Cleveland Museum of Natural History
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* * * * * * * * PLANETARIUMS * * * and their use * PAPERS FROM * * A SYMPOSIUM for * HELD ~ * AUGUST 28-31 EDUCATION * * 1960 * * * * * * THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM * * OF NATURAL HISTORY * <" * VOLUME 2 * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction William E. Scheele ________________________________ -;_Prefixed Exploring the Universe Dr. J. J. Nassau _____________________ -______________ _ 3 Establishing a Space Science Curriculum John E. Kosoloski ___________________________________ 8 A Survey of Planetarium Programs Margaret Noble ________________________________________ _ 18 A Program for Elementary School Classes Doris McMillan ____ ______ _______________________________ 28 Teaching Navigation in a Planetarium Capt. A. Roland J ones ________________________ ~'______ 35 Educational Aids in a General Astronomy Course ~ THE RALPH MUELLER PLANETARIUM Dr. L. H. Roberts ____________________________________ _ 39 CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Approaches to Public Programs Dan Snow __________________________________________ _ 43 Using Special Projectors to Enhance the Educational Value of Planetarium Programs John M. Cavanaugh _____________ _______________________ 61 Special Projectors at the Stamford Museum THIS SYMPOSIUM William Dutton _______________________ ______________ 69 SPONSORED BY NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Models and Special Projectors William Schultz ____________________________________ _ 79 Recent Developments in Planetarium Projectors and Accessories Herbert N. Williams _________________________________ _ 86 The Use of Slides in Planetarium Programs Dan Snow 89 "The best gadget to use in a Planetarium is a good lecturer" JOHN CAVANAUGH Special Programs for Special Groups INTRODUCTION Hamilton Lyon __________ _ 93 Amateur Observing Programs George Diedrich ____________________________________ _ 105 LESS THAN TEN YEARS AGO, nuclear power, jet flight, and Preparing Publicity Releases for Newspapers rockets were in the early stages of becoming a part of our daily Dr. David Dietz ________________________________ _ 113 lives and language. While the ancient science of astronomy had Radio Receivers for Satellite Signals long been part of public school science, teachers and parents. were just beginning to realize that the time had come when the very Robert W. Burhans ___________________________________ _ 121 young would accept the concept of traveling from planet to planet Preparing Radio and Television Programs as a matter of simple fact, awaiting only their own maturity to be Les Biebl ______________________________________ _ 124 fully realized. The Minneapolis Exhibit Program That day passed when Russia orbited the first space satellite. Today, our ability to fulfill the informational requirements of Thomas W. Voter ___________________________________ _ 132 the public in matters of astronomy or space travel are only limited Qualifications for Planetarium Personnel by our personal horizons. We must constantly question whether James A. Fowler _____________________________ _ 134 these horizons are adequate. A Junior League Training Program Ten years ago our own Cleveland Museum wanted a plane tarium desperately, but hopes were slim. The M-qse~m officers Mrs. James R. McBrier ___________________________ _ 146 dared not contemplate the cost of a Zeiss instrument and an University of Nebraska State Museum appropriate building to house it. Very few other cities could John Howe ________________________________________ _ 155 either, but the day arrived when a group of educators was invited U. S. Air Force Academy Planetarium to a demonstration of a new concept in planetariums, a portable dodecahedron, a Spitz projector. Major Richard J. Pfrang _____________________________ _ 161 The salesmanship, charm, and science knowledge of Armand Choosing and Training Planetarium Personnel Spitz sold the Cleveland group in spite of an impromptu projection Howard Pegram __________________________________ _ 165 room dominated by a rococo ceiling, a rectangular shaped room Science Museum and Planetarium, Minneapolis Public Library poorly darkened and bedeviled by reflections from the plate glass Maxine Haarstick of display cases. But, the price was right and in 1952 the time ------------------------------------ 172 was also ripe. Pre-School Children in the Planetarium Today, three planetariums exist in Cleveland and two more are Armand N. Spitz _______________________________ _ 180 shortly to be installed in nearby cities that formerly sent students to see our own. Countrywide the trend has been equally explosive and in the public mind planetariums are no longer confused with the variety of plants that can be grown in greenhouses. - Currently numerous accessories to astronomy teaching are being mass produced, the annual convention of the American Association of Museums includes a planetarium session. This particular volume of papers reports a second National Science Foundation sponsored symposium on the nature and problems of planetariums. All media recognize the importance of the sub PREFACE ject, and the teaching tool as a vital part of the prelude to the most exciting frontier any civilization has ever faced. Achievements in space exploration which make today's head lines emphasize the importance of fitting astronomy into all of today's school programs. Astronomy is a glamorous subject. It THE PAPERS GATHERED here contain a great variety of can, however, be misleading and disappointing when a person valuable and useful information on many aspects of successfully begins to explore it by himself. It takes a high degree of training operating a planetarium. From the opening speech of the sym and a very good telescope to achieve significant results. posium to its close, one of the underlying themes is the sense of In the meantime, a, planetarium and a pair of binoculars may ilnportance of the contribution which the planetariums can make be the only available tools to develop and hold the future space to the culture of our time. With the recent developments in space, scientist's interest. Those who present a planetarium's capabilities events which have materialized were almost imaginative dreams to the public cannot rely upon the mythology of the constellations not so long ago; there is, too, a sense of urgency reflected here in and stars to do this job. They must be prepared in depth. Sym the concern for wider use of the planetariums in school and adult posiums such as those represented by the contents of this book education. must take place frequently and with a great deal of thought about Thus there is much advice, based on experience, on how to their program content. plan and organize a planetarium, how to raise a staff, anfl how to Today the framework for a new profession exists and an urgent execute the most efficient implementation of such planning. There need to create the cadre and curriculum to teach astronomy on a is realistic consideration of the important factor of economy with broad scale is pressing. There are no limits to the sky, and those myriad suggestions as to how to save money both on equipment who man today's planetariums are setting a pattern for many who and on personnel. The necessity of having good public relations, will mature with the subjects a planetarium can effectively cover. along with explicit instructions on the details which help to achieve The choice of a planetarium staff can no longer be based upon such relations, is the subject of some of the papers. chance of any kind. There is a need for well trained personnel to The pervading theme here concerns itself directly with the staff more than 200 planetariums in this country alone. ' matter of education and the way that the present system of school and planetarium co-operation, as excellent as it is in some cases, WILLIAM E. SCHEELE Director may be improved. Many illustrations are given to show how suc Cleveland Museun: of Natur~l History. cess in this respect has been achieved. Shortcomings in some of the programs are honestly acknowledged, and the projected methods of improvement are revealed. Relevant to this issue is the consideration of better training of teachers to further the edu cation of today's children, particularly in that branch of the cur riculum which is the concern of the planetarium. The remarkable thing to note here of all the papers is the pragmatic nature of these talks. As professionals addressing ~, group of professionals, anyone of these speakers might not be blamed if he had taken the opportunity to parade his own erudition or at least boast of his personal accomplishments. It is commend- 1 2 RICHARD H. ROCHE able that in every case the speakers were as practical and direct as they could be. Occasionally we find a remark of local pride; but EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE except for such justifiable self-respect, the rest of the material here is confined to specific advice and example drawn fronl the ex perience of the speakers. There is no wild speculation or wishful thinking in these discussions. Given the interest of those at the symposium, one might have been forgiven for indulging in at least J. J. NASSAU a small piece of pie-in-the-sky. As paradoxical as the cliche may Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, Ohio sound in the settjng of this symposium, in their reasonable attitude and realistic approach to the problem of concern, everyone kept his feet on the ground. Observing the historical background of his interests, a well-known In preparing the manuscript for printed publication, I hope astronomer and famous teacher explores