Facing page: A blending of the work done by astronomers using the big telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea and the visualization abilities of ’Imiloa’s newly-upgraded planetarium. Mauna Kea image from istockphoto.com. At the planetarium controls are Dr. Brent Tully (left) with author Shawn Laatsch; photo by Martin George. At right, Max Pugach (top) and Juyean Lee (center) from Sky-Skan inspect the waiting equipment at ’Imiloa’s loading dock. Bottom, an SXRD projector on its stand. Un- less otherwise noted, all photos by Shawn Laatsch.

June 2008 Planetarian 9 Max (left) and Juyean (center), this time installing computers. At right, Sky-Skan President Steve Savage stringing cable.

An inherent danger with 3D stereoscopic the cold and snow of the Northeastern Unit- the holiday rush of public visitors meant we imagery is that it can be done just for effect, ed States! Being in the tropics, Hilo has tem- could not close down the planetarium. Install- and be too “in your face.” How would digital perate weather year round. Pair that with a ing after hours and overnight was required, content providers handle this? While these wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean and you and so began about a month of very long days, questions did linger, ’Imiloa decided that the have a very special place to visit in any season. some of which lasted 16-18 hours plus for the real time capabilities and astronomical data- Crates containing computers and their racks, planetarium staff. Additionally, ’Imiloa’s plan- sets were of greater importance. Playback con- cabling, steel projection stands, and SXRD pro- etarium theater was not designed for SXRD tent would come, and in the meantime, hav- jectors started arriving on November 13, fill- projectors when it was built. Cove modifica- ing a powerful 3D tool that could show the ing our loading bay. Juyean Lee and Max Pu- tions and other construction would be need- latest astronomical information, from the so- gach from Sky-Skan arrived the following day ed. Ingenuity was required to get these pro- lar system to the WMAP, would yield live pro- to begin the installation of the system. Both jectors in place and get them properly vented grams that could inspire our audiences and were very enthusiastic to be in Hawaii in No- into our HVAC system. engage the astronomers of the Mauna Kea Ob- vember. Dan Skwara, Johan Gijsenbergs, and After unpacking components and getting servatories. Steve Savage (yes, the president of Sky-Skan organized, our first steps were installing the does installs) arrived a few days later. It was computer racks. Two racks holding 18 com- Installation then that the real fun was to begin. puters were set up. The system has 16 channels Mid-November is a wonderful time to be Install was to be no easy feat, as we had a of video (4 per SXRD projector), along with in Hawaii, especially if one desires to escape temporary system running in our dome, and a master computer and an audio computer. Each computer has half a terabyte of hard drive space and the graphics cards have 1 gig of ram. Rack installation was rather straight- forward because we had racks in place from our temporary system. The new racks were able to be placed in our cove area without any serious modifications. The next step, getting the SXRD projectors into place, was another story. While we are blessed with wonderful amounts of space in our cove areas, the theater was designed with a cove shelf about half a meter below the spring line. This shelf is roughly a half meter wide and about 15 cm thick, extending for almost the entire circumference of theater (the exception being above the entrance and exit doors). The shelf was constructed using steel studs, and covered with wood. These shelves also concealed conduit which brought power to a variety of outlets around the cove shelf and power to the red working lights in the cove areas.

10 Planetarian June 2008 While the shelves were strong enough to walk on in most places, they were neither of adequate size nor strength to hold the new projectors. In addition to these, there was another obstruction about a meter below the cove shelf—the HVAC return ducts for the theater. This duct work takes up the back half of the theater and is about 1.5 meters in height and 0.75 meters in width. The solution for the projectors came in the form of steel stands roughly half a meter square by 2 meters in height. These stands were to be bolted into the concrete floors in four locations. At the top of these stands, an adjustable angle platform was attached to lock into the projectors and hold them in place at the correct angle and height. Getting them in place required removing the cove shelving in two areas, one in the north cove just to the right of the console, and the other in the south cove roughly 180 degrees opposite. These steel projector stands fit tightly against the HVAC duct work in the north cove. In the south cove, only the cove shelf had to be modified, as the HVAC duct work on this side of the theater was located behind the dome above the spring line. It took roughly two days to cut out the shelves, move the electrical work inside, and then rebuild these areas. Max’s construction work was impecca- ble, and once completed, one could not tell that our coves had been altered.

Tedious Drilling for the Stands Following these transformations, we began the tedious process of drilling through concrete to anchor the projector stands in place. Industrial concrete is amazingly strong, and each hole took several hours. One had to take extreme care that these were placed correct- ly, and after drilling them out, a small steel anchor was gently tapped into place. Bolts were then ratcheted into place, securing the stands Top: The audience at the opening program prior to donning their 3D glasses; photo by Ian McLennan. to the floor. Once the stands were in their per- Bottom: Shawn at the computer controls in an up-close demonstration during the opening; photo by manent locations, it took an evening to get Steve Savage. all of the projectors hoisted into position. Sony SXRDs are not light, weighing in at 100 first views, even before alignment and calibra- heat in the cove areas, and secondly, it great- kg (225 lbs) each. Placing them on stands a bit tions, were breathtaking. ly reduces fan noise from the projectors, yield- over two meters high took three strong brutes. Following first light, alignment and cali- ing a quieter theater. Once in place, a ratchet was used to adjust ele- bration of the system was first completed in On December 17, installation of the system vation angles on the projectors. 2D and then in 3D stereoscopic mode. This was complete. The long hours were well worth Fiber optic and CAT5 cables were then detailed and delicate work took a number of it, and the system performance was even more strung from projectors to the racks along the evenings. Sky-Skan software combined with spectacular than the demonstrations the ’Imi- cove shelves. Each projector is connected to the Sony controller allowed for geometric loa team had witnessed earlier in the year. four IG computers, and a CAT5 line provides transformations and color corrections. Bin- communication from DigitalSky and SPICE oculars were used a number of times to make Quest for the Opening Show to the projectors. difiniti lenses for the SXRDs sure alignments were razor sharp. During Domefest 2007 in Albuquerque, I be- were placed into the projectors, and on No- Real time and playback features were tested gan looking for a show suitable for launching vember 21, the first light from the system was and put through multiple paces to ensure sta- the new capabilities of the ’Imiloa Planetari- on the dome. bility. During this time the Sony SXRD projec- um. The decision, I knew, would be of great Forty thousand lumens on a 16-m dome is tors were connected to ’Imiloa’s HVAC return importance, as the content had to connect an incredible sight! The Sony SXRD image is ducting. Venting is not required, but is recom- with the audience in a spectacular way. The stunningly bright compared to other digital mended. Venting the projectors into HVAC show needed to be in stereo 3D, but I did not projectors, and the colors are unmatched. The accomplishes two objectives; first, it reduces want stereo just for effect; instead it needed to

June 2008 Planetarian 11 Festivities continued the following day with presentations. “Large Scale Structures in the Universe” was the topic for Dr. Brent Tul- ly. Brent brought updated datasets showing new features, such as the north and south pole voids. He was very enthusiastic about presenting in stereo and told participants that “’Im- iloa’s 3D planetarium has created a new tool for astronomers to visualize and explore large scale structures in the universe and gain in- sight into the distribution of galaxies.” Dr. Jean Charles Cuillandre and Dr. Stepha- ne Arnouts of the Canada-France-Hawaii Tele- scope (CFHT) presented a new one degree survey of galaxies, which has a half a million galaxies in a one-degree field of view. The audiences were amazed by the flight through this dataset, which extends almost as far as the Sloan and 2dF Quasars. Dr. Oliver Guyon from Subaru Observatory flew the participants through exoplanets and shared discoveries about these new worlds, as well as which systems are visible with the naked eye. Planetarians were then awed by Dr. A scene from Dawn of the Space Age immersing the audience. Photo by Kirk Pu‘uohau-Pummill. Antonio Chrysostomou, associate director of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, who be meaningful and add an emotional connec- Hilo. Test footage from Robin started arriving showed the first 3D volumetric views of gas tion not possible in a standard 2D setting. in mid-December, and by January we had a flows in the Whirlpool Galaxy. The image Domefest provided inspiration with the wonderful, inspiring show ready for our open- shows a galaxy warped by interactions with screening of Dawn of the Space Age (DSA) by ing event. its neighbor and gas flow motion within this Mirage3D. The program tells the inspiring sto- famous spiral. Then we explored the UKIRT ry of the history of spaceflight from Sputnik Launch of the First 3D Infrared Deep Sky Survey as Dr. Andy Adam- to current day and highlights the triumph Stereoscopic Planetarium son, associate director of United Kingdom In- of human exploration and spirit. The 4K im- January 13-14, 2008 were chosen for a spe- frared Telescope, showed us some of the most agery was exceptional, but the show was not cial VIP launch of our new Sky-Skan defini- detailed views of the plane of our own galaxy, produced in stereoscopic 3D. Since Mirage3D ti SXRD stereoscopic 3D system. This would the Milky Way, ever observed. owner Robin Sip was onsite for the screening, be the first permanent digital full dome ste- This event was the first time that astrono- I started chatting with him and asked the big reo 3D planetarium in the world, and to cel- mers were using a planetarium to present in question: “Could you produce this in stereo, ebrate we decided to invite planetarians, the 3D stereo, and the first time planetarians had a and make it available for January of 2008?” directors of the Mauna Kea observatories, and professional development opportunity of this While this meant a great deal of re-rendering, local dignitaries to two days of special activ- magnitude. Following the presentations by as- he was eager to get DSA into the stereo format. ities. Thirty planetarians from Canada, Ger- tronomers, round table discussions were held We discussed the way this should be done, many, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, and nu- exploring partnerships between planetariums and what scenes should be considered careful- merous cities in the United States traveled to and observatories, the use of 3D stereo in the ly in regards to how close or far away images Hawaii to take part in the festivities and every planetarium, and the role of the Internation- appeared. As mentioned earlier, I did not want observatory on Mauna Kea sent astronomers al Planetarium Society in professional devel- stereo effects that were too close and uncom- to participate. opment. The event is what we anticipate to fortable, but rather meaningful scenes where Sunday evening (January 13) kicked off the be the first of many opportunities ’Imiloa As- stereo could make a connection to the audi- festivities with Hawaiian cuisine and a chance tronomy Center of Hawaii is planning for the ence in a positive way. Robin thought about for planetarians to meet with astronomers and planetarium field. In the near future (hopeful- my request and said it would be possible to local dignitaries. Dr. Rose Tseng, chancellor of ly for the International Year of Astronomy have at least 50% of the show rendered out the University of Hawaii-Hilo and Peter Giles, 2009), we plan a major week-long profession- to stereo by January, and that within a few executive director of ’Imiloa Astronomy Cen- al institute. months of the opening the full show could be ter of Hawaii, gave keynote addresses and rec- in stereo. ognized the work of Sky-Skan, Mirage3D, and Reaction of the Audience The other request I had was to make a the ’Imiloa staff. The group then moved into It has been truly fantastic to see people’s re- 30-minute version of the show, which orig- the planetarium for special presentations by actions and hear their gasps of delight in the inally is 45 minutes in length. Our theater Dr. Paul Coleman and Master Navigator Kale- dome. Having worked in the planetarium turns public shows on the hour and we in- pa Baybayan on “Hawaiian Astronomy” and field for close to a quarter century, it amaz- clude a live sky lecture with each show, so a “Hawaiian Celestial Navigation.” This was fol- es me to see the reactions people have in our shorter version was imperative for our facil- lowed by a stereo 3D flight through the uni- domes, and 3D stereo takes this to a whole ity. He agreed to this request as well, and so verse by Steve Savage, and finally the premier new dimension. It is wonderful to see children it was agreed Dawn of the Space Age would of Dawn of Space Age in 3D stereo by Robin and adults so engaged in the experience, to see launch our 3D stereo playback capabilities in Sip. them reach out to touch the planets, and have

12 Planetarian June 2008 adults tell me they felt as if they were stand- creased and we find that many astronomers data is displayed. ing next to the LEM on the moon. Attendance really enjoy having an opportunity to use the ’Imiloa’s planetarium is working with the at ’Imiloa dramatically increased with the 3D system to present their findings to the pub- observatories and Sky-Skan to bring new data opening of the 3D system in January, and af- lic. sets into the system. We have held a few special ter three months we are still going strong with Stereoscopic technology has the ability to sessions for observatory staff. This system will Dawn of the Space Age. We saw a great number change the role of a planetarium dramatical- now aid their research by bringing their data of sell-out shows. ly. It allows us to teach and entertain in new to life and we look forward to sharing their In March I ran a show called 3D Hitchhik- ways, showing spatial relationships in a dy- new research with the public and the plane- er’s Guide to the Universe. This was a one-hour namic way. A key to really utilizing the tech- tarium community. During IPS2008 in Chica- tour from Earth out to the limit of the uni- nology is having a live knowledgeable pre- go, the larger community will have a chance verse as we know it. I had tried a 2D version of senter, as this creates an experience that goes to see some of the results of this ongoing work. this show in December and it did well, but in far beyond what an IMAX or movie theater 3D it was selling out constantly, and audienc- can provide. Conclusion es were coming back with friends and family. ’Imiloa is now viewed as a new resource for The decision to go 3D stereo was perfect for Audience members would often stay around astronomers, and local university scientists our facility. Sky-Skan’s definiti 3D system is ex- after this program to ask questions and just in a number of fields have discussed showing ceptional and has provided us a tool that en- talk about their thoughts on astronomy. non-astronomical content in the dome for gages our audiences in numerous awe-inspir- Our audiences for this show frequently in- their classes. Both groups see great potential in ing ways. We have found that astronomers, cluded astronomers from the observatories, this new technology for presenting science. university instructors, and others are start- folks we normally would rarely see at regu- Astronomers and observatory staff have ing to view the planetarium in a new way and lar public programs. A number of them ap- commented that this new technology “now are looking to contribute to public program- proached me following the show to discuss makes the planetarium useful to astrono- ming for our audiences and distribution to ways to use the system, and the possibility of mers…compared to when all planetariums others. Dawn of the Space Age remains the only using our facility for conferences or seminars. could do was show the constellations.” Some full-length playback content available at this Monthly we do a program called Mauna have remarked that they now are able to fly time, but more productions are in the works. Kea Skies in which we do an in-depth sky tour, through their observations collected at the Stereo 3D is spectacular in real time, and hav- followed by a presentation by one of the ob- summit. Dr. Tully has visited us several times, ing an enthusiastic, knowledgeable presenter servatory astronomers. This program now in- and feels this new tool will greatly aid in our with this system is a powerful combination cludes flying out to some of their discoveries understanding of large scale structures. He has to bringing in new audiences, and making old in 3D stereo. Attendance for this show has in- said this revolutionizes the way astronomical audiences return time and time again. I

June 2008 Planetarian 13 From Plato’s Cave to Perceptions of Reality

The Evolution of the Fulldome Planetarium

Tobias Wiethoff Planetarium Producer Zeiss-Planetarium Jena Am Planetarium 5 D-07743 Jena GERMANY [email protected]

This article is based on the thesis The Fulldome Planetarium which I wrote as part of the master program in Science Communication at the University of Dalarna, Sweden under the supervision of Professor Lars Broman and Dr. Hans Meinl. The Fulldome Planetarium was an ambitious attempt to develop a cultural- Tobias Wiethoff historical dissection for immersive video projection systems that are used in a growing number of planetariums today. The investigation includes the impact such a system has on the various aspects of an existing planetarium after it is installed. The Jena Planetarium (the institution with which I am affiliated) served as a case study for this undertaking. This thesis finds that fulldome is certainly more than a combination of all the peripheral audio and visual technologies that have shaped the planetarium space over the course of the last decades. The immersive video technology transforms the planetarium into an establishment with new potentials that can be embraced by examining the conflux of the different attributes and media that form this new institution. The cultural historical-analysis is the focus of this article. The full thesis can be obtained from the author.

14 Planetarian June 2008 Roman Pantheon4 is a result of this development and a first-class example for how architectural domes, since their very beginnings, have been created to equate the vault of heav- en—the place where gods used to reside. The 1. The Archaic Display Pantheon later became an example for master builders of other important domed structures, The ability to interpret the weather, create relevant use of the stars such as the Byzantine Hagia Sofia. for orientation and timekeeping, and to discover patterns upon which we base our predictions of cyclic changes over the course of a year be- 3. Spaces of Illusion The Roman tourist resort of the 1st century long to the most fundamental accomplishments of humans. Societies BC, the city of Pompeii, offered pleasure and are based upon knowledge which has been communicated to humans entertainment to its visitors. Among the nu- by the display of the celestial dome. At the works of man. The galleries are comprised merous Pompeian frescoes that survived the same time, people of all ages have populated of several hundred illustrations, primarily great eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 BC (and the sky with products of their minds, includ- of animals, surrounding the viewer. Though which are commonly known for their ob- ing sky tales of moral character and valuable these caves were used primarily for ritualis- scene content), the first known uses of immer- 5 knowledge. This type of two-sided relation- tic ceremonies and share this commonality sive image strategies can be found. ship seems to be as old as humanity itself. with spaces of illusion in later historical peri- The room-filling fresco in the Villa of Mys- In primitive pre-religious societies, it was ods, there is little evidence that they were de- teries, one of Pompeii’s main attractions back generally believed that it was possible to in- signed as such.3 These caves represent the pro- then, surrounds the visitor with a 360-degree 6 fluence phenomena in the sky (such as rain) totype of an enclosed space to which humans vision of the unity of time and place. Meant by means of observation and imitation; in consciously retreat to confront themselves to serve as a stimulus for a collective intoxica- other words, by the conduct of magic. At a only with their world of ideas. It seems plau- tion, the fresco at the Villa of Mysteries exem- later stage of development, people started to sible that the prehistoric cave artists separated plifies a cultural historical constant in which assume the will of divine beings as a driving themselves from “the real world” to reflect on spaces of illusion are intended to create expe- force behind all things and observation of their position within nature. riences of ritualistic, religious, or dionysic ec- natural phenomena was intended to interpret In a multitude of variations, the idea of the stasy. The growing realism of contemporary and predict the actions of gods. The system of cave as a projection canvas for the abstract digital spaces of illusion and their seemingly astrology that developed out of this approach ideas of men reoccurs in the history of culture, unpredictable consequences for the future led brought forth extensive astronomical records, the best known example being Plato’s analo- to the creation of numerous apocalyptic sce- which became a valuable reference point gy of the cave. In a version of Tristan and Isol- narios in the products of popular culture, that when it was conceived, that systematized ob- de of the 13th century, the author Gottfried embrace this dionysic and addictive connota- servation and comparative analysis could pro- von Strassburg presents an idealized variation tion of virtual reality. duce insights into the true nature of things.1 of the cave as being a perfectly spherical room A new scientific world view emerged, large- made from white marble with neither win- 4 In Greek: dedicated to all gods 5 The use of immersive spaces for entertainment is ly under the contribution of early astrono- dows nor doors. The smooth, white surface of not the only point that allows us to draw parallels mers. It spread across the known world with “the cave of lovers,” as it is described by Strass- between Pompeii and modern Las Vegas, which has 2 the campaigns of Alexander the Great. When burg, provides for the exclusion of the outside turned into a center for virtual reality entertainment telescopes today are pointed at the stars, they while offering the least possible distractions these days. Virtual Art reach far beyond what is visible with the na- for focusing on the inner world. The “canvas” 6 + 7 Grau (2003) , MIT Press ked eyes—but it is still done to create knowl- for consciousness is an attribute inherent to edge about our world and ourselves. modern planetarium domes as well. The development of architectural 2. Spaces of Ideas domes (in the sense of self-support- The 15,000-year-old prehistoric cave painting structures with a keystone) is ings at Lascaux and Chauvet in southern accredited to the Etruscans. To- France are among the oldest depictive art- gether with their experience they gradually assimilated into 1 The same concepts that led to the development of the Roman people between science eventually had let to the foundation of the 300 and 90 BC, leading to a “polity.” large number of domed con- 2 A ceiling fresco dating from c. 50 BC in the Temple structions in antiquity. The of Dendera in southern Egypt (now at the Louvre) arguably depicts the Egyptian interpretation of Greek constellations. Not only is it a clear example of the spreading of the Greek world view, but it also exem- 3 Rothert, H. (1956). Die Kunst der plifies how ceilings and domes have constantly being Altsteinzeit (Fine Art in the Stone Age), used to equate the heavens. Kohlhammer

On facing page and to the right: A detail of the Lascaux cave paintings; on facing page: All Dome Laser Image Projection (ADLIP) in action at the Zeiss Planetarium in Jena. All images provided by the author.

June 2008 Planetarian 15 Ceiling frescoes of St. Ignatius Church in Rome, painted by An- drea Mantegna in 1694. Photo by Antho- ny Majanlahti; used under Creative Com- mons permission

A second frequently reoccurring type of Florentinian architect and painter Filippo years and became the first to progressively ex- virtual reality environment is intended to Brunulleshi contributed essential fundamen- plore the potential of domes to create spaces evoke contemplation of mind and inner tals to this development. Based on the concep- of illusion. peace. An early example of an immersive im- tions of his friend Leon Batista Alberti, he de- The spreading and growing acceptance of age space aiming at this opposite site of the veloped the central perspective which made the works of Copernicus and Descartes during emotional spectrum is a fresco at Villa Livia spatial illusionist painting possible in the first the 1600 and 1700s created the essential pre- in Primaporta dating from 20 BC that served place. The dome of the cathedral Santa Ma- conditions for modern sciences. In a counter- as a virtual hideaway into an illusionist gar- ria del Fiore was one of the first architectur- movement to this development, the Catholic den.7 Among its successors are landscape pan- al strokes of a genius in the Renaissance and Church mobilized the massive persuasive im- oramas of the 19th century, panorama view- underlined the new status of domes in archi- pact of ceiling and dome frescoes for promoting rooms on nuclear submarines, or the tecture. ing counter-reformatory messages to a primar- meditative virtual reality piece Osmose by Mantegna was the first to pick up the ideas ily illiterate audience. In most cases, the dome artist Char Davis in which the participant on perspective in frescoes and consciously use or ceiling served as a hypaethral11 opening, re- navigates through a visual analogy of a tree them to negate the real architectural space. vealing a scene staged in a Christian model of by controlled breathing.8 His work in the Camera degli Sposi features the heavens. This extended between the sublu- the oldest Sotto in su9 type of painting that nar sphere, the home of humans, and the em- 4. The Painted Heavens creates the illusion of an open ceiling through pyreum, the place where the gods used to re- The Italian Renaissance represents an his- which the viewer can see the sky. Not only side.12 While heliocentricity and the idea of an torically important point of convergence for does Mantegna pick up the concept of the infinite cosmos slowly manifested themselves domed constructions and illusionist paint- ceiling as a resemblance of the sky creative- in the public mind, the Catholic Church tried ing. Even though numerous earlier exam- ly, but his complete mastership of linear per- hard to work against this, causing the genre of ples of domes can be found in Byzantium spective turns the small enclosed space of the dome and ceiling frescoes to flourish during and Mesopotamia that are artistically deco- chamber into a virtual experience of a much the Baroque and Rocco.13 rated in a non-figurative manner, it is only bigger and open space. Andrea Pozzo, who worked as a painter as now that artists start to treat the dome sur- His long life and expertise account for the well as a theorizer, laid out the theoretical face as a single picture environment for fig- direct influence on many important illusion- groundwork for the creation of the dramat- urative painting, aiming to create a space of ist painters to follow. Among them were Bald- ic dome and ceiling painting during this pe- illusion. The skillful application of the new- essare Peruzzi10 and Corregio, who had served riod.14 In the cultural-historical analysis of ly developed methods for perspective paint- as Mantegna’s personal assistant for many ing is intended to make the spatial illusion as 11 In Greek: opening to the sun above convincing as possible. 9 Meaning “seen from below” 12 Dante powerfully describes this model in his 10 Peruzzi designed the Sala prospettiva at Villa work. 7 Fernesin in Rome that features a virtual overview of 13 Lindmann (1994): Der gemalte Himmel 8 www.medienkunstnetz.de/werke/osmose/ the city. 14 In his tractate Perspectivae pictorum atque archi-

16 Planetarian June 2008 dome environments, it is a remarkable anec- dote that the central element of this master’s most important work, the Church of Sant’ Ig- nazio, is the depiction of a virtual dome that the Jesuit principals were unable to construct for real because they had run out of money. In 1609 Galileo became the first to ever point a telescope at the night sky and there- with establish modern astronomy; the genre of ceiling frescoes reached its climax at the same time. Representative for the numerous painters that designed ceiling and domes in Ceiling fres- the Rococo is the great master Gianbabtista co with Trompe Tiepolo, whose body of work was allocated l’oeil by Andrea over entire Europe. Not only did Tiepolo mas- Pozzo, 1703, at ter his craft to an extent that it became impos- the Jesuit Church in Vienna. Pho- sible to distinguish between real and illusion- to by Alberto Fer- ary space, he also accomplished “adding life” nandez Fernan- to some of his main works by taking into ac- dez, used under count the moving vantage point of the view- permission of the er.15, 16 GNU Free Docu- mentation license With the advent of classicism the genre of dome and ceiling painting abruptly finds its end. At the same time, the panorama, a new medium for illusionistic experiences, slowly begins to establish itself in Europe’s bigger cities.

5. The Panorama Different from illusionist approaches in the Baroque and Rococo, a panorama aims to re- solve the real space completely while making the image space absolute. Upon entering a panorama the viewer gets the impression of having traveled to a different place then his true location.17 Already around since the late 1800s, panoramas advanced to become the first true mass media in the second half of the 19th century.18 Standardized canvas sizes make it possible to easily exchange panoramas amongst per- manently installed rotundas that existed in 19 almost all European cities towards the end orama soon fall into oblivion. In many of its characteristics as a commu- of the 19th century. Smaller, portable rotun- The role of the panorama in the 19th cen- nal immersive environment, the modern full- das traveled from village to village. An indus- tury resembles what cinema became in the dome planetarium has its immediate precur- try that is, in some respects, comparable to the 20th century. Causal to the success of the pan- sor in the late 19th century panorama. The contemporary film industry emerges, with orama are changes in society. Social distanc- subject of a “journey” or “voyage” that is es- few panorama directors supervising anony- es and a growing alienation from nature be- sential to the panorama experience has char- mous crowds of panorama artists. Between gin to characterize the life of city dwellers. acterized planetarium shows ever since. It has 1870 and 1900, one hundred million people Against payment of an entrance fee, the pan- gained new meaning because fulldome tech- visited panoramas in Europe. This success sto- orama offers the social experience as well as nology makes it more possible than ever to ry ends with the invention of the cinemato- the opportunity for a virtual trip to compen- virtually access otherwise inaccessible places. graph. The emergence of cinema lets the pan- sate for the absence of real experience of na- Besides the social aspect of a planetarium ture. Furthermore, governmental propaganda visit, the reestablishment of contact with a tectorum, Pozzo describes the propper application agencies contributed to the boom of panora- fundamental experience of nature is an attri- of quadratura (painted architecture) and distortion mas as they discovered the persuasive power bute that classical planetariums21 already had by means of anamorphosis, a technique still used in of the medium.20 in common with the panorama. This point dome correction software today. can only be amplified by fulldome technol- 15 The ceiling painting of the staircase at the Würz- ogy. 22 burg residence Tiepolo takes into account the mov- 19 Shortly after the invention of the cinematograph, ing vantage point of the observer entering the room a filmic panorama is presented to the public at the and ascending the stairs. World Fair in Paris in 1900. But rather then being a 21 In the case of the planetarium, this is the starry 16 Pedrocco (2003), Tiepolo, Dumont visionary anticipation of fulldome movies, it must night, which has disappeared from big cities. 17 The term “telepresence” is used for this phenome- be regarded as continuation of an old tradition with 22 The spirit of “fairground & circus” as well as “ex- non in reference to Virtual Reality experiences. new means. ploration & future” represent emotional connota- 18 Oetermann, S.(1997). The Panorama: History of a 20 A reason why a disproportional number of pan- tions of the panorama that can be sensed in the pub- Mass Medium, Zone Books, New York oramas feature battle scenes. lic view of planetariums as well. The opto-mechanical

June 2008 Planetarian 17 format film that started to appear in the late 20’s. In an attempt to expand the common cinematic experience, numerous experiments were tried, including the stimulation of additional senses, very large screens, and even film projection in a dome environment. 28 Developments in cinematic technology were brought forward by investments of the US Military that aimed to develop flight simulators to train pilots for combats in Europe during WW2. Flight simulators that allowed a person to interact with a virtual environment are the technological precursors of the real- time features in fulldome planetariums. The emergence of computer graphics was a great leap forward in flight simulator design. In 1955, Ivan Sutherland, who produced ground breaking work in early computer graphics and who later participated in the foundation of a company primarily dedicated to flight simulator design, published an essay called “The Ultimate Display” in which he essentially laid out the ultimate aim of com- never happened. 6. The Projection Planetarium puter graphics. He envisioned a computer-run Planetariums as a tool for astronomical The invention of the projection planetar- virtual space so convincing that it was indis- demonstration look back on almost 2000 ium turned the planetarium into a space of tinguishable from reality. This vision received 23 illusion. With a given size of the dome, the years of history. Probably the best known its cultural counterpart in the holodeck of true architectural space dissolves, causing the modification of planetariums are public astro- Star Trek™. “ahh!” that still can be heard among audienc- nomical clocks that were gradually installed At about the same time, we find the first ex- es as a reaction to the rediscovery of the natu- on public buildings in Europe’s growing Re- amples of the artist removing the planetar- ral night sky when the opto-mechanical pro- naissance cities, intended to demonstrate a ium space from its context and exploring it 24 jector is turned on today. spirit of science. in the sense of Wagner’s vision of a Gesamt- Like many important technological accom- Planetariums received their true signifi- kunstwerk29, immersing the viewer in an artis- plishments, the development of the planetar- cance with the emergence of the Copernican tic vision of sound and light. Technologist and ium projector brought forth other significant revolution as a tool to communicate the new artist Stan Vanderbeek focused on exploring inventions. As a side project to the projector world view. Different types of planetariums the social aspects of a domed medium. Against began to appear in schools and households for development, Bauersfeld conceived a meth- the background of the cold war, he conceived educational and entertainment purposes dur- od to maximize efficiency when construct- global networks of domes that help commu- ing the 1700 and 1800s. ing a planetarium dome. He eventually creat- nities to connect and exchange sound and im- Essentially, the modern projection planetar- ed the first geodesic dome structure, which he ages in order to build mutual and cross-cultur- ium is a further development of the Gottorf derived directly from the icosahedron shape al understanding.30 26 Globe, an accessible celestial globe of 1664. It of the Zeiss model 1. While the ideas on global effects of societ- was designed to overcome the problem of or- Ever since the first planetarium opened in ies were just emerging, architect and designer dinary celestial globes that per se display the Munich in 1925, additional technology has Buckminster Fuller proposed the construction sky mirror inverted. This was achieved by im- been integrated into planetarium institu- of a giant spherical display he called Geo- mersing the viewer with a replication of the tions.27 Over the course of the decades, audio, scope in order to visualize global coherences night sky.25 In fact, Oskar von Miller original- video and eventually immersive slide projec- and make these more comprehensible. ly did have such a device in mind when he in- tion techniques contributed, in shaping the In reaction to the launch of Sputnik and the tended to build a Ptolemaic planetarium for planetarium towards a more and more versa- corresponding crisis in national confidence, the Deutsches Museum in 1913. If it had not tile space of illusion. the government of the United States restruc- been for struggles in engineering it, the fruit- tured science education. Not only did the to- ful cooperation with Bauersfeld might have 7. Technology & Immersion tal number of planetariums worldwide dra- Common fulldome systems in planetari- matically increase to its first climax around projectors are different from movie projectors; they ums offer the possibility to playback pre-ren- the time of the Apollo missions, but the spec- have never been hidden but put on a pedestal as a dered all-dome movies as well as the use of trum of multimedia technology broadened kind of “fairground spectacle.” Even though opto- real time applications such as a navigable atlas mechanical projectors are on a slow retreat now, nu- of the universe. Pre-rendered all-dome movies merous institutions remain that praise themselves as: 28 Vitarama by Fred Waller in 1939. Waller was large- “the most modern planetarium of the world!” have their technological precursors in large ly engaged in the development of alternative cine- 23 For a very good description of the history of the matic experiences. He is best known for the inven- opto-mechanical planetarium, please see Kraupe, T. 26 Only four decades later the American Designer tion of Cinerama (2005). Denn was innen, das ist draussen: Die Geschichte R.B. Fuller explored the concept of geodesic domes 29 “Total Artwork” is an idea he described in an es- des modernen Planetariums, Caelum Vol. 2 furtherwithout knowing of Bauersfeld. His work on say called “The artwork of the future” in 1849; see 24 Famous examples are the Strasbourg Cathedral or geodesic domes made him world famous. also Wagner, R. (1849). “Outlines for the Artwork of Prague Town Hall 27 Even at the oldest planetarium still in service, the the Future,” Wagner on Music and Drama:A Compendium 25 The Gottorf globe was conceived by mathema- Zeiss Planetarium Jena, the first presentations in 1926 of Richard Wagner’s Prose Works, DaCapo. tician Adam Oelarius for the duke Friedrich of Hol- had been opened with Beethoven’s Die Himmel rühmen 30 Shaw, J., Weibel P. (2003). Future Cinema–The Cine- stein the 3rd . (dt.: praise the heavens) played by a gramophone. matic Imaginary after Film, MIT Press

18 Planetarian June 2008 significantly. 31 Technologies like slide-based all sky systems made planetariums the ideal place to relive the trip to the moon. Initiatives were taken by planetarium professionals in conjunction with the movie industry to expand this potential of planetarium space for immersive media experiences even further by adapt- ing developments in large format film like IMAX for dome projection or developing similar systems.32 The increased potential of the planetarium space to create unique audio visual experiences also expressed itself in emerging laser light shows. Laserium by planetarium professional Ivan Dryer started in 1973 at Griffith Observa- Workers construct- tory and became the prototype of Pink Floyd ing the geo- planetarium shows around the globe. desic dome While the search for alternative ways of of the Zeiss constructing and perceiving reality expressed Planetarium itself in legalized drug experiments and psy- in Jena; from the planetari- chedelic art forms in the 60’s and 70’s, the fol- um’s archives lowing decade seemed to offer a more concrete access to designing and experiencing realities by means of the seemingly limitless possibilities of future computers.33 Science fiction scenarios laid out by authors like Stanislaw Lem34 or Isaac Asimov started to take concrete shape in the 80’s, due to the rapidly growing power in computer graphics. Scott Fisher, an openly admitting sci-fi fan, was substantially involved in the development of head-mounted displays. Fisher picks up on a quote by Alberti, who had described perspective paintings as being a “window into another world” when he refers to virtual reality interfaces as a “door into a virtual world that could become just as complex as reality itself.” William Gibson has explored the ultimate consequences of this idea in his 1984 novel Neuromancer,35 in which he introduces cyberspace—a parallel virtual world that users

31 The foundation of the company Sky-Skan by former planetarium employees in 1967, specializing in from a global network can log on to. systems found their way into planetariums. specialeffects and automation systems, is indicative While early virtual reality environments for this development. could only be experienced by one person at a 8. The Fulldome Planetarium 32 Experiments made with 35mm film and fisheye projection at the Fleischman Atmospherium and time, systems for the communal experience of Much of what the fulldome planetarium Planetarium, Nevada, in 1963 led to the foundation VR started to appear in the early 90`s. In 1992 will be in the future is determined in its past. of the “Cinema 360 Consortium.” It engaged itself the first Cave Automated Virtual Environ- Many of the technological trends and applica- in the exploration of 360 degree film projection in ment was presented to the public, an immer- tions we see today, such as the networking of planetariums. A highlight of their work was material shot with a specially designed camera during the sive virtual reality space realized by five rear domes or real-time applications for visualiza- Challenger mission (STS 41-B) in 1984. projection screens. At the very same venue, tion of global coherences, have been antici- 33 Youngblood sees a driving force in this develop- the first single lens dome projection system pated by technologists and artists throughout ment in the “sense of spirituality that had entered featuring full color video real-time graphics earlier times. Just these examples seem to qual- the science. The non-Euclidean nature of our uni- was presented. ify the fulldome planetarium like no other in- verse could no longer be explained by pure scientific intelligence but seemed to require a reflection on Although a number of real-time calligraph- stitution in becoming a venue for some of the a more profound and alternate level.” Youngblod, G. ic scan all-dome systems producing black discourse on the challenges humanity faces in (1970). Expanded Cinema, paperback. and white line drawings had been installed the 21st century. To embrace the full potential 34 Lem is the first to describe the concept of “cyber- in planetariums in the 80’s, there was hard- of the fulldome planetarium, we might very space,” even though he did not coin the term. 35 Neuromancer’ represents the beginning of the ly enough time for planetarium professionals well inform ourselves on the ideas of some- “cyberpunk” Genre and is at the basis of numerous to explore their full creative potential. By the times visionary individuals of all historical ep- other products of popular culture that deal with vir- late 90’s computer hard and software had suf- ochs who could only dream about the kind of tual reality and the ultimate consequences of com- ficiently advanced so that the first fulldome technology we now have at hand. I puter graphics.

June 2008 Planetarian 19 20 Planetarian June 2008 ESA and German-Speaking Planetariums Collaborate for IYA Show Production

Adam Majorosi European Space Agency

Artist’s impression of the Herschel Telescope. Thomas W. Kraupe ESA (Image by AOES Medialab); background: Hubble Space Telescope, NASA/ESA/STScI Planetarium Hamburg, Germany

Most of our historic knowledge about the at the night sky, thereby changing the way we it to the planetariums of the world,” says proj- universe is based on findings made by Euro- see the universe and paving the way for mod- ect manager Adam Majorosi (contact: adam@ pean astronomers like Kepler, Galilei, Cassini, ern scientific understanding of the cosmos. majorosi.eu). He said he is confident that the Newton, Herschel, and Planck, not to mention The show continues with our current genera- joint project of ESA and planetariums will Aristotele, Ptolemy, Archimedes and numer- tion of space telescopes, which scan the sky in serve a large market within the international ous other scholars and scientists of the past. all wavelengths, and then focuses on ESA cor- planetarium community. And he added that Europe’s heritage of more that three millen- nerstone missions Herschel and Planck, which “by June, we’ll know exactly what we can of- nia of astronomical observation and scientif- are ready for launch late this year and which fer to whoever is interested in this new Euro- ic research has formed a matchless scientific have the potential to initiate the next revolu- pean planetarium show.” Indeed, this program community. Astronomy is part of European tion in our understanding about the universe might help put European space astronomy identity, reaching from highly esteemed re- we live in. back into the spotlight for the public. And, of search institutes to hundreds of thousands of The show will be produced in digital full- course, it will fascinate audiences of all nation- amateurs and interested laypersons. dome video format (4k resolution) and will alities on a high visual and emotional level. Despite spectacular findings and highly ac- include animations and space imagery shown For more information on the Herschel and claimed breakthroughs, the significance of for the first time. In parallel, a classic version Planck projects, as well as news and resources European astrono- for facilities using analog equipment is being on all ESA missions, see www.esa.int/esaCP/in- my seems to be shift- prepared, since they still represent the majori- dex.html. I ing out of the focus ty of planetariums in Europe. of the general pub- Even the storyline of the show will have lic, especially space a European touch. It will combine didactical astronomy with a and educational ingredients with emotion- home base in the al and human elements of cosmic explora- “Old World.” tions. In order to serve planetariums perfectly The Hubble tele- for the Year of Astronomy, the release of the scope, with its huge show is scheduled for late November 2008. impact in celestial This show production is being realized via imagery, is rarely a new cooperation model between planetari- identified as an in- ums and the ESA. Initiated in Germany, Aus- ternational project tria and Switzerland, a pool of interested plan- despite 25% Europe- etariums and ESA elaborated a concept and an involvement and road map of how to create a product that funding. Other missions of less artistic appeal would be useful and fit for planetarium pur- are either not known or not understood. poses and support Europe’s contribution to An artist’s impression of the front of the Planck The European Space Agency (ESA) has iden- space astronomy. Telescope. ESA - AOES Medialab tified this problem and is taking action. In The first steps in this team effort are more the framework of the UN Year of Astrono- than promising. Most of the large planetari- Unique double mission: Herschel, which will look at the universe in long-wavelength infra- my 2009, ESA is producing, for the first time, ums in the German-speaking countries have red, and Planck, which will examine the cosmic a large, high quality planetarium show deal- signed an agreement and contributed to the microwave background, are set to be launched ing with space astronomy and its stunning re- production budget, allowing the production together later this year aboard an Ariane-5 sults. to go ahead. Further theatres, especially small- from the Guiana Space Centre, Kourou, French Guiana. They will separate about 2 hours af- The storyline of this show begins with the er domes, will hopefully follow. ter launch and then head separately to orbit famous Italian Galileo Galilei, who 400 years “Our next step is to adapt the planetarium at Lagrange point 2, about 1.5 million km from ago used a telescope for the first time to gaze show to other European languages and bring Earth.

June 2008 Planetarian 21 U2

YOU’VE HEARD THE BAND. NOW SEE THE MUSIC.

A DIGITAL ANIMATION LIBRARY

22 Planetarian June 2008 Now available: clarkplanetarium.org/distribution • 801-456-4949 President’s Message sheer magnitude of the time and money for the planning and implementation of the project and the far-reaching impact of such an initiative are over- whelming. So we give a big thank you and con- gratulations to: Jon Elvert: Jon is chair of the IPS Out- reach Committee and has provided encouragement and essential assistance to all parties involved in this project. He inspired the Louisiana Art & Sci- ence Museum to donate their used Me- diaGlobe. Carol Gikas: Carol is president & executive director of the Louisiana Art & Science Museum and the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of Susan Reynolds Button the Louisiana Art & Science Museum Quarks to Clusters in donating their MediaGlobe. Even though the projector is old technolo- 8793 Horseshoe Lane gy to the museum, it will be used by Chittenango, NY 13037 USA someone who will see it as new and exciting technology. (1) 315-687-5371 Dave Weinrich: Dave is the proj- (1) 315-263-1985 (cell) ect coordinator, educator, and IPS am- bassador to Ghana. He has admirably [email protected] pulled together all the people and resources to make this project a reality. Joanne Young: All refurbishing costs 27 June-2 July IPS Conference and labor for getting the MediaGlobe As I write this column, final preparations in shape and training for Dave were are being made for IPS 2008 in Chicago. A provided by Audio Visual Imagineer- wonderful program is planned in a marvelous ing, and AVI will provide customer setting and all participants will experience an- support for years to come. other awesome conference. I look forward to Dr. Jacob Ashong: Jacob had a dream seeing hundreds of my friends and colleagues of building Ghana’s first science cen- again as we “Explore the Edge” together at the ter in Accra and his vision included a 19th International Planetarium Society Con- planetarium. IPS provided a means for ference. him to get the planetarium and so did Jacob. He provided the active involve- 26-30 June 2010 IPS Conference ment of personnel and resources from Even as we conclude preparations for 2008, Ghana to build a facility to house the Dr. Omar Fikry is already making preliminary projector, ship the projector to Ghana arrangements for our 20th IPS Conference at and to establish support staff to oper- the Library of Alexandria. So mark your calen- ate the planetarium. He is facilitating dars, read up on the history of the ancient city the planning, the implementation and of Alexandria, Egypt and make plans to attend the future operation of the planetari- another remarkable conference in 2010. um. Ruth Barbley: Ruth is currently a Ghana Project student at Minnesota State University- You may remember from my December Moorhead. She is member of the fam- column that as part of the Outreach Com- ily with whom Dave lived while he mittee’s efforts to assist planetariums in de- was a Peace Corps volunteer in Libe- veloping countries, IPS has initiated a pilot ria. Her sister, Glowen, lives in Ghana project that we hope will lead to future astro- and is personally acquainted with Ja- Top: Jacob Ashong (in the white shirt) stands in the mid- nomical outreach to many developing coun- cob Ashong. As a volunteer, Ruth will dle of his dream project discussing building plans for the tries. I would like to extend the gratitude of all be assisting Dave with the training of planetarium in Ghana. Next three photos: The walls are IPS members to the very special people who rising; it is obvious that a domed building is being con- planetarium personal in Ghana. had the imagination, heart, and tenacity to structed for the MediaGlobe. First three images by Jane Dave has been keeping me updat- ashong; bottom image by William Tackie. bring this unique IPS project to fruition. The

June 2008 Planetarian 23 ed on this project. In January, he wrote, “I am portables. Rather than that, I would like the from the Spanish planetariums and consid- planning to go to Ghana around the end of information in my “Mobile News” column ered them as one of the pillars for the celebra- May and return just before the IPS conference. to be passed on through your newsletters and tion of 2009. The planetarian community ac- One of my next steps is to start planning the through any electronic news you feel will tively works inside the node, and promotes training for the Ghanaian operators. I am glad reach members and perhaps non-members of activities nationwide in close contact with all that I worked with Eileen Starr in teaching your affiliate. I would also like regular reports the other institutions (National Commission some STARLAB workshops and other astron- sent to me, at least once a year, for inclusion in for Astronomy, astronomical institutes, uni- omy workshops. That experience, plus my my column for portables. versity departments, Spanish astronomers as- Peace Corps experience in Liberia and Ghana sociations) that compose the committee for as well as my sabbatical in Sri Lanka, should International Year of Astronomy the Spanish Node. Many of the activities of be useful.” 2009 the IYA in Spain will take place in the plane- The MediaGlobe was shipped in ear- I am sure we will find out about more activ- tariums and science centers (as anyone could ly March and Jacob was making rapid prog- ities and materials being designed and created expect), and the Spanish Association of Plan- ress on constructing the dome. Also in early for IYA2009 at the conference in Chicago. We etariums is producing—as a team—two plane- March, Dave and Ruth went to Orlando, Flori- know that in each country planetarians are tarium shows that will air during 2009 in all da during their university spring break to visit represented in IYA2009 National Nodes and the Spanish planetariums.” Javier Armentia, with Joanne and to train on the MediaGlobe. Working Groups [email protected]. Dave reported, “It is a very easy projector to and they are dedicat- Shawn Laatsch, IPS Treasurer and planetar- operate. The key will be to train the operators ed to creating the ex- ium director at the Imiloa Astronomy Center in some basic astronomy. I also learned how posure that we need of Hawaii, announced “Two of the nation’s to assemble the projector and do simple main- and finding ways most advanced planetariums and their pro- tenance. So I feel adequately prepared in that to educate and ex- ducers have partnered with Interstellar Stu- area. Joanne and her company have bent over cite students, teach- dios, with Imiloa as the lead planetarium, to backward to help with this project. They have ers and the general produce a companion fulldome program to really gone the extra mile!” public about astron- the Public Television broadcast of 400 Years On April 16 Dave wrote, “It is getting close omy. You can meet of the Telescope. This collaboration will pro- for our departure to Ghana. Ruth is leaving on and talk with col- duce a visual experience of the history of the May 10 and I’m leaving 11 days later, on the leagues at IPS 2008 telescope that will be shown in planetari- 21.” and get inspired by ums throughout the country and the world. I eagerly look forward to Dave’s pictures everyone’s IYA2009 Free distribution of this program will be pro- and progress report at the conference in Chi- plans. Here are just a vided to hosting planetariums.” Read more at cago. few projects that I am aware of through email www.400years.org/planetariums.html. Contact Information: Jon Elvert, jelvert@ communications: Chuck Bueter of Granger, Indiana, the Plan- lasm.org; David Weinrich, weinrich@mnstate. Agnes Acker, Association of French-Speak- etarian’s advertising coordinator, wrote to edu; Jacob Ashong, jacob_ashong@yahoo. ing Planetariums, wrote to tell me about the tell me that “Art Klinger (director of the PHM com; and Joanne Young, joanne@av-imagi- situation in France. She explained, “I am mem- Planetarium in Mishawaka, Indiana) and I re- neering.com. ber of the National Committee of the “An- cently received a Toyota TAPESTRY grant to nee Mondiale de l’Astronomie” (AMA09, see introduce students in the planetarium to out- Outreach to Portable Planetarium www.astronomy2009.fr), where I represent in door lighting issues and to conduct a district- Directors in your Region particular the planetariums in France. We are wide experiment outside to quantify the sky I have heard from two new volunteers who working on many specific operations since glow in our community.” See information at are actively working within their affiliate or- March 2007. About 150 projects were submit- www.lettherebenight.com/pltm.html. ganizations to reach the portable planetarium ted coming from associations, planetariums, Chuck continues: “While we have a mix of community in their regions. Dayle Brown, observatories, universities, and more than 100 stories and an in-dome activity that support in the GLPA region, and Christi Whitworth, received the label AMA09. The French Plane- dark-sky advocacy, we want to create some in the SEPA region, will keep us informed of tariums (via APLF) will produce, in strong col- original content that ties the diverse segments the number of portables in those regions and laboration with the ESO, a show titled The together into a common storyline. Specifical- gather information about their activities and Quest of Our Cosmic Origins, devoted to the ly, we want to introduce IYA, outdoor light- well as spread the good news of IPS. I am grate- mondial project ALMA .”* Agnes Acker, acker- ing issues, the 400 years thing, Galileo, and the ful to these two new volunteers. [email protected]. implications of his key observations. We have The goal is to have a designated individu- Javier Armentia of the Spanish Planetari- to move fast if we are to get a product into al in each affiliate organization to pass infor- um Association wrote, “…the Spanish Node the hands of planetarians in time for IYA2009 mation from portable dome directors to IPS of the IYA2009 has included a representation (and particularly in time for the March 2009 and from IPS to portable dome directors. IPS Globe at Night campaign, an IYA Cornerstone officers want to know what is happening in Project). the portable dome world and we want por- * ALMA is the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, an in- “We are also considering a novel approach table dome directors to know that they are ternational partnership between the United States to generate the artwork for the planetarium (National Science Foundation) and Europe. Europe- not alone; there are resources and ideas to be program and to drive visitors to more infor- an participants include the member states of the Eu- shared. Many times the portables are not affil- ropean Southern Observatory (Belgium, Denmark, mation and to new experiences after they iated with any organization because they do France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and leave the dome. Specifically, we are consider- not know about the benefits. We must seek Switzerland), the Centre National de la Recherche ing creating the equivalent of a “holodeck” in them out and keep them informed about ac- Scientifique (France), the Max-Planck Gesellschaft the 3D virtual world of Second Life that would (Germany), the Netherlands Foundation for Research tivities and opportunities. Typically, I will not in Astronomy, and the United Kingdom Particle Phys- allow visiting avatars (a computer generated be sending news directly to be passed on to ics and Astronomy Research Council. - ed. archetype) to enter a nighttime environment,

24 Planetarian June 2008 June 2008 Planetarian 25 26 Planetarian June 2008 to alter the outdoor lighting, and to experi- ty is that, no matter what we do, some planetariums can raise the level of scientific litera- ence how the light pollution changes, for bet- etariums will be closed because someone has cy in their communities and excite students ter or for worse, from their actions. an agenda the does not include keeping the about furthering their education in the fields “Within the built SL environment, we planetarium open, no matter how valuable it of hard sciences. The impact of these things could capture video of a narrating avatar for is. We must make our best effort to help our- can be measured. snippets in the planetarium show. That way selves so that we can always at least make Yes, this also applies to those planetariums the planetarium visitor “meets” the avatar a good argument for keeping the planetari- housed in a school. In a school situation, the narrator in the dome and continues that rela- um open. Many times this strategy will work. administrators consider measurable outcomes tionship in the holodeck.” to be the justification need- Chuck Bueter, bueter@ ed to pay for having a plan- nightwise.org; for more on etarium. They need to prove Second Life, check out sec- to the school board and the ondlife.com. taxpayers that the planetarium program is a valuable Publicity Coordina- use of classroom time. The tor for the IPS trick is that “measurable out- Please welcome Jacques comes” are valuable, wheth- Guarinos, of Astronef, Plané- er they are just perceived or tarium de Saint-Etienne, as able to be actually quantita- the new publicity coordi- tively measured. nator for the International For instance, “How does Planetarium Society! the planetarium assist stu- As part of the IPS Out- dents to pass tests?” or reach Committee, Jacques “What can the planetar- will be responsible for com- ium provide, as a labora- municating to the national tory, that the classroom and international print, ra- cannot?” Focus on the pos- dio, television, and electron- itive; the planetarium is the ic media information about most cost- and time-effec- the IPS, its activities and tive means for affectively achievements, and state- and cognitively locking in ments from the Society. concepts that cannot be ex- Primarily, these commu- perienced by reading text- nications will be about IPS- books or performing class- Wilbear and his fulldome Adventure Team: Alan Davenport (MAPS), Sharon Shanks (GLPA) related issues. However, from room labs. It is imperative and Gary Meibaum (SEPA); story on page 28. Photo by Susan Button. time to time there will be is- that students have the ad- sues on which the IPS wishes vantage of using the plan- to make a statement that re- etarium as a laboratory to flects the official IPS view on a particular sub- Please do not wait until it is too late and nev- examine and confirm space science concepts ject. er lower your guard! Build a support system explored in the classroom. Feel free to contact him with your congrat- and make your planetarium an indispensable Here are some words of wisdom from Dr. ulations and ideas about how he (and perhaps institution in your community! We must be Douglas Duncan, an astronomer at the Uni- you) can assist in promoting planetariums as expert at marketing our planetariums as we versity of Colorado and director of Fiske Plan- and the vital role we play in the world. are about running the planetarium. etarium. He previously was on the staff of the If you send him a report on what you are The first thing is to remind yourself about Hubble Space Telescope, which he left in the doing for IYA2009, he can compile a report all the facets of marketing your facility. Per- early 1990s to be part of the modernization of and promote planetariums with that infor- haps you can do this by networking with staff the Adler Planetrium. (If what follows sounds mation. members at successful planetariums and find familiar, an earlier version appeared on Dome- Contact Information: Jacques Guarinos out what they are doing right and by rereading L, and he expands on his thoughts here.): (directeur, Astronef, Planétarium de Saint- “Planetarium Promotion 101: An Introduction “I’ve been watching a few planetariums suc- Etienne, Espace Fauriel, 28 rue Ponchardier, to Marketing for the Planetarium Profession- ceed and a larger number fail for many years. F-42100 Saint-Etienne, France; phone: +33 (0) 4 al.” You can find this article at www.ips-plane- “The ones at risk base their decisions on 77 34 40 85 or +33 (0) 6 07 23 53 62; guarinos@ tarium.org/planetarian/articles/planetarium- what technology can they buy and what can astronef.fr. promotion101.html. they do with it. The ones that succeed base Not only do you have to market your plan- their decisions on “who is my audience, and Be Proactive to Stay Viable etarium, you have to be savvy about the fi- what can I give them that others can’t? Speaking of promoting planetariums, we nancial realities of making the planetarium “The result of the latter thinking is that you can raise the status of planetariums in gener- profitable. Administrators need your help don’t try to compete with Disney, and you al through our new IPS Publicity Coordina- in proving that the planetarium justifies the don’t buy technology that makes you so ex- tor and you can make your planetarium in- cost to run it. What is the financial value of pensive your audience can’t afford to attend. dispensable to your community by being the planetarium? Either the planetarium pays “I became aware of these two views when I vigilant about “blowing your own horn!” its own way by revenues generated through planned exhibits and programs for the mod- I cringe at each news item I read about an- ticket sales and donors or by providing critical ernization of Adler planetarium in the early other planetarium closing. I know the reali- benefits to the museum or community. Plan- 1990s. Before spending large amounts of mon-

June 2008 Planetarian 27 ey locally I toured the best science museums is one of the largest risk factors I’ve seen lead- told us that she had lots of help in creating the in several countries to examine the process by ing to planetariums having trouble.” final version of this show. which they made such good programs. I found Contact information: Dr. Douglas Duncan, The initial program of slides and video was they all used the same process, and it was au- Department of Astrophysical & Planetary born thanks to talented university staff, in- dience and goal based. ‘Who are we trying to Sciences, University of Colorado; Phone +1 cluding the narrator and photographer, and reach? What do we want them to leave with?’ 303-735-6141 or +1 303- 492-5003; casa.colora- the university’s public radio station recording (e.g. Knowledge about the ‘new’ solar system. do.edu/~dduncan. studio. A co-worker provided the live action Excitement about astronomy.) These muse- And lastly, to keep your planetarium vi- video sequences and Sharon’s daughter drew ums knew their audience far better than any able, use partnerships to enhance publicity, the artwork. Sharon says,” the only actual cost planetarium. They had for the program was clear goals, and they for slide production.” measured if the goals That show ran were achieved. Tech- It isn’t about technology, folks, it’s about the message you can successfully for two nology was used when bring to people. years. During the sec- it supported goals; oth- ond year, children un- erwise not. (Visit the der 7 years of age were Exploratorium in San Francisco, one of my save money and connect the planetarium to invited to a tea party with teddy bear music, top museums, and you’ll see what I mean.) the community. punch, bear-shaped cookies and time to listen “We fill our theater (210 seats) many Friday You can join with other planetariums and to a bear story. Coordinating the show with nights with live talks by interesting astrono- form a block of buying power when purchas- this pre-show activity and making a closer mers and people such as Phil Plait (the Bad As- ing or designing shows. Some producers are connection with young families in the com- tronomy author). These people talk for free. Ad- even encouraging planetarians to do just that; munity increased attendance. mission is $6. During the week we often have planetarians are receiving the benefit of low- Next came collaboration with two oth- live talks given by astronomy students whom er pricing by forming a block of multiple pur- er planetariums. Sharon basically gave the we train in public speaking. Again, cost is min- chasers! show away for the cost of the DVD and mail- imal and we offer a personal interaction that You can also attend conferences and/or ing and that was all she meant to do: share a other venues don’t. We know our audience, examine the proceedings from regional and program for young children with colleagues. which in this college town is pretty highly IPS conferences. Many times there are papers An order came in from Gary Meibaum, direc- educated. So our advertising emphasizes fun printed in these proceedings that provide ex- tor of the planetarium at the St. Charles Par- and education. Movies don’t offer the latter; amples of how your colleagues lowered the ish Library in Luling, Louisiana. With the help neither does Disney. That is the niche for the cost of production through partnering with of a Tulane University student, Jason Talley, smart planetarium. other planetariums or organizations in their the show was transformed into fulldome for- “It isn’t about technology, folks, it’s about communities. mat for their MediaGlobe and a copy was sent the message you can bring to people. A good back to Sharon in a form compatible with her example is Apple Computer. They know their Take Advantage of Networking SciDome projector! Then Sharon sent a full- potential users and make technology to sup- One way to ensure that you keep your dome video copy to Alan Davenport, direc- port what users like. A compelling and educa- planetariums alive is to take advantage of net- tor of the Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium in tional story, with less ‘gee whiz’ technology working. One kind of serendipitous profes- Orono, Maine. He adapted it for his Mirror is always better than gee whiz special effects sional collaboration was unveiled at the 2007 Dome projector! supporting a thin message. You should hear GLPA-MAPS-SEPA Conference in Wheeling, You can read the full story and see imag- the scorching comments of audience mem- West Virginia. es on pages 135-138 in the conference Proceed- bers about this when you interview them. Sharon Shanks, our Planetarian editor, is ings. Presenting cool science in an accessible way is planetarium lecturer at the Ward Beecher By examining other collaborative efforts not the same as dumbing down, or presenting Planetarium at the Youngstown State Univer- you can learn ways to become more effective cartoons, and the public knows this. Of course, sity in Ohio. Sharon imagined and produced and cost efficient. You too can make this kind you need to do interviews—assessment—and a delightful planetarium program for young of networking profitable for you and maybe listen to your audience, to see for yourself. children. The story centered on Wilbear, a even adapt these methods as “standard oper- “Basing decisions primarily on technology young teddy bear who wanted to fly. Sharon ating procedure!” The community of planetariums is relatively small; therefore, we need to keep in mind the necessity of supporting each other and working together. Planetari- ums should neither be isolated nor be forced to reinvent the wheel. Contact Information: Sharon Shanks, [email protected]; Gary Meibaum, gary. [email protected]; Alan Davenport, [email protected]. I look forward to meeting with colleagues in Chicago to further discuss, in person, these ideas and other challenges that face planetariums. I am sure we will all leave with many new perspectives and action plans to insure that planetariums not only sur- vive but also thrive in the future. I

28 Planetarian June 2008 Bring breaking news and astronomical images into your planetarium or exhibit space in high de nition

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http://amnh.org/sciencebulletins June 2008 Planetarian 29 Mike Shanahan, Planetarium Manager Car- Past President’s Message olyn Kaichi, and Steve Tierney, who ran the afternoon show in the Jhamandas Watumull sky. We are, however, getting closer. Planetarium under its 9.1-m dome. An added That doesn’t mean, however, that I am attraction was live mid-afternoon solar view- against or dislike digital projection, because ing, also conducted by Steve. Again, the hu- it allows us to do so many things that simply man touch was, as always, appreciated by all. can’t be done with an optomechanical sys- On to different things. By the time you re- tem. The kinds of shows that are possible with ceive this issue of the Planetarian, we shall be digital systems add so much versatility to our very close to the time of the 2008 IPS Confer- programming. ence in Chicago, in the USA. I’m hoping to see My experiences there prompted much dis- a large number of you there, and am looking cussion about where we are heading, and forward to it immensely. where we have come from. Of course, you It’s also our last IPS gathering before the In- need to see the new 3D system to have a full ternational Year of Astronomy, the prepara- appreciation of what I am talking about—but tions for which, I am sure, have kept you all could we have anticipated this kind of experi- quite busy. By now, you will be aware that ence 30, 20 or even 10 years ago? Council has voted “no” to committing IPS I didn’t. funds directly to gain formal involvement in I often think about this—not just with plane- the IYA. As I write this, I shall, as an IAU mem- tarium technology, but in more general terms. ber, be attempting to secure as much direct in- There was a time when people lived without volvement as possible without the IPS spend- radio, television, or medical X-ray imaging. ing money that could, in the opinion of a Martin George, Curator Of course, there are still, unfortunately, many considerable majority of Council members, people in the world who do not have easy ac- be better spent elsewhere. Launceston Planetarium cess to such things. A century ago, the pro- The IYA is certainly shaping up to be big, Queen Victoria Museum jection planetarium had not been conceived. and it is clearly the best opportunity to promote astronomy on a worldwide basis that Wellington Street I’m writing this using a laptop while sitting aboard a flight across the Pacific, with a power we have ever had. In addition, of course, it is a Launceston, Tasmania supply for my laptop in the seat, and access to great time to promote our planetariums! To me, as chair of the International Rela- Australia so many movies and television programs that it’s difficult to choose which one to watch— tions Committee, the IYA has another spe- +61 (3) 63233777 if I had time, that is. Apart from the cup of tea cial effect: it is something that will bring the +61 (3) 63233776 fax just served to me, there’s little or nothing that worldwide planetarium and general astrono- I see around me that would not have amazed my communities together still more closely. [email protected] even the most technically advanced commu- On a less happy note, one issue that has been concerning me lately is one that has been As I write this, I have just seen something I’ll nities a century ago. brought to the attention of us all through never forget. It is the new Sky-Skan 3D system What is important about all of this, howev- at the Imiloa Planetarium in Hilo, Hawaii, run er, is to never forget that it is we planetarians by Shawn Laatsch. Pressures of work caused who are the most important resource in our me to miss the opening of the new system in industry. Even the best planetarium systems January, but I snatched a few days immediate- in the world could never realise their full po- ly after Easter to make a visit there. It’s the first tential without an enthusiastic planetarian at such system in the world, and it’s breathtak- the helm, and, as I so often say, the live night ing. sky tour is such an essential part of an presen- With Shawn at the controls, flying the au- tation. dience—in a live show—through the Milky Another important aspect of digital systems Way, I watched as stars passed me by, the ef- is their ability to handle and update datasets of fect being so realistic that I could almost feel solar system objects, stars, and galaxies. While them brushing past me and was tempted to I was at Imiloa, Brent Tully was visiting as a close my mouth to avoid swallowing one! guest of Shawn and ran two sessions in which Leaving the Milky Way, we arrived at the he described his dataset of galaxies, projected Virgo Cluster of Galaxies, the enormous en- onto the dome in 3D. Brent Tully is, of course, semble slowly rotating before our eyes so that one half of the famed Tully-Fisher pairing we could study its members—elliptical and who, in 1977, produced a landmark paper on spiral, large and small. their research which showed a clear relation Now, many of you probably know me as between the absolute magnitudes of galaxies a “traditional” planetarian, appreciating the and their HI line profile widths. The widths, of quality of a fine optomechanical star projec- course, are an indication of the speed of rota- tor to give that true feeling of being out under tion of the galaxy, and their study provided a the stars. My love of that kind of starry night new method of determining galaxy distances. sky has not changed and, as I am sure the sev- While in Hawaii, I also paid a visit, for the Dr R. Brent Tully and IPS Fellow Peter Michaud first time, to the Bishop Museum and was eral vendors of digital systems would agree, at the Imiloa Planetarium. All photos by Martin we are still “not there yet” with a digital night warmly welcomed by Education Director George.

30 Planetarian June 2008 Dome-l and on the World deal with in addition to the Wide Web. After years of be- particular duties as secretary, ing closed, the Moscow Plane- has been superb. For exam- tarium faces the possibility of ple, Council members are espe- not being able to reopen due cially appreciative of the work to financial problems. We are that Lee Ann puts into the all aware that there are many Council meetings, with the planetariums in Russia and preparation of council packets other republics of the former of information and, of course, Soviet era, and that our fellow the preparation of the min- planetarians staffing those in- utes, which all members see in stitutions are an enthusiastic the Planetarian. group. Last October, I found Jim Manning is a former IPS myself immersed in this won- president, having served in derful atmosphere when I vis- that office during 1995-96. He is ited Nizhny Novgorod (see a Fellow of the IPS, and a Spitz my report about this visit in Lecturer. Jim has served as pres- the December 2007 issue of ident of the Rocky Mountains the Planetarian). Planetarium Association, and Of course, this is not the first has for a long time contribut- time that we have been sad- ed his What’s New column to dened by the closure or bleak the Planetarian, the flagship future of a planetarium and publication of the IPS. offered our support, and I am Jim is currently the chief ex- aware that in this case, too, ecutive officer of the Astro- many of you have sent sup- nomical Society of the Pacific, portive emails, which is won- having formerly (at the time derful. The officers, myself, and of his award) been head of the the International Relations Office of Public Outreach at Committee have been discuss- the Space Telescope Science ing this issue at some length— Institute in the USA. He re- together, of course, with some mains close to the planetari- of our Russian colleagues—and um industry and the IPS. He I am hoping that we can have has ensured that the planetar- some positive influence. I am ium world is included in ma- investigating the possibility terials that are produced, and of making a visit there in the continues to attend planetari- near future to discuss the issue um conferences. first-hand in Moscow, and will Dale Smith’s support of the keep you all posted. IPS over a period of many Top: The Jhamandas Watumull Planetarium at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu; bot- Returning to the subject of tom: Steve Tierney conducting a solar observation session at the Observatory at the years has been outstanding. the upcoming IPS Conference, Bishop Museum. Dale is an IPS Fellow, was pres- this is the last opportunity for ident in 1999-2000 and is the me to correct a serious omis- IPS Publications chair. In this sion from my final President’s Message in the in the Planetarian for 50 issues now (see Page role he has also been Directory editor, a role December 2006 issue! I promised in the Sep- 50), and has been very active in promoting that was taken on even before he became Pub- tember issue of that year to say more about and supporting the IPS, particularly through- lications chair. the excellent work performed by our IPS 2006 out his region. In addition, Lars’ masters’ pro- One particular way in which Dale has sup- Service Award recipients and, through a fault gramme in science communication is help- ported the society has been his dedication of nobody except myself, some vital para- ing to educate potential planetarians for the to spreading the news about IPS around the graphs were not included. future. world. His work on the Star Partners Scheme, As those of you who were present at the Lee Ann Hennig has been involved in the the Directory itself, and his extensive travels Melbourne conference will remember, we planetarium industry for a very long time and have been enormously valuable to our soci- were all delighted that Lars Broman, Lee Ann has been a highly valued supporter of the IPS. ety. Hennig, Jim Manning, and Dale Smith all re- Lee Ann has been a board member of the Mid- Dale is a Spitz Lecturer, was president of the ceived the highest honour the IPS can award— dle Atlantic Planetarium Association (MAPS) Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) the Service Award. for a number of years, and has been very ac- for an extended term and is a GLPA Galileo Lars Broman is a fellow of the IPS and for tive in the astronomy education field. She is award recipient. He is also a fellow of GLPA many years has served and contributed signif- also an IPS fellow. and served on their board for many years. He icantly on the IPS Council. Lars’ seat on Coun- As well as all of these achievements, though, has also been proceedings editor for GLPA for cil has seen him representing the Nordic Plan- Lee Ann has fulfilled a very important role quite some time. etarium Association for many years, and he within the IPS as secretary since 1994. Her un- We’ll be seeing all of these fine planetar- was a founding member of that group. Lars tiring work as an officer, contributing to all ians and many, many others in Chicago. I has contributed his International News article of the day-to-day business that the officers look forward to seeing you there! I

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stalled per year for the past 2 years.

Theater Openings Here are some notable digital dome openings from the past year. Send your press releases and photos to me at the email above to be listed in next year’s review. The new Peter Harrison Planetarium at Eng- land’s prestigious Royal Observatory in Green- wich opened to the public on May 25, 2007, featuring Evans & Sutherland’s new Digistar® 3 Laser projector. The single-lens laser projector provides 16.5 million pixels of ultra-high resolution imagery on the Harrison’s 11.5-m dome screen. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended a royal premiere of the new planetarium show Star Life, co-produced by Evans & Sutherland. Arguably the world’s most well known location, the Royal Observatory at Greenwich Ed Lantz has been known as a leader in astronomical observation and innovation since its founda- Visual Bandwidth, Inc. tion by King Charles II in 1675. It became uni- 1290 Baltimore Pike, versally known in the late 19th century when it was chosen in 1884 to be the prime merid- Suite 111 ian (zero degrees longitude) of the world and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania the center from which world time zones are measured. 19317 USA Since its introduction in 2002, over 125 Di- [email protected] gistar 3 systems have been sold (27 in 2007 alone), including 10 Digistar 3 Laser systems. As of mid-April 2008 there were 383 theaters Other recent installations include the Star- worldwide listed on the LNP Fulldome The- dome Observatory in Auckland, New Zealand, ater Compendium ONLINE!,1 now surpassing which recently installed a Digistar 3 SXRD sys- the total number of IMAX theaters world- tem in their 11-m dome (with two Sony SXRD wide and approaching the combined total of projectors), Shoemart Planetarium in Manila, all large-format film theaters as tracked by the Philippines (15m dome, Digistar 3 DLP sys- LF Examiner.2 The table below shows the long tem), and Tidewater Community College in term annual trend through the end of 2007, Virginia Beach, Virginia (12-m dome, Digistar with approximately 100 digital domes in- 3 Laser system). This June the Guangdong Sci- ence Center in Guangzhou, China is scheduled to open as China’s largest science center, including an 18-m dome with a Digistar 3 La- ser system. On March 18, 2008, the UK’s largest digital planetarium—the INTECH Plan- etarium in Winchester, UK—opened with a Fideli- ty Bright system by Glob- al Immersion. (A picture of the interior of the new facility appears on page 53.) The system uses six projectiondesign F30 sx+ high performance DLP projectors, providing 1 Fulldome Theater Compendium, www.lochness- Top and center: The exterior and the interior of productions.com/lfco/lfco.html 16.8 million colors and over 8 million pixels the Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Ob- 2 LF Examiner LFX Database (based on LFX Data- on the 16.5-m tilted dome screen. The system servatory in Greenwich, England; photos courtesy E&S. Bottom: The College of San Mateo, base search for all theaters); web: lfexaminer.com/ seamlessly ties in playback, real-time content, searchtheater.asp California; courtesy GOTO.

June 2008 Planetarian 33 lighting and sound via the Glob- sprinkler system flood that deal Immersion Media Director, Me- stroyed their new CHRONOS HY- dia Server, Media Playback and BRID system. In January 2008, a Theater Control system—all on a second planetarium system was wireless touch screen interface. installed, and instructor Darryl The 176-seat theater includes Stanford is once again using the Uniview real-time planetarium system in daily, live lecture use. software from SCISS AB, an 160- Replacement of the Spitz ATM4 segment LED cove system and an theater automation and audio 8.1 surround sound audio system, control brings the facility back to plus remote diagnostics allowing 100% of its pre-flood capabilities. Global Immersion engineers to This is a beautiful new 40-ft dome access the system from anywhere in a true showpiece of modern de- in the world. sign and function. The adjoining Global Immersion also pro- building also includes a state of duced INTECH’s opening show, the art rooftop observatory with Neighbourhood Earth, which is a roll-off enclosure housing sever- “presenter-led presentation that al telescopes used for student re- can be chopped, changed and cus- search. tomized depending on who is in At James Madison University in the audience at the time,” accord- Harrisonburg, Virginia, a CHRO- ing to Jan Breens, media integra- NOS HYBRID replaced an older tion specialist at Global Immer- GOTO system which had been in sion. The INTECH Planetarium operation since 1968. Dr. William hosted the European Workshop Alexander will use the new the- in Immersive Cinema on March ater to bring the latest in modern 29 as part of a post-conference astronomy together with tradi- tour that included a tour of Stone- tional techniques, using the man- henge in transit from Plymouth ual control console which drives to London. Participants were both the CHRONOS and the syn- treated to a variety of content, in- chronized D3 video system. A cluding segments of the opening new 30-ft Spitz dome and Ash/ show and clips from DomeFest East Coast audio, LED lighting, 2007 selected by conference at- and auxiliary video systems also tendees using the wireless touch occupy this tilted-floor facility. screen controller. Kris McCall reports that Nash- Global Immersion also upgrad- ville’s new Sudekum Planetarium ed the Gates Planetarium at the will officially open on June 28— Denver Museum of Nature and during IPS 2008! The new Sude- Science with a Fidelity Bright sys- kum will be the largest planetar- tem, and upgraded the Immersive ium in the fine state of Tennessee, Vision Theater in Plymouth, UK and the first major planetarium in with a fulldome Christie D-ILA the US using both a GOTO CHI- projector supplemented with a RON optical-mechanical star pro- Zorro 2015HC light valve projector seamlessly integrated with jector to provide an ultra-high an E&S D3 using dual SXRD pro- resolution, true-black projection jectors. “Not only do we have the in front of the audience. best of both worlds, but the pos- In the past year, two sibilities for presentations are al- CHRONOS HYBRID systems most endless,” says Kris, who un- (CHRONOS optomechanical star derstandably may not attend IPS projector with synchronized E&S this year. Their inaugural show D3 digital planetarium system) STARS features the amazing an- and two standard CHRONOS sys- imation of the National Space tems were installed, and three Center in Leicester, UK, the voice more CHRONOS HYBRID systems talent of Mark Hamill, and a Pip are waiting for their buildings to Greasley score performed by the be finished or renovated in the Grammy Award-winning Nash- next year. All of these GOTO sales ville Symphony Orchestra. were made by Spitz Inc., GOTO’s To see their work in progress, partner for US installations. Top: La Villette Planetarium at Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris, go to www.sudekumplanetarium. France; courtesy R.S.A. Cosmos. Next: Sendai Astronomical Observatory, Sen- The College of San Mateo, in dai, Japan; courtesy GOTO. Third: Nashville’s new Sudekum Planetarium and com. Kris also reminds us that the the San Francisco area, has re- Adventure Science Center; courtesy Kris McCall; and Bottom: INTECH Plane- Sudekum Planetarium and Ad- opened after its catastrophic tarium in Winchester, UK; courtesy Global Immersion. venture Science Center are host-

34 Planetarian June 2008 June 2008 Planetarian 35 36 Planetarian June 2008 June 2008 Planetarian 37 38 Planetarian June 2008 ing the regional Southeastern In March the La Torre Del Sole Planetarium Association (SEPA) Planetarium in Brembate di So- conference June 16 through 20, pra, Italy opened with a new Spitz 2009. SciDome theater. The new plane- Minolta has been busy install- tarium facility houses an observa- ing MediaGlobe® planetariums tory located at the top of a con- with 11 recent installations, inverted 28-m water tower, and is cluding the Heritage Planetari- located in the Lombardy region um in Maryville, Tennessee; the of Italy, 45 kilometers northeast Timmons Planetarium at Furman of Milan. Next to the observato- University in Greenville, South ry is a viewing platform with a Carolina; the Millholland Plane- coelostat that projects an image tarium at Catawba Science Cen- of the sun at the tower’s base. ter in Hickory, North Carolina; On January 14, 2008 Sky-Skan and The Omnisphere at the Natu- announced the upgrade of the ral Science Center in Greensboro, Imiloa Astronomy Center of North Carolina. The Timmons Hawai‘i Planetarium to the first Planetarium is actually a 7.3-m permanent definiti® 3D theater dome suspended over a class- with four cinema-quality Sony room, and is one of the few plane- SXRD™ 4K digital projectors, tariums in the world with picture definiti HD lenses, DigitalSky 2 vi- windows! sualization software, and 3D ste- The Seomjingang River Obser- reoscopic technology from In- vatory in GokSeong, South Ko- fitec. (For more, see the feature rea opened last year with an R.S.A. story on page 8.) Cosmos InSpaceSystem™ DLP Sky-Skan contributed to the 2C system featuring two BAR- renovation of the De Anza Col- CO SIM5 projectors and RSA Fish- lege Planetarium in Cupertino, Eye lenses in an 8-m dome. Plan- California with a definiti HD dig- etarium Director Dr. Kim was ital system using two Sony SXRD impressed by the precise repre- 4K digital projectors. The 15.2-m sentation of astronomical phe- dome is “beautiful, bright and nomena, saying that the “star- colorful,” according to Planetari- field was satisfying even though um Technical Director Karl von it was represented by data projec- Ahnen. The DigitalSky 2 software tors.” R.S.A. Cosmos also upgrad- can be linked to follow the mo- ed the La Villette Planetarium at tions of the new Konica Minol- Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie ta Infinium-S star projector, pro- in Paris, France. The InSpace- viding “tiny, bright, realistic stars System DLP-8C projection sys- plus all the flexibility and power tem uses BARCO SIM5 projectors of the digital system.” with a 6+2 configuration (six-pro- Sky-Skan also recently upgrad- jector hemispheric coverage with ed the Holt Planetarium at the doubled projectors for increased University of California Berke- brightness), a 12.1 digital surround ley’s Lawrence Hall of Science sound system and LED cove light- with a custom two-projector ing in the 21.5-m diameter Spitz definiti full-dome system in its dome. 6-m dome. Planetarium Director Spitz now has over 35 SciDome Alan Gould reports that the Law- installations featuring a special rence Hall of Science is convert- digital planetarium version of ing their audience participation Starry Night software. In Febru- shows to full-dome format and ary a new SciDome planetarium developing new shows for full- in Izmir, Turkey opened at pri- dome as audience participation vate school Izmir Özel Türk Kole- programs as well. Eventually all ji with a 9.1-m, tilted planetarium the Planetarium Activities for Stu- dome. Izmir is located in western dent Success (PASS) series of audi- Turkey by the Aegean Sea. The ence participation shows will be theater’s unique design includes a available in full-dome format. wall of south-facing, floor-to-ceil- In November, 2007 Ciu- ing windows. Heavy curtains can dad de les Artes y las Ciencias, be opened, allowing bright sun- L‘Hemisfèric (the City of the Arts Top: Timmons Planetarium at Furman University in Greenville, SC (courtesy shine to stream into the room, or and Sciences Planetarium) in Va- Minolta); next below: De Anza College Planetarium in Cupertino, California the curtains can be closed for to- (courtesy De Anza College); and bottom two: inside and outside the Zeiss lencia, Spain supplemented their tal darkness in the planetarium. Planetarium in Jena, Germany (courtesy Zeiss Planetarium) Zeiss Universarium Model VIII

June 2008 Planetarian 39 TD optomechanical planetarium projector nich, Duesseldorf and Wuppertal. While the Science, and myself. with a Zeiss powerdome digital projection latter three were destroyed in World War 2, Fulldome Summit registration is free for system with the Uniview live visualization Jena was mostly spared from bombing and re- IPS attendees (or $25 for non-IPS attendees), platform from SCISS AB. . Valencia is a stun- opened after a short closure. The theater hosts and there is an additional $50 fee for Dome ning facility that was host to IPS 2004. 260 seats, a Zeiss ADLIP all-dome System, and -Fest attendance. Summit events include kick- Other recent powerdome openings include a Universarium IX star projector as well as la- off of IMERSA (the new Immersive Media, the Lakeview Museum in Peoria, Illinois (Jan- ser show equipment. Entertainment, Research and Science Acad- uary, 2008) and the Kuwait National Plane- emy), a keynote speech by the former Dig- tarium and Kuwait Science Club featuring a Fulldome Summit and ital Cinema Initiative’s CTO Walt Ordway, powerdome 4DOME high fidelity playback DomeFest 2008 and papers and panels focused on the Future system with high performance Sony projec- If you are planning to attend IPS 2008 at of Fulldome. DomeFest events include “The tors and SCISS AB’s Uniview. the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois this Making Of…” sessions from fulldome produc- It was just over a year ago that Zeiss Plane- June/July (www.ips2008.org), don’t forget to ers, real-time interactive demonstrations, and, tarium in Jena, Germany upgraded with a new register for the July 3 Fulldome Summit and of course, the DomeFest 2008 Juried Show. Zeiss ADLIP laser projector. The Zeiss Planetar- DomeFest 2008. The Summit is a special ses- Find out more at the DomeFest web- ium Jena is the world’s oldest planetarium sion of IPS co-organized by Ryan Wyatt, chair site: www.ips-planetarium.org/fulldome/ still in service, running shows since 1926. It of the IPS Fulldome Video Committee, Dan ips2008.html. I was the fourth planetarium to open after Mu- Neafus of the Denver Museum of Nature and

KidsCall Calls on Planetariums Around the World

Thomas W. Kraupe Planetarium Hamburg, Germany

The international community of planetar- Since WFC has its based in Hamburg, Ger- upon our planet´s place in the universe. We iums and the World Future Council (WFC) many, it was a natural match for Planetarium are sure that you can make this project part of have common concerns and values. The WFC Hamburg to cooperate with this high-profile, the educational work you do every day. The consists of 50 respected pioneers and vision- non-governmental organization. projection of this trailer or of the allskies on aries from all five continents. Members come One result of this ongoing cooperation your planetarium dome offers a great chance from governments, parliaments, civil society, which is meant to be beneficial for all plane- to draw children’s attention to our environ- business, science, and cultural institutions. To- tariums worldwide focuses on a project called ment and our cosmos. The trailer has already gether they form a voice that emphasizes our “KidsCall.” been distributed to planetariums in Germany responsibility as global citizens and speak up KidsCall, the youth campaign of the World and has been received with great interest. for the rights of Future Council, addresses the children of the The KidsCall campaign is non-commercial future gen- world. They are invited to express their con- and not affiliated to any political party. The erations. cerns and wishes regarding climate change and campaign wants to help kids and teenagers to environmental destruction to the Group of think about and creatively express their con- Eight politicians (Canada, France, Germa- cerns and worries related to climate change. ny, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United King- There are many possibilities for your plane- dom and the United States) in letters, tariums to expand the project by drawing on emails, videos, and pictures. Please your own creative program and involving find more information, including a children visiting your dome. This initiative wonderful PowerPoint Presentation would surely be interesting for school groups. about climate change, at the cam- The trailer will be offered to your planetari- paign website www.kidscall.de. um free of charge. It should, however, not be To support these goals, Planetar- changed or used for other purposes. ium Hamburg, in cooperation with Comments, ideas and feedback are impor- KidsCall, has created a fulldome trail- tant to us, as is the future of kids on our blue er and, for non-digital planetarium, a planet Earth. If you need more information set of alskies, which we provide you for about KidsCall, please contact Caren Herb- free. You can download them at www. stritt of the KidsCall team via phone (+49 T h e planetarium-hamburg.de/kidscall. 40-30 70 91 428) or email (caren@worldfuture- Council´s We would be delighted if you could show council.org). founder, Jakob the trailer or the allskies before, after or even If you need more information or help in- von Uexküll, has become an international fig- during your planetarium shows for children/ stalling the KidsCall fulldome trailer or us- ure since he established the Right Livelihood families and hence integrate this as a meaning the allsky set on your projection system, Award in 1980, better known as the “Alterna- ingful tool it into your own strategy of creat- please contact Tim Florian Horn at Planetar- tive Noble Prize” (see www.worldfuturecoun- ing awareness for our planet. ium Hamburg, timflorian.horn@planetarium- cil.org for more information). The trailer encourages viewers to reflect hamburg.de. I

40 Planetarian June 2008 telecommunications infrastructure, and un- Educational Horizons reliable mail, fax, phone lines. Shall I go on? I could, but I can see you are wincing already. have cherry-picked a few to get your thought Well, OK, just one more. The so-called World juices flowing. I’ve taken my cue for this from Wide Web is a dream far out of reach for many a quote by the great Andrew Fraknoi that I re- in these countries. So near, yet so far. It’s al- cently stumbled upon. In 1996 he wrote, most like the name we’ve given the Internet is cruelly mocking them. They probably laugh Where does astronomy education take sardonically every time they think about it. place? Those readers who teach will prob- And the way things are going in the west (es- ably say it takes place in a classroom like pecially with the environmental concerns), theirs–anywhere from first grade through there will come a time when key astronomy- university. But I want to argue that astron- related magazines and journals (and, eventual- omy education happens in many other ly, many books) will only be available online. places other than the formal classroom. It The gap between the haves and have nots will happens in hundreds of planetaria and mu- then grow much wider. seums. It happens at meetings of amateur And it’s not as though educators in those astronomy groups. It happens when some- countries can partially solve the problem by one reads a newspaper, or when they watch writing their own books on astronomy; gen- tv or listen to the radio. It happens when erally speaking, there are not perceived to be someone is engrossed in a popular book on enough astronomy students in many small astronomy or reads Sky&Telescope. It hap- under developed countries to make the pub- pens in youth groups taking an overnight lication of such books financially viable. So Steve Tidey hike, and learning about the stars. It hap- in some respects, it doesn’t matter where the Freelance Astronomy pens when someone surfs the astronomy educators turn, they’re always looking down resources on the Internet. When we consid- a blind alley. Not surprisingly, all this makes Educator er astronomy education, its triumphs and me (and, I hope, you, too) feel very privileged Flat 3, 24/26 Southchurch tribulations, we must be sure that we do to be where we are, if you are accustomed to not focus too narrowly on academia, and the riches that surround us in the wealthier Road, Southend, Essex omit the many places it can and does hap- countries. SS1 2ND England pen outside the classroom.2 So here’s the deal, folks. The only way many countries can counter this mountain blocking [email protected] So, how far and wide do these efforts stretch their progress in astronomy education is to across the world? Well, there are approximate- ensure that their educators are as up to date as Well, howdly-doodly-diddly, as Flanders ly 100 or more countries that have some form possible on news and educational initiatives. might say. (A few seconds before Homer prob- of organized astronomy education, either pro- The IAU has sponsored many educators from ably throws something at him).1 fessional or amateur. Of those, roughly half less developed countries to attend meetings Let’s see, now, you’ve turned the page. Darn! adhere to the International Astronomical around the world, and the IPS does its bit, too, Now I’m really going to have to get my act to- Union, and less than half would be considered of course. There is always room for improve- gether for once and write something pretty to be fully developed economies. In many de- ment, so don’t underestimate the importance fast. And it had better be worth reading. Wow, veloping countries there are literally a hand- of seeing these good people at IPS conferenc- that’ll be a first… ful of astronomy educators who shoulder all es and other meetings. As big a deal as it is for So the pressure’s on. Erm, ah, uhm. Oh, the work. So there’s much food for thought the likes of you and I in the west to go to con- crikey, my head’s empty. No change there, there, especially for those of us in the west ferences, it’s an even bigger occasion, perhaps then… who can sometimes get frustrated at not hav- a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for those ed- You know what? If I were you, I shouldn’t ing even more resources to add to what are ucators from the poorer countries. Attending bother skipping this bit and going to the end already sumptuous amounts, compared to just one conference can potentially push as- of the column; I haven’t written it yet. many other countries. tronomy education ahead in one country by I can tell by the look of horror on your face a substantial margin, especially if the educator that you’ve noticed there’s a new picture of The Practical Problems is a one-person band, which, in some places, is me at the top of this column. Yes, it took a Let’s consider for a moment the daunting almost the case. while, but I succeeded in my mission and fi- practical problems faced by astronomy edu- So, if you attend the IPS conference in Chi- nally found a camera with a lens made of glass cators in under-developed countries. Oh boy, cago in June, seek out these educators and strong enough to not crack when it’s pointed where do I start? There’s so much choice. How point them in the direction of your favorite at me. about a paltry amount of teaching materials, astronomy education resources. We always Enough, already. Down to business. In this the books and magazines that are available like to feel we’re possibly changing in some issue’s column, I would like to look at some of to kids are terribly out of date, they have ex- small, favorable way the life of some of the the wide variety of places where one can find tremely limited access to computers, poor kids we teach, but with this you could poten- astronomy education taking place across the tially be changing a nation if you find your- world. There’s nowhere near enough space 2 From “Astronomy Education in the United States,“ self talking to a small country’s virtual lone as- here to cover all the examples in detail, so I an invited talk given at the 189th Meeting of the tronomy educator. In fact, go one better and American Astronomical Society in Toronto, Canada give them any spare paper and/or CD/DVD re- 1 Just in case the American prime-time cartoon pro- in January 1997. An earlier version was published in gram The Simpsons hasn’t permeated every corner Astronomy Education: Current Developments, Future Co- sources you may have. Now that’s job satisfac- of the globe, Steve is referring to Ned Flanders, the ordination, edited by J. Percy (1996, Astronomical So- tion. much-abused neighbor of Homer Simpson. -ed ciety of the Pacific Conference Series).

June 2008 Planetarian 41 On Distance Learning both they and their research programs garner eaae-astro.org). This organization has its roots Over the last 30 years or so, distance learn- comes to the attention of their funding orga- in a 1994 meeting of 100 physics teachers from ing has gradually built up a significant head nization. The theory is that the funding body across Europe, brought together in Garching, of steam to the point where today it has rev- will therefore look kindly upon that particu- Germany, under the auspices of the Europe- olutionized general education for millions lar program of research during the next bud- an Southern Observatory. At the conclusion of people in hundreds of subjects. An educat- get round. Perhaps the budget axe will fall of the one-week workshop on astronomy ed- ed (pardon the pun) estimate would put the somewhere else. ucation initiatives, the participants decided to number of institutions around the world of- But from a more general perspective, public form the EAAE with the long term intention fering distance education in a variety of sub- education, especially when it involves scien- of unifying, as much as possible, the teaching jects at about 1,000. Of those, 300 or more tists who are using public money, is a way of of astronomy across Europe. specifically mention astronomy in their col- showing us where our money is going. These The association is now registered as a non- lege- or degree-level distance learning courses. days it’s almost demanded in some areas. Up profit organization in Germany, and local The figures can be argued over, but a conser- to a point, NASA has been criticized over the branches, with local representatives, have vative estimate by Barrie Jones, an astronomer years in some quarters for its overall educa- been set up in many European countries. at the UK’s world-famous Open University dis- tional efforts and the degree to which they are EAAE activities include in-service training for tance learning institution, puts the approxi- truly committed to it, but my experience has teachers, exchange of science students across mate number of students studying some form largely been borders, summer of astronomy, either at a distance or in person positive and schools at obser- at a college or university, at 100,000 or more. their material Public education, especially when it in- vatories, etc. The He adds the caveat, however, that the accura- is usually high volves scientists who are using public ESO still play a cy of this figure lies somewhere between the quality. large part in or- uncertainty of the Hubble constant and the The edu- money, is a way of showing us where our ganizing events, amount of missing mass in the Universe! cation task is money is going. planning educa- The Open University has performed inter- more attractive tion initiatives, nal studies that show a comfortable majority to professional and stimulating of its 1,500 or so annual astronomy students astronomers than to other scientists, because the flow of information between members. have most interest in cosmology and the ori- they know that astronomy is the public’s fa- Lastly, in my potted and brief study of the gins of the Universe. Somewhat mysteriously, vorite area of scientific research, so they face range of astronomy education initiatives out only about one-third say they have a particu- far less of an uphill struggle than their col- there, we come to a world-famous research lar interest in learning more about how to ob- leagues from other disciplines. institution offering its students the chance serve the night sky. And more students intend But the downside is there is still a fair de- to learn what it takes to bridge the gap be- to go on to pursue a career in astronomy and gree of skepticism among scientists of all dis- tween the classroom and the land inhabit- physics than there are annual new jobs in the ciplines (including professional astronomers) ed by professional astronomers. The Smith- UK. Therefore, many of them move sideways about those who get involved in public ed- sonian-Harvard Summer Intern Program is a into related scientific disciplines. I imagine it’s ucation. “They’re doing it to pump up their 9- to 10-week long program that gives select the same in many other countries, too. ego,” or, “They’re doing it just for the publici- undergraduates from US colleges and univer- Jones has devised this whimsical distance ty” are common refrains. Either way, it is seen sities a golden chance to spend the summer learning version, below, of the classic stellar as working against the principle of true scien- actively involved in solid research projects, sequence list of star temperatures, indicated tific investigation done the old-fashioned way with post-doctoral fellows and senior scien- by letters: far from the public gaze and scrutiny. Many tists acting as mentors. They engage in obser- Features Of Distance Education. It: would still argue that it shouldn’t need jus- vational and theoretical astronomy and lab- Must be Open tifying, jazzing up or dumbing down for the oratory astrophysics and study supernovae, Is best on a Big scale public. Also, many scientists are loathe to deal star formation, the interstellar medium, and Is Affordable with non-technical journalists for fear of hav- so on through large, professional telescopes. Must build on the students’ Foundations ing their work misrepresented. There are field trips, too, and an opportuni- Is Growing It’s not uncommon to find professional as- ty to present their research results at a profes- Must have courses of high Kwality (!) tronomers viewing the mass media as a nec- sional meeting. Many former Summer Intern Must make use of the various Media essary evil. Print, tv, and radio provide a stage Program students have gone on to be profes- Is part of a growing world wide Revolution for public education, although the ground is sional astronomers contributing to important in education peppered with holes to be avoided for fear of projects involving gravitational waves, solar Is relatively New embarrassment or ridicule from your peers. motions, galaxy merging, general cosmology, Must provide Supported self-learning Astronomers need to be media-savvy, which and so on. It’s education at the sharp end of require skills very different from those that things, and they get to do stuff you and I only Educating the Public you and I have developed over the years for dream about. In today’s media-drenched society, profes- the planetarium and classroom and the ones So I hope this all places the planetarium sional scientists in many disciplines, includ- they, themselves, have nurtured for their re- world in better perspective for you all. We are ing astronomy, have discovered the benefits search. But it reflects how education is chang- a highly visible sector in the astronomy edu- of educating the public about their research. ing in today’s electronic world of fast news. cation field, but we provide just one of a vari- But not all of them are natural communica- School science teachers aren’t faced with ety of ways in which the public can get excit- tors, and therefore many of them shy away such concerns, especially as a growing num- ed about the universe. from the public duties that others grab with ber in Europe are focusing their own educa- Well, the moon of time has just eclipsed open arms. From a strictly selfish perspective, tion initiatives through the excellent Euro- the sun of fate, which means it’s the end of the main benefits for scientists of taking their pean Association for Astronomy Education this column once more, so I’ll put you out of message to the public is that the higher profile (EAAE). (Their web site can be found at www. your misery by stopping here. I

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Invaders_of_Mars_One_Page.indd 1 4/24/2008 10:01:57 AM Beleaguered planetarian Gail Chaid pro- rhythms of the seasons and the daily motion Forum vides our first and most eloquent response, of the sun, moon, planets, and stars become containing as it does the testimonials of sever- comprehensible. Students become more ob- al educators in her school district, a communi- servant about the celestial objects and about ty member, and a high school student. nature. They ask more questions. They become more curious about nature and the O O O world. Curiosity is a first requirement for lead- ership for many CEO’s. The positions of planetarium director (a The planetarium is also a place where stu- teacher) and a .75 clerk-typist have been elim- dents can increase skills in listening, which inated at Independence High School (San Jose, also increase skills in reading and writing. The California). The Independence Planetarium same part of the brain is engaged for both is on the chopping block. Teachers, students skills. Planetariums, as extensions of the class- and parents have written compassionate let- room, also provide a place where people have ters about their experience in the planetarium a community experience in learning. There is and how they feel about the cuts. Below you a sort of “bonding” with the community of see some of the reasons for having a planetar- the audience when the lights go out and ev- ium: eryone exclaims, “Oh!” and “Ahhhhh!” That Why Have A Planetarium? moment is magical. It is that moment and the Independence Planetarium offers educa- night sky and all that it teaches us that keeps tional programs on astronomy to adults and us connected with history, with humanity children alike. We see students ages 2 to 102. and with our own humanity. The planetarium simulates the night sky. Gail Chaid, Director With its technology, there are many creative Independence Planetarium ways to study astronomy, math, science, and East Side Union High School District other subjects that cannot be done in a regular 1776 Educational Park Drive classroom. As Robert Havlen, past director of San Jose, California 95125 USA Gary Lazich, Manager the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, says, Russell C. Davis Planetarium “Astronomy, more than any other science, is III a natural magnet to a child’s imagination and 201 East Pascagoula Street curiosity about the unknown universe. As- As a science teacher, I have found that one Jackson, Missippi tronomy is the crossroads of history, mathe- of the most intangible concepts for students 39201-4101, USA matics, geology, physics, chemistry and biol- to grasp is astronomy. I cannot imagine trying ogy that is alive and removed from the dry to explain nebula clouds, constellations, light [email protected] laboratory. Astron- years, and phases of omy opens natu- the moon without ral pathways to all A planetarium provides a place where the interactive and In one of his earlier recordings, Commedi- of the sciences and visual approach an Bill Cosby commented that philosophy history of our spe- abstract concepts make more sense provided by the majors in college wandered around asking cies. Most of all, as- and the wonder about them provides planetarium. As ed- questions like, “Why is there air?” Everybody tronomy is fun. students with inspiration. ucators, we know knows why there’s air, he retorted: to blow up The planetarium that very few stu- basketballs with! We could, I suppose, apply is one of the best dents can pick up similar “reasoning” to this issue’s Forum ques- motivational tools a text book, read tion. Why are there planetariums? To give ever invented. It is a resource that can posi- about a rather difficult concept, and truly un- planetarians somewhere to work and vendors tively inspire children of all levels into a life- derstand. Most students need to experience something to sell! long appreciation of science.” the content. The planetarium provides that Fortunately, respondents took the question The geometry of the celestial dome in a experience. more seriously. As stated, the question took planetarium allows for a more effective un- Jennifer Williams the following form: derstanding of astronomical concepts. It is dif- Independence High School ferent than a classroom and students remark Science Teacher Some years ago, George Reed asked about it immediately. “Wow, this is so neat!” impertinently, “Who in hell needs a they exclaim as they enter the dome. As the III planetarium?” In a time of dwindling program continues students are immersed in budgets and layoffs, who indeed? darkness. The stars come out, there is a voice Having a planetarium accessible for all With Sky Scout* by our telescopes and magnificent astronomical images sur- the students in the district is important to and Starry Night* on our computer round them. They begin to experience the keep our students learning in an active man- screens, who needs a planetarium and awe and curiosity about nature, Earth, and ner. Most of our brightest students have lit- for what purpose? the universe. tle knowledge of any of the earth sciences. I A planetarium provides a place where ab- see this at the many competitions my top sci- stract concepts make more sense and the ence students attend. The planetarium pro- wonder about them provides students with vides a way to add earth science to the cur- *The SkyScout™ personal planetarium is from Cele- inspiration. The world seems to make more riculum in a meaningful way to the students. stron; Starry Night™ software is a product of Imag- inova. - ed. sense after their visit to the planetarium. The Reading about the stars is not the same as see-

44 Planetarian June 2008 ing them. I have developed physics curricu- The programs that are offered at this facil- great educational facility that can be enjoyed lum just to utilize the wonderful resource and ity provide students with a unique and inter- by everyone, young and old. Young children have used the planetarium every year I have active learning opportunity—one that is very can learn about the stars and the solar system. been a teacher in the ESUHSD. Please help save different from anything that could be pre- High school students can learn about cells or this vital resource. sented in a traditional classroom setting. Stu- further expand their knowledge of the uni- Debra Dimas dents visiting the IHS Planetarium learn about verse. Taking away the planetarium would be Physics/Chemistry Teacher the science behind seasons, eclipses, star/plan- like removing a member of an already endan- Santa Teresa High School et/moon formation; to name just a few. In gered species. There are already so few plane- preparation for the upcoming STAR tests, a tariums left. Very soon, if this continues, there III recent visit to the facility provided my biol- will be none left! Why let future generations ogy students with a review of the California miss out on the experience? Please keep the The planetarium at this school is a rea- State Standards on cellular biology. There is planetarium open. son the science students here have been able no doubt that this experience will improve Patrick, student to make progress in science test scores. It is a their performance on this all-important test. Independence High School premier institution open to visits from all Alison Brunsdon schools and is one of the most heavily used fa- Science Department O O O cilities in our district. Among my students it Independence High School not only provides a unique approach to teach- A planetarium represents a unique oppor- ing through the dedicated work of our excel- III tunity for engaging the public in learning lent director, Gail Chaid, it creates a sense science. Research on how people learn has of optimism and excitement that lets them For integrated science, 9th grade, a good shown that new knowledge is built from ex- know there is a future in learning science. Giv- part of the first semester and part of the sec- isting knowledge, and that people naturally en the original commitment of the public ond semester, the planetarium programs are organize their personal experiences into men- funding for the planetarium and the relative- specially designed to reinforce and clarify the tal models. Unfortunately, such models are of- ly small expense of maintaining it, I for one do concepts taught in classrooms. Again many ten incomplete, self-contradictory or poorly not want to be any part of allowing it to be di- sections are handled at a time. We do not see defined. minished. I am sure time will bear out its con- “planetarium” as a place for learning celestial The planetarium is an ideal forum for pro- tinued value. objects only. viding the experiences needed to develop sci- Stuart Briber Molla Huq entifically accurate mental models regarding Science/Physics Teacher Science Teacher the appearance of the night sky and its con- Independence High School nection to the positions and motions of the III Earth and celestial objects. III The sky as experienced from the Earth The Planetarium has been a valuable re- forms the surface of a hemisphere. This basic source since the opening of Independence I am a lifelong resident of Santa Clara Coun- fact is central to understanding the apparent in 1976. I can testify to this as I have been a ty, a retired chemist, environmental manag- motions of the Sun, moon, planets and stars. grateful and enthusiastic user of its programs er and science teacher who grew up going to However, flat-panel depictions of the curved in my 23 years of teaching science here at In- the planetarium. Planetariums are a great way night sky on a two-dimensional computer or dependence. It provides curricular support in to make science a part of high-interest areas that support our science children’s lives; and an standards. It integrates the visual and kinet- opportunity for parents Planetariums are a great way to make science ic learning modes to accommodate our stu- to become involved dents’ different learning styles. And not just with their students, star- a part of children’s lives; and an opportunity for for Independence students, but for students in gazing and discussing as- parents to become involved with their students, the other East Side schools, including middle tronomy at home. The stargazing and discussing astronomy at home. schools and elementary schools. It even reach- US is woefully behind es out to the community and to educators… It other countries in the is…an irreplaceable educational asset which is science education of its children, which lim- television screen necessarily introduce distor- motivational and enriching for our children’s its our ability to compete in the world. These tions due to projection. Moreover, the flat de- education. days, when so few parents get involved with piction of the sky on a screen introduces an Ellean H. Vickrey their children’s education and so few students unnecessary layer of abstraction between the Science Department Chair get enough exposure to science to choose it as would-be observer and the real sky available Independence High School a career, we cannot afford to further limit stu- just outside. dent access to planetariums. A planetarium provides a realistic and re- III Susan E. Johnson liable representation of the two-dimensional projection of the sky experienced in three-di- Keep our planetarium open! Without it, my III mensional space. Visitors directly and person- students would never know how the moon ally experience the meaning of the horizon, was formed, or why the moon is shaped like I have been to the Independence High zenith, ecliptic, etc., and the simulated passage a crescent! We need the planetarium to keep School Planetarium twice: once as a third-grad- of time, thereby establishing the reality of the our students literate in science! er in elementary school, and once just recent- sky and its motions and providing the basis Matt Trask ly as a tenth-grade student at Independence. for new, more scientifically accurate mental Science Teacher Over the years, it has really improved in qual- models. Piedmont Hills High School ity with new programs. The planetarium is a A planetarium provides the opportunity

June 2008 Planetarian 45 to teach essential science skills to non-scien- ers, have no training in any of the sciences. So them where to look for stars, planets, or the tists: the role of observations, formulating hy- not only are the kids learning, but the teach- site of a suspected black hole, so that they can potheses, making predictions, and reasoning ers are too. And the public comes to the plan- go outside and observe some of these things from evidence. The novel environment of the etarium to learn a lot about the sky and space- with their own eyes. They can find a star with hemispherical theater is inherently engaging, flight. Remember that we in the planetarium a newly detected planet around it and won- and the combination of experiential educa- field are the “middle man” between NASA der if someone is looking back at them. They tion and inspiration makes the planetarium a and the general public. Yes, they can go on the can look at the light from a galaxy that has powerful tool for teaching basic observation- Web, but again, who is going to actually an- travelled millions of years to reach their eyes al astronomy and creating a scientifically ca- swer any questions that they have? They can and marvel at the far flung reaches of space. pable public. get NASA-TV in their living rooms, yet they The planetarium is the most effective tool for (Based in part on “The Interactive Planetar- choose to watch a shuttle launch with the showing the location of these objects and in- ium: Student-led Investigations of Naked-Eye planetarium staff so, if they have any ques- spiring a sense of awe in our visitors. Astronomy,” an article submitted to Astrono- tions, there is someone to talk to. Even in the era of wonderful multimedia my Education Review) Planetariums provide a real and impor- planetarium productions, some of my plane- Emily Rice and Dr. Nate McCrady tant service to the schools and public. Despite tarium’s most popular shows remain the sim- UCLA Astronomy Department the rising cost of gas, the attendance here in ple constellation talk. To sit under a starry 405 Hilgard Avenue Schenectady is up 29 %—yes, twenty-nine per- sky is magical, whether under a planetarium Los Angeles, California 90095 USA cent—over last year, and last year we had the dome or the real thing. Listening to a skilled highest attendance in the history of the facili- interpreter take an audience on a tour of the O O O ty. So someone other than the staff thinks that night sky is totally different than a tour by a the planetarium is important! computer. It’s the human impact that makes a Who in hell needs a planetarium? A lot Steven LJ Russo, Planetarium Manager difference. And show me a computer that can more folks than you think. Suits-Bueche Planetarium skilfully silence a restless fourth grade class! Yes, there are “computer planetariums” and Schenectady Museum Dave Weinrich, Planetarium Coordinator other things such as SkyScout, but those de- Schenectady, New York 12308 USA Minnesota State University-Moorhead vices, although they show the sky, cannot an- 1104 7th Avenue S swer questions about the night sky and the O O O Moorhead, Minnesota 56563 USA objects in it. In any city, it is not the local schools or edu- This is a question that a lot of administra- O O O cators who give the public information about tors are asking. Of course, to us planetarians, the sky. It is the local planetarium that does the answer seems obvious. No device can sim- Eloquent responses all—and great ammu- that. Who do the media go to when there is an ulate the night sky as effectively as a planetar- nition against arguments in favor of closing a eclipse, transit, or anything else happening in ium and it doesn’t even have to be clear, or planetarium! I daresay that everyone needs a the sky? The local planetarium. Who is it that even dark to do so. The sky is always clear in planetarium, whether he/she knows it or not. the public calls when they want information the planetarium. Beyond what we actually teach or present, about how to purchase a telescope? The local The human species is naturally curious our jobs involve—and may depend on—effec- planetarium. about the world around us and that includes tively showing people why they do need one. In many cases, people come to the plane- the sky above. I have travelled to countries Of course, we can’t “sell” other people the tarium when they don’t really have to. Here where the opportunities to learn about astron- planetarium experience unless we have first in Schenectady, we do a lot of Scout pro- omy are very limited and I find that many “sold” ourselves. Especially during spring field grams. When you read the requirements, most people, especially young people, have a real trip season, we can all too easily get caught up of the badge work can be done at home. But hunger to learn about the universe in which in the grind of cranking out shows and main- the parents tell us that they come to the plan- we live. Students who live in these countries taining equipment, forgetting perhaps why etarium because they can find the “experts” have many questions about our solar system, we entered the planetarium field in the first there who can answer the questions, and the the possibility of life outside the earth, black place. Fortunately, we sometimes experience kids feel it is better because the lesson is taught holes, and cosmology. “epiphanies” that recapture our “beginner’s by a “real scientist.” A planetarium, combined with an effec- minds” and remind us why we continue to do The schools attend the planetarium because tive presenter, is one of the best ways to an- what we do. To explore those epiphanies, let the teachers, unless they are high school teach- swer many of these questions. We can show us consider the following question:

What do you recall as one of your most moving or poignant encounters under or outside of the dome—one that rekindled your initial enthusiasm for planetarium work? How did you feel then and how do you feel now recalling it?

For your response to receive consideration for inclusion, I must receive it no later than July 15. I would also appreciate your including your full address in case anyone wishes to comment on your response “off list.” Happy solstice—whichever one you celebrate! I

46 Planetarian June 2008 Sentences can include prison terms of up to 10 years and fines of $1 million, but the Federal General Counsel Sentencing Guidelines give judges some lee- way in crafting an appropriate sentence, par- claim with threats of significant monetary ticularly if an offender does not have a prior penalties and decades in prison for infringe- criminal record. For example, a man was re- ment. cently sentenced by a judge in the Eastern Dis- Just the other day I ran across a profession- trict of Virginia to six months of home con- al photographer’s web site that threatened a finement (commonly referred to colloquially $2,500 “fine” for any “unauthorized use” of his as “house arrest”) for ripping unreleased CDs images. Of course, there are several ways one (made available only to radio stations and DJs) might use copyrighted work that are not ex- and uploading the content to various Internet pressly authorized by the copyright owner, servers for global distribution. but are, nevertheless, lawful. Indeed, the fair In addition to incarceration and fines, crim- use provisions of the Copyright Act allow cer- inal copyright convictions also typically re- tain, limited use of copyrighted material without prior permission of the owner. Sim- ilarly, the TEACH Act allows public performance or display of copyrighted material under certain circumstances. (Both are discussed in earlier Christopher S. Reed columns). Moreover, private CSR Media, LLC parties, copyright owners or otherwise, lack the necessary 1600 South Eads Street legal authority to unilateral- #830N ly assess “fines” against alleged wrongdoers; the assessment of Arlington, Virginia 22202 such monetary damages must USA be made by a court of compe- (1) 720-236-3007 tent jurisdiction. So, what are the conse- [email protected] quences of infringing upon someone’s copyright? Or, from a copyright owner’s per- istockphoto.com Copyright Infringement spective: what are the reme- I began last quarter’s column with a brief dies available from an infring- discussion about the recording industry’s law- er? As usual, the answer lies in the Copyright sult in the forfeiture of the infringing items, suit against an Arizona man for “ripping” le- Act. which are destroyed, and any revenues gener- gally purchased CDs to his hard drive and sub- A quick word of caution: this column, as ated as a result of the infringement. sequently making the digital files available via with most of my writing, relies wholly on U.S. Like all federal criminal charges, criminal a “shared folder.” The suit is just one in a long law. International laws vary widely with re- infringement actions are brought by the U.S. series of litigation recently brought by the spect to infringement remedies, so be aware Attorney of a particular jurisdiction; they can- industry in an effort to curb the widespread that your home country’s laws may differ sig- not be brought by individuals, though such copyright infringement that has plagued the nificantly. No matter what country you live charges generally start with a complaint or tip commercial recording industry for a number in, it’s important to talk to a qualified attor- from a copyright owner. Criminal infringe- of years. ney for guidance on copyright issues, or any ment charges are typically directed at wide- Although the recent spate of record indus- other legal matters. spread, commercial conduct, like the selling try litigation has garnered much attention, of bootlegged recordings or videos. the industry’s standard enforcement prac- Criminal versus Civil Liability tices are far more ubiquitous and decidedly As an initial matter, it is important to note Civil Remedies low-key: threats and warnings promising fi- that the Copyright Act provides for both civil Far more common than criminal charges nancial and criminal penalties for unlawful and criminal penalties for copyright infringe- are civil lawsuits brought by one private party duplication or performance. While this sort ment. Criminal infringement occurs, gen- against another, seeking money damages and of warning was once limited to the familiar erally, when one willfully infringes a copy- injunctive relief against the alleged infring- “FBI Warning” that appears at the beginning right “for purposes of commercial advantage er. As a general rule, a copyright owner who of most commercial videos, it seems like to- or private financial gain” or when one makes prevails on an infringement claim is entitled day anyone who claims a copyright interest or distributes unlawful copies of copyrighted to receive the actual losses attributable to the in something accompanies their copyright works with a retail value of more than $1,000. infringement along with any profits generated by the infringer that aren’t included in the General Counsel is intended to serve as a source of general information on legal issues “actual losses” calculation. of interest to the planetarium community. Planetarians seeking information on how In cases where a copyright has been regis- the principles discussed in a General Counsel column apply to their own circumstances tered with the Copyright Office prior to the should seek the advice of their own attorneys.

June 2008 Planetarian 47 alleged infringement or within three months nent. The court can also enjoin (stop) the in- ery time an image from the show is used out- of publication, a copyright owner may elect fringer from continuing to engage in the inside the context of the full show presenta- to receive “statutory damages” which are de- fringing acts, and order the destruction of any tion). fined by the Copyright Act and have no rela- infringing articles that may still exist. The point of this protracted explanation is tion to the actual damages or lost profits at- to illustrate that although a copyright owner tributable to the infringement. Liquidated Damages cannot unilaterally “fine” an alleged infringer, A statutory damage award can range from Recall that earlier I mentioned that private two contracting parties, through their agree- $750 to $30,000, or, if the copyright owner is parties do not have the right or lawful abili- ment, can provide for liquidated damages that able to show that the infringement was will- ty to unilaterally assess “fines” against others. has the ultimate effect of a fine. But the catch ful, up to $150,000. The commercial recording There is one small caveat that is worth men- is that the parties have agreed to the arrange- and movie industries quote this latter number tioning, as it has the potential to appear in the ment in a contract. Absent such an agreement, frequently as an absolute penalty for copy- context of content license agreements. a copyright owner making an infringement right infringement. Conspicuously omitted Parties to an agreement may, in some cir- claim must seek redress through the courts. from their threats, however, is the statutory cumstances, stipulate the consequences of language that immediately follows the will- breach ahead of time. These provisions, typi- A Brief Digression: ful infringement provision, providing for a re- cally called “liquidated damages clauses,” are Cell Phone Jamming duction in statutory damages (to no less than common in contracts where the actual dam- On an unrelated, but very relevant note, $200) if the defendant can demonstrate that it ages incurred by a breach may be difficult or there has been a fair amount of Dome-L traf- was unaware that its acts constituted infringe- costly to calculate. A typical cell phone con- fic lately regarding the use of cell phone “jam- ment. tract, for example, often provides for an “early mers” that prevent the reception of cell phone So, to sum up the relatively complex copy- termination” fee, a set fee that the service pro- signals in certain areas. While the technology right damages landscape: as a general rule a vider charges in the event a subscriber cancels is not particularly new, it had, until recent- copyright owner can recover the actual loss- the contract before the end of its defined term ly, been limited to government and military es attributable to an infringement of his or (usually one or two years). use, typically as a method to prevent remote her work. If the work is properly registered, a One could conceive of a copyright license, detonation of explosive devices. Apparently copyright owner can recover between $200 such as a performance license for a planetar- a number of governments have legalized jam- and $150,000, depending on the relevant cir- ium show, that might include a liquidated ming equipment for use by private parties, cumstances of the infringement. damages clause in the event that the licensee such as movie theaters, restaurants, libraries, In addition to money damages, the court exceeds the scope of license (consider a licen- and other places where patrons may value an can award the winner with litigation costs sor includes a liquidated damages clause in its environment free from interruption. and attorney’s fees, to be paid by the oppo- show license that provides for a $50 charge ev- Although the jamming devices are available through a variety of online sources, in the United States, their use remains illegal. A 2005 — Serving the Academic & Scientific Communities Since 1987— public notice issued by the Federal Communi- cations Commission explains that intentional interference with licensed radio communica- Scott Electric tions, such as cell phone transmissions, is a vi- SPECIALTY LAMP DIVISION olation of the Commissions’ regulations and applicable federal statutes. Passive jamming – that is, constructing a fa- PROJECTION & STAGE/STUDIO LAMPS cility in such a way that prevents or hinders Lamp ANSI Code GE LOW COST cellular transmissions – may be a lawful al- DYS/DYV/BHC $ 8.75 $ 6.10 ternative to using affirmative jamming tech- EHG 13.05 11.45 nology. Indeed, many commercial buildings ELC 9.40 8.10 already enjoy (or, depending on your perspec- ELH 9.10 7.70 tive, are plagued by) this “feature,” as the concrete and steel construction often inhibits cel- ENH 26.40 10.40 lular reception. 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48 Planetarian June 2008 Zula_FullPageAd.pdf 4/28/2008 1:24:23 PM

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FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com/fulldome_shows June 2008 Planetarian SHOW DISTRIBUTION49 Contact: Mike Bruno [email protected] T: 610.459.5200 From left, Row 1: Agnès Acker, Bart Benjamin, Martin Bush, Ignacio Castro Row 2: Gail Chaid, Alexander Cherman, Kevin Conod, Alex Delivorias Row 3: Jack Dunn, John Hare, Erik Koelemeyer, Nataliya Kovalenko, Tom Mason istockphoto.com Row 4: Andre Milis, Dan Neafus, Donna Pierce Row 5: Loris Ramponi, Gerd Thiel International News Celebrates a Jubilee

My first column was in the Planetarian was March, 1996, when I took have continued sending my material in time (but rarely before dead- over the Regional Roundup column from Steven Mitch. My very first line date). Shanks is also freer in where to put the illustrations in the column included contributions from 9 out the then 18 affiliate associ- column—not always at the same page as where the corresponding text ations, covering 3.3 pages of that issue. appears, which makes them more evenly spread over the column. During the remainder of the Viking age (the second millennium), Over the years, I have had as many as 60 contributors, some con- the number of affiliate reports varied between 4 and 13, and the num- tributing near to or more than 40 times. The list contains many well- ber of pages between 1.6 and 5.4 - quite a variation. In the beginning, known planetarians, so it almost looks like a Planetarium Who’s Who: contributions came as letters, faxes, and email, but rather soon came Agnès Acker (15), Karl von Ahnen (1), Steve Balog (2), Vadim Belov (3), only by email, which simplified my editing a lot. Bart Benjamin (42), Martin Bush (2), Tony Butterfield (8), Ignacio Cas- Since I felt that the IPS affiliate associations were international rath- tro (36), Gail Chaid (20), Pierre Chastenay (2), Alexandre Cherman (3), er than regional, I suggested to Planetarian chief editor John Mosley Tom Clarke (5), Undine Concannon (7), Kevin Conod (14), Laura Deines that the column should be re-named International News. He agreed, (1), Alex Delivorias (14), John Dickenson (17), Jack Dunn (9), Alan Dyer so this became the name of the column starting with June 1998. That (3), and Jon Elvert (19). was then the only change; the columns still were just text, three col- Paul England (2), Jean-Michel Faidit (23), Martin George (1), Subrama- umns per page. nian Gopinath (3), Teresa Grafton (11), Nicolás Gulino (1), Andreas Hän- In the new millennium, the number of contributions steadily grew, el (8), John Hare (39), Dieter Herrmann (1), Michel Hommel (4), Shoichi from around 10 contributions per issue in the beginning to over 12 this Ito (14), Chris Janssen (3), Don Knapp (1), Erik Koelemeyer (3), Nataliya past year. This reflects the growth of IPS to 23 affiliate associations; the Kovalenko (2), Thomas Kraupe (1), Uwe Lemmer (1), Tom Mason (8), Jim average number of contributions has been quite stable at 50%. Manning (1), and Aaron McEuen (5). The very first illustration, a drawing of the Hansen Planetarium André Milis (9), Glenn Moore (1), Marc Moutin (3), Mike Murray (1), Gateway project, appeared in International News in September 2001. Dan Neafus (1), Donna Pierce (19), Loris Ramponi (45), James Rusk (1), The next column had two illustrations, both in black-and-white: a map Alexander Serber (1), Mark Sonntag (2), Fred Stutz (2), Mickey Schmidt showing the planetariums in France and a photo of Bradenton’s Bish- (2), Christine Shupla (10), Zinaida Sitkova (14), Gerd Thiele (2), Eduard op Planetarium after the fire. The amount of illustrations has steadily Thomas (5), Erich Uebelacher (1), Wolfgang Wacker (1), Scott Young (2), grown since then, and the first color photos appeared in number Sep- and Jennie Zeiher (5). tember 2002. Then, from March 2003, the Planetarian is all-color, and I am much obliged to all of you, since without your work year after so are the photos in International News. year, there wouldn’t have been any International News. You have also For most of the time, Mosley was my executive editor, and he had helped me to make this 50th jubilee column larger than ever with re- firm rules: never a manuscript after his deadline date and never addi- ports from 20 affiliate associations. Encouraged, I will continue editing tions after I had submitted my manuscript. I never complain about this the column in coming issues, but I won’t try to reach 100. Anyway, I at all: It is after all easier to perform a task if the rules are clear. plan to meet new readers already in Planetarian September 2008! Thus, when Sharon Shanks took over as editor, I was well trained and Lars Broman

50 Planetarian June 2008 ra, astronomer at the RJ Planetarium and former ABP president. Unveiling the Solar System International News is a documentary aimed to the 5th grade and up. Its main topic is the “new” solar system, sarium + hemispheric movie) has just recently with its eight planets and the new dwarf plan- been replaced by a digital sky, and I enjoyed ets. The second show to open, written by Fer- Cosmic Collisions in Finnish. nando as well, is a kid’s show called The Mag- While fulldome video certainly gives a ic Window, and tells the story of the Hubble planetarian the possibility to run exciting Space Telescope. live shows, it instead seems like a repetition of The Campinas Planetarium, which opened history. Back in the early nineties, I saw The in 1987 and has a 60-seat dome with a Zeiss Dream is Alive so many times in planetariums ZKP2 projector, is now showing its own pro- with fulldome cinema. What my brother Per, duction, authored by the astronomer Romil- Snævarr Guðmundsson and others do live do Faria, titled Journey to the Giant Planets. with a fisheye lens video, appropriate com- The Campinas Planetarium, in its 21 years of puter program, and knowledge and enthusi- existence, has been visited by over half a mil- asm under a 5-m dome is a really good show, lion people, approximately half of the popula- and I would certainly love to see something tion of Campinas itself! like that under a 20-m dome. The Indigenous Planetarium, a mobile plan- The International News column continues etarium managed by the archaeoastronomer to be dependent on contributions from IPS Germano Afonso, is offering a special presen- Affiliate Associations all over the world. This tation, The Sky of Japan. The year 2008 is the time, my thanks go to Agnès Acker, Bart Benja- celebration of the 100th anniversary of Japa- min, Martin Bush, Ignacio Castro, Gail Chaid, nese immigration to Brazil. Alexandre Cherman, Kevin Conod, Alex De- Lars Broman livorias, Jack Dunn, John Hare, Erik Koelemey- Association of Dutch-Speaking Teknoland er, Nataliya Kovalenko, Tom Mason, André Planetariums Stångtjärnsv 132 Milis, Dan Neafus, Donna Pierce, Loris Rampo- As a planetarium you are always searching ni, Alexander Serber, and Gerd Thiele for your how to reach the schools and, more especially, SE 791 74 Falun, Sweden contributions, and I wish both you and others the teachers with your educational offerings. +46 2310 177 back for more international news. Upcoming For years the Planetarium of Brussels did this deadlines for contributions are 1 July for Plan- by organising workshops on a Wednesday af- [email protected] etarian September 2008 and 1 October for De- ternoon (a time when schools are out in Bel- www.teknoland.se cember 2008. gium) so the teachers could come. This went well till last year, when they had to cancel the This is the 50th column that I have edited, Association of Brazilian workshop because only five reservations were and I am happy to announce that a record 20 Planetariums received (instead of the 50 of earlier years)! affiliations are presenting planetarium news New shows abound in Brazil! The Rio de So it was time to invent a new concept: the from their part of the world. It is a great fa- Janeiro Planetarium opened two new plan- open door day for teachers and their families. vor to read and edit the news from dedicated etarium shows. Authored by Fernando Viei- Here in Belgium the teachers have a full planetarians from all over the globe—it really keeps me updated on what is going on. I just hope that something of this is conveyed to the readers of the Planetarian. I won’t promise to do another 50 columns, but I’ll hang on for a while! Presently such large changes are going on in the planetarium field so it almost could be called a paradigm shift. During the last two weeks I have hade the opportunity to first visit the Mediendome in Kiel for the German Plan- etarium Conference and then the planetarium at Heureka outside Helsinki, Finland. The Ger- man experience started with an evening trip to Hamburg Planetarium, which I have visited once before in 1977, watching a very nice and very classical planetarium program nar- rated live by Erich Uebelacher, using a Zeiss-6 opto-mechanical projector. I was treated to a digital sky featuring Cosmic Collisions in Ger- man with its amazing animations. At Heure- ka, which I have visited close to a dozen times since 1987 (when it was under construction), the old system (opto-mechanical Zeiss Univer- Open door day for teachers and families at Brussels Planetarium. Courtesy of Brussels Planetarium.

June 2008 Planetarian 51 omy2009.fr) and repre- site www.planetaritaliani.it. The updated list sents planetariums in is one the first goals of the new national orga- particular. About 150 nization called Planit, the Association of Ital- projects were submit- ian Planetaria. In fact, after the long service ted, coming from asso- of the Italian Planetaria’s Friends Association ciations, planetariums, (1986-2007), the new organization has been of- observatories, and uni- ficially presented during its first meeting on 6 versities, and more than April 2008 in the planetarium of Modena. 100 received the label The new list of Italian planetariums con- AMA09 for their rich con- firms that many facilities are in schools and tent: installation of new therefore are open mainly for students. Thir- planetariums in emp- teen school planetariums are installed under ty regions, exhibitions, a dome of 6 m in diameter or more. The oc- books, theatrical presen- casion of the Day of Planetaria offers the op- tations around Galilee, portunity also for the school planetariums Copernicus, Newton, or to open to the public at least one day in the The RSA planetarium and Albert Planetarium’s dome in the chapel of the Ecole et collège privés catholiques in La Brède, near Bordeaux. Pho- symphonic concert on year. to by Michel Favret. the cosmos. Three of the medium-sized Italian planetar- The French Planetari- iums are situated inside a building managed ums (via APLF) will pro- by a church: Amelia (Terni), Bedonia (Parma) agenda with their job. In addition to prepar- duce, in strong collaboration with the Euro- and Crespano del Grappa (Treviso). The list ing and giving lessons, they also need to re- pean Organisation for Astronomical Research that follows on the web site contains the main fresh their knowledge by following work- in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO), a special Italian planetariums in alphabetic order. shops, visiting exhibitions and so on. There’s show titled The Quest of our Cosmic Origins, The first Spitz planetarium will be open in not much free time left to spend with their devoted to the international project ALMA the small city of Brembate di Sopra, close to families. Keeping this in mind, the planetari- (the Atacama Large Millimeter Array). It will Bergamo. In the city of Ferrara (near the Adri- um staff elaborated the concept to present the be produced for fulldome video and classic atic Sea) there is the main mobile planetari- workshop on a Saturday and to make a dou- theaters in six languages. um, but another in the north of Italy will start ble program: one for the teachers and one for Increasing educational activities are being activities soon. In Florence, the city of Galileo their children. developed using portable planetariums. Since Galilei, the Astronomical Observatory of Ar- While the parents are following the ex- fall 2007, Michel Favret presents animations in cetry and the Science-Technique Foundation planation on our educational offerings for the large region around Bordeaux, for schools manages an 8-m Zeiss planetarium. schools, the children can amuse themselves and family public, inside schools or municipal In Lecco, the planetarium is installed inside with different workshops. The workshops are rooms, or in other more exotic ones, such as a the local museum of Belgiojoso palace, an his- —of course—all in the theme of science. Some chapel! He alternates planetarium demonstra- torical place. Also, the Livorno Planetarium is examples: making windmills with plastic bot- tions and lectures on the fundamental ques- inside a museum devoted to natural sciences. tles and making sure that they turn in the tions - earth motions, night/day and seasons, Milan, the biggest dome in Italy, is also close wind. The telescope: how does it work? How scales in the solar system - with illustrations to a natural science museum (gardens of Vi- do magnets work and who can make the lon- using a mini-video projector and the software ale Venezia). Last October the Hoepli Plane- gest row of paperclips? Celestia. For more, see www.constellationset- tarium hosted the last meeting of Italian Plan- On 26 January, this open day was organized galaxies.org/planet2.html. etarium Friends’ Association. Near Venice, for the French-speaking schools of Belgium An important question that APLF members in the small city of Mira, a private organiza- and we welcomed 154 persons, 88 adults and are discussing came as a result of the improved tion runs a planetarium in collaboration with 66 children. This is certainly a good concept APLF website with an updated list of planetar- the municipality. The planetarium of Mode- for following years. The event was organized iums. The webmasters were confronted with na is close to a high school and the building in collaboration with ESERO, a project from the question “what is a planetarium?” The in- includes also a solar tower. The main Italian ESA and the planetarium to establish a direct strument itself can be opto-mechanic, digital, science center, the City of Science in Naples, link between ESA and the educational com- or a dome with LEDs making a starry night, has also one of the most active planetariums munity of Belgium. More info on ESERO, see which also is OK. But the shows proposed by in the country. www.esa.int/esero and www.planetarium.be/ planetariums cover a very large range, from Ravenna, near the Adriatic Sea, is one of the esero, or contact André Milis at andre.milis@ creationists telling untruths to some casinos first planetariums managed by a municipali- planetarium.be. showing entertainment via a planetarium, a ty. Reggio Calabria, Planetarium Pythagoras, is bar in Japan, and the “futuroscope” in Poitiers, the main facility in the south. Also in a small Association of French-Speaking France. What is the good definition of a plane- village, Roccapalumba, near Palermo, there Planetariums tarium? What kind of sites can be included in is a planetarium managed by the municipal- The 24th APLF Conference was hosted from a serious list of planetariums? The APLF Coun- ity that includes also a small observatory. The 8 to 11 May 2008 in Epinal (located inside the cil proposed to exclude all planetariums with- same model is in activity also in the geologi- beautiful Vosges mountains), thanks Didier out any astronomical content in their presen- cal museum of Rocca di Cave, near Rome. In Mathieu, [email protected]. tations (e.g. the casino planetarium shown on the Museum of Roman Civilization, the pub- The International Year of Astronomy 2009 the image). lic can follow the activities of the Rome Plan- has been in active preparation in France since etarium that includes also an astronomical ex- March 2007. Agnès Acker is a member of the Association of Italian Planetaria hibition with an old Zeiss II model from 1928. national committee of the “Annee Mondiale The revisited list of Italian planetariums The Rovigo Planetarium is managed by the lo- de l’Astronomie” (AMA09, see www.astron- (more than 130 facilities) is ready on the web cal group of amateur astronomers. In the city

52 Planetarian June 2008 is also an astronomical observatory open to and was finally forced to close its doors in Jan- enthusiasts of today are the researchers of to- the general public. uary. It is hoped that a new planetarium may morrow. INTECH’s planetarium is a great de- Other planetariums connected with mu- be able to be established in a more permanent velopment for the area and for the UK. There seums are the Museum of Balì, a science cen- facility. is evidence that at least some decision makers ter in the area of Pesaro and Urbino; the San Both in New Zealand and Australia, plan- are aware of the power of the planetarium to Giovanni Persiceto Planetarium, that includes etariums are looking forward to the regional fire youngsters’ imaginations. an important collection of meteorites; and APS meeting in May, hosted by the Horizon Armagh Planetarium is celebrating its the new Apriticielo (open the sky) Planetari- Planetarium in Perth. This annual meeting is 40th anniversary this year and the season of um in Turin (Digistar 3 Model), managed by of special significance to a community dis- events was started by a weekend function the Observatory of Pino Torinese. The public persed across an area the size of the continen- on 7-8 March. The Mayor of Armagh formal- reach the planetarium using a cableway. Also tal USA. ly opened the event, which was attended by on Venice Lido there is a planetarium, built and managed by the local group of amateur astronomers.

Association of Mexican Planetariums Ignacio Castro remembers when he first started collaborating in the International News Column in December 1988 as AMPAC representative, thanks to the encouragement of Gabriel Muñoz, AMPAC-IPS Fellow, now deceased. At that time there were only 12 IPS Affiliated Associations and Steven Mitch edited International News. Nowadays there are 23 Affiliated Associations, quite an improve- ment, and through International News we are able to let other planetarians know about the events taking place at our respective associations. Regarding AMPAC news, the 20 February total lunar eclipse was profusely announced amongst AMPAC participating planetariums, thanks to the collaboration of their respective local astronomy associations who provided telescopes at the planetarium facilities for at- INTECH showing Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity, courtesy Denver Museum of Nature & Science tending public use. The José Martínez Rocha Planetarium in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, will soon re-es- British Association of numerous people from the local government tablish operational activities with the help of Planetariums agencies that had helped fund and maintain local municipal and educational authorities. Planetariums in the UK continue to expand. the planetarium. This planetarium is part of the Constellation The famous fantasy/science fiction author Saturday was devoted to a more formal as- program originally fostered by the Universi- Terry Pratchett attended the opening of the tronomical occasion, with the local amateur ty of Sonora and by Antonio Sanchez, former newest UK facility on 21 March in the historic astronomy community and the Friends of the AMPAC president. town of Winchester in Hampshire, 100 km (70 Armagh Planetarium invited to participate. miles) southwest of the center of London. The Official guests included Professor Carl Mur- Australasian Planetarium Society project was funded by a £650,000 grant from ray of Queen Mary College, University Col- Overall, 2008 has been a good year for Aus- the southeast England Development Agency lege London, who has worked on the Cassini- tralasian planetariums. A new planetarium in 2007. This latest UK planetarium comprises Huygens probe since its inception. He showed has opened in New Zealand. Set in the na- a 176-seat theatre at Winchester’s INETCH Sci- some fabulous images of the Saturnian ring tional park at Mt Cook, New Zealand’s tall- ence Centre and is powered by a six-projector system and its many moons, and the dynamic est mountain, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine system installed by the UK company Global perturbations of the rings. Centre Planetarium presents astronomy in a Immersion, previously part of SEOS. Former Armagh Planetarium Director Ter- truly stunning natural setting. On New Zea- INTECH’s Planetarium Director Phil Win- ence Murtagh, now at Evans & Sutherland of land’s north island, the Stardome Observatory field commented that Winchester offered Salt Lake City, showed historic images of his has upgraded its planetarium to a fulldome fa- something really special—enabling visitors past career at Armagh, including TV footage cility. The new theatre has reopened and Star- to see fully rendered planets and galaxies. He of a younger, brasher Murtagh drumming up dome are now undertaking a renovation to also mentioned that Terry Pratchett had said support for more visitors to come and see for their other buildings. that he had been inspired by planetarium vis- themselves the glory of the heavens. Unfortunately, these openings have been its when he had been a boy and that was ex- Lastly, Dr. Mike McKay provided a humor- offset by the closure of the Canberra Space actly what INTECH wanted to do: to inspire ous synopsis of his personal part in the great Dome, based in the Australia’s national capi- young people to take up careers in science. Irish space race, which was narrowly pipped tal. This planetarium had been under a cloud Astronomical personality Sir Patrick Moore to the post by the United States! McKay is for some time due to its tenancy situation, endorsed this view, saying that the young flight controller at the European Space Agen-

June 2008 Planetarian 53 54 Planetarian June 2008 cy’s ESOC facility at Darmstadt gether with the European Space in Germany. Armagh’s Theatre Agency, many planetariums are Manager Julie Thompson used integrated into a project that fea- their D3 to present the first cut of tures the Herschel/Planck mission a new collaborative show joint- for the International Year of As- ly produced by Armagh Plane- tronomy in 2009. A study group tarium, the ESA, GOTO and E&S, will be working for one year with called Invaders of Mars. The final the project. Next year, many cit- version of the show will be avail- izens should be able to enjoy as- able from mid-year 2008, at the tronomy from Galileo’s simple Chicago IPS Conference. lens telescope up to the modern They also took the opportuni- space telescope Herschel in a plan- ty to open a new display which etarium program. built on the history of Arma- The IYA also brings together in gh. This honored several people Germany many people who have who had been stalwarts in their a passion for astronomy. In the support for the planetarium and meantime, beside a central coor- the development of astronomy dination node, there are many re- education in Ireland and fur- gional approach points in which ther afield. Terence Murtagh and scientific institutes, observatories, Mike McKay, already mentioned, Four Canadian planetarians having a good time in Edmonton last summer. planetariums, and amateur as- Standing from left to right: Pierre Chastenay (Montreal), Alan Dyer (Calgary), were added to the display. They tronomers are coordinating their Erik Koelemeyer (Vancouver) and Scott Young (Winnipeg). Musician and com- shared the wall space with long- poser Donovan Reimer is sitting at the piano. Photo by Pierre Lacombe. activities. serving Management Commit- tee personality and well-known local university teacher and astrophysicist art fulldome digital equipment, staff has been European/Mediterranean Fred Byrne. All were added to Armagh Plane- busy planning the numerous and important Planetarium Association tarium’s stars exhibit. stages that the project will have to go through The Eugenides Planetarium in Athens, in its The next meeting of the British Association to ensure a grand opening late in 2010 or ear- continuing efforts to remain in the ivy league of Planetaria was held at the Centre for Life ly in 2011. There are still a few things that need of planetariums worldwide in terms of pro- at Newcastle in northeast England over the to be decided that will impact on the exact jection, software and hardware capabilities, is weekend of 9-10 May. opening date. currently thoroughly investigating different Right now, the staff is discussing fulldome fulldome 3D projection systems and technol- Canadian Association of Science technology and will contact several other ogies for a projection system upgrade that has Centres planetariums in North America and Europe to been scheduled for the summer of 2009. This At the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Van- inquire about their experience working with follows on an earlier upgrade that took place couver, production work is gearing up for a the latest equipment. Is it stable and robust as last summer, which included an upgrade of new planetarium show on Chinese astrono- everyone wished it was? How easy and intu- its Sky-Skan digital equipment and the instal- my. Research will begin this summer on the itive is the software used to produce shows? lation of new computers in order to run the long history of Chinese astronomy that dates What is the cost of maintenance in terms of latest versions of DigitalSky 2 and Digital Uni- back to the 6th century BC. human and financial resources? At the same verse software. With its focus on constellations and obser- time, a complete functional plan for the new The Eugenides Planetarium is currently vations of “guest stars,” such as the 1054 super- building is being developed to allow archi- working on the production of a shorter ver- nova, as well as Chinese observatories and ob- tects and engineers to work their stuff. The sion of its latest show, The Christmas Star, servational techniques, Chinese astronomy year 2008 will indeed be a busy one for the which will be available this summer for leas- remains relevant today due to its long record Montreal Planetarium staff! Contact and in- ing by other planetariums, and is also pre- of observations that predate the observations formation: Pierre Chastenay at chastenay@as- paring its brand new show and guide-book, of western astronomy. The research and script tro.umontreal.ca. scheduled to premiere next autumn, Wonders writing for the program, as well as the music of the World. and art work for the show, will be conducted Council of German Planetariums by local artisans with cultural ties to China. The study group of German-speaking plan- Great Lakes Planetarium Working with panorama and all-sky loca- etariums met in Kiel 5-7 April. More than 100 Association tion photography that has been accumulated representatives from the planetariums in Illinois. Brock Schroeder has stepped down from two previous trips to China, the aim is which programs are performed in German as planetarium director at the Strickler Plan- to include as many local artisans as possible, gathered. Such a meeting takes place every etarium in Bourbonnais, Illinois. His replace- creating a project on both the history of Chi- year. Kiel, with its media cathedral in the ad- ment is Steve Case, formerly of Flint, Michigan. nese astronomy as well as providing relevant vanced technical college, is a forerunner in The Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences in content that reflects the contemporary views the area of the digital fulldome projection. Peoria premiered its Zeiss Powerdome Plane- of local cultural interests. More information is Students experiment here under instructions tarium System on 26 January. The museum available from Erik Koelemeyer at ekoelemey- of lecturers with the new medium. Interesting has founded a new Museum Education Am- [email protected]. art projects have already originated. bassadors group comprised of representatives Since the announcement made last Decem- However, employees in conventional plan- (ambassadors) from 60 area schools. ber that the Montreal Planetarium will be re- etariums also have the opportunity to ex- The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at located in a new building with state-of-the- change and to find out new information. To- Parkland College in Champaign hosted its

June 2008 Planetarian 55 “First (and Last) 35mm Film Festival” this tarium was struck by lightning on January 7, A3P. The planetarium is introducing Saturday spring, showing all of its C-360 films one last damaging the UPS for their Digistar 1. In Jan- matinees. time to the general public. Staerkel also host- uary, the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium pre- The L.E. Phillips Planetarium at UW-Eau ed three Girl Scout Sky Search workshops, two miered Everybody’s Sky: Star Stories Around the Claire has established a collaborative effort Boy Scout astronomy workshops, and a “Rock- World, which covers the theme of immigra- with the UW-Eau Claire Physics and Astron- et Into Space!” children’s event. tion to America and our ethnic heritage. omy Department, the Hobbs Observatory and The Cernan Earth and Space Center of Tri- Ohio. Midpark High School Planetarium the Chippewa Valley Astronomical Society. ton College in River Grove enjoyed clear skies was recently upgraded, which included a re- These four entities sponsor Astronomy Day for its public observing of the total lunar furbished East Coast Controls control panel, and support a monthly newspaper column eclipse. At its March monthly Skywatch pro- two projectors, a DVD player, and a comput- on astronomy. gram, the Cernan Center debuted a new per- er controller. The Allen F. Blocher Planetarium in Ste- manent display dedicated to John Jones, who The University of Toledo’s Ritter Planetar- vens Point is presenting another local produc- served the Cernan Center for many years as a ium recently installed a new high-end LCD tion, titled Gods of the Solar System, which was lecturer, telescope operator, and mythology video projector to their theater and a 42-inch written by Amy Wilder. In greater Milwaukee, expert before his death in 2006. LCD monitor connected to NASA’s ViewSpace the February 20 lunar eclipse was a well-coor- Indiana. The Notre Dame Digital Video to their lobby. This summer, a new program dinated event between all four of that metro Theater has a new director, Keith Davis. The titled Arctic Adventures will debut. area’s planetariums. The Daniel M. Soref Plan- Challenger Learning Center of Northwest In- Marietta College is building a new planetar- etarium recently added new seats, a new two- diana in Hammond has a new executive di- ium, the first in far southeast Ohio. The new projector SONY SRX system from E&S, and rector, Amanda Maynard. Last year, the Chal- Anderson-Hancock Planetarium will feature new cove lights from Bowen Technovation. lenger Learning Center lost its founder and an opto-mechanical star projector and full- director, Lisa Austgen, to leukemia. The Ken- dome video in its 88-seat, 12.2-m dome. Dr. Great Plains Planetarium nedy Planetarium in South Bend has become Ann Bragg, currently an instructor at Bowl- Association involved in a collaboration with YMCA Camp ing Green State University, will be its first di- After a cold and nasty winter, most of us Eberhart to initiate a contest for scholarships rector. are thawing out and eagerly appreciating the to Astro Camp. The Kennedy also recently co- Roy Kaelin reports that the Shafran Plane- coming of spring on the plains. With spring hosted Celebration of the Moon for the recent tarium at the Cleveland Museum of Natural comes the school groups. No matter what we lunar eclipse. History is considering a major upgrade to its do, they only seem to want to travel in spring, P-H-M Planetarium Air & Space Museum is current video projection system. On Astrono- just in time for spring storms. Mueller Plane- actively involved in dark sky issues, specifical- my Day, Shafran offered special sky shows for tarium continues to run Dawn of the Space Age ly a planetarium DVD and teacher packet ti- identifying night-sky wonders, hosted mirror- with its excellent depiction of spaceflight his- tled Let There Be Night. This program will be making demonstrations, and gave away tele- tory. It seems there is another anniversary al- divided into several chapters that cover all as- scopes as prizes. Dayton’s Boonshoft Museum most every day now. At the same time, since pects of light pollution. The Ball State Univer- of Discovery also hosted events on Astrono- that show ends with a trip to Mars, it seems sity Planetarium and Observatory, which re- my Day, including solar observing and inter- appropriate to observe the landing of Mars cently marked its 40th anniversary, has joined active demonstrations. In the early evening Phoenix. There should be another good group the Southeastern Association for Research in hours they offered a live planetarium show gathered at the planetarium to watch the cov- Astronomy, a 10-university consortium that set to music provided by local musicians. erage. operates a 36-inch telescope at Kitt Peak Na- At the Shaker Heights High School Planetar- Jack Dunn has had success creating short tional Observatory. ium, Gene Zajac has been going to elementary fulldome movies at Mueller featuring the B.J. Harper, retired director of the Northrop classes to design moon habitats as part of the photography taken on orbit by Nebraska as- Planetarium, Fort Wayne Public Schools, re- moon design challenge from the STS-118 flight. tronaut Clay Anderson and also a group of cently taught five weeks of archeoastronomy, The Bowling Green State University Planetar- astrophotos taken by an old friend Richard combining her travels to astronomy places in ium celebrated leap year with a special show- Johnson (from his home observatory). the US, Egypt, Iceland, and Great Britain. The ing of its classic production It’s About Time. Jack Northrup at King Science Middle E.C. Schouweiler Memorial Planetarium re- Dozens of BGSU students and public visitors School now has a fulldome mirror system in cently celebrated the installation of a 12-pro- turned out under clear skies to see the Febru- operation. He is working with students to cre- jector automated dissolve pan system. ary 20 lunar eclipse. ate some of their own content. Since there Michigan. The Cranbrook Planetarium Wisconsin/Minnesota. The Paulucci currently isn’t a WAC conference scheduled continues co-production on the fulldome/ Space Theater in Hibbing, Minnesota has in- in 2008, plans are to have another GPPA infor- classical planetarium program Bad Astrono- stalled a new digital speaker system. Exten- mal meeting of Nebrakans, Iowans and Kan- my: Myths and Misconceptions and welcomed sive renovations are being planned for Minne- sans (if anyone is willing to travel). Hopeful- Dr. Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy fame for a lec- sota State University Moorhead Planetarium ly, more of the small planetariums will want ture in May. On 10 May, the Dassault Systèmes this summer, including new seats, a light-trap to participate. This is vital for their survival as Planetarium also premiered Bad Astronomy, as door, a new East Coast Control Systems’ slide communications and exchanging of ideas and well as opened its new Rocket Garden exhibit and video control system, and a new video techniques for operation on no budget - some- next to the planetarium. projector. At Rochester’s Mayo High School thing that is a benefit to all. The Shiras Planetarium is working on a Planetarium, Larry Mascotti reports the instal- fullome digital conversion of the Icy Worlds lation of an Eluminati large format projector Middle Atlantic Planetarium show produced by the Science Museum of and the acquisition of a three-foot diameter Society Virginia. The staff has also been doing some Magic Planet video globe. The Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche outreach programs through the local astron- At the UW-LaCrosse Planetarium, Gordon Planetarium in Schenectady, New York was omy club utilizing the NASA Night Sky Net- Stewart is trying to get funding to purchase a the host of the annual MAPS conference May work toolkits. The Kingman Museum Plane- fulldome video system and to upgrade their 14-17. Located in the Capital District of New

56 Planetarian June 2008 his wider contribu- about COSMOS. This is a partly EU-funded tions to introducto- project in seven European countries aiming ry astronomy edu- to create a virtual experimental laboratory for cation through his students and teachers to improve science in- textbooks and many struction at schools and universities. The idea engaging astronomy is to offer real science results from researchers books; for maintain- like those at the University of Liverpool’s Ob- ing a popular web- servatory in Canary Island to on-line use for site with a wealth of the students and teachers. useful material reg- In Finland, the new planetarium at Heure- ularly consulted by ka is used as the major tool for astronomy-re- astronomy teachers lated science education. The project is admin- and students; and istered in close cooperation with the schools for his contributions and the University of Helsinki, from which to the public under- the teacher students are attending the integra- standing of astrono- tive science learning pedagogical course tak- my through his pro- ing place at Heureka’s exhibitions and plan- digious number of etarium. More information can be found at public lectures, his www.ea.gr/ep/cosmos/ and from hannnu.sal- Steven LJ Russo, planetarium manager, and Megan EN Dominguez, assistant work with planetar- [email protected]. planetarium manager, at the Suits-Bueche Planetarium, host of 2008 MAPS iums, television, and Vattenfall Planetarium is the new name of Conference. Photo provided by Steve Russo. radio programs, and Verne Planetarium at Heureka Science Center for his numerous outside Helsinki, named after its major new York State, just 20 minutes from Albany, the books and articles for amateur astronomers as sponsor, Swedish Waterfall, Inc. On 26 Decem- Suits-Bueche Planetarium contains a 9-m well as the general public. ber 2007, the planetarium re-opened after ma- (30-ft) dome and a new GOTO Chronos star Meanwhile, Noreen Grice, operations co- jor technical changes. machine installed in October of 2006. An East ordinator at the Boston Museum of Science’s The 19-year-old Zeiss Universarium projec- Coast Control Systems automation system Hayden Planetarium, has published her lat- tor has been retired and all previous auxiliary was installed in 2003 as part of an extensive est book, Touch the Invisible Sky. The book was projectors (including the famous Prodome all- renovation project, which included 21 new written with authors Simon Steel, an astrono- sky slide projector) have been thrown out. In- Kodak slide projectors, two new video pro- mer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for stead, the digital 2-projector Sky-Skan DS2 has jectors, automation of all of the existing pro- Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, been installed together with an LED all-col- jectors, a new sound system, new cove light- and Doris Daou, an astronomer at NASA Head- or cove light system. The premiere show was ing, and two 42-inch plasma screens above the quarters, Washington. It brings majestic imag- Hayden Planetarium’s Cosmic Collisions, and planetarium entrance. es taken by NASA’s great observatories to the late in April, Infinity Express was added to the The planetarium can now project all forms fingertips of the blind. repertoire. The system allows live shows with of media on the dome, including live NASA- Touch the Invisible Sky is a 60-page book impressive animations, and plans are to start TV, which can also be shown on the plas- with color images of nebulae, stars, galaxies presenting also such programs before the end mas. The planetarium seats 60 people. The and some of the telescopes that captured the of the year. Schenectady Museum is devoted to science original pictures. Each image is embossed with Anne Bruvold, anne.bruvold@nordnorsk. and technology and the development of tech- lines, bumps, and other textures. The raised vitensenter.no, reports that the Northern nology. This past year, over 41,000 people vis- patterns translate colors, shapes, and other Lights Planetarium is coming back to life— ited the museum. intricate details of the cosmic objects, allow- and growing! Since 2003 the Northern Lights Two MAPS mem- ing visually impaired people to experience Planetarium in Tromsø, Norway, has been bers have been in them. For more information on the book and the home of Nordnorsk Vitensenter, the sci- the news. James Kal- NASA’s great observatories, visit hubblesite. ence centre of northern Norway. The science er, professor emeri- org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/05. centre has been planning to “go digital” and tus of astronomy at buy an all-dome digital projector. A bit sooner the University of Il- Nordic Planetarium Association than expected, they received funding for this linois and frequent In the beginning of 2008, the Orion Plan- and are in the process of evaluating tenders. speaker at plane- etarium (Jels, Denmark) acquired a new tele- The plans are to reopen as a planetarium for tarium conferenc- scope for its observatory. The 9.75-inch Cele- tourists by the summer of 2009, unless some- es, has been award- stron schmidt-cassegrain telescope is placed in thing causes problems. ed the American the observing tower next to the planetarium What can cause such problems? Expand- Astronomical Soci- building and is open to the public all Wednes- ing the building! The planetarium is too small ety’s 2008 Educa- day nights throughout year and at special as- for a science centre, and on 11 April the science tion Prize. The prize tronomical events. Given the relatively low centre received funding for a new building in was given for signif- level of light pollution in the rural setting, connection to the planetarium. Hopefully James Kaler icant contributions this is now one of best telescopes in Denmark 2009 will be a year of expanding! to many aspects of astronomy education open to the public on a regular basis. More in- Finally, Ivar Reed Nakken of Jærmuseet, throughout his entire career; for his inspired formation is available from Lars Pettersen, ori- Vitenfabrikken, Sandnes, Norway, will host teaching and mentorship of graduate and un- [email protected]. the next Nordic Planetarium Association Con- dergraduate students, many of whom have Hannu Salmi, professor and research leader ference in September 2009. More information gone on to noteworthy careers in the field; for at Heureks, the Finnish Science Centre, reports is available from [email protected].

June 2008 Planetarian 57 Domes (BAD) group Gail Chaid, IPS representative for PPA, re- was formed. It is an cently visited Griffith Observatory in Los An- informal group of geles, www.griffithobs.org, www.griffithob- Bay Area astrono- servatory.org/obshist.html and reports on mers, planetarium a delightful experience. As the lights of the directors, and ed- Samuel Oschin Planetarium dimmed, a young ucators. The first actress walked slowly down the aisle with gathering was at the an illuminated globe in her hand. As she ap- College of San Ma- proached the new and improved star projec- teo in 2007. In early tor, she spoke about the mythology and mag- March 2008, a small- ic of the sky. Her introduction led seamlessly er group of PPA into the program about the history of astron- members, Benjamin omy. She appeared again throughout the pro- Mendelsohn, pres- gram to bring us back to focus on the story- ident, Alan Gould, telling and enchantment of the night sky. To Gail Chaid, and Karl close the program, she appeared again with Von Ahnen, gath- the illuminated globe and her voice and the ered to begin plan- drama of her storytelling left the audience ning the next gath- with a wonder, imagination, and magic of the ering on 29 March at night sky. College of San Ma- Chaid said she felt this was one of the most teo. Dr. Darryl Stan- beautiful presentations ever done in a plane- ford was host. Par- tarium. Only one other presentation has been ticipants came from close to this one, and it was also in the Grif- Santa Rosa, NASA- fith Planetarium with their old projector with Ames in Mountain the marshmallow stars. In both cases, it was View, San Mateo, the presenter that made the difference. As and Cupertino, Cal- the audience filed out, Chaid approached the ifornia. They were back console where the presenters were seat- able to see the new ed, thanked them and they told her about Digistar 3HD system. their presentations. The Griffith hires actors Bing Quock reports and actresses to present their programs. Not it looked terrific. To only do they work in the planetarium, but get on the e-list for they also present short presentations outside Top: Mika Paavola demonstrates the DS2 system in Heureka’s 3-m dome, used invitations and re- in the museum and science center. It is with for program development, for Lars Broman. Bottom: Paavola and Broman un- minders for the Bay enthusiasm and friendliness they present the der the Vattenfall Planetarium dome, which is the original 19-year-old dark Area Domes events, science of the exhibits. Everyone on the Grif- grey. Almost everything else is new, including carpeting and comfortable please contact Bing fith staff went out of their way to be helpful chairs. The south of the two DS2 projectors is seen near the horizon. Photos by Saila Puranen/Heureka. Quock at (1) 415-321 and friendly. 8186 or email him at Chaid also visited the exhibits on all levels Pacific Planetarium Association [email protected]. and saw the historical film about the recent The budget crisis in California has reached The affiliate meeting for PPA will be at the rebuilding of the Griffith. Rebuilding was a Independence Planetarium, San Jose, and the IPS Conference in Chicago. There will be no monumental process; see www.griffithobser- planetarium is being threatened with closure. other PPA meetings for 2008. The next PPA vatory.org/obsrenovation.html. Most of the In the East Side Union High School District, meeting will be in 2009 at the Western Alli- expanded space is now under the front lawn “teachers on special assignment,” which are ance Conference of Planetariums. No official of the Griffith. The result keeps the original counselors, librarians and the planetarium di- written invitation has been made for 2009 look to the Griffith with its crisp lines. The rector, are all on the list for lay offs. If that hap- yet. pens to Planetarium Director Gail Chaid, the The 2010 IPS Con- planetarium will be shut down. Susan Button, ference in Alexandria, IPS president, wrote a letter to express strong Egypt will be another support of IPS members for keeping the plan- opportunity for PPA to etarium open. Her letter and those of others meet again. Presidents of can be seen on the Independence Planetarium SWAP, RMPA, GPPA, and website at ihplanet.org. (See also this issue’s Fo- PPA talked to vendors rum on Page 44 - ed.) Check it often for updates during the 2007 Alaska about the progress of events as they unfold. Western Alliance Con- Letters of support are always welcome. They ference and came to the can be sent to Gail Chaid, 1776 Educational conclusion that affiliate Park Drive, San Jose, California 95133, USA or meetings should be held you can email directly to [email protected]. only on off-IPS Confer- PPA members from the San Francisco Bay ence years. This concept Area felt a need to meet more often than once will be discussed further a year at affiliate meetings, so the Bay Area in Chicago. Griffith Observatory after restoration. Photo by Gail Chaid.

58 Planetarian June 2008 the Sputnik launch. Several meetings directly or implicitly dedicated to this date were held simultaneously on 1-4 October 2007 at the Ni- zhny Novgorod Planetarium and the planetariums of the World Workshop. The agenda included a detailed two-part talk by IPS Past President Martin George; a report and presentation of the book Planetari- ums of the World by Alexander V. Anisimov, chief architect of the project of reconstruc- tion of the big Moscow Planetarium; and information on the development of a new fulldome digital star projection and show system for the Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium and on the opportunities for other Russian planetariums to get this brand new equipment by Sergey A. Molinov, director of Argus Compa- ny, Nizhny Novgorod. The Advances in Astronomy and News of Cosmonautics Round Tables were headed re- spectively by astronomers and astrophysi- cists from Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow, and by the 37th Russian cosmonaut, Vyache- slav D. Zudov, who was born near Nizhny Novgorod. Schoolboy crew before docking using the SOYUZ-TMA spacecraft simulator. Photo by V. V. Belov. The XI Report and Election Conference of the Russian Planetarium Association was at- Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theatre repre- took the opportunity to visit Stonehenge, the tended by about 50 people from 26 planetar- sents the size of the sun and the planets and Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the new iums, including two Ukrainian planetariums their relative sizes are represented in the hall planetarium at INTECH. from Kiev and Kharkov. outside the theatre; see www.griffithobserva- The ability of digital planetarium to share The Nizhny Novgorod People to Cosmo- tory.org/bnimoy.html. content globally is an exciting trend and a nautics series of ceremonial events dedicat- Griffith’s director since 1974 is Dr. E.C. great thrill to those of producing shows. Den- ed to the 50th anniversary of the cosmic era Krupp. He has guided the observatory through ver’s Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity was included public talks delivered by veterans of its long transformation and construction to playing at Plymouth University, the Peter the space industry; video shows on the region- the present beautiful state of being. The at- Harrison Planetarium at Greenwich and at IN- al plants and facilities participated in the So- tendants were happy about this unique expe- TECH Science Center simultaneously! The IN- viet Soyuz-Cosmos space program; the award- rience in science education. Everyone in the TECH was also showing Denver’s most recent ing of winners of a special children’s contest group came away smiling and feeling good release, CJ3: A Solar System Adventure. that honored engineers and children who about the visit and about the Griffith. It was a Speaking of international show distribu- won diplomas, prizes, and medals of the Rus- memorable day. Can’t visit today? Go to a vir- tion, Mike Murray of the Clark Planetarium in sian Cosmonautics Federation; vocal, perfor- tual tour at www.griffithobservatory.org/obs- Salt Lake City also had one of his shows run- mance, and ballet concerts; and, of course, virtualtours.html. ning at Greenwich. The Secret of the Cardboard delivery of the first Russian fulldome digital Rocket is shown daily to hundreds of chil- planetarium show in the big dome of the Ni- Rocky Mountain Planetarium dren in Great Britain. Mike also reports that zhny Novgorod Planetarium. Association his team is hard at work on his next fulldome However, this time the Russian planetari- The Rocky Mountain Planetarium Associa- show, certain to be announced at IPS. ans leaving Nizhny Novgorod have been in- tion has a diverse and geographically isolated spired by hopes for the better future. Con- membership, spread throughout the western Russian Planetarium Association struction of planetariums in Russia was halted United States. Association members are look- Needless to say, all planetariums in Russia due to various reasons for about half a centu- ing forward to gathering in Chicago for IPS, to are working constantly to promote knowl- ry. At present, the situation has changed radi- meet and share stories. edge of the universe and space exploration cally: construction of new planetarium build- President Dan Neafus has been traveling among the general public. Apart from ordi- ings became a topical issue for planetariums quite a bit recently. The Western Alliance of nary shows and lectures, they organize quiz- in Barnaul, Yoshkar-Ola, Novosibirsk, Vladi- Planetariums meeting took him to Fairbanks, zes and contests for schoolchildren on the mir, Yaroslavl, and the youth camp Orlenok Alaska to see glacier melting and Aurora Bo- occasions of great events or planetarium an- near Tuapse on the Black Sea. realis. He was on the east coast for the Triple niversaries (for example, this was done on 23 The third Russian SOYUZ-TMA spacecraft Conjunction, held last fall at Benedum Plane- November 2007 in Briansk Planetarium on simulator has been mounted in the fourth hall tarium in Wheeling, West Virginia, with a stop the occasion of its 30-year anniversary) or var- of the Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium and put in Pittsburgh to see the fulldome shows at the ious exhibitions, among which the Tunguska into operation in December 2007. The simu- Buhl Planetarium. He was back on an airplane Meteorite in Tomsk Planetarium is worthy to lator prototype is operated at the Don Branch again, traveling with his adult daughter Kate, mention. of the Simulator Construction Center, No- to attend the Immersive Vision Conference at The main topic for the Russian planetar- vocherkassk, Rostov-on-Don region. The sec- Plymouth University in Great Britain. He also iums in 2007 was the 50-year anniversary of ond such simulator is used in the Cosmonaut

June 2008 Planetarian 59 Training Center in Star City, Mos- tel is the Holiday Inn and Confer- cow region. ence Center of Lafayette. The official ceremony of the Detailed conference informa- simulator opening was headed tion is available at the SEPA web- by the entire top management of site sepadomes.org and from Dave the Cosmonaut Training Center, Hostetter, dhostetter@lafayette- including the Chief of the Cen- gov.net. ter, the 76th Russian cosmonaut, the Hero of Russia, General-Lieu- Southwestern tenant Vasily V. Tsybliev, and his Association of deputies Boris A. Naumov and Val- Planetariums ery G. Sinelnikov, as well as by Donna Pierce found reading the 84th Russian cosmonaut, the the minutes from the first SWAP Hero of Russia Yury I. Onufrienko, business meeting on 11 Novem- the Deputy Head of International ber 1966 to be most interesting. It Space Station Flights of the Flight was held at the Ft. Worth Children Control Center Viktor D. Blagov, Museum and the following offi- and the Chief Executive Officer of cers were elected: president, Don the Simulator Construction Cen- Starkey, Ft. Worth Children Muse- Meeting at Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium are left to right Zinaida Sitko- ter Valentin E. Shukshunov. va, Yury Onufrienko, Victor Blagov, Valery Shukshunov, Boris Naumov, and um; vice president, Frank McCon- The pre-trained crew comprised Oleg Shepelev (engineer). Photo by V. V. Belov. nell, San Antonio College; secre- of two schoolboys and two backup tary/treasurer, William A. Dexter, crew members managed to com- St. Marks School of Texas; editor, plete successful approach and the first dock- Perm Planetarium and the Proton JSC, one of Jack Fondren, King High School, Corpus Chris- ing of the spacecraft with the orbital station the leading enterprises of the Russian space in- ti; and board members Paul Engle, Pan Ameri- and reported on the mission completion to dustry celebrating its 50-year anniversary. The can College, Edinburg, and James Thomas, La the high commission. At present, special train- Proton launchers put into orbit the majori- Porte High School. ing sessions are routinely carried out for pub- ty of satellites servicing our civilization. The Don Lunetta, Denver Museum of Natu- lic and pupils in the Nizhny Novgorod Plane- RD-275 rocket engine produced by the Proton ral Science, suggested the association include tarium so that everyone can try and practice JSC was the only Russian product honored by planetariums in the states of Colorado, Loui- docking SOYUZ-TMA to the International The Pride of the Motherland Prize during the siana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and of course, Space Station. final of the 100 best Russian Products contest Texas. It was Jack Fonden who submitted our On 28-31 May 2008, Nizhny Novgorod plan- held in Moscow in December 2007. name: Southwestern Association of Planetari- etarium hosted the RPA Conference dedicated ums. Evidently much discussion was held on to the 60th Anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod Southeastern Planetarium whether to use the term planetariums or plan- Planetarium. It is the second planetarium Association etaria as the plural of planetarium. The ma- opened in the USSR; the first one opened in The 2008 SEPA conference is scheduled jority voted to use the term planetariums as a Moscow in 1929 was the 13th in the world. for Lafayette, Louisiana, 22-26 July. Confer- memorial to Armand Spitz. The Municipal Cultural Institution Perm ence host for the second time around is Dave Frank McConnell moved that each mem- Planetarium celebrated its 40-year anniver- Hostetter. The last conference in Lafayette ber of SWAP volunteer one article per year sary on 12 April 2008. Since its foundation, was held in 1989. Since then the planetarium to the newsletter, but Jack Fondren amended the planetarium constantly issues new shows has seen lots of improvements and has been the motion to read “All members of SWAP are aimed at improving the level of basic astro- relocated to a new and larger site downtown. committed, or morally obligated, to contrib- nomical education. Among the conference highlights is a Messi- ute an article to the newsletter, at the request Educational issues remain the core of plan- er shootout at the St. George Observatory in of the editor.” Other attendees included John etarium activity, but other activities have be- Schriever, Louisiana. Contestants will be giv- Cotton, Dallas Health & Science Museum; De- come increasingly popular among the gener- en three minutes to locate a particular Messi- Wayne Harmon, Ft. Worth Children Muse- al public, in particular, game and performance er object. Successful contestants will advance um; I. L. Friedman, Tyler Junior College; and shows, contests, astro rings, children parties, to the next round until only one contestant George Seidel, Spitz Laboratories, Ft. Worth. art exhibitions, concerts, meetings with fa- remains. Oh, by the way: dues were $1. So here’s to mous and interesting people, pavement-draw- Another treat for delegates is a trip to Mu- SWAP’s 42 years and here’s to Lars’ 50th anni- ing contests, launches of rocket models, etc. lates Original Cajun restaurant. Mulates is re- versary as IPS Regional Roundup/Internation- Perm Planetarium was the first in Russia to nowned throughout the southeast as one of al News editor. welcome official wedding ceremonies under the finest examples of authentic Cajun cook- the stellar dome. An optical theater was orga- ing and live Cajun music. Conference speakers Ukranian Planetariums Association nized on the basis of the planetarium in 2005. include Dr. Paulette Hebert of Oklahoma State An audience survey was performed at Kyiv Multimedia technologies are extensively used University. Dr. Hebert is chair of the Interna- Planetarium during fall-winter 2007-2008. in performances played by both live and vid- tional Dark Sky Association Education work- Kyiv Planetarium is the largest in Ukraine. It eo characters. shop and will speak on light pollution. holds a “Big Zeiss 4” projector, has a 24-m (80 Five new shows were presented to pub- The banquet speaker is John Caldwell of ft) dome, 300 seats, and about 100,000 visitors lic during the Day of Planetariums. The most the Physics and Astronomy Department, York a year. symbolic première was the show From Icarus University, Toronto, Canada. Caldwell will Having presented a program to up to 300 to the Proton Launcher. This is the first step in speak on NASA’s Kepler mission designed to visitors at once, it is not always easy to exam- the development of cooperation between the locate Earth-sized planets. The conference ho- ine the general public’s understanding of ba-

60 Planetarian June 2008 sic astronomy, to get feedback on the pro- more than a quarter (26%) had attended three believe in horoscopes. People would like to gram, and to estimate the educational impact or more times. Even if they were first-time know from lectures in the planetarium about on public. That’s why they used strategical- visitors, people had some basic astronomical UFO, extraterrestrials, black holes, the future ly-designed questionnaires, to find out what knowledge (they marked that they read or lis- of the Universe, space missions, origin of plan- are visitors’ personal experiences and previ- ten from time to time to space news in the meets, constellations, and lunar cycles and their ous knowledge. Each questionnaire included dia). Visitors’ ages ranged from 6 to 62, with a impact on agriculture. 23 questions that can be conditionally divid- median age of 17. Some 61% of the respondents To eliminate the audience’s misconcep- ed into such groups: were school pupils. About10 % had higher ed- tions, we should emphasis humanity’s place in • personal data (age, education); ucation; and 23% had astronomy lessons at space and time. For that purpose in Kyiv Plan- • astronomical knowledge and observa- school. The same percentage had the experi- etarium several exhibits are being developed tional experience (attendance of astronomy ence of observing through a telescope. as Power Point presentations to be shown in lessons at school, observation of interesting The easiest question for the audience was the Stellar Hall before the lecture starts. astronomical events such as eclipses, com- “What is bigger: the Earth, the moon, or the Even though such questions as how old ets, meteors, experience of watching the sky sun,” with 98% giving the right answer, while and big is our universe inevitably rise for ev- through a telescope, age of Earth and the uni- the most difficult question was about the age eryone, for many people it’s difficult to bear verse, reasons for seasonal changes and Moon of the universe (6% chose the correct answer). in mind abstract, “astronomical” numbers. In phases, the brightest star, constellations that Surprisingly, only 12% of respondents chose developing exhibits we should tie these num- the visitor knows, number of planets in the so- the wrong answer on the question about bers to our day to day life realities. For exam- lar system, the biggest planet in the solar sys- change of seasons (88% correct), and 73% ple, the “cosmic year” approach, proposed by tem, how often do visitors read about space re- chose the correct answer about the reason for Carl Sagan, makes the idea of the age of the lated topics); and moon phases. universe visual, clear, surprising, and there- • visitors’ personal beliefs, like their atti- The most popular constellations are Ursa fore attention catching. More information on tude towards horoscopes and extra-terrestrial Major and Minor, Canis Major and Minor, the survey is available from natalia_kovalen- life. and zodiacal constellations (not surprising- [email protected]. The survey was aimed primarily at the pub- ly). Some visitors listed quite a lot of constella- At the Kharkov Planetarium, Ukraine, the lic that attends planetarium programs on tions, not only the most common, while oth- Day of Planetaria was celebrated by shows, week-ends and during vacations (mostly fam- er visitors invented their own, such as polar lectures, a youth-club concert, and, last, but ily groups and middle school pupils). The sur- cross, coliseum, pleiades, and snakes. not the least, the opening of the first Ukraini- vey revealed that many people were visiting The personal beliefs survey showed that an “museum of ufology.” For details, see plan- the planetarium for the first time (58%), while 56% believe in extraterrestrial life, and 68% etarium.kharkov.ua. I

June 2008 Planetarian 61 1. Demonstrations: Showing that “if you do ate; the rest of the nations had only 2-18% of Mobile News this, then this happens” is valuable and adults who were scientifically literate. (Miller can generate questions and further experi- 2006) Anecdotally, we all know that our stu- ments. dents and the general public need to have a 2. Research Experiments or Guided Inquiry: better basic level of scientific literacy in order Gives the experiment a real-world purpose to be enlightened citizens who truly under- and places the student in a role as problem stand articles published in the news and issues solver…the scenario can be contrived. (For that come up for vote during elections. example, to solve some problem that you Briefly, what Paul suggests is that we use pose, the student needs to observe and re- strategies much like those listed above from cord the position of the sun at various lati- Dr. Sponsler’s workshop. Paul also suggests tudes or seasons.) connecting material to current events and to 3. Animations and Simulations: Illustrate con- recent citizen votes and the consequences of cepts much better than words and demos those votes. Getting students to understand and allow for exploration of a concept. the level of scientific knowledge needed to 4. A Strategic Question and Answer Approach vote responsibly can really make it personal. to Lectures: Promotes active thinking and During this workshop we also practiced allows for a different perspective…that of looking at the newspaper and finding articles the researcher. and/or ads related to what we teach in class. 5. Historical Perspectives: Gives a more per- It was surprising how many items we found sonal perspective through events and the that required a substantial understanding of lives of actual scientists and researchers and science to even comprehend claims made by brings the science closer to reality. advertisers in the newspaper. That was an en- Susan Reynolds Button 6. Science Jokes: Shows the human side and lightening experience. Perhaps our pre- or Quarks to Clusters promotes interest and attachment to the post-planetarium activities could include cur- subject. “Inside jokes” can give students rent events issues for students, teachers and 8793 Horseshoe Lane a sense of inclusion; those outside of the even the general public to ponder. Chittenango, New York class (without the background knowledge Finally, of greatest interest to me was the gained in class) won’t understand the jokes. guest speaker, Dr. Robin Kimmerer. Dr. Kim- 13037 USA merer is a biologist at the State University of (1) 315-687-5371 The examples given during Dr. Sponsler’s New York College (1) 315-432-4523 (fax) workshop were geared for chemistry classes. of Environmen- However, I was able to relate much of what he tal Science and For- [email protected] described as totally applicable to education in estry (SUNY-ESF) a planetarium. Many of us already use many and is the director of these strategies with great success but may of the newly-estab- have recently neglected one or more. I hope lished Center for Reach Out to Other Organizations that my listing them will remind you to use Native Peoples and I recently attended a Science Teachers Asso- more of these strategies to compliment the the Environment at ciation of New York State (STANYS) mini con- awesome capabilities of the planetarium! ESF (www.esf.edu/ ference here in Syracuse. It is interesting to at- Paul Preczewski, a graduate assistant from success/kimmerer. tend conferences that are not specific to one’s the Department of Education at Syracuse Uni- htm). Dr. Kimmer- own profession; it allows you to network with versity, presented the second workshop I at- Dr. Robin Kimmerer er explained, “What people who share your mission in many ways tended, called “Ways to Enhance Student’s makes this center and may have a slightly different perspective Scientific Literacy.” After helping us under- unique is the bridge between western, scien- that can be quite valuable. stand some definitions of scientific literacy, tific knowledge and traditional ecological The two workshops I chose to attend were we agreed on a generally accepted, although knowledge,” she said. “This is a way to increase quite relevant and reinforced many of my not extremely demanding, two definitions of our ability to learn from each other and work own intuitions. scientific literacy (www.csa.com/discovery- together to solve environmental problems.” The first was called “Science-Please Take it guides/scilit/review.pdf): Dr. Kimmerer’s talk, “Traditional Ecolog- Personally” and was presented by Dr. Michael Miller’s (2006) “A level of understanding ical Knowledge,” was extremely inspiring. Sponsler, associate professor in the Depart- sufficient to read science and technology sto- She explained that just as there is great val- ment of Chemistry at Syracuse University. ries written at the level of the New York Times ue in preserving genetic diversity, we must Dr. Sponsler remarked, “Science has a reputa- Science Times Section or an article in Science also preserve intellectual diversity. Examin- tion for being impersonal, but nothing could et Vie (a French science magazine),” and Ha- ing traditional knowledge alongside scientific be further from the truth. Allowing, or better zen (2002) “scientific literacy, quite simply, knowledge provides us with many more ways yet, forcing students to see and experience the is a mix of concepts, history and philosophy of understanding our universe and a greater personal side of science can bring the subject that helps you understand the science issues diversity of approaches to problems that we alive for them.” of our times.” face in the environment. He went on to say that exposing students to Paul then shared some shocking results of Dr. Kimmerer discussed the similarities be- the human side of science makes the informa- current formal assessments of scientific litera- tween Traditional Ecological Knowledge tion more interesting and relevant. This can cy. Of 33 industrialized nations assessed, only (TEK) and Scientific Ecological Knowledge be accomplished through many complimen- six had results that showed above 20% but (SEK). Both are derived from observation of tary strategies, such as: below 35% of adults were scientifically liter- nature, yield detailed empirical information

62 Planetarian June 2008 and both have predictive power. thing as well. “There are already about 10 different cul- Then she explained the differences between “After retirement I worked as a sales rep for tures in the software (though no African con- these two kinds of knowledge. TEK involves LTI, and they have an African Skies cylinder stellations yet). resource users themselves and is qualitative, complete with curriculum guide. If you go to “Stellarium is multiplatform: it runs on Li- holistic, diachromic data, embedded in social/ www.starlab.com you should be able to get a nux/Unix, Windows, and Mac OSX. ethical/and spiritual context, moral based and copy of the curriculum guide, or if you con- “If you do add sky cultures to Stellarium, intuitive. SEK involves scientific professionals tact any local STARLAB owner, the African please be as accurate as possible. We here at and is quantitative, reductionist, synchronic Skies is part of their big curriculum guide, Digitalis have contributed seven different sky data, mechanistic and rational (“values free”). along with Egyptian Skies.” cultures (and we are working on others). Our Some people say don’t let both kinds of Alan Gould ([email protected]) shared: rule of thumb is to find two or more sourc- knowledge touch! Dr. Kimmerer says that “Here at Lawrence Hall of Science, we devel- es that provide the same data before adding a using both ways of knowing can provide a oped key activities that are in the Learning constellation to Stellarium. I encourage you to type of symbiosis. Just as native peoples plant Technologies Curricula for the STARLAB Af- use the same guidelines in order to achieve a corn, beans and squash together which in- rican Mythology Cylinder. It includes the ba- reasonable level of accuracy. If you have con- creases productivity, her approach of com- sis for our African Skies planetarium program, stellation data but don’t know how or don’t bining these two kinds of knowledge has which we have done some years for Black His- have time to add it to Stellarium, we can do captured the interest of her students and has tory month. We got permission from LTI long that for you. Contact me at karrie @Digital- made them more productive. She encourages ago to put it up on our PASS website.” Go to isEducation.com.” her students to understand that an educated lhs.berkeley.edu/pass/passv05/PASSv05up- I think a Wiki would be a good idea for person is one who first knows their own gift dates.html, the second item under news and background resources. However, in my opin- and second knows how to use it for the good articles. ion, having the data added to an application of the world. She encourages them to under- “On the LTI website, it’s a little hard to find like Stellarium would make it much more use- stand what they learn with their whole being: the details for the African Cylinder, but here’s ful. mind, body, spirit and emotion. the direct link: www.starlab.com/slcylmyth. Dr. Kimmerer’s talk reinforced my dedica- html#Anchor-35326.” New Moon Cylinder for STARLAB tion to continuous learning and promotion Chuck Bueter wrote to say that there is a Learning Technologies reminds the mobile of the use of knowledge from indigenous cul- newly-published book available called Afri- community about their new moon cylinder, tures. I feel it is important to examine how we can Cultural Astronomy: Current Archaeoas- which features photos detailed enough that can learn from this knowledge and respect dif- tronomy and Ethnoas- students can identify and compare the Apol- ferent “ways of knowing.” tronomy (Astrophysics lo landing sites, look at the far side surface, and I enjoy including native understandings, and Space Science Pro- distinguish features such as highlands, maria, viewpoints, music, and art as a way of enrich- ceedings). This book craters, mountains, ejecta rays, and rilles. ing lessons and as a way to integrate affective was published in De- What’s New Columnist John Schroer fea- learning with cognitive learning. A successful cember of 2007 and the tured this new cylinder in his column in the integration of these two ways of knowing in- editors are Jarita Hol- March Planetarian; check it out on page 61 in spires discussion, engages critical thinking and brook, Thebe Medupe, that issue. acts as a powerful tool for memory retrieval and Johnson O. Ura- after the planetarium lesson concludes. ma. The contents of Elementary Planetarium Shows For those interested in learning more, the book include a pa- Mike Smith wrote to Dome-L, “I’m trying to Dr. Kimmerer recommended the following per on the Ghana 2006 come up with a planetarium program sched- books: Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of In- Eclipse Conference ule, I’m finding it hard to find slide-based digenous Education and Native Science: Natu- and research on the development of lessons planetarium programs that are for 1st graders ral Laws of Interdependence, both by Gregory involving cultural astronomy. through 3rd graders, approximately. So far I Cajete, and Sacred Ecology: Traditional Ecolog- Andy Dolph ([email protected]) wrote: “It have been finding a lot that are for 4th grad- ical Knowledge and Resource Managements by seems like there’s interest in this from a vari- ers and up and a few for PK through 2nd. I’ve Fikret Berkes ety of corners (including me). Would it make looked at places like Calgary Science Centre, sense/would there be interest in starting a wiki Loch Ness Productions, and Sudekum Plane- African Skies-Cultural Astronomy for mythology of the sky from all over the tarium, but are there any others that I’m miss- Speaking of cultural resources, on Dome-L world that people could add either their own ing? If you have any suggestions I would love there was a question posed and discussion fol- work or references to others works so there’d to hear from you.” lowed about where to find African sky stories be one place to go as a starting point?” Mike received many helpful hints and I and several people contributed ideas about Karrie Berglund contributed these thoughts, copy the list of resources here for the benefit where to find this information and other sug- “I’d like to suggest adding sky cultures direct- of other who may have the same need. gestions worth sharing here. ly to Stellarium software. Since Stellarium is First, take a look at the new planetarium Steve Berr ([email protected]) told us: “Many open source, anyone can download, use, and shows WIKI at planetariumshows.wikispaces. years ago I got interested in African Star my- modify it for free. See Stellarium.org. In addi- com. According to the site, “As many planetar- thology. I did some research and eventually tion to its being open source, there are other iums are moving towards fulldome video, it’s created a small planetarium program for my becoming more and more difficult to find in- strong arguments for adding sky cultures di- 24-ft Spitz installation. I still have that script teresting educational planetarium shows for rectly to Stellarium: somewhere (I retired in ‘93). ‘conventional’ theaters. This wiki is a place “Stellarium allows users to display labels “Several years later I was recruited by Rus- where planetarians and educators can list cur- and text menus in more than 40 languages, sell Blake, who was doing a more serious com- rently available, new and upcoming shows.” so it is truly international. Translations into pilation of African sky mythology. I sent him Three shows were specifically applauded even more languages are underway. what I found, and suspect that he has some- for this age group:

June 2008 Planetarian 63 Don’t Duck, Look Up! from the Davis Plan- rectors: “The GLPA Portable Group is small, idential courses for teachers in a variety of etarium; contact Jim O’Leary (oleary@mary- but growing. We have a highly-diverse and subjects, including astronomy. This year the landsciencecenter.org) and talented group of people. At present the group “Introduction to Astronomy” course will be Mystery of the Missing Seasons and Moon consists of ten people, but I have expectations given 13-26 July and the “Teaching With a Witch from Bowen Technovation. Contact of increasing the size. Six of the ten are GLPA Portable Planetarium” course will be held 27 Mike Grznar (mikeg@bowentechnovation. members. Communication to this point has July–2 August. com). been by way of email.” For more information go to coa.edu/html/ It was also mentioned that Stasiuk Enter- Dayle assures me that more news will fol- coursesk12teachers.htm or contact Jean Syl- prises (uofgts.com) would work with you to low as the group gets underway. Thank you via, associate director of Summer Programs, at customize their shows on currently available Dayle! [email protected] or 800-597-9500. If you can- systems. Contact Garry Stasiuk at garrystasi- not attend this year, think ahead to next sum- [email protected]. Summer Courses for Teachers mer! After listing these resources, I feel that Matt Remember, each summer the College of the Signing Off! Linke’s ([email protected]) comment de- Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, offers accredit- I hope to see you in Chicago. If not, keep in serves to be aired. Matt commented, “I sup- ed two- and four-credit graduate summer res- touch via email. I pose one question to ask is whether or not you should be doing slide programs at that age - especially the very young. I used to have some special topic slide-based programs for that age, but generally found that they respond- Planetarians’ Calendar of Events ed much better to live programs—maybe supported by slides.” 2008 2009 5th European Meeting of Small 12-14 June, Canadian Association of Science International Year of and Portable Planetaria… Centres Annual Conference, London Re- Astronomy Anthony Pedrosa wrote to tell me, “Naveg- gional Children’s Museum, Ontario, Can- 22 March. International Day of ar Foundation and the Center for Astrophyics ada, www.canadiansciencecentres.ca/ Planetaria. www.dayofplanetar- of Oporto University are main.htm. ia.org. pleased to invite all inter- 15-19 June. 5th Science Centre World Con- 18-19 April. Italian Association of Planetar- ested in participating in gress, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ia (PLANIT), XXIV National Conference, the 5th European Meet- 27 June - 2 July. 19th International Planetar- Naples, City of Science, Italy. www.plan- ing of Small and Portable ium Society Conference, Adler Planetari- etaritaliani.it. Contact: osservatorio@se- Planetariums to Portugal. um, Chicago (USA). www.ips2008.org. rafinozani.it. The conference will be 22-26 July. Southeastern Planetarium As- 22 July, total solar eclipse held 9-11 October 2008 sociation (SEPA) annual conference, The September. Nordic Planetarium Association at Centro Multimeios Es- Lafayette Natural History Museum & Conference, Jærmuseet, Vitenfabrikken, pinho, a modern build- Planetarium, Lafayette, Louisianna, USA. Sandnes, Norway. Chair and contact: Ivar Anthony Pedrosa ing that includes, among Contact: [email protected]. Reed Nakken, [email protected]. other equipments, a plan- 28-1 August. Spitz Digital Institute, Chadds etarium. We are ready to start sending the in- Ford, Pennsylvania, USA, Starry Night/dig- 2010 formation to the participants for the 2008 ital planetarium learning event with two June 26-30: 20th International Planetarium meeting. The website is ready; please have a sessions. Call +1 610-459-5200 x126 for de- Society Conference, Alexandria, Egypt. look at ecspp2008.multimeios.pt.” tails, or see www.spitzinc.com/institute. 11 July, total solar eclipse 1 August, total solar eclipse … and Looking Ahead to the 6th 9-11 October. 5th European Meeting of Small Deadlines for “A Week in Italy” Tomasz Kisiel is in the and Portable Planetaria, Centro Multi- 31 August 2008, planetarians from France process of organizing meios Espinho, Navegar Foundation and 30 September, planetarians from Spain the next meeting, which the Center for Astrophysics of Oporto, 15 April 2009, planetarians from United will be held in Poland in Portugal. ecspp2008.multimeios.pt. States 2009. We will probably 18-21 October. Association of Science-Tech- For more information on the “Week in It- meet in early September nology Centers (ASTC) Annual Confer- aly,” go to: www.astrofilibresciani.it/Plane- at the Silesian Planetar- ence, The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, tari/Week_in_Italy/-Week_Italy.htm ium (en.wikipedia.org/ Pennsylvania, USA. www.astc.org. wiki/Silesian_Planetari- 29 October–1 November. Great Lakes Plan- For corrections and new information for the um). Tom writes, “Apart etarium Association (GLPA) Conference, Calendar of Events, please send a message to Milwaukee Public Museum Planetarium, Tomasz Kisiel from it being the oldest Loris Ramponi at [email protected]. planetarium in Poland, the Gary Sampson Planetarium, and the More details about several of these upcom- it’s also a very nice conference center and also Charles Horwitz Planetarium. Contact: ing events is included in the International is located in a very good spot.” Look for fur- Gary Sampson, 11400 West Center Street, News column. ther information soon. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, 53222-4213 at The most up-to-date information also is +1 (262) 844-6940 or David DeRemer, +1 available online at the International Plane- First Report (GLPA Region) (262) 896-8423, [email protected]. tarian’s Calendar of Events at www.astrofil- Dayle L. Brown reports about a newly-es- wi.us. ibresciani.it/Planetari/Internationa_Calen- tablished group for portable planetarium di- dar.htm I

64 Planetarian June 2008 VacationOnAltair_FullPageAd.pdf 4/30/2008 12:00:23 PM

Une production Planétarium Galilée de Montpellier Agglomération

CMY

FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com/fulldome_shows June 2008 Planetarian SHOW DISTRIBUTION65 Contact: Mike Bruno [email protected] T: 610.459.5200 66 Planetarian June 2008 mers go, Levy is kind of an anomaly: although throughout history. Planetarians have the re- Reviews he is possibly one of the best-known astrono- sponsibility and privilege of highlighting this my popularizers in the world, he has (his own great story: the development of our view of confession) never taken a formal astronomy the universe from the geocentric to the he- course. His love of the sky comes from a deep liocentric universe, from the Newtonian to curiosity of the night as a boy in a camp for the relativistic universe, and on to contempo- asthmatic children, and has been forged by rary conceptions and the search for dark mat- virtue of his discoveries of many comets, inter and dark energy. An aid to this formidable cluding one which the world watched tempo- task is available in Kragh’s book Conceptions of rarily change the face of the planet Jupiter in Cosmos. 1994. What sets this book apart from previous Through the decades, in his search for com- works, such as Dreyer’s A History of Astrono- ets, Levy, like Charles Messier centuries before my from Thales to Kepler or Kuhn’s The Coper- him, was continually discovering, not comets, nican Revolution, is that in Kragh’s work the but deep sky objects, many of which had com- author sets out to cover the entire history of et-like structure at first glance. And, like Mess- Western cosmology, from mythology and an- ier, Levy catalogued what he found looking cient astronomy up to present day models of through his many telescopes. At the time this the inflationary Big Bang and the accelerating book was published, he had 378 objects on his universe. In fact, the entire second half of the Levy list, with the promise of more to be add- book is devoted to modern cosmology, a dis- ed on his web site. proportion when viewed in terms of time pe- The book chapters not only divide the ob- riods but certainly fitting for the amount of jects into their type (stars, nebulae, clusters, material to be covered. galaxies), but also their distance. As you con- The only parts of the book that I found dif- tinue into the book, you are traveling far- ficult were portions that discussed general April S. Whitt ther and farther from home. Also, to make relativistic field equations and the different Fernbank Science Center life very easy, Levy not only gives his cata- cosmological models they entailed. Though 156 Heaton Park Drive NE logue number, but the common Messier des- they’re not essential to a general comprehen- ignation (if appropriate) and common name, sion of the book, the discussions seem rigor- Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA the NGC number, 2000 coordinates, magni- ous enough to satisfy a reader much better [email protected] tude, distance, and the first time Levy viewed versed in general relativity than I. it. Then, he speaks about his observing the ob- One of the strengths of this book is the ject, his description of it, very often how he way that Kragh dispels common mispercep- first found it through his telescopes through tions regarding the history of cosmology. In There are books about everything in this the years, and the season(s) it is best located the section on Copernicus, he disagrees with column, dear readers. From the cosmos to in the sky. Some of his observing recounts are the likes of Kuhn by maintaining that Coper- backyard observing, there is something for pure young boy, as when he first found M101 nicus did not develop his heliocentric mod- children and something for teachers, along (Levy 2) on July 4, 1966 after setting up in el in response to a crisis in astronomy, but in- with stories from the Space Shuttle and details camp. He had to explain to the counselor why of the lunar lander. he’d rather hunt for comets than join the In- Many thanks, and welcome, to our re- dependence Day fireworks (remember, Levy viewers: Steve Case, Francine Jackson, Paul J. is Canadian). Krupinski, Fran Ratka, John C. Scala, and Rich- Reading Deep Sky Objects is like snatching ard Walker. And we’re always looking for someone’s diary from under the bed. As you more reviewers! Drop me an e-line if you’re in- read, you will find yourself not only learning terested in free books. I’ll send you the list of about a whole new set of relatively easy—for what’s available, and you get to choose. Such the most part—telescope finds, but also you a deal! will get a feel for the boy and man who, for most of his life, has enjoyed the beauty of the night sky and used it to become one of the Deep Sky Objects: The Best and very elite club of comet discoverers. Brightest from Four Decades of Comet Chasing Conceptions of Cosmos—From David H. Levy, 2005, Prometheus Books, Myths to the Accelerating Amherst, New York, ISBN 1-59102-361-0, soft- bound, US $25.00 Universe: A History of Cosmology Reviewed by Francine Jackson, University Helge S. Kragh, 2007, Oxford University of Rhode Island Planetarium, Rhode Island, Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 USA. 6DP, ISBN 978-0-19-920916-3, US $70 Reviewed by Steve Case, Strickler Planetari- The attendees of the recent Triple Conjunc- um, Bourbonnais, Illinois, USA. tion (MAPS, GLPA and SEPA) conference in the fall of ’07 were fortunate to have David One of the most powerful aspects of astron- Levy as one of the main speakers. As astrono- omy education is the way it illustrates humanity’s changing perception of the universe

June 2008 Planetarian 67 stead due in large part to his conviction that hours in a heads down, feet up position as the heavenly motions must be uniformly circular countdown clock continued to T-minus zero. and that the deferents and equants in Ptolema- “The beast is stirring now. He’ll awaken soon ic astronomy had violated this. In the section and we had all better be ready!” Feel the shut- on Hubble’s law, he put to rest my presuppo- tle sway prior to liftoff, then blast off with sition that Hubble’s observations led directly him for the rough eight-minute ride to orbit. to the assumption that the Universe was ex- How does it look in space? One of the most panding. In fact, Kragh reports, these observa- frequent questions he’s asked! Scott explains tions did no such thing. An expanding uni- the view as if you were there. Learn about as- verse was not even proposed until two years tronaut’s daily duties onboard the shuttle: after Hubble’s observations and not common- working 16-hour days, then eating, grooming, ly accepted until long after that. and sleeping for eight hours whether the sun Another strength of the book is the way is shining or not! in which Kragh approaches the debate as to Appreciate what it’s like to orbit around whether or not cosmology should even be Earth. Scott explains the peculiar daily cycles considered a science. He provides opinions of an astronaut as the shuttle whizzes around and quotes throughout the book from the our home once every 90 minutes, traveling at works of scientists on both sides of the ques- 5 miles per second. Indeed, 15 sunrises and 16 tion, some arguing that pushing the laws of sunsets are most unusual to us on the ground, physics to the very limits of space and time but to an astronaut 200 plus miles above the results in philosophy, meta-physics, or math- surface, it becomes part of a scripted daily rou- ematical games; others insisting that cosmol- tine. Understand in a real way what it’s like ogy is a rigorous science that has resulted in to look back at the awesome magnificence of observationally and experimentally verified our home planet against the cold blackness of facts. Whichever side of the debate you may space and behold its true beauty. “I could see fall on, it’s an illustration of the power of these the myriad beautiful colors of the Sahara Des- ideas. ert. I had always thought that all deserts were Kragh’s work presents the story of cosmolo- a single drab, light brown, much like typical gy (albeit, in the early chapters, an exclusively beach sand. In reality, the Sahara sand exhib- Western cosmology) in a compelling manner its an amazing array of colors ranging from or- that should be of interest to anyone wishing ange-red to black!” This and much more await to tell the story of our evolving conceptions you and your imagination in Reflections From of the universe. Earth Orbit.

Reflections From Earth Orbit VIRTUAL LM: A Pictorial Essay of Winston E. Scott (Capt. USN Ret.), retired the Engineering and Construction NASA astronaut, 2005, Collector’s Guide Pub- of the Apollo Lunar Module lishing Inc., Box 62034, Burlington, Ontar- Scott P. Sullivan, 2004, Apogee Books, Box io, Canada, L74 4K2, ISBN 1-894959-22-1, US 62034, Burlington, Ontario, L7R 4K2, Canada, $23.95, Canada $30.95. ISBN 1-894595-14-0, US $29.95 Reviewed by Paul J. Krupinski, Mobile Reviewed by John C. Scala, Lenape Valley Re- Dome Planetarium/Strasenburgh Planetari- gional High School, Stanhope, New Jersey, USA. um, Buffalo/Rochester, New York, USA. I have always wanted to be an astronaut. This book is a truly outstanding ride into Born in the same year NASA came into exis- orbit, plus a look back at the Earth below in tence, one of my earliest memories is my Colo- all its beauty and diversity! Retired US Navy Scott recognizes that his lifelong dreams of nel McCauley space helmet. My astronaut G.I. Captain and former NASA Space Shuttle As- flying, joining the Navy, becoming an avi- Joe with space capsule soon followed, evolv- tronaut Winston E. Scott takes the reader to ator and engineer and ultimately an astro- ing into a life long love of assembling plastic low Earth orbit, approximately 210 miles naut, hinged on someone who took the time scale model kits of all things “space,” and pro- up, for personal reflection of his early life as to make one phone call while in high school. gressing to building, designing, and launching a boy who loved music (he earned an arts de- This personal story is about him growing up model rocket kits from Estes and Centuri. Alas, gree in Music from Florida State University in in Coconut Grove, Florida, yet aspiring to football injuries and a lack of grasping the ad- 1972) and wanted to fly (he also earned a mas- make it big one day. Dreamers dream big and vanced intricacies of calculus put my dreams ter of science degree in aeronautical engineer- Scott reflects back on the people—especial- to rest. ing from the US Naval Postgraduate School in ly the one who took interest, who never lost In Virtual LM, author Scott P. Sullivan pro- 1980); fly he did! As a research and develop- confidence, never gave up trying to help, and fesses his fascination with wanting to become ment project pilot, he flew the F-14 Tomcat, always pushed him to do the best he could… an astronaut and with the Apollo program F/A-18 Hornet and A-7 Corsair aircraft. Later, which ultimately affected his destiny. through 3D CAD virtual modeling. Working he flew two Shuttle missions to Earth orbit— But wait, there’s more. Take a ride with from NASA technical releases and web sites, STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997—spending a Scott aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. He de- he has masterfully and artistically created total of 24 1/2 days in space, including 19 1/2 scribes vividly suiting up in his bulky orange drawings that detail the construction and en- hours spacewalking outside the shuttle. launch and entry suit, crawling into the orbit- gineering of the lunar module (as he has pre- While orbiting at 17,500 miles per hour, er and then waiting patiently for nearly two viously done in his book Virtual Apollo, 2002,

68 Planetarian June 2008 Apogee Books, detailing the command and ing these tough concepts to upper elementa- service modules). These drawings are not blue- ry and middle school students. There is a great prints. However, they are full color and high- chapter describing telescopes and space explo- ly detailed such that one could conceivably ration, including the electromagnetic spec- construct a lunar module by following his trum and its uses in astronomy as well as a lit- layout. tle astronomy history. The book opens with the famous Apollo The final chapter, “Everyday Astronomy,” mission patches that the crews wore on their explains time, seasons, moon phases, eclips- space suits. Also included are the individual es, moon lore, meteor showers, and aurora LM patches designed for each specific space- and dispels some of our commonly held mis- craft (did you know that Apollo 11’s eagle was conceptions. The book ends by giving help- LM-6?). An introduction to the text follows ful hints for sky watching and family astron- the history of the Apollo program, from Pres- omy activities. Also included are seasonal star ident John F. Kennedy’s speech to Congress maps, websites, and a kid-friendly glossary. challenging the nation to “landing a man on This book would be a great gift for any the moon and returning him safely to the child, especially those interested in astrono- Earth” by decade’s end, through the possible my. Adults will also benefit from Fraknoi’s methods of doing so. The contract to design clear explanations, especially when it is time and assemble the craft was awarded to Grum- to answer a curious child’s tough questions. I man Aircraft, of Bethpage, New York. have gleaned some ideas that I will use in my Famous for their military aircraft, this planetarium programs for elementary stu- would be Grumman’s first space vehicle. The dents and especially when I do cosmology introduction takes the reader through a time- supplemented with text and photographs. In shows with eighth graders. line of their quest to design, engineer, and con- the author’s own words, “I approached these struct the LM. This section of the book is illus- projects from the viewpoint of an artist…so, Astronautics Book 2–To the trated with fascinating black and white and if you would keep that in mind while you color photographs tracing the development look at these renderings…. my intent of trying Moon and Towards the Future Ted Spitzmiller, 2007, Apogee Books, Box of the ship at various stages of its evolution. to take you inside the spacecraft, if only for 62034, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, ISBN Each of the next 230 pages is a treasure a moment, will have been achieved.” In this 9781-894959-66-7, US $25.95 trove of information. The LM is color coded reviewer’s mind, Mr. Sullivan has more than Reviewed by Richard Walker, Longway to match the materials used to construct that met his goal. Planetarium, Flint, Michigan, USA. portion of the vehicle. Top, bottom, left, right, and exploded views detail the craft from ev- Wonderful World of Space Astronautics Book 2 is a concise history of ery angle. Each part is clearly identified and la- Andrew Fraknoi, 2007, Disney Press, 114 the American and Soviet race to the moon beled. Every system and sub-system is digital- Fifth Avenue, New York, New York, ISBN and beyond. It is arranged in a roughly chron- ly mastered. You will come to appreciate the 10:0-7868-4969-X, US $12.99. ological manner, although there is much back claim that these vessels were the most compli- Reviewed by Fran Ratka, Euclid City Schools tracking and overlap as different parts of the cated ever designed to fly. Planetarium, Euclid, Ohio, USA. US and Soviet program developments are cov- Photographs and chronologies are scat- ered. This can get a bit confusing (I found my- tered through the text to aid in the visualiza- Andrew Fraknoi has shown that he can self turning back to previously read sections tion process. Once the craft as a whole is dis- write children’s astronomy books as well as to check dates), but then it pretty accurately cussed, the separate ascent and descent stages college texts. I use his text Voyages Through reflects the sometimes confused simultaneous are drawn, with special attention given to the the Universe with my high school astronomy programs that were underway as part of the fact that not all of the LM’s were identical. The classes and I selected it because of its readabili- mad dash to space. last few machines were designed for extend- ty and clear explanations. Wonderful World of I have never been a real student of the ed stays on the lunar surface. Where Apollo Space does a great job of explaining astrono- space race, so I found the book very interest- 11 was on the moon for a little over 21 hours, my concepts so that children can understand ing with a lot of information about the Soviet Apollo 17 housed its crew for over three days. them, even primary school aged children, es- and American programs that I did not know. As if this tour-de-force through the LM pecially if they experience the book with an A lot of attention is given to the development and its variants were not enough, Mr. Sulli- adult. Beautiful images that illustrate the sub- of the launch vehicles. I guess I never really van next tackles the probe and drogue unit ject being studied appear on every page. There paid much attention to the fact that the space that allowed for the LM to dock/undock with are also images of the kids’ favorite Disney capsules were constrained by what the boost- the CSM, the lunar rover vehicle, including characters and cartoons sprinkled throughout ers were capable of getting into orbit. I always its folded and stowed positions, and the as- the book that will enhance a child’s interest. thought of it as, “Here’s the Saturn V, now put tronaut’s PLSS life-supporting backpack unit. The book starts with astronomical ob- something on top and shoot it to the moon.” Each is detailed to the rivet, nut, and bolt. The jects close to home (planets and moons), then The one problem is that there are not a lot volume is completed by a CD-ROM (by Frank moves to stars and galaxies. Star birth, life cy- of illustrations and the ones that are included O’Brien) that includes the manuals and check- cle and death are explained in very under- are usually no where near to where they are lists detailing the operation of the LM. Also standable and exciting terms. Students will referenced. One illustration was 50 pages fur- included are detailed photos of the LM sim- even find out how many of the atoms in their ther into the book from where it was first ref- ulator cockpit and test vehicle ascent and de- bodies were made by stars. erenced! But if you are looking for a handy ref- scent stages. The cosmological sections are probably a erence of the various missions, this fits the bill Virtual LM is a gorgeous volume, packed little too much for the average primary grade nicely. I with detailed drawings, lovingly rendered, student, but Fraknoi does a great job explain-

June 2008 Planetarian 69 25 Years Ago

Thomas Wm. Hamilton HOSS Planetarium 153 Arlo Road Staten Island, New York 10301 [email protected]

The June 1983 issue of the Planetarian is a good example both of how some things change and how some things never change. Surface photographs from the Soviet Venera 14 spacecraft. The Venera 14 lander became the second Both can be depressing. Venus surface probe to transmit color images. NASA Letters in the 1983 issue touched on the issue of creationism. Steve Russo, then at Bra- The script section gave the script of a show erative effort of planetariums in the San Fran- denton, Florida, addressed the problem of seen by attendees at the recent IPS conference cisco Bay area. creationism: “It’s about time our profession in Vancouver, The Mystery of SS433. The late Gerry Mallon, for whom a plane- takes a stand on the issue of creationism.” President Jeanne Bishop discussed the re-es- tarium in Pennsylvania is named, wrote an Henry Mitchell of Chatham, Virginia dis- tablished script bank, the 1986 conference site article, “Planetarium Usage for Secondary agreed: “Comparing conflicting interpreta- and how to apply to host future conferences, Students.” He states: “The study of mythol- tions of data is a more effective teaching de- membership flyers, and asked for volunteers ogy can...offer the members of a non-science vice.” This question is, of course, even more to work on IPS committees (plus ça change...). class” an entry into how scientific understand- timely today with the opening of the Cre- John Wharton’s Gibbous Gazette described ing can grow out of non-scientific attempts to ation Museum and Planetarium in Hebron, the formation of the American Planetarium explain nature. Kentucky. Association, jobs and internships, new instal- Jack Dunn had a second column, Sky Notes. Tony Jenzano (Chapel Hill, North Caroli- lations, available slides of peculiar galaxies, In this issue he addressed an eternal problem na) addressed the issue of planetarium versus and people changing jobs. for our field by reprinting “A Producer’s Guide space theater. “Planetariums utilize theatrics Jack Dunn did a rather restricted Regional to Music Clearance.” to provide entertaining education. Space the- Round Up, with only four regions, all in the In “What’s New,” James Brown reported aters utilize theatrics to provide educational USA, reporting. new catalogs from the Hansen Planetarium entertainment.” I always told my planetarium Eric Melebrink ran the Creative Corner, and from Sky-Skan. The Astronomical Soci- trainees that planetarium presentations rested with Joe Hopkins of the Bishop Planetarium ety of the Pacific was offering a packet dealing on three legs of a tripod: science, education, (Bradenton, Florida) describing modifying the with astrology. The NASA-JPL animated film and entertainment, and if any one of the three wiring on carousel projectors for enhanced ef- dealing with the Voyager encounters with was out of whack the show would fail (not to fects. Saturn was available. mention their grade). Mark S. Sonntag ran the Focus on Education Finally, an unsigned section reviewed four Arthur Johnson (Fleischman Planetarium, column, with Charles Hagar outlining the op- recent short films, including the highly re- Reno, Nevada) wrote on advances in 35mm erations of the Planetarium Institute, a coop- garded Powers of Ten. hemispheric cinematography. Cinema 360 June 1983 was an active time in space explo- was the cutting edge. Do I hear some young- ration. Pioneer 10 was regarded as becoming sters asking why he didn’t just have his laptop the first man-made object to leave the solar do the work? system that month. Venera 14 on June 2 was In related work, Ray Villard and Dan Zir- followed five days later by the launch of Ven- poli (Davis Planetarium, Baltimore, Mary- era 15. Other Soviet launches that month in- land) wrote about their facility’s six-frame cluded several in the Kosmos series, numbers all sky system: “Over the past seven years, ex- 1469, 1470 and 1471. A Soyuz was launched on periments with the All-Sky system have de- June 27, and Gorizont 7 on June 30. veloped a number of visually exciting appli- The European Space Agency sent up an Ari- cations for our public shows.” They go on to ane rocket to put Eutelsat 1 and OSCAR 10 in describe geometry, alignment, image distor- orbit on June 16. tion, blending, and set up. The United States launched NOSS on June Charles Hagar (San Francisco State Uni- 10. A High Latitude Research Satellite (former- versity) presented part 3 of his study of the ly Transit O-16) launched on June 23, same day world’s planetariums, this time covering just as Kosmos 1470. Galaxy 1 went up June 28. But 9.1 m (30 ft) domes. In this installment he just probably most memorable was the launch listed manufacturers and how many seats of the Challenger Shuttle with Sally Ride be- were provided. I note I was number 73 on his coming the first American woman in space on list of 134 responders. Sally Ride’s official astronaut photo. NASA June 18. I

70 Planetarian June 2008 June 2008 Planetarian 71 question he had given his students last year: about was astronomy. One night at dinner, Last Light “Is there water on the moon?” with answer his father said, “Last week we talked about the choices of “yes,” “no,” or “maybe.” Between stars. Let’s talk about something different.” the time the exam was given and the grading “I should have said, ‘I know I’m exited about finished, the answer had changed with the dis- it, Dad. Maybe I’ll be over it. Maybe I’ll be over covery of water. The right answer was wrong it by the end of tonight. We’ll see.’” and the wrong answer was right. Comets were another topic. Mr. Levy de- Describing an analogy he gives in one of scribed Earth’s retribution against comets his lectures, “If you want to experience vaca- impacting the planet for thousands of years. tion on Venus, coat yourself with oven clean- With the Deep Impact space craft, Earth “got er, climb into a self cleaning oven, and turn a bit of its own back,” smacking into Comet it on.” Then he said, “Of course you have to Tempel 1. quickly tell the students don’t really do that, “For me, looking for comets is easy. Finding it’s just an analogy!” them is hard.” Recounting the Mars rovers’ activities, “It He described the discovery of Comet SL9 had a 90 day warranty, and has been working as “it was cloudy and raining that night. Gene over 1300 days. Wouldn’t you like to have a (Shoemaker) was reading Time magazine, I car like that? But it moves very slowly, about was working on a book draft, Carolyn (Shoe- an inch every two hours.” maker) was scanning with the telescope. All “It’s hard to keep up with the number of Ju- of a sudden she stopped, backed up, and said, piter’s moons. It’s at 63 now. When I was a boy “Gene, David—look at this. It looks like a April S. Whitt there were 12. Heck, when I was a boy there squashed comet.” Fernbank Science Center were four.” While viewing a series of images of SL9 tak- David Levy gave a wonderful talk about en in January 1994, he noticed that one imag- 156 Heaton Park Drive NE his adventures in astronomy, beginning with es was blurred. How could that happen? They Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA an observation of Mars in 1963. He described checked all the instrumentation, and dis- being at a camp in Colorado, and reading an covered that the Northridge earthquake had [email protected] article in Sky & Telescope about Mars at op- rocked the telescope slightly, ruining the im- position. A call to a friend in the Denver As- age. tronomical Society revealed that opposition Triple Conjunction Fun Continues would occur at 8:00 p.m. Your seventies quote for the day Dr. Jim Kaler’s much-anticipated “state of Mr. Levy said, “And you know what that The sun never says to the Earth, “You owe astronomy” talk was one of the conference means, right? Right at 8:00 Mars would sud- me.” highlights. Delegates filled the auditorium at denly get huge and bright!” And he had a lit- Look what happens with a love like that. It Carnegie after supper to hear the latest infor- tle three-inch telescope that he set up on the lights up the sky. I mation from the solar system to the edge of southern-most part of the the universe. Host James Hughes introduced a camp grounds, out behind major change in the format: “This is his first the girls’ dormitory. power-point presentation! Give it up for James The telescope was set Kaler!” The whoop from the audience pinned up in plenty of time, and the needles on the sound system and blew out Mars was centered in the the microphone. eyepiece. Five minutes “Well, thank you!” Dr. Kaler responded, to 8:00…three minutes to when the equipment was functional, “All 8:00…8:00…Mars stayed three of you!” (MAPS, GLPA, SEPA) the same. No sudden big, An image of Yerkes Observatory appeared, bright “size of the full with his comment that “you can tell it’s an moon” apparition. observatory because it’s near bright lights.” Disappointed, he took He went on to say that he could probably just the telescope down and end the talk here, because earlier speakers had headed back to his own already mentioned the best parts. dorm, where he was met “Now where’s my laser pointer?” he asked by the house director with a minute later. Half a dozen dots of laser light a question, “What was he immediately appeared on the image, to which doing, looking into the he said, “That’s the trouble with a hard liquor girls’ dorm with his tele- bar.” scope?” Shaking the podium’s laser pointer, he mut- “But I wasn’t! I was look- tered, “Aw, the batteries are dying. Kind of like ing at Mars!” me.” A few points from his talk: To which the house di- SOFIA is nearly ready to fly. Observing with rector replied, “You know, that telescope is “akin to flying through a hur- coming from you, I be- ricane during an earthquake.” lieve it.” There’s no water at the south pole of our As a young person, Levy moon this year. Dr. Kaler described an exam said, all he wanted to talk

72 Planetarian June 2008

D4 Pre-Announce.indd 1 4/23/2008 11:33:20 AM