Vol. 41, No. 1 March 2012

Journal of the International Planetarium Society

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March 2012 Vol. 41 No. 1 6 Guest Editorial: The Importance of Being Human Philip Groce Executive Editor 10 Going all out for Venus Chuck Bueter Sharon Shanks 13 Using transits to discover other worlds Ward Beecher Planetarium Edna DeVore Youngstown State University 16 The Making of Life: A Cosmic Story One University Plaza Ryan Wyatt, Tom Kennedy, Youngstown, Ohio 44555 USA +1 330-941-3619 Jeroen Lapre, Michael Schmitt [email protected] 22 Tackling digital production with a small staff Kristie Mazzoni and Kyra Elliott Advertising Coordinator 26 How we do it: Installing audio/visual components Dr. Dale Smith, Interim Coordinator Adam Thanz (See Publications Committee on page 3) 28 Universe by committee? Egads! Steve Tidey Membership 30 Minutes of the IPS Council Meeting Individual: $65 one year; $100 two years Lee Ann Henning Institutional: $250 first year; $125 annual renewal 41 Under One Dome: Thailand flooding Library Subscriptions: $45 one year; $80 two years Johan Gijsenbergs All amounts in US currency 59 Retirement of one of Thailand’s leading lights Direct membership requests and changes of Martin George address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman 66 Joseph M. Chamberlain Back Issues of the Planetarian IPS Back Publications Repository maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair; Columns contact information is on next page 62 Book Reviews...... April S. Whitt 67 Calendar of Events...... Loris Ramponi Index 42 Educational Horizons ...... Jack L. Northrup A cumulative index of major articles that have 4 In Front of the Console ...... Sharon Shanks appeared in the Planetarian from the first issue 44 IMERSA News...... Judith Rubin through the current issue is available online at www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/planetarian_ 49 International News...... Lars Broman index.pdf 68 Last Light ...... April S. Whitt 60 Mobile News...... Susan Reynolds Button Final Deadlines 29 Partycles...... Alex Cherman March: January 21 8 President’s Message ...... Dave Weinrich June: April 21 64 Waxing New...... Sharon Shanks September: July 21 December: October 21 Index of Advertisers Audio Visual Imagineering ...... 48 California Academy of Sciences...... 43 Associate Editors Clark Planetarium/Hansen Dome ...... 9 Book Reviews Editor-at-Large International Coca-Cola Space Science Theater...... 25 April S. Whitt Steve Tidey Lars Broman Denver Museum of Nature & Science...... 21 Calendar Education Last Light Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc...... 47 Loris Ramponi Jack Northrup April S. Whitt Evans & Sutherland ...... 39, inside back cover Cartoons IMERSANews Mobile News Everyone’s Universe...... 7 Alexandre Judith Rubin Susan Button Cherman Global Immersion...... 5 GOTO INC ...... inside front cover Konica Minolta Planetarium Co. Ltd ...... 53 On the Cover: R.S.A. Cosmos ...... outside back cover In the background is an image from Astronomischer Bilder At- Sky-Skan, Inc ...... 33, centerfold, 36 las, published by Wilhelm Nitzschke in Schwaebisch Hall, Spitz, Inc...... 15, 27, 31, 40 ca. 1851. It is actually a transit of Mercury, but don’t tell Zeiss, Inc...... 45 anyone. Overlain is the score and front cover of the sheet music to John Philip Sousa’s spirited Transit of Venus March, composed for the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Jo- seph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- International Planetarium Society home page: tution. The ceremony had been planned to occur before www.ips-planetarium.org the 1882 transit, but didn’t actually happen until April 19, 1883. Henry, whose statue is now in front of the Smithson- Planetarian home page: www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian ian “Castle” in Washington, D.C., was on the U.S. Transit of Venus Commission. Music copyright 1896 by J.W. Pepper & Guidelines for Contributors and Advertisers: Son; used with permission. www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/guidelines.html

March 2012 Planetarian 1 Affiliate Representatives

Association of Brazilian British Association Great Plains Planetarium Rocky Mountain Planetariums of Planetaria Association Planetarium Officers Alexandre Cherman Jenny Shipway Jack Dunn Association Planetário do Rio de Janeiro Planetarium Manager Ralph Mueller Planetarium Rick Greenawald President R. Vice-Governador INTECH Science Centre & University of Nebraska-Lincoln Faulkner Planetarium Dave Weinrich Rubens Berardo, 100 Planetarium 210 Morrill Hall Herrett Center Planetarium Rio de Janeiro RJ Telegraph Way, Morn Hill Lincoln, Nebraska College of Southern Idaho Minnesota State Brazil 22451-070 Winchester, SO2 11H 68588-0375 USA P. O. Box 1238 University-Moorhead +55 (21) 2274-0046 ext. 264 United Kingdom +1 402-472-2641 315 Falls Avenue 1104 7th Avenue South +55 (21) 2529-2149 fax +44 1 962 891916 +1 402-475-8899 fax Twin Falls, Idaho Moorhead alexandre.cherman@ +44 1962 868524 fax [email protected] 83303-1238 USA Minnesota 56563 USA planetario.rio.rj.gov.br JennyShipway@ www.spacelaser.com/gppa +1 208-732-6659 +1 218-477-2969 planetarios.org.br intech-uk.com +1 208-736-4712 fax +1 218-477-5864 fax www.intech-uk.com [email protected] [email protected] www.planetarium.org.uk Italian Association herrett.csi.edu/ Association of of Planetaria faulkner_overview.asp Dutch-Speaking Canadian Association Loris Ramponi Past-President Planetariums/PLANed of Science Centres National Archive of Planetaria Dr. Tom Mason, Director Chris Janssen Ian C. McLennan c/o Centro Studi e Ricerche Armagh Planetarium Leunenstraat 6a #404 - 1275 Haro Street Serafino Zani Russian Planetariums College Hill 3950 Bocholt Vancouver, British Columbia via Bosca 24, C.P. 104 Association Armagh BT61 9DB Belgium V6E 1G1 Canada I 25066 Lumezzane Zinaida P. Sitkova Northern Ireland + 32 89464969 +1 604-681-4790 (Brescia) Italy Nizhny Novgorod United Kingdom [email protected] phone + fax +39 30 872 164 Planetarium +44 (0)2837 524725 www.planed.org [email protected] +39 30 872 545 fax Revolutsionnja Street 20 +44 (0)2837 526187 fax [email protected] [email protected] 603002 Nizhny +44 (0)771 0013453 cell www.ianmclennan.com [email protected] Novgorod, Russia [email protected] Association of French- www.planetaritaliani.it +7 831 246-78-80 www.armaghplanet.com Speaking Planetariums Chinese Planetarium +7 831 246-77-89 fax Agnès Acker Society [email protected] President-Elect Observatoire de Strasbourg Jin Zhu Japan [email protected] Thomas W. Kraupe 11, rue de l’université Beijing Planetarium Planetarium Society Planetarium Hamburg 67000 Strasbourg France No. 138 Xizhimenwait Street Kaoru Kimura Hindenburgstraße 1 b +33 3 90 24 24 67 Beijing, 1000044 Japan Science Foundation D-22303 Hamburg +33 3 90 24 24 17 fax P.R. China Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda-ku Southeastern Deutschland [email protected] +86 10-5158-3311 Tokyo, 102-0091 Japan Planetarium +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 [email protected] +86 10-5158-3312 fax [email protected] Association +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax www.aplf-planetariums.org [email protected] www.shin-pla.info John Hare +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax Ash Enterprises +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell Council of German 3602 23rd Avenue West thomas.kraupe@ Association of Mexican Planetariums Middle Atlantic Bradenton, Florida planetarium-hamburg.de Planetariums Thomas W. Kraupe Planetarium 34205 USA www.rdp-planetarium.de Ignacio Castro Pinal Planetarium Hamburg Society +1 941-746-3522 Torres de Mixcoac, A6-702 Hindenburgstraße 1 b Patty Seaton [email protected] Executive Secretary C.P. 01490, México City D-22303 Hamburg H.B. Owens Science Center www.sepadomes.org Lee Ann Hennig D.F. México Deutschland 9601 Greenbelt Road Planetarium, Thomas +52 (55) 5500 0562 +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 Lanham-Seabrook, Jefferson High School +52 (55) 5500 0583 fax +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax Maryland 20706 USA for Science and Technology [email protected] +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax +1 301-918 8750 Southwestern 6560 Braddock Road cosmos.astro.uson.mx/ thomas.kraupe@ +1 301-918 8753 fax Association of Alexandria, Virginia 22312 USA AMPAC/AMPACintro.htm planetarium-hamburg.de [email protected] Planetariums +1 703-750-8380 www.rdp-planetarium.de Rachel Thompson +1 703-750-5010 fax Noble Planetarium [email protected] Association of Spanish European/ Nordic Planetarium Fort Worth Museum of Planetariums Mediterranean Association Science and History Treasurer and Javier Armentia Planetarium Aase Roland Jacobsen 1600 Gendy Street Planetario de Pamplona Association The Steno Museum Fort Worth, Texas Membership Chair Sancho Ramirez, 2 Manos Kitsonas Planetarium 76107 USA Shawn Laatsch E-31008 Pamplona Eugenides Planetarium C.F. Moellers Alle 2 +1 817-255-9409 Navarra Spain 387 Syngrou Avenue University of Aarhus +1 817-732-7635 fax All fiscal matters: +34 948 260 004 17564 P. Faliro DK-8000 Aarhus C +1 682-233-0822 cell P.O. Box 4451 +34 948 260 056 Athens, Greece Denmark [email protected] Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA +34 948 261 919 fax +30 210 946 9674 +45 89423975 rachelsusanthomp- [email protected] +30 210 941 7372 fax [email protected] [email protected] All other correspondence: gestion@pamplonetario. [email protected] www.stenomuseet.dk southwesternassociationof- ‘Imiloa Astronomy infonego-cio.com planetariums.art.office- Center of Hawai’i Great Lakes Planetarium live.com/default.htm 600 ‘Imiloa Place Association Pacific Planetarium Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Australasian Planetarium Jeanne Bishop Association Society Westlake Schools Gail Chaid +1 808-969-9735 Mark Rigby, Curator Planetarium 1320 Glen Dell Drive +1 808-969-9748 fax Sir Thomas Brisbane Parkside Intermediate School San Jose, California [email protected] Planetarium 24525 Hilliard Road 95125 USA Mt. Coot-tha Road, Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA +1 408-540-8879 cell Toowong +1 440-899-3075 x2058 +1 408-288-8525 Brisbane, Queensland +1 440-835-5572 fax [email protected] 4066 Australia jeanneebishop@ sites.csn.edu/ +61 7 3403 2578 wowway.com planetarium/PPA +61 7 3403 2575 fax www.glpaweb.org mark.rigby@ brisbane.qld.gov.au www.aps-planetarium.org

2 Planetarian March 2012 Standing Committees IPS Permanent Mailing Address Awards Committee Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 Finance Committee Prof. Lars Broman, Chair USA President, Past President, Presi- Teknoland +1 225-344-5272 dent Elect, Treasurer, Secretary International Planetarium Society Stångtjärnsv 132 +1 225-214-4027 fax c/o Shawn Laatsch SE-791 74 Falun [email protected] Membership Committee Sweden Shawn Laatsch, Chair Treasurer/Membership Chair +46 2310177 Conference Host- 2014 ‘Imiloa Astronomy Cen- All fiscal business: [email protected] Dr. Jin Zhu, Director ter of Hawaii P.O. Box 4451 www.teknoland.se Beijing Planetarium 600 ‘Imiloa Place 138 Xizhimenwai Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Conference Committee Beijing 100044 China +1 808-969-9735 All other correspondence: Dave Weinrich +86 10-5158-3007 +1 808-969-9748 fax ‘Imiloa Astronomy Planetarium +86 10-5158-3312 fax [email protected] Minnesota State [email protected] Center of Hawai’i University-Moorhead Publications Committee 600 ‘Imiloa Place 1104 7th Avenue South Elections Committee Dr. Dale W. Smith, Chair Moorhead Martin George, Chair BGSU Planetarium Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Minnesota 56563 USA Launceston Planetarium 104 Overman Hall +1 808-969-9735 +1 218-477-2969 Queen Victoria Museum Physics &Astronomy Department +1 808-969-9748 fax +1 218-477-5864 fax Wellington Street Bowling Green State University [email protected] Launceston Tasmania 7250 Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA [email protected] Australia +1 419-372-8666 Conference Host-2012 +61 3 6323 3777 +1 419-372-9938 fax IPS Web Site: Jon Elvert +61 3 6323 3776 fax [email protected] Irene W. Pennington Planetarium [email protected] www.ips-planetarium.org Louisiana Art & Science Museum 100 South River Road Please notify the Editor of any changes on these two pages. Ad Hoc Committees Contact the Treasurer/Membership Chair for individual member address Education Committee International Armand Spitz changes and general circulation and Jack L. Northrup Relations Committee Planetarium Education Fund Dr. Martin Luther King, Martin George, Chair Finance Committee billing questions. Jr. Planetarium Launceston Planetarium King Science and Technology Queen Victoria Museum Technology Committee Magnet Center Wellington Street Jack Dunn 3720 Florence Blvd. Launceston, Tasma- Ralph Mueller Planetarium Omaha, NE 68110 USA nia 7250 Australia University of Nebraska- Lincoln +1 402-557-4494 +61 3 6323 3777 210 Morrill Hall [email protected] +61 3 6323 3776 fax Lincoln, Nebraska webmail.ops.org/~jack.northrup [email protected] 68588-0375 USA +1 402-472-2641 Full-Dome Video Committee Outreach Committee +1 402-475-8899 fax Antonio Pedrosa, Chair Jon W. Elvert, Chair [email protected] Navegar Foundation Irene W. Pennington Planetarium www.spacelaser.com/gppa Centro Multimeios Espinho Louisiana Art & Science Museum Av. 24, nº800, 100 South River Road Web Committee 4500-202 Espinho Baton Rouge, Louisi- Alan Gould, Chair Portugal ana 70802 USA Holt Planetarium +351 22 7331190 +1 225-344-5272 Lawrence Hall of Science +351 22 7331191 fax +1 225-214-4027 fax University of California The Planetarian (ISN 0090-3213) is pub- [email protected] [email protected] Berkeley, California 94720-5200 USA lished quarterly by the International History Committee Portable +1 510-643-5082 Planetarium Society. ©2012 Interna- John Hare, IPS Historian Planetarium Committee +1 510-642-1055 fax Ash Enterprises Susan Reynolds Button, Chair [email protected] tional Planetarium Society, Inc., all rights 3602 23rd Avenue West Quarks to Clusters reserved. Opinions expressed by authors Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA 8793 Horseshoe Lane are personal opinions and are not neces- +1 941-746-3522 Chittenango, NY 13037 [email protected] +1 315-687-5371 sarily the opinions of the International [email protected] Planetarium Society, its officers, or [email protected] agents. Acceptance of advertisements, announcements, or other material does not imply endorsement by the Interna- tional Planetarium Society, its officers or agents. The Editor welcomes Let- ters to the Editor and items for consid- eration for publication. Please consult “Guidelines for Contributors” at www. ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/guide- lines.html. The Editor reserves the right to edit any manuscript to suit this publi- cation’s needs.

March 2012 Planetarian 3 tainment and remind people that the human touch is the most important one? In Front of the Console Letters to the Editor are always nice.

Some great people to thank Sharon Shanks While editing this issue, I ran across sever- Ward Beecher Planetarium al instances of great people doing a great job. Youngstown State University Many thanks to the staff of J.W. Pepper & Youngstown, OH 44555 USA Son. Check the cover, and you’ll see that this company is listed as the copyright holder of [email protected] Sousa’s Transit of Venus March—in 1896. Not expecting much, I googled the com- Behind the scenes thing tangible or intangible that is capable of pany anyway and found that they are still in business, still delivering music, and have been The deadline for this issue fell on a strange being owned or controlled to produce value since 1876. conjunction of events going on around me. and that is held to have positive economic I called their customer service and spoke We’re remodeling our bathroom, so I edited value is considered an asset.” We’re the same with a helpful gentleman who didn’t know while construction was going on above me. as a desk or a computer, and are treated that the answer to my question, but gave me to The bathroom crew was polite, very compe- way. Employees can also be liabilities, to be someone who did, and within a half hour I tent, cleaned up after themselves, and finished cut when needed. had written use permission from the compa- the job sooner than expected. They also clear- There is no local connection between the ny. Wow. ly explained what they were doing. front-line big box employees and the people J.W. Pepper’s main office is near Philadel- I wish I could say the same when it came actually running the stores; the real “bosses” phia, Pennsylvania, and it now has stores to purchasing new hardware. Every time we are in some distant city, separated from reali- throughout the United States. It is the won- stepped into the “big box” stores to look at ty by many layers of corporate structure. derful exception to the “big is indifferent” flooring, sinks, lights and more, I cursed the Treat an employee like an asset, and they rule. loss of Stambaugh-Thompson’s, the long-time become liabilities, because they no longer I also need to apologize to Adam Thanz local hardware store that closed (you guessed care to do a good job. And we, the consuming from Bays Mountain for jumping his “how we it) after the big box stores moved in. public, give up trying to find answers or excel- do it” story all over this issue, and to the read- Stambaugh’s was staffed by experienced lent service from these same employees. After ers for having to chase it down. It’s worth the people who knew their stuff and would bend all, it’s not their fault; we just sigh and accept effort, by the way. I can plead last-minute lay- over backwards to help you. The big box the inevitable. out problems, I guess, but I’m still not happy stores, not so much. You’re more likely to get Just like the people of 1962, when Carson’s about it. blank looks than help. book was printed, we don’t seem to have the Yes, there’s a lot from Bays Mountain this When I find the time to take the dog on will to demand things that are good. time, but that was just coincidence. And yes, her walks, I’m listing to Rachel Carson’s Silent Adam submitted two “how we do it” articles Spring. This year is the 50th anniversary of this Enter Phil Groce in a row, but he submitted them. No one else world-famous book that opened eyes to the Now enter Phil Groce, who submitted a has, and the space is open to anyone and every- damage we were doing to our planet. wonderfully-written and passionate guest edi- one who wants to share with their colleagues. In discussing the fact that we knew we were torial for this issue. He writes: Need I say more? I doing harm, she writes Something horrible happened on the way to Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that the 21st century. We, as educators and pur- makes us accept as inevitable that which is veyors of the wonders of the universe, seem The 2012 IPS Elections to have forgotten our primary mission. inferior or detrimental, as though having The IPS has announced the call for Phil isn’t the ghost of Rachel Carson, but lost the will or the vision to demand that nominations for president elect, secre- he makes the same point: that we, as planetar- which is good? tary, and treasurer for 2013-2014. Mar- ians, need to not “accept as inevitable” what Aren’t we doing the same thing today, tin George, chair of the Elections Com- we see as inferior or detrimental, but have to when we accept less than adequate service mittee, is keen to receive nominations, stay true to our missions and ourselves. That from the big box stores, the fast food restau- which can be sent to him at martin- means holding on to our passion for sharing rants, the big department stores, and even [email protected]. knowledge and being the face of the science. from offices within our own sites? Some days Nominations also will be received The day is rushing toward us when plan- I have a harder time dealing with offices at my from the floor at the 2012 IPS Confer- etariums will become even more lost in the university than I do with the first graders who ence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. confusion of 3D movies and the use of domes come to the planetarium. Note that the terms of office for secre- for entertainment. The difference between mediocre service tary and treasurer are two years each, but What makes us different, and so important, and excellent service—between the lackluster the office of president elect is a six-year is we are the faces of the science: we are the employees of the big box stores and universi- commitment, with two years of presi- live, knowledgable, responsible, caring people ty office and the caring employees of my bath dent elect followed by two years as presi- who answer questions in real time and make remodelers and Stambaugh’s—is people. dent and two years as past president. our audiences smile at the same time. We Not just personality types and knowledge, If you are interested in standing for bend over backwards for our customers. but people who are given the responsibility to one of these positions or if you would So now, a question: how do we market make decisions and have those decisions sup- like to discuss the duties of IPS officers, ourselves to make the value of the planetar- ported by their superiors. In today’s corporate feel free to contact Martin at the email ium stand out? How do we separate ourselves world, employees are seen as assets. Wikipedia address above. says that “assets are economic resources. Any- from the confusion of technology and enter-

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By Philip Groce Planetariums in general, and those in par- etarium. Helping Planetariums Succeed, LLC ticular associated with public museums and There are other keys. Those of us who were science centers, are active participants in the in charge of planetariums associated with The Importance of Being Human other 91% of an individual’s life. Over a hu- museums were often called “planetarium cu- One of my favorite plays is Oscar Wilde’s man lifespan, one is likely to learn much more rators,” a strange word meaning “keeper” or The Importance of Being Earnest. It is a clever science from informal education sources such “caretaker.” I always found it difficult to un- story with crisp dialogue and a moral that il- as museums, libraries, documentaries, and the derstand how I could be the ‘keeper” of the lustrates the meaning of being true to one’s internet than in the formal education setting universe or the “caretaker” of the sun, moon identity. It has some relevance to a planetar- of the classroom. I would argue that muse- and stars in a cosmos where I am just lucky ium medium that is searching for its identity ums, zoos, and planetariums are far more sig- enough to be here. in this world of fulldome digital systems. nificant educators long-term. This word has evolved to also mean “in- This essay is about exploring that identity. These informal educational institutions terpreter” of objects and collections. For the At the end of this declaration, I shall reveal a should not be trapped in a sticky gel of state- planetarium, the objects are the sun, moon foolproof formula for making every planetar- mandated test standards for classrooms to jus- and stars and the universe is the ultimate col- ium successful. However, before you skip to tify school field trips or funding support. Hav- lection. the end, I respectfully ask that you indulge ing served on a state educational standards In the fullness of time, I realized that the this writer and consider the following. committee, I can tell you that not one of the role of the planetarium was to celebrate the Every great teacher you ever knew helped adopted science goals and objectives for K-12 universe with as much passion and love of you, or at the very least, allowed you, to love students required a planetarium. It is virtually knowledge as possible and to help our visitors learning. They themselves were lovers of the same in every state. interpret what they see in the sky. I think this learning. They were passionate about their If it is mandated by a state standard that is the role of people who teach in and produce subjects, and their excitement was infectious. there are to be no astronomy concepts taught for planetariums. We are not just curators of You succumbed to an incurable disease of in a specific grade level, then the teacher has the planetariums or the stars they represent, wanting to know more. These rare and won- an up-hill battle to justify a field trip to the but rather, nurturers of the human desire of derful teachers took you beyond textbooks planetarium. I would argue that precisely be- our students and visitors to know more. and rote learning. They taught you that learn- cause there is no astronomy taught at that ing wasn’t something that stopped at the end grade level, the teacher and principal are mor- Our amazing revolution of the school day. It was alive in books, librar- ally obligated to take their students to the Planetariums have gone through an amaz- ies, museums, science centers, historic sites, planetarium and teach them that there are ing revolution with the advent of fulldome nature trails, and yes, even in planetariums. other significant ways of learning. digital planetarium projection systems. For I can’t tell you how many times I see plan- the first time, we have a presentation me- What happened on the way? etarium programs that are really lessons that dia with some standardization. We have the Something horrible happened on the way could be taught just as well, if not better, in a ability to show anything we can imagine to the 21st century. We, as educators and pur- classroom. When I talk to superintendents try- and the talent and financial resources to cre- veyors of the wonders of the universe, seem ing to determine whether they should close or ate. Now a program produced for a 20-meter to have forgotten our primary mission. Some- re-invest in their planetariums, they almost al- dome and designed to play back on a multi- how we have strayed into thinking that our ways ask why should they support such an ex- million dollar system can play back flawless- job was to merely get students to master a pensive “classroom” upgrade when computer ly on a 6-meter dome on a system that costs group of skill sets, to pass a series of tests, and desktop planetariums and videos do as good less than $100,000. This should be the “golden to meet some arbitrary standards of educa- a job helping them meet state standards? I re- age” or the “renaissance” of planetariums. We tion. ply: “That is exactly why you invest in them, have more in common with Imax® theaters In the process, we may have managed to because one of the unique purposes of a plan- that for decades we resented or only secretly kill all love of learning. We forgot our prima- etarium is to teach or illustrate those concepts admired. It is a perfect example of “be careful ry purpose: to make our students and our pub- that are difficult, if not impossible, to teach or what you wish for.” lic visitors life-long learners—to develop peo- illustrate in a classroom or on a desktop com- Today many planetariums have converted ple young and old who are in a constant state puter.” to fulldome digital technology and are faced of knowledge growth and not in an endgame with much higher costs of operation, particu- of test and subject achievement followed by What is our purpose? larly for pre-rendered shows. The days of get- academic amnesia. Our collective planetarium purpose is to ed- ting a program for $250 are long gone. Now, … by some estimates individuals ucationally lead our communities, not follow. even the smallest planetarium must have a spend as little as 9 percent of their lives It is time for planetariums to be earnest and tenfold increase in show budgets. Most don’t in schools. Furthermore, science in K-12 to embrace their true mission of inspiring and have the funds to produce their own unique schools is often marginalized by tradi- instilling wonder and awe, to provoke their fulldome extravaganza and must depend on tional emphases on mathematics and public audiences to look beyond their class- the works of other larger, better-funded insti- literacy; hence little science is actually rooms, to recognize the role of informal edu- tutions or dedicated independent producers. taught during school hours. cation, and to see first-hand an amazing and Today there is very little difference be- Excerpt from Surrounded by Science: mysterious universe. Those planetariums that tween these digital planetariums. For the most Learning Science in Informal Environments are taking this not-so-politically-correct path part, they tend to present the same pre-ren- by Marilyn Fenichel and Heidi A. Schwein- are succeeding. Their bravery is rewarded and dered content. Each facility is haunted by the gruber; National Research Council (2010). is an important key to being a successful plan- question: Once we burn through our library

6 Planetarian March 2012 of expensive pre-rendered programs, what do through a very impersonal digital medium. sky before each fulldome movie presentation. we show? That is not easy. These are quality educational and entertain- In the 1970s and early 80s, Salt Lake City’s One notable experiment in making these ing presentations that allow the planetarium Hansen Planetarium won several grants to fulldome programs more human is at the to meet the expectations of its audience. Ev- produce and distribute free programs. Its di- Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Here live ery show is different and worth seeing. This rector at that time, Mark Littmann, wrote and actors in synchronization with the visualiza- show philosophy is also part of other success- produced several wonderful shows with titles tions and music speak a story of the history ful planetariums, such as Nashville’s Sudekum like The People: Sky Lore of the American Indi- of humankind’s exploration of the universe. Planetarium. an and Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico that lat- I have seen the same show twice, once with A long time ago, Jack Horkheimer gave me er played in hundreds of planetariums across a female actor and the other with a male ac- some advice. “Always have a section in your the U.S. and around the world. tor. Judging from my own reaction and the re- programs that just shows the stars.” Yes, we all I enjoyed going to other facilities to see actions of the audience, I’d say all of us paid want to create visual extravaganzas; howev- how they staged and presented these shows. more attention to this more personal ap- er, the audience will always feel cheated if we Each planetarium put its own personal mark proach. The actors smiled, looked you in the simply don’t take the time to show them the or style on these programs. Many times I saw eye, and used props to add even more visual stars.” Jack was right then, and he still is now. something new and unique and took those realism. One possible solution to under-funded ideas back to my own theater. In those days, My only disappointment is that the actors planetarium budgets is to not depend solely every planetarium had a unique personali- had to stay with the script and could not devi- on purchasing expensive pre-rendered con- ty and used their limited resources to create ate. That meant they couldn’t react to a laugh tent. Live shows presented with passion by a unique show for their local audience. They or a nod of understanding or take a path that knowledgeable humans using all of the capa- were the first to “think universally, act local- might have been more relevant. That is where bilities of digital planetariums will sell as well ly.” the presentation stopped being human. It as most pre-rendered programs. Combined The fact that each planetarium was unique made me realize that it might be better to give with fulldome movies, you have the best of with its own criteria for quality wasn’t with- astronomy lecturers acting lessons on how both worlds and a way to extend the life of out problems. There were a lot of bad plane- to speak poetically and passionately about a these movies in your theater. tarium shows, and some producers rightly subject rather than use actors to parrot a well- lamented on the lack of creative or quality worn script. Regardless, the Griffith should Be a planetarium control of their programs. be seen by every planetarian. It is a brave and So my friends, here it is, the secret of the bold experiment that holds lessons for all of universe, planetariums and everything: Controversies precede advances? us. Be earnest and true to yourselves—be a plan- We have always had our planetarium con- So where do we go from here? How do we etarium, and, most important of all, be un- troversies. Some, in retrospect, may seem silly. use these new digital tools with our limited afraid to be human by sharing your love of In the 1950s, it was the audacity of adding mu- program budgets? Well, fortunately, there are the sun, moon and stars. sic to our “lectures.” In the 1960s, it was slides, many shining examples around us. The Tel- You don’t need a million-dollar budget or 16mm film, and special effects. In the 1970s, it lus Science Museum’s Planetarium in North- even a thousand-dollar budget to do that. was pre-recorded narration or “canned” versus west Georgia, under the leadership of David It doesn’t matter what technology you use “live” programs and the use of automation. In Dundee, has elected not to simply be a digi- or what size dome you project upon. If you the 1980s, it was computer animation and vid- tal movie theater. David has over 30 trained can approach your presentations with same eo. And in the 1990s, it was the rise of fulldome show-runners and operates 8 hours a day, 7 awe and wonder you had when you saw digital planetariums versus the sky quality of days a week, 12 months a year. His 120-seat your first star-filled sky, you will succeed. optical-mechanical projectors. theater has averaged more than 100,000 paid For what our audiences want the most is a In spite of the controversies, each of these admissions per year over the last three years. learned and passionate guide to the heavens. “advances” offered the potential to make us They want someone with a cosmic perspec- better storytellers. Fast-forward to today, and The human secret to success tive who will inspire them to go find their many planetariums have much more in com- The secret to this planetarium’s success is own starry night, explore it and, yes, celebrate mon with movie theaters than planetariums David’s philosophy that every visitor shall re- it. Nothing could be more human and, for of the past. Sadly, some of these facilities have ceive a live (human) guided tour of the night planetariums, more important. I become a movie-push-a-button-planetarium with little soul and even less personality. Please don’t misunderstand me here. There are wonderful fulldome programs that have a great script, narration and music score Learn how to make the wrapped in stunning visualizations. Howev- er, what marks a great fulldome show is the night sky accessible to unique passion and viewpoint it brings to the audience. For instance, Robin Sip of Mirage3D visitors with disabilities. has transformed his love of science and story- telling into some amazing fulldome produc- tions. I am emotionally moved when I see a Robin Sip show or hear a Carolyn Collins Pe- Everyone’s Universe tersen script because they communicate at a very human level and are on an earnest quest by Noreen Grice to enlarge our view of the universe. They share their “personal” and unique perspective www.youcandoastronomy.comwww.YouCanDoAstronomy.com

March 2012 Planetarian 7 President’s Message Dave Weinrich Planetarium, Minnesota State University-Moorhead 1104 7th Avenue South Moorhead, Minnesota 56563 USA +1 218-477-2969 +1 218-477-5864 fax [email protected]

Dear Friends and Fellow Planetarians ceived details of the conference in the mail. This year brings us to our twenty-first bi- You may also check the IPS website for a link ennial conference. In the first issue of the to the conference website. Planetarian (June 1972), President Paul En- gle admonished members to “make the first Meeting with friends in Brazil meeting of ISPE1 in San Francisco a truly out- I was invited to attend the annual meeting standing and memorable event.” Every two of the Association of Brazilian Planetariums years since that first conference, successive this past November. The conference was quite conferences have continued that tradition. unique in that it was held in two cities separat- The Museum of the Eclipse in Sobral, Brazil I have no doubt that this year’s conference ed by 194 km (121 miles). in Baton Rouge will be another outstanding After gathering in Fortaleza, the entire and memorable event. Conference host Jon group traveled by bus to Sobral for the first Northern Ireland, United Kingdom for an of- Elvert, director of the Irene Pennington Plan- part of the conference. A new planetarium is ficers’ meeting, hosted by Past-President Tom etarium, has emphasized that the conference being constructed in Sobral near the Museum Mason. Most of our IPS business is conducted theme, Bridge to New Beginnings, “will em- of the Eclipse, which is located at the site of by email and occasional Skype sessions, but brace our profession’s desire to bridge diversi- the astronomical observations of the 1919 so- we also find it very valuable to get together ty among our domes, to reach over to poten- lar eclipse which confirmed Einstein’s theory for face-to-face meetings. We try to schedule tial venues by bringing in related industries of general relativity. an officers’ meeting once a year. worldwide, to bridge alliances between our We had a welcoming ceremony and a day This year we spent time discussing the up- domes and technologies, and to provide a vir- of papers and educational presentations be- coming conference, possible conference sites tual bridge, connecting non-attending mem- fore traveling back to Fortaleza for the final for 2016, the IPS website, and other business. bers to online conference sessions.” two days of the conference. Paper and poster We are especially excited to announce a new Members who may not be able to attend sessions continued and a public lecture by a IPS website. This update will greatly enhance the conference personally will still be able famous Brazilian astronomer and a business the functionality of our website. Some of to have a virtual presence at the opening cer- meeting were also held. the changes will include the opportunity for emony, the business meeting, and the pa- A number of local high school students members to update their membership records per sessions. By this time you should have re- were invited to the conference. I enjoyed directly, built in social media for groups and meeting some of them and hearing their plans committees, and a very easy to use content for astronomy-related careers. management system. 1 The ISPE, the International Society of Planetarium Educators, was the forerunner of the International Planetarians are an innovative group. Dur- At the end of my last President’s Message Planetarium Society. ing the conference I had the opportunity to I discussed the state of IPS in 2011 compared visit with Amau- to the state of IPS that President Dale Smith’s ri Pereira, who has Message wrote about in the December 2000 developed his own Planetarian. “homemade” lens At the turn of the millennium, there were to convert a video only six planetariums spread across the vast projector into a full- expanse of sub-Saharan Africa and there was dome planetarium no reason to even speculate about an African system. He hopes affiliate. Two of the six planetariums listed in to use his system to 2000 no longer exist, but the number of Af- bring inexpensive rican planetariums is increasing and includes digital planetariums several portable domes. Perhaps in the future, to Brazil and other we will have an African affiliate. countries. The planetarium community has changed in ways that we probably didn’t anticipate Officers meet in 2000. Who could have predicted the large in Northern number of digital systems that are found in Ireland many fixed and portable planetariums today? In early January, The digital world presents many opportuni- the IPS officers gath- ties and challenges. Do we still call our the- From Left: Amauri Pereira, Dennis Weaver and Samuel Rayne with Amauri’s ered at the Arma- aters planetariums? What is a planetarium? “homemade” video projector. Photos by author. gh Planetarium in (Continues on Page 20)

8 Planetarian March 2012 Join a family of aliens searching for the perfect vacation spot in the solar system. Available February 20. Contact Mike Murray at [email protected] 385-468-1237 • clarkplanetarium.org/distribution March 2012 Planetarian 9

5032-3_Clark_PerfectLittlePlanet_8.5x11.indd 1 1/20/12 2:26 PM Going all out for

Chuck Bueter Transitofvenus.org Granger, Indiana USA [email protected]

We can tie historical lessons to today’s exploration

The 2012 transit of Venus brings new op- True, the planet is small against the mon- astronomers again set out on a global quest portunities for the planetarium community strous sun. At 1/32nd the sun’s diameter, Ve- to quantify accurately the elusive distance to to lead the public in astronomy exploration. nus is only about an arcminute across, which the sun. The relevance of the transit of Venus While the rare alignment of Earth, Venus, and is near the visibility limit of the human eye. as a method for determining the AU was on the sun is historically significant, we contin- Rather than bemoan the diminutive size of the wane, however, as other avenues, like as- ue to value the transit method for its leading- the planet—indeed, nearly the size of Earth— teroid occultations, gained favor. edge science, specifically now for revealing one should exalt the enormousness of the sun new planets around distant stars. behind it. Over a million of those black plane- Twinkle, twinkle, Kepler star Plan now to quench the thirst of an eager tary spheres would fit inside the sun. New techniques would seem to make the public who wants to experience this last tran- Edmond Halley realized (and did the math transit of Venus an historical artifact for seri- sit of Venus in our lifetimes. to show) that one could determine the dis- ous-minded scientists, but for the 21st century tance from the sun to the Earth, the Astro- planetarian and others, it retains utility. The second of a pair nomical Unit (AU), if observers timed the du- With the AU issue resolved, a modern ques- Transits come in pairs that are eight years ration of the transit from known locations tion that attracts the attention of astronomers apart, separated by a span of 105.5 or 121.5 around the world. He exhorted his astrono- and the public alike is whether Earth-like years. While suggestive artifacts hint at sight- my colleagues to rise to the occasion when planets capable of harboring life exist. With ings in ancient times, in the era of the tele- the 18th century pair of transits came around. the 2012 transit of Venus, we can enjoy a live, scope the first recorded observation came Like seeing the return of his famed name- close-up view of this revealing alignment as it from Jeremiah Horrocks and his friend, Wil- sake comet, observing the transit of Venus demonstrates how we’re looking for life else- liam Crabtree. Horrocks first predicted, then would elude Halley, but his call for a global where. safely projected and observed Venus cross quest struck a chord and was carried out 20 The Kepler spacecraft is peering at about the sun in 1639 during the last 30 minutes of years after his death. 150,000 stars simultaneously, seeking telltale a Sunday. For the 1761 and 1769 transits of Venus, dips in brightness to indicate planets are cross- Stripped of the glare in which it was usual- hopes were high as nations sent a fleet of ob- ing their faces. It’s like looking down from ly enveloped, Venus in silhouette stood out servers to remote destinations. Halley’s vision a skyscraper and trying to discern a period- starkly as a well-defined circle. From that first of accuracy, however, was hindered by the ic dimming in the streetlights that are a few sighting, Horrocks must have mused like en- “black drop” effect. (See accompanying story.) miles away when flying gnats repeatedly en- suing witnesses, “That’s it? It’s just a dot— A new century brought the new tool of circle the lights. smaller than I expected.” photography, and in 1874 and 1882 intrepid In December 2011 the Kepler team an-

10 Planetarian March 2012 Global Visibility of the Transit of Venus of 2012 June 05/06

The date of the 2012 transit of Venus depends on your nounced detection of the first sun-like star sphere. If you happen to see a fat moon mid- location. For example, for with a planet in the habitable zone, that area transit, realize some of that moonlight may North American observers where a surface temperature of about 72 F/22 have been strained through our neighboring it occurs on Tuesday, June C degrees would allow potential water to be planet’s clouds. 5, whereas for Australian the wet and sloshing type. Suddenly the life- elsewhere notion gets more traction in the On the dome observers, all six-plus hours realm of possibilities. On his own time, Patrick McPike, mul- unfold on Wednesday, June The Kepler spacecraft is a transit-lover’s timedia artist and technical director at the 6. Observers at a small dream. Although transits can be detected Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois, has northern patch around Ice- only in edge-on systems, there are thousands crafted a short Transit of Venus trailer to be of stars to sample and potentially hundreds viewed either on a flat-screen or in a full- land will see the transit be- of systems that aligned to the craft. While we dome format for digital theaters. “I’m work- gin, the sun set, the sun rise, marvel at our humble transit of Venus during ing to get people excited and interested in the and then the transit end. its six-plus hour sojourn across the sun, the Ke- upcoming transit of Venus,” McPike said. pler spacecraft will concurrently track more “More effort should be put into informing than one hundred suspected exoplanets at the public about interesting astronomy and Beware that some astro- some point in their respective transits. science related activities that they can partic- nomical tables list the tran- For anyone who is in the dark, literally, dur- ipate in. To me, it is just as exciting knowing sit as being on June 6, for ing the transit of Venus, you can try to target that something I created inspired someone to those parallel star systems in your telescope. go out and take part.” the naming convention is Refer to Sten Odenwald’s Space Math page at The 4-minute micro-show, which intro- to title a celestial phenom- spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/Transit2012.html. duces the role of transits in our quest to un- enon according to the Uni- Joining the legions of earthbound tele- derstand our place in the cosmos, is available versal Time of mid-event. scopes participating in the transit of Venus, for free download, with details at www.tran- the Hubble Space Telescope will apply local sitofvenus.org/planetarian. If you live in the Americas lessons to distant stars. Just two days prior to It also features the song “Morning Star” by and you waited until June 6, the transit is a total lunar eclipse, so the wan- the band Transit of Venus out of New Zea- you’d miss it. ing gibbous moon will still be fairly in line land. with the Earth-Venus-sun line up. Hubble will I invite you to show the free trailer, with or Image courtesy Fred Espenak, NASA/ be aimed at the moon like a giant photome- without narration written by this author, to GSFC ter so astronomers can measure the decrease all of your audiences as a bonus to your regu- in sunlight reflected off the moon. lar programming. And, if you thought the penumbra during As of this writing, there are a few commer- a lunar eclipse was hard to see, imagine this: cial planetarium programs that feature exo- Hubble will also use a spectrometer to “sniff” planets, such as Extreme Planets by Clark Plan- the chemical composition of Venus’ atmo- etarium Productions and Undiscovered Worlds:

March 2012 Planetarian 11 Demo the “black drop” effect

When the disk of Venus is just inside the sun’s limb, it may appear to stretch out to form a ligament with the solar edge. You can simulate the effect by nearly pinch- ing your thumb and finger together while holding them close to your eye and in front of a bright background. Just before they touch, a black bridge seems to form between them. Atmospheric perturbations have often been blamed for the “black drop” effect. However, during the 1999 transit of Mercury, the TRACE (Transition Region and Coronal Explorer) spacecraft recorded the telltale smearing even though the spacecraft was above Earth’s atmosphere and Mercury has none. Astronomers now attribute the conundrum to the combined effects of point- spread function and solar limb darkening. First, all telescopes have inherent smear- ing of an image from each point spreading out, though less in today’s telescopes than in scopes from previous centuries. Second, the extreme edge of the gaseous sun appears darker in part because the light rays coming from the limb are skim- ming through more solar atmosphere (analogous to the reddening of the moon at moonrise). The light we receive from the center portion of the sun, on the contrary, is ema- nating from deeper within the sun, and is thus hotter. Contributing to limb darken- ing, the further out you go from that edge, the cooler and darker it gets. See www.transitofvenus.org/history/black-drop. I

Photos by author

The Search Beyond Our Sun from the Boston ums have a front line role in guiding the pub- es. The paper made money, the museum got a Museum of Science. Both include the transit lic. big boost in attendance. Their ad said to bring method. If you provide telescopes or other equip- in the glasses for a discount on admission. “ Bays Mountain Planetarium is working on ment for viewing the transit, you will en- Duncan has a sample letter posted for oth- a transit-specific program called When Venus counter a bottleneck for time at the eyepiece ers to tailor to their respective communi- Transits the Sun; see page 64 for more details. around the four benchmark moments—from ty newspapers as well as fundraising sugges- There may be more programs in the works; the start of the celestial event at first contact tions. See casa.colorado.edu/%7Edduncan/ apologies if I have missed mentioning them. through the all-important second contact, wp/?page_id=454. The Kepler mission, through the Lawrence then again at the third contact through the The transit of Venus is a great opportunity Hall of Science Planetarium, has been distrib- end of the event at fourth contact. to haul out all of those low-grade telescopes uting the show Strange Planets, with script and To alleviate the crowding at the critical that have languished in people’s homes for media (still images, movies, animations, mu- times, I encourage you to build a Sun Fun- years. Because gathering light is a non-issue, sic) available for free download. nel, which allows multiple people to view and because the sun is easy to find even with See the article “Share the Hunt for Other the sun’s projection concurrently without en- a poor mount, anything that magnifies sun- Earths” in the March 2009 issue of Planetarian, countering the path of intense sunlight. If you light safely can be pressed into service. Obvi- written by Alan Gould, Toshi Komatsu, Edna keep a Sun Funnel on a scope next to you, the ously, the only caveat is that all properly fil- DeVore, David Koch, and Pamela Harman, for public can view the transit of Venus contin- ter the sun. details about the Kepler mission and the show. uously while you gaze into your own scope’s This author and planetarian Art Klinger eyepiece to time the internal contact. What if it’s cloudy? produced theTransit of Venus program for the Instructions written by Richard Feinberg A transit of Venus experience should not 2004 event with support from the Great Lakes for making a Sun Funnel are available on the rely on actually seeing the sun on June 5 or Planetarium Association. Transit of Venus website under the Eye Safety 6. I encourage planetariums to coordinate Intended for small venues, it features on tab, as are other suggestions for safe viewing enough related attractions to overcome any DVD a video that is segmented into two doz- methods. A workshop for building Sun Fun- weather- or geography-induced disappoint- en chapters so the user can grab the pertinent nels is scheduled at the MAPS conference in ment. content. An accompanying CD has individu- Toms River, New Jersey, May 16-19, 2012. For example, in my community there will al images, audio, and animations. Made specif- Doug Duncan, director of the Fiske Plane- be an art exhibit, a small collection of his- ically for the 2004 transit of Venus, some of tarium in Boulder, Colorado, encourages plan- torical artifacts, a lecture series, an orchestral the text is dated and references that year’s ce- etariums to build fundraisers around the dis- performance of John Philip Sousa’s Transit of lestial alignment. tribution of viewing aids. For one solar event Venus March, planetarium mini-lessons, in- he got a local newspaper to put 600,000 solar school activities, and telescope observing dur- Rallying the public shades* in the Sunday paper. Another muse- ing the transit. Since the transit is a sun-gazing event that um, he writes, “bought advertising which was If that sounds too complicated, as least be requires addressing safety concerns, planetari- printed on the cardboard temples of the glass- (Continues on Page 14)

12 Planetarian March 2012 Using transits to discover other worlds: NASA’s Kepler Mission

By Edna DeVore observe that the orbital periods vary as the planets SETI Institute interact gravitationally. This is the same sort of or- Is Earth unique in the universe? How many bital variation observed for Uranus that led to the Earth-size planets exist? Are exoplanetary discovery of Neptune. From this analysis, the mass systems common, and what are they like? of the planets can be determined. NASA’s Kepler Mission seeks to answer As of December, 2011, the Kepler team announced these questions by searching for exo- 2,326 planet candidates transiting 1,792 stars. planets, especially Earth-size planets, orbiting in the habitable zone of Kepler and the transit of Venus NASA/Ames Research Center Sun-size stars. The Kepler Mission is named for Johannes Kepler Launched in 2009, the Ke- (1571 -1630), who is often honored as the first astro- pler spacecraft is a specialized, physicist. A German astronomer and mathemati- wide-field telescope equipped cian, his laws of planetary motion were key discov- with an extremely sensitive eries in establishing modern science. 96-megapixel photometer. By Laws I and II show that planetary orbits are ellip- precisely measuring changes tical and that the orbital speed of a planet varies ac- in a star’s brightness, the Kepler cording to its distance from the sun. Law III states team discovers planets as they that the average distance (semi-major axis) of a plan- cross in front of their stars. This et from the sun can be calculated from the planet’s is the “transit method” for detect- year-length. ing planets. Today, Kepler mission scientists still use Law III It stares continuously at more than to determine the semi-major axis for each exoplan- 150,000 stars so it won’t miss a transit. et from its repeated transits. From the transit data, scientists can In 1627, Kepler published the Rudolphine Tables, determine the size of the planet, the length of its a star catalog and tables of planetary positions, and year, and calculate the planet’s distance from its first predicted the transits of Mercury (1631) and Ve- star. Combined with Earth-based observations of ra- nus (1639). dial velocity for some planet candidates, the plan- Johannes did not live to see the transits, but oth- et’s mass, density and possible surface temperature ers did. Today, the Kepler Mission uses transits to dis- can determined. cover planets circling distant suns. Surely, Johannes In some of the multi-planet systems, astronomers Kepler would be pleased and amazed. I Website references The 2,326 Planet Candidates in Hi-Res: look for Earth-size planets kepler.nasa.gov/images/graphics

Kepler Exoplanet Discoveries: learn more about discoveries kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/discoveries

Making Transits: demonstration and modeling kepler.nasa.gov/education/activities/gr68/detectingPlanetTransits

Explore the Kepler Planet Candidate Data: dive into data kepler.nasa.gov/dataexplorer

The Real Stuff: the scientific archive of Kepler data at Space Tele- archive.stsci.edu/kepler/ scope Science Institute

Planet Hunters: join citizen scientists seeking planets www.planethunters.org

Kepler in the News: popular press and announcements kepler.nasa.gov/news/nasakeplernews

Kepler Planet Simulator: learn the steps to discovery kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia/Interactives/keplerFlashAdvDiscovery

Kepler Orrery: watch the systems go! kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia/animations/scienceconcepts/?ImageID=136 and kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia/animations/scienceconcepts/?ImageID=137

Cruise the Gallery: graphics, animations, models, video produc- kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia tions–higher res versions available upon request

Build a Model Kepler Spacecraft: get crafty kepler.nasa.gov/education/ModelsandSimulations/papermodel

Kepler Star Wheel: find stars with exoplanets kepler.nasa.gov/education/starwheel

Lessons and Activities: learn and have fun kepler.nasa.gov/education

Space Math: stretch your brain spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/SpaceMath.html

Who Was Johannes Kepler? hint: he lived long ago! kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/JohannesKepler

Get Ready for the Transit of Venus: make your plans www.transitofvenus.org

Twitter: get official Kepler Mission tweets @NASAKepler

Facebook: join the crowd! www.facebook.com/NASAsKeplerMission

March 2012 Planetarian 13 Sun Earth Day 2012 Join scientists and educators from the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, which is the best viewing spot in the world for the Transit of Venus: “Shadows of the Sun” 5 June 2012 transit of Venus. NASA’s Sun-Earth Day Team and its partners will bring you a live webcast so that you won’t miss this last-in-our- lifetime event, as the transit will not be visible again un- til 2117. The transit of Venus is important for both its rarity and its role in helping scientists to determine the distance of Earth from the sun, the “astronomical unit” from which the distances to all the other planets could be derived. The transit method is also used to discover exoplanets as they pass in front of their host stars. If your planetarium or museum is planning events for the transit of Venus, please add them to our Google Map so that others in your area can join you for the preparation or celebration. Scientists, amateur astronomers, and educators may sign up on the Sun-Earth Day website to receive e-news and to download education and presentation materials. Visit su- Wikimedia Creative Commons nearthday.nasa.gov for further information. I

(Transit, Continued from Page 12) There’s an app for that dow Activity, in which observers draw their prepared to broadcast the NASA Sun-Earth Each century the transit of Venus came impression of the experience in a roundel Day live webcast from atop Mauna Kea in Ha- along, scientists brought new tools—from printed on a transparency, akin to the win- waii. Live video and expert commentary will telescopes to photography to satellites—to dows honoring Jeremiah Horrocks at St. Mi- partially compensate for the frustrations of the task of manipulating the spectacle to gain chael’s Church in Hoole, England. In the ban- cloudy weather, as well as complement your valuable information. In 2012, we have new ner write commemorative words, then simply program if you have clear skies on transit day. assets that did not exist a mere eight years ago, color remaining panes segments and affix to a (See accompanying story.) particularly in communications. window. Be sure to upload your event to the Sun- Steven van Roode of the Netherlands has Earth Day Event Locations map. The NASA been especially valuable for offering local ob- The Venus illusion Sun-Earth Day (sunearthday.nasa.gov/2012) serving circumstances for observers, for his After the 2004 transit of Venus, the one ob- team is also mailing free resources to educa- prolific contributions to a transit of Venus servation which people were most eager to tors who sign up, including people outside the blog, and for initiating the Transit of Venus share with me was their sighting Venus in United States, while supplies are available. phone app (transitofvenus.nl/wp). transit when the sun was at the horizon. A Rather than having a handful of trained sci- Venus illusion, akin to the moon illusion, en- entists around the world at known locations thralled observers who had an ideal, clear ho- timing the transit, as was done in the past, the rizon. free phone app allows citizens to tap a but- I know it is contrary to all advice about ton on their smartphones, which then send looking at the sun with the naked eye, but I the GPS locations and observed contact times also know everyone has looked at a sunset, to a database to quantify the AU. Astrono- when the edge of the sun makes its own con- mers Without Borders is partnering with van tact with the distant edge of Earth. If your lo- Roode to implement this project. cation has those circumstances, witness Venus There is a deep pool of math into which ed- at sunset and write down your observations ucators can wade with the transit of Venus. for later reference. Two good resources are van Roode’s Transit of Venus Workbook and Sten Odenwald’s (NASA Seize the daylight GSFC) Transit Math series on the Sun-Earth If the 2012 transit of Venus trends like its Day website. For middle school students and 2004 cousin, expect a huge surge in popular- above, the Kepler team coordinates a hunt ity in June. for exoplanets, and the demonstrations with Sure, you should guide your community to a photometer and orrery are especially engag- experience safely this elegant celestial rarity. ing with kids. But don’t let the burdens of accommodating More education ideas are under the Teach- an audience at a sun-aimed telescope prevent er Resources menu at www.transitofvenus.org you from enjoying Venus’ moment in the sun. and listed in the Website references box on Savor the sight; bask in your good fortune to Modeled after a window at St. Michael Church page 13. The Transit Frequency Activity uses witness it; share your experience in writing af- in Hoole, England, the transitofvenus.org web- a simple paper plate to explain the strange but terward. site has several activities using this unique regular pattern in which transits come in pairs The planetarium landscape will likely be shape. “Create Your Own Stained Glass Win- separated by 105.5 or 120.5 years. vastly different in 2117 and 2125, but the awe dow” provides a fill-in template; another is a poster that you can customize for your facility. An easy activity to do immediately after elicited by Venus passing in front of the sun is Courtesy the author. the transit of Venus is the Stained Glass Win- timeless. I

14 Planetarian March 2012 March 2012 Planetarian 15 The Making of Life: A Cosmic Story

Ryan Wyatt ([email protected]) Director, Morrison Planetarium and Science Visualization Tom Kennedy ([email protected]) Head of Production Jeroen Lapré ([email protected]) Senior Technical Director Michael Schmitt ([email protected]) Lead Digital Artist California Academy of Sciences 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, California 94118

The oldest scientific institution in the west- gy Institute (NAI) and the SETI Institute, the ifornia Academy of Sciences; and Jill Tarter ern United States, the California Academy of academy has produced a planetarium show from the SETI Institute. Sciences has reinvented itself in a new build- focused on the origins of life. ing in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The Beginning with the development of struc- From redwoods to photosynthesis academy operates the largest green building ture driven by dark matter and the cosmolog- The show begins in a redwood forest, with in the world open to the public—and the only ical genesis of heavy elements, the show traces the sounds of wind and life and touches of one to house a research institute, aquarium, the development of life on Earth and consid- movement in the trees. One redwood looms natural history museum, and planetarium. ers the possibility of microscopic life on oth- large as the camera rises into the canopy, then In the three years since reopening, the acad- er worlds. approaches a branch and enters a single red- emy has welcomed nearly 5.3 million people The show’s overarching message commu- wood leaf. to the new building, offering a venue for di- nicates to audiences the very real bonds that As the camera travels into the leaf, the per- verse audiences of all ages to explore and con- connect all life on Earth. spective shifts to microscopic scales, until the nect with the natural world and the scientists Advisors for the planetarium show includ- observer enters a cell to see a pared-down ver- who study it. ed: David Deamer from the University of Cali- sion of its interior workings, learning about With its commitment to studying life, the fornia, Santa Cruz; David Des Marais from the the process of photosynthesis and the role of academy has a vested interest in teaching NASA Astrobiology Institute; Tori M. Hoehler DNA. about the shared origin of life—and by exten- from NASA’s Ames Research Center; David A direct quote from the show: “You and I sion, the connectedness of all life on Earth. Mindell from the California Academy of Sci- and the redwood share the same molecular Building on its own research strengths as well ences; Carl Pilcher from the NASA Astrobiol- building blocks because we share an evolu- as relationships with the NASA Astrobiolo- ogy Institute; W. Brian Simison from the Cal- tionary heritage that stretches back billions of years.” Image above: Source photography for recreating the redwood forest at the beginning of Life: A Cos- To set up the concepts in the shot, we want- mic Story. The original image measures 12,000 by 6,000 pixels. © California Academy of Sciences; used ed to open the show at a human scale—in a with permission

16 Planetarian March 2012 The California Academy of Science’s most recent full-length planetarium feature, Life: A Cosmic Story, chronicles the story of the origin of life on Earth. The 25-minute show features numerous visualizations and deeply- informed reconstructions of every- thing from the surface of a thylakoid to the surface of Earth four billions years ago. Learn about the science that informs the story as well as the techniques used to create the visuals. Ryan Wyatt

recognizable and characteristically Califor- view involved five levels of bracketed expo- Realism is important nian environment, namely, a redwood grove. sure for a total of 185 photographs at a resolu- Working for a research institution, we need- We strive to create provocative imagery that tion of 6,080 by 4,044 pixels. The entire shoot ed to populate our forest with appropriate spe- engages and inspires the audience. took about 20-25 minutes, after several days’ cies. The ants (Stenamma diecki) were mod- Our challenge was to create a “powers of scouting, planning and testing. eled, textured, and animated in Maya, based ten” shot that depicts a continuous journey We combined each view into a high dy- on observations of living specimens supplied from the human scale of the redwood forest namic range (HDR) image using Photomatix by academy entomologist Brian Fischer. But- to molecular scale on the surface of a thyla- Pro, and stitched together all 37 HDR images terflies (western tiger swallowtail, Papilio ru- koid in a palisade cell of a redwood leaf. into a 360° equirectangular spherical panora- tulus) and birds (Junco) were also animated in To do this, we spent considerable time cal- ma at 12,000 by 6,000 pixels using PTGui. We Maya. California ground squirrels (Spermophi- culating the relative scale of everything be- then separated the panorama into multiple lus beecheyi) were shot with HD video in San tween the redwood forest and the surface of layers with transparency masks using Photo- Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and composited the thylakoid and followed numerous film- shop and Nuke. in Nuke. making techniques learned from the visual ef- The next step involved modeling the three- We designed the interior of the leaf as well fects industry. dimensional geometry of the redwood grove as the cell structures—from the major organ- Shooting video for a fulldome environ- using Softimage GATOR (Generalized Attri- elles to the interior of the chloroplast—based ment such as the Morrison Planetarium poses bute Transfer Operator). This tool allowed the on a combination of reference diagrams and several challenges. Today’s video cameras lack modeling of each redwood tree using a live micrographs. Microscopic images of the leaf sufficient resolution to create a high-quali- high-resolution texture projection from the textures were captured by the academy’s bot- ty image on the large curved screen, at least spherical panorama as a reference. any department as photo-textures. when saddled with a fisheye lens. Also, the The foreground branches were created The surface of the thylakoid shows an ap- continuous camera moves from one world to from a high-resolution photograph of a red- propriate population of four molecules in- another that we like to use in the planetarium wood branch shot in front of a black screen in volved with photosynthesis: ATP synthase, are sometimes impossible or near impossible our studio. We created the three-dimension- photosystem I, photosystem II, and cyto- to achieve with a physical camera. al model of the branch by tracing the photo- chrome. We also populated the region around Thus, we often create high-resolution, pho- graph onto a polygon mesh, which was then the thylakoid with an appropriate numeri- torealistic moving image sequences by creat- bent, twisted and copied multiple times. cal density of individual ATP molecules, al- ing a virtual environment composed of pho- The foreground leaf was created from sev- though all other molecules (ADP, water, etc.) tographs placed in three-dimensional space eral high magnification microscope imag- were removed from view. We used Molecular and then animating a computer graphics (or es of a redwood leaf. The images were com- Maya1 to import molecular models from the virtual) camera path, and rendering the result. bined and cleaned up in Photoshop to create Protein Data Bank (PDB)2 archive used by re- Source imagery for the redwood forest a 15,000-pixel-wide image. The extreme close searchers to store and share molecular struc- came from Bohemian Grove in Muir Woods, up, three-dimensional details of the leaf were tures. Animation of the ratcheting motion photographed with a Nikon D3X camera and modeled in Softimage using the contours of of the ATP synthase molecule is based on re- a 17-mm lens, shot from a fixed point on a tri- the microscope images as hints for the shape pod as the sun started to come over the hills. of its surface. A total of 37 views cover 360° total; each 1 www.molecularmovies.com/toolkit 2 www.pdb.org

March 2012 Planetarian 17 the surrounding density may be as low as 0.1–1 particles per cubic centimeter. With such low densities, if the star dies in a supernova explo- Top: The four “hero” sion, the heavy elements it ejects can trav- molecules in photo- el more than 1000 light-years into the inter- synthesis (from left to galactic medium. … Indeed, as many as one in right, ATP synthase, photosystem I, cyto- a thousand carbon and oxygen atoms in our chrome, and photo- bodies is now thought to have been made in system II), rendered in the earliest generations of massive stars.”7 a style reminiscent of The Stanford team rendered all the imag- electron microscopy. © California Academy ery for their sequence in collaboration with of Sciences our team, and Ralf Kähler has made a Quick- Time available on his website.8 We selected a Below: An astrophysi- muted color palette, choosing to depict neu- cal simulation of a gi- tral gas in highly desaturated blue and ionized ant molecular cloud, a region of cool, dense gas in pink (recalling the pinkish glow of ion- gas and dust in which ized hydrogen). stars and planets form. © California Academy Galaxy and solar system formation of Sciences/NCSA Moving forward in time, the show dives into the Milky Way of approximately five billion years ago. The academy collaborated with the National Center for Supercomput- ing Applications (NCSA) Advanced Visualiza- tion Lab (AVL) to create a flight toward a giant molecular cloud with embedded star-forming region, inside of which we encounter a proto- planetary disk surrounding the sun. To create this sequence, AVL used custom rendering software, visualizing an adaptive mesh simulation from Alexei Kritsuk and Mi- chael Norman, University of California, San Diego (UCSD)9 integrated into AVL’s exist- search by John M. Walker at Cambridge Uni- vides a much better match to the best avail- ing Milky Way model. Within the molecular versity.3 able cosmological data than the WMAP1 cloud, AVL embedded a protoplanetary disk cosmological parameters that drove earlier model provided by Aaron Boley, Sagan Fellow 10 Dark matter and the first stars simulations. at the University of Florida, which repre- To understand the shared relationship be- In spite of Bolshoi’s strengths, we see very sents how our solar system may have looked tween all life forms on Earth, the show moves little of it. The first stars formed at a redshift of prior to the formation of Earth. backward in time, billions of years, to the or- approximately 20 (when the universe was less The most significant discussion around igin of elements themselves. The early uni- then 200 million years old), at which point this sequence related to the visualization of verse contained mostly dark matter, which the Bolshoi simulation has formed very little both the giant molecular cloud and the Milky drove the formation of structure, so the vi- structure. Way. Initial storyboards suggested depicting suals transition to the Bolshoi simulation de- Dark matter gravitationally attracts ordi- the cold, dense gas and dust in an “infrared” picting the formation of large-scale structure. nary matter in sufficient densities for the hy- view that would have rendered the material Bolshoi is a cosmological cold dark matter drogen and helium present to form the first in a glowing red color scheme, suggesting far simulation that also incorporates dark ener- stars, which we observe in a simulation from infrared emission, much like the IRAS/DIRBE gy; the simulation uses eight billion particles Tom Abel at the Kavli Institute for Particle 100-micron dust map released by the Infrared 11 in a volume approximately one billion light Astrophysics and Cosmology, SLAC Nation- Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC). years on a side,4 computed at NASA Ames Re- al Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford Univer- Although AVL created initial test frames search Center. sity. The Bolshoi simulation at z=20 simply with the colorized material (and IPAC back- Furthermore, the Bolshoi simulation makes provides a backdrop for the “first stars” simu- ground dust map), we ended up opting for a use of WMAP5 parameters (Hinshaw et al. lation in the foreground. more naturalistic approach of rendering the 2009),5 consistent with WMAP7,6 which pro- Primordial, massive stars tended to be bright and hot. A star made of 100 solar masses 7 Abel, T., “The first stars, as seen by supercomput- 3 www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/research/atp-synthase of hydrogen and helium, for example, would ers,” Physics Today (April 2011), pp. 51–56 4 Klypin, A., Trujillo-Gomez, S., and Primack, J., “Dark have a surface temperature of 200,000 K, al- 8 www.slac.stanford.edu/~kaehler/movies/first- Matter Halos in the Standard Cosmological Model: most 40 times that of the sun, and a luminosi- stars-SD.mov Results from the Bolshoi Simulation,” Astrophysical ty a million times greater. Energy output from 9 Kritsuk, A., et al., “On the Density Distribution in Journal 740 (2011) Star-forming Interstellar Clouds,” Astrophysical Jour- these stars evacuates their surrounding re- 5 Hinshaw, G., et al., “Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave nal Letters 727 (2011), p. L20 Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Data Pro- gions within a period of a few million years. 10 Boley, A., “The Two Modes of Gas Giant Plan- cessing, Sky Maps, and Basic Results,” Astrophysical From the show: “At the end of the star’s life, et Formation,” Astrophysical Journal 695 (2009), pp. Journal Supplement 180 (2009), 225 L53–L57 6 N. Jarosik, “Seven-Year Wilkinson Microwave An- Systematic Errors, and Basic Results,” submitted 11 spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/jarrett/irsa/dust. isotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Sky Maps, (2010) arxiv.org/abs/1001.4744 html

18 Planetarian March 2012 Initial rendering of high-resolution Mars Express data, without color correction, near Mawrth Vallis. © California Acade- my of Sciences

material to occlude more distant luminous our planet, and at this point the show re- the University of Texas, Arlington. His Paleo- sources. Thus, the molecular cloud appears as turns to a global view of Earth to fast-forward map Project12 attempts to illustrate plate tec- a shadow against the Milky Way. Although through select snapshots depicting recon- tonic development of ocean basin and conti- the scene demands a lot of relatively low-con- structions of our world during a succession of nents as well as the changing distribution of trast fulldome projectors, it offers a remark- geological eras. ocean and seas over the past 1.1 billion years. able sense of depth and presence when ap- Earth’s early microorganisms created our The Scotese style offered a less photoreal proaching and entering the molecular cloud. oxygen atmosphere, when they invented the look than our target, but we worked with his photosynthetic process we saw earlier in the data to define the continental shelves and the Evolution of Earth show. Cyanobacteria released oxygen into the ocean land boundaries and his work acted as a Approaching the Archean Earth, the cam- atmosphere, burying the carbon in sediments. guide for vegetation-covered vs. arid areas. era splashes down in deep water to visit a hy- Billions of years ago, the collective activi- We used a program called Terragen13 that drothermal vent, at which point the perspec- ty of these tiny bacteria started both the car- allowed us to re-work his maps into a style tive shifts to the microscopic scale to examine bon cycle and our modern atmosphere—and that was consistent with the visual flow of the a hypothetical scenario in which metabol- may have also triggered a global ice age, caus- program leading up to this sequence. We also ic processes may have started—the formation ing temperatures to drop precipitously, nearly used Terragen to create cloud layers appropri- of organic molecules in the presence of a geo- freezing out life on our planet. ate for each epoch. thermal energy source. This activity may also have helped trigger Our list of molecules suspended in the wa- a significant leap toward multicellularity—we On to discuss life on Mars ter included sodium chloride, potassium, jump to the beginning of the Cambrian Era, In the Morrison Planetarium, a presenter magnesium, carbon dioxide, and bicarbonate, when more complex creatures began to ap- delivers a segment of the show about the pos- along with trace amounts of ribose and glyc- pear in the so-called Cambrian Explosion. sibility of life on other planets, which high- erol. As with the photosynthesis sequence, we Stepping forward through time, we vis- lights recent discoveries about Mars, extraso- used Molecular Maya to import molecular it Earth during the Carboniferous Era, when lar planets, and so forth. The length of the live models from the PDB archive. plants emerged onto the land and turned portion varies according to the turnover time After the viewer rises through the scattered Earth’s continents green. We continue leap- of the theater: the academy runs planetarium molecules to emerge at the surface of the ing forward in time, viewing the movement shows on both 45- and 60-minute cycles, de- ocean, the show then focuses on a volcanic is- of continents and the changing environment pending on the projected attendance. land as another possible location for early life for life, until we reach modern Earth. For the distribution version of the show, we to have gotten its start. An enriched “hot pud- Our science advisors agreed that there were eliminated the live “break” and added a seg- dle” of water, alternating between wet and two potential providers of paleogeographic ment in which we leave Earth behind to vis- dry states, could have provided an environ- data that could drive the narrative about the it Mars, where audiences see the planet trans- ment for nucleotides (building blocks of RNA development of life on Earth. form to an earlier state, billions of years in and DNA) to wrap themselves in protective We initially approached Ron Blakey, pro- the past, when it more closely resembled ear- vesicles. fessor emeritus of geology at Northern Arizo- ly Earth. Dipping down toward the surface We shrink our perspective once more to ob- na University. His maps adopt a photoreal ap- of the planet, we see a vast salty ocean and a serve adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and proach consistent with the look we wanted to denser atmosphere. uridine monophosphate (UMP) molecules en- achieve, but we quickly recognized that his David Des Marais from the NASA Astrobi- closed by a lipid layer. Again, we used Molec- science source for many of the eras we wished ology Institute provided the most significant ular Maya to import molecular models from to depict were based on the work of the other consultation on this sequence. Google Mars the PDB archive. key source, namely Christopher Scotese, a pro- Once life took hold, it radically changed fessor of earth and environmental sciences at 12 www.scotese.com 13 www.planetside.co.uk

March 2012 Planetarian 19 played a critical role in identifying regions on tion appears highlighted on Earth, along with Overall, the show scored quite high among Mars with decent data coverage, and we end- still images of the locations and the speci- respondents on educational value (92.8% rat- ed up selecting from the short list of proposed mens from each site splayed across the dome ed it “excellent” or “good”), entertainment Mars Science Laboratory (a.k.a. “Curiosity”) as if adhering to the interior surface. As the value (88.4%), and technical quality (95.4%). landing sites. We chose Mawrth Vallis because sequence progresses, images fill a greater per- Fully 82.3% agreed or strongly agreed with of its location on the edge of a northern-hemi- centage of the open area of the dome, reflect- the statement that the show exceeded their sphere ocean that once covered approximate- ing the greater amount of evidence and great- expectations. ly a third of the martian surface. er diversity of life over time. On seven select content points, audiences Michael Broxton, at the time affiliated with Recent epochs are well represented in the showed a greater than 85% agreement with the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames geological record, whereas evidence of more concepts presented in show, including: 1) dark Research Center but now attending graduate ancient life proves increasingly challenging matter has an effect on us (90.8% agreement), school at Stanford University, provided con- to detect. Rocks from Isua, for example, show 2) supernovae are responsible for seeding the siderable assistance locating high-resolution variations in relative isotopic abundances universe with elements required for life on imagery from various Mars-orbiting space- that suggest material processed by life, dat- Earth (87.5%), 3) stars form inside dark, dusty craft. The global base map used for most of ing back perhaps 3.8 billion years. More direct regions (92.1%), 4) four billion years ago, Earth the planet came from Malin Space Science physical evidence does not show up in the looked very different from today (92.1%), 5) Systems’ version of the Viking MDIM 2.1 Mo- geological record for hundreds of millions of all life on Earth shares the same genetic code, saic14 originally assembled by USGS Astrogeol- years. DNA (87.1%), 6) organisms and environments ogy Branch in Flagstaff, Arizona. evolve in concert (83.5%), and 7) temperatures For Mawrth Vallis, we required significant- Conclusion on Earth have been affected by life (91.8%). ly higher-resolution imagery, for which we Images of fossils give way to a collection of We completed the distribution version of made use of Mars Express data processed by two-dimensional images of modern life, ar- Life: A Cosmic Story in the spring of 2011, and Gerhard Neukum at the University of Berlin. rayed in three-dimensional space. Why does the academy has actively engaged many plan- All imagery required significant color correc- contemporary life tell us about life’s history? etarium companies in distributing the show to tion to bring various data into the same color Because all life shares common ancestry and fulldome theaters. Interested parties can con- space, and we then transitioned to a different, common chemistry; we are all related at the tact us at [email protected] for more darker color scheme for early Mars—as per the molecular level. information on leasing. I advice of Des Marais. As viewers learn this, they pull away from Using global altimetry data from the Mars the individual images of life taken from the Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Laser Al- academy’s Manzanita Image Project,17 and we timeter (MOLA) instrument,15 which mea- end the show as we see their three-dimension- sured altitudes on Mars to an accuracy of 10 al distribution beginning to form the struc- (President, Continued from Page 8) meters,16 we then approximated the ancient ture of the double-helix strand of DNA. The ocean basin by “filling up” the lowest-altitude audience is left immersed inside a representa- Going digital in Minnesota Speaking of digital projectors, as I finish regions of the planet’s northern hemisphere tion of the structure of life’s shared origins. writing this column, my planetarium at Min- to a height of 3.5 kilometers below the Mars nesota State University-Moorhead has just in- areoid (for comparison, Olympus Mons lies Reception and effectiveness stalled a digital system. It looks wonderful and 21.2 kilometers above the Mars areoid, while Approximately 600,000 people have seen I am looking forward to using it to further ed- the lowest point of Hellas Crater lies 8.2 kilo- Life: A Cosmic Story in the Morrison Planetar- ucate our audiences about the wonders of the meters below). We created some finer surface ium since its opening in November 2010. In universe and the world that we live in. After features, including rivulets and tributaries, to general, the show has received a tremendous- 40 years in the planetarium field, I feel like match the higher-resolution imagery. ly positive response and has garnered signifi- I’m starting all over. I have a lot to learn. I am For the martian atmosphere, we consulted cant attention, including mention in an ar- looking forward to it! with Robert Haberle, part of the Planetary Sys- ticle in The New York Times.18 Mot recently, I reflected recently on the fact that I am half tems Branch of NASA Ames Research Center, the 2011 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival way through my two-year term as president to arrive at an elevation of the water clouds awarded Life: A Cosmic Story the Best Fulldome and also at the midpoint of the six-year cy- between 5 and 10 kilometers and the carbon Program. cle of president elect, president and past pres- dioxide clouds around 20 kilometers. The Academy collaborated with Rockman ident. When I was elected in 2008, six years et al. on evaluation of the show, primarily to seemed a long time, but now, looking back, Evidence for the origins of life identify visitor satisfaction and their compre- the past three years have passed so quickly! It After the visit to Mars, the show’s focus hension of broad learning objectives.19 is a privilege to serve you all. You are the rea- shifts to Earth once more, with an emphasis son that IPS exists. It’s your Society and I en- on specific sites where scientists have discov- 17 http://research.calacademy.org/library/collec- courage each of you to get involved. ered signs of early life. Viewers circle the mod- tions/manzanita/ Give something back to the profession. ern globe to review specific locations where 18 Markoff, J., “Digging Deeper, Seeing Farther: Why not do a poster or a paper at this year’s geological or fossil evidence exists to support Supercomputers Alter Science,” The New York Times (25 April 2011), p. D1 http://www.nytimes. conference in Baton Rouge? Consider the pos- the narrative: Isua, Greenland; Marble Bar, com/2011/04/26/science/26planetarium.html sibility of volunteering to serve on a commit- Australia; the Great Lakes of North America; 19 Results cited from surveys conducted on 4 and 14 tee or to run for an office. Nama, Namibia; and the Burgess Shale. February 2011 of the 45– and 60–minute versions of For some of our international members, At each step of the way, the specified loca- Life: A Cosmic Story (the 45– and 60–minute lengths refer to the time in which the theater is turned, not this is the last issue of the Planetarian that to the length of the presentation). Of 842 respon- you will receive before IPS 2012. I look for- 14 astrogeology.usgs.gov/Projects/MDIM21 dents, 55.4% were female, 66.2% were members, ward to meeting many of you personally in 15 mola.gsfc.nasa.gov and 72.7% were visiting the planetarium for the first 16 tharsis.gsfc.nasa.gov/spec.html time. Baton Rouge. I

20 Planetarian March 2012 EXPLORE THE WONDERFUL WORLDS THAT CIRCLE OUR REMARKABLE SUN.

Travel through our solar system faster than the speed of light, searching for life and taking For licensing, contact Dan Neafus or Jess Wellington at [email protected] in the wonders of the planets and their moons. or 303.370.8352. • Beautifully mastered scientific visualizations at high-resolution 4K Cosmic Journey: A Solar System Adventure is a production of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, funded in part by Raytheon Company and the Scientific and • Suitable for all ages with proven success with families Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Distributed by the Denver Museum of Nature & • Flexibility to choose the presentation format that best fits your needs Science. Approximately 23 minutes. © Denver Museum of Nature & Science • 25-year license • Script written by James Manning of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific • Educators guide that supports earth and space science standards and assessment objectives March 2012 Planetarian 21 One planet, two planets, red planet, blue planet: Tackling digital production with a small staff

The Travelers Science Dome Planetarium (formerly known as the Gengras Planetarium) is a part of The Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Connecticut. We are currently in the midst of a multi-year ef- fort to create an original fulldome planetarium pro- duction from the ground up. Our team of two has written the script, created the storyboards, and Kyra Elliott (left) and Kristie Mazzoni recruited the voice talent for a program about a future journey from Earth to Mars to study the at- Kristie Mazzoni, Director mosphere, geology, and history of the red planet. Kyra Elliott, Assistant Director Travelers Science Dome Planetarium The Children's Museum West Hartford, Connecticut USA 06119 [email protected]

When we opened as the Gengras Planetar- duced their own shows. given a corporate donation by Travelers In- ium in 1968, we had one of the newest plan- At the height of our creative output, the surance that allowed us to purchase a Spitz etarium instruments on the market: the Spitz staff collaborated with other venues such as SciDome HB. We pulled out our STP and sent STP. The Gengras Family made a generous do- the Fels Planetarium at the Franklin Institute the body to Owen Phairis’ Planetarium Projec- nation so that we could have computer–con- (Mars: Fourth Rock from the Sun) and distrib- tor and Science Museum and some spare parts trolled hemispheres that moved in all three uted shows to other planetariums across the to the Miami Science Museum. axes and a built-in sound system. country. A former employee went on to work The SciDome system comes with Starry The museum built a new wing that includ- in design for television. Night Dome software for simulating the night ed a sweeping spiral staircase and a gallery for In the last 15 years, we’ve created a few sky. It also comes with ATM-4, which allows astronomy and space exhibits. In the 1970s, shows for our own use and had some small us to string Starry Night favorites and media an evening at the planetarium was a special success with Dragons in the Stars, produced into a timeline for playback on the dome. event. by former director Jason Archer, but we pur- When we reopened the planetarium, now For nearly 40 years, the Spitz STP served as chased most of our programs from other known as the Travelers Science Dome at the our main instrument. Over the years we add- vendors. We no longer had artists and pho- Grengas Planetarium, we offered a schedule of ed special effects, slide projectors, Sky-Skan tographers on our staff, materials for slide pro- fulldome animated “movies” such as Secret of SPICE automation, and a LFI International la- duction became scarce, and we spent more the Cardboard Rocket and Oasis in Space, each ser system to our 12.2-m dome. time each day repairing our failing machines. with a short live sky segment at the begin- The planetarium staff drew their own con- ning. Since we had so many slide-based shows stellation overlays, painted panoramas scenes, From slides to fulldome in our library, we continued to use our SPICE recorded music and sound effects, and pro- In the summer of 2007 the planetarium was automation system for school programming with the SciDome standing in for the STP’s stars. Over the next four years, we scanned, re- sized, and redrew the pictures from our phys- ical slides. We converted our old all-sky and panoramic images to digital. We pulled the video clips that were once projected by a BAR- CO through our Betacam and LaserDisc ma- chines and converted them into movie files that SciDome could play. When we were permitted, we loaded in some of the shows we had purchased from Past planetarium staff produced amazing artwork, here a pan of a fantasy planet. Courtesy the authors. other vendors and converted them for use in

22 Planetarian March 2012 SciDome. Essentially, we were re-creating the traditional slide planetarium show using our SciDome’s ATM-4 automation software. We wrote our first program specifically for the SciDome based on the state of Connecti- cut science curriculum standards for grade 5 and covering the sun, Earth, and the moon. The show is still very popular with educa- tors because of the content, but we’re not sat- isfied with its visuals. There are short video clips and sky scenes, but most of the illustra- tions are still images loaded into the SciDome, similar to traditional slide shows. We wanted to be able to do more with our new technolo- gy than we could with the old.

Staff changes Kyra Elliott joined the planetarium as assis- tant director in January of 2009. With a back- ground in astronomy and some computer an- imation, she began to research the production of animated fulldome content. Xtreme Weather was a show written and produced by our planetarium as a tradition- al slide show. A new soundtrack had been re- (Top) Test rendering of Camp Viking. The exterior greenhouse architecture is omitted because it is still being built. The background landscape is temporary. Camp Viking has an exercise area, living quarters, corded as part of a plan to convert this show a laboratory, rover storage buildings, and food preparation facility. Image by Kyra Elliott. (Below) The for use in SciDome. Kyra decided to create a CampViking concept image by Julia Huntsman “hybrid” show that still used the SciDome ATM-4 software. would use the SciDome’s ATM-4 software to save money. The show employed a combination of still compile the pieces into a single file for play- For 3D animation, we purchased 3DS Max images and Starry Night favorites. Kyra added back in our own dome. Then, we could offer 2011 with VRay for rendering. VRay provides 30% original fulldome animations produced the pieces of the production for compilation the virtual “full dome camera” used to render on her personal laptop with Autodesk Maya in other SciDomes. out dome masters of an animated scene. and rendered using MentalRay. After three years of working with the For editing, we purchased Adobe Creative The fulldome effect was achieved within SciDome, and the success of the production Suite 5 with the Navegar Fulldome plug-in for the software by aiming a standard camera at a of Xtreme Weather, we decided we could do After Effects. Finally, we got a Canon EOS 7D reflective hemisphere in the scene. better than our previous productions. Rath- camera with a Sunex fisheye lens to capture The drawback to this method was the vast er than use static images and other people’s time lapse and still photography for use in the increase in render time due to the need to cal- video, we would attempt our first completely dome. culate reflections for each frame. The com- fulldome, pre-rendered production. Since the museum recently upgraded its plexity and length of the fulldome scenes When asked the question, “Can the two computer network to a cable system, we had were compromised due to the limitations of of you make a fulldome movie with only an open DSL line that we could use for remote our hardware. $28,000?” the answer had to be, “Yes.” This access and downloads. Matt Mascheri came was our chance to revive our once-vibrant out to our facility to help Kyra with the set- Planets: from blue to red production facilities. up of our rendering network and to train her In 2010 The Children’s Museum was award- on some of the new software. She moved all of ed a three-year, $590,000 grant from NASA’s The production office her files into the new office and even added a Competitive Program for Museums and Plan- Our first task was to refurbish a windowless fish tank to make up for the lack of outside air. etariums to fund From the Blue Planet to the space that has always been known as the pro- Most of our budget went to purchasing the Red Planet: Exploring Planetary Science. The duction office. This was the place where we equipment and services for our new produc- package included money for a museum ex- sorted slides, stored old slide projectors, and tion studio. Our passion and creativity had to hibit, new education programs for schools dumped exhibit pieces. We added heat and take us the rest of the way. and the general public, and teacher profes- better lighting, threw out a ton of junk, and sional development. All aspects of the pro- installed shelving and a wrap-around desk. Planning a new program gram were to include information about the The next task was the challenge of pur- When we wrote our grant application, we geology, climate, history, and exploration of chasing the necessary hardware and soft- promised that our planetarium show would Mars. ware. With the help of Matt Mascheri from compare the geologies, atmospheres, and Funds were included for the planetarium to Dome3D, we assembled a list. For hardware, weather events of Earth and Mars and include purchase a commercial program, Invaders of we purchased 5 HP computers (one to serve as images and models of NASA Mars exploration Mars, and to create a new planetarium show the work station and four to be render nodes), missions. We’ve used this NASA data through- that compared Earth to Mars. When first we two monitors, and a Windows Home Server out our planning process, but we made some wrote the grant in 2008, we expected to put with 4 TB of space. We purchased home-of- changes to the tone of the program based on the program together with NASA images and fice grade computers with high specifications what we perceive as the needs of our audienc- video and to add music and narration. We rather than actual graphics work stations to es.

March 2012 Planetarian 23 (Left) Julia Hunts- man’s preliminary drawing of Aidan's bedroom. The goal was to combine some futuristic el- ements with pres- ent day ones that people could re- late to. (Right) The final rendering of Aidan’s room. The graphic on the TV screen can be re- placed and edited as necessary.

Any materials produced through our grant film the actor against a green screen. The an- that we want to distribute with the NASA imated background will be rendered separate- We are located inside a children’s museum. seal have to be approved by The Institute for ly, and the two will be combined in post pro- A group of guests could include infants and se- Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). We duction. nior citizens, families with older children, or are please to announced that our show was In our story, Aidan receives video messages even just young adults on a date. They prefer given final approval in mid-January of 2012. from his sister on Mars. To eliminate the need shorter shows, under 30 minutes, with engag- for camera tracking, Kyra is applying these ing stories and sympathetic characters. Production composite videos as a texture on the TV mod- Programs with omnipotent narrators don’t As of January 2012 Kyra has built and tex- el in Aidan’s bedroom. Rather than adding do as well in our dome as those with smart tured all of the architectural scenes that will the videos to Aidan’s TV screen in post pro- children or clever cartoons. Our guests want be depicted throughout our film. These in- duction, we are rendering finished dome mas- exploding stars, flights to the moon, and fu- clude Camp Viking and several interior scenes ters, complete with a TV displaying a video on turistic fantasy sequences. of the base, Aidan’s bedroom, Lunar Base, screen. When Carina is seen by the audience, Our goal was to combine what we know Camp Mariner (a second station near Mars’ she is being seen from Aidan’s perspective, on about Mars into the familiar framework of an Mariner Valley), and the interior of the rov- a TV screen. We hope to explore camera track- intergenerational story that could be appreci- er that the astronauts use to travel across the ing and the capturing of fulldome live action ated by an entire family. We worked hard to martian surface. in future projects. determine a story with content that met NA- Kyra is currently beginning the next phase SA’s standards, but could appeal to our unique of building all machines, such as the rovers Going forward audience. As such, we chose as our main char- and spacecraft. While the inside of the rover is In the next nine months, we will employ an acters a boy of about 14 named Aidan and his completely built and textured in 3D, the view outside contractor to do our voice recording, young adult sister Carina. of the outside of it so far only exists in a two- sound effects, and music. Our actors will come Carina is stationed at a base on Mars called dimensional sketch. from Hartford Children’s Theatre to perform Camp Viking. She is taking part in a research Upon completion of this phase, Kyra will the parts of Aidan and Carina. The entire fellowship and reports back to her broth- begin the modeling of all landscapes and at- show should be assembled and ready for dis- er about what she is doing. He responds with mospheric effects. We are currently in corre- tribution by December 2012. news from Earth and is chosen by his school spondence with the High Resolution Imaging If anyone is interested in learning more to do an internship at Lunar Base. Science Experiment (HiRISE) team at the Uni- about From the Blue Planet to the Red Planet From their messages to one another, we versity of Arizona to obtain the necessary dig- or our production process, please contact me learn about the atmospheres of Earth and ital terrain data to aid us in the accurate con- at [email protected] Mars, some of the history of Mars exploration, struction of Mars landscapes. or Kyra at kelliott@TheChildrensMuseumCT. and the challenges of space travel. They can- The final phase of animation is due to con- org. not talk directly because of the transmission clude mid-summer, with the addition of char- For general information about the Travel- delay between Mars and Earth. acters into the appropriate scenes. ers Science Dome or The Children’s Museum, We took a risk setting the scene in the fu- With our extremely limited staff and fund- please visit our website: www.TheChildrens- ture because there are so many things about ing, Kyra is designing our animated scenes to MuseumCT.org. I Mars that we can’t yet confirm. Our script was allow for minimal post-production time. One vetted by our NASA grant advisors and a JPL example of this is our method for integrating Support for From the Blue Planet to the Red scientist to be sure that we didn’t make any characters into the movie. Planet at The Children’s Museum made possi- huge factual errors or veer too far over into The characters in our story will not be on ble under Grant No. NNX10AK13G with the Na- science fiction. screen very much in the final movie. As this is tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. Once we had a script we were satisfied with, our first attempt to integrate live action into Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or rec- we hired an artist, Julia Huntsman, to sketch full-dome animation, we will not be filming ommendations expressed in this show are those our storyboards. We needed the storyboards our characters with the fulldome camera. In of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the to keep us on track and to submit to NASA for the scenes where Carina is shown inside the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad- official Science Mission Directorate review. Mars base, we will use a standard camera to ministration.

24 Planetarian March 2012 March 2012 Planetarian 25 How we do it Tips and tricks to share Installing audio/ visual components

Adam Thanz Planetarium Director Bays Mountain Planetarium 853 Bays Mountain Park Road Kingsport, TN 37660 [email protected] www.baysmountain.com

In our profession, we have to do lots of dif- ferent kinds of tasks to get the job done—you know what I mean. And, if you work at a facil- ity that has more than a planetarium theater, like a museum or nature center, you probably have even more jobs requests out of the dome. Have you even been asked to do audio-visu- al work? Maybe you need to do the layout or design of a new exhibit, or even do audio-vi- sual design for a meeting room or auditorium. Here's the room showing the projector in the top right and the screen to the left. The measurements discussed in the article to determine the placement of the projector and screen are annotated. All pho- Most of us should probably be able to design tos by the author. something really nice with the right equip- ment to meet the needs of the room. But, sometimes, it is difficult to get started know- the right gain and be motorized. A cabinet old portable screen (circa 1970’s). This was re- ing what type of equipment to get or how to would be made to hold the A/V equipment, placed by a new screen. Details about screens do the precise layout of equipment in order be able to handle cable runs, and allow space will come later in this article. for it to work simply and consistently. for air venting. Another component yet to come is the sur- This article will cover some basic concept Part of our goal was to keep costs down by round-sound system, which we plan to look ideas and some interesting technical tidbits getting what was needed and doing all the into in about a year to replace the very good, that I’ve learned while designing and install- woodworking ourselves. We also designed the but old, stereo we now use. ing a home theater in our log home. No, the project to be done in stages. I would not rec- Just to recap, we’ve already purchased and theater is not for public use, but I wanted it to ommend staging a project for a public facili- installed over the last year or so an inexpen- be simple, work right every time, look clean ty this way because the funding always seems sive, temporary projector, a projector mount, and line up the optical components correct- to disappear later on and you’ll be stuck with a Blu-ray player, cove lighting, the screen, and ly so that we got the best results. Even better, a partially-done room. the woodwork casement. We will purchase in these design concepts can easily be applied to In our personal staging of the project, we’ve the next few years an HD projector and a sur- any public facility. delayed the majority of the costs and will stag- round-sound system to complete the project. ger them so as to not have a single, large pur- What is your goal? chase. Although I wanted the advantages of Do the research This is the first step. You need to decide an LED projector, they are still very costly. I’m Now that you have determined what you what you need as opposed to what you want. also sure that LED as a light source will even- need, you’ll need to find out the details of the This is good for two points: one, it keeps the tually take over as the lamps of choice for equipment, how it will be installed, and how project focused and as simple as possible; and most projectors in the next few years. it will be used. Here is where I found out some two, it keeps costs down. In the meantime, then, we purchased an in- interesting and sometimes discouraging infor- For our theater, we wanted the biggest im- expensive DLP projector with 800x600 res- mation about what we wanted to do. age projected from a Blu-ray player and com- olution. It has VGA, S-Video, and RCA vid- I’ve already mentioned projectors, and the puter while making sure it was comfortable to eo inputs. We’ll use this projector for a few research revealed that there are many types view. We didn’t want to see any wires, nor the years and replace it when LED projectors be- out there and many specs to decide on. How screen case. We also wanted to provide some come affordable. Our DVD movie collection is good is the product and its company? How do ambient lighting while not seeing the light 720x480, so the DLP resolution is fine for this they generate the image? How bright is the source. Surround-sound would be the audio purpose. image? What’s the contrast ratio? What’s the of choice. For years we used our MacBook’s DVD drive pixel quantity? What’s the pixel ratio? The projector would eventually be an LED to play movies on a 13-inch screen. (You prob- Basically, since we want to watch movies HD (high-definition 1080 pixel) projector that ably don’t know that my wife and I stopped in HD, the 16x9 format with 1920x1080 pixels can handle data rates for 3-D content and ac- watching TV back in January 2000. We’ve will be our choice when it’s time to purchase a cept a computer input, as would the Blu-ray been sane ever since.) About a year ago, we in- better projector. It will also have a brightness player. The screen would be large enough to vested in the first component of the new sys- value of 2,000-3,000 lumens, which will allow accommodate the above requirement, have tem, the DLP projector, using my father’s very (Continues on Page 38)

26 Planetarian March 2012 FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com/fulldome_shows

March 2012 Planetarian SHOW DISTRIBUTIO27 N © 2011 Zula® USA, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Contact: Mike Bruno [email protected] T: 610.459.5200

Spitz_Zula_FullPage_11.07.11_v2.indd 1 11/7/11 2:11:33 PM Universe by committee? Egads!

Editor-at-Large Steve Tidey Space Educator 12 Hampton Gardens Southend, Essex, SS2 6RW England [email protected]

As the apparently faster than light sub- Venus atomic particles of destiny collide with those Oh dear. Very embar- slow coach photons of fate, I find myself con- rassing. The commit- templating our place in this crazy, beauti- tee would like to apol- ful place we call the universe, and a memora- ogise for a snafu many Jessie Shanks ble quote rises to the surface in my befuddled millennia ago by a previous commit- brain. It comes from the American journalist tee member which inadvertently led H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), who once wrote, “It to Venus’ high temperatures. is impossible to imagine the universe run by a You see, he was a terri- wise, just and omnipotent God, but it is quite bly keen gardener who easy to imagine it run by a board of gods. If wanted to grow a ridicu- such a board actually exists, it operates pre- lous amount of tomatoes on every cisely like the board of a corporation that is square inch of Venus, so he turned the place losing money.” into a greenhouse. But, after teleporting the mass life back This gem of a quote got me wondering how tomatoes to his home world when they rip- on the planet again, the universe would look were it to be remod- ened, he forgot to turn off the planet’s ther- so as we’ve heard Homer Simpson is incredi- elled by a committee. Perhaps it may look mostat before leaving. Sorry! Anyway. bly popular on Earth we’ll clone several mil- something like this. lion of him and send them to the red planet. Earth What a society that should make. Envy of the The sun Odd one, this. The only planet with life whole solar system. If you turn to page 398 of this committee’s forms. What’s up with that? As a committee report, you will see that there’s not much we have to treat all planets equally, so we’ll Jupiter wrong with the sun that we can improve populate all the other planets in this star sys- The committee is concerned that Jupiter upon. It’s a (sorry) shining example of efficien- tem with life as well. A sub-committee is be- has bullied more of its fair share of moons cy, passing our time and motion study with ing organised to examine the problem of how into orbit around the planet, so we’ll redistrib- flying colours. Never takes a day, or night, cats and dogs can survive on frozen methane. ute some of them to Venus, which has had to off. Bless. Just one thing, though. After polling make do with none for way too long. committee members, it was felt that the sun Moon Also, studies sponsored by us have shown could do with a face lift, so from next Mon- This accessory has proved so popular with that the Great Red Spot may soon significant- day it will glow a different colour on each day Earth’s lovers, poets and astronomers that we ly diminish in grandeur, so we’re taking it of- of the week. have decided to put another one of them into fline for maintenance, which shouldn’t take orbit round the planet. That should speed the more than 200 years. Mercury development of light pollution filters. We feel this planet has more than served And if it’s that good at its current bright- Saturn its punishment for some unknown misdeed ness, it must be even better when it’s brighter, Those rings are the bees knees, for sure, but in the dim and distant past, for which no ar- so we’ll increase its albedo by 500%. So that’s we’re concerned that Saturn’s upper atmo- chival record can be found. I mean, really, too two incredibly bright moons, plus Mercury sphere isn’t as colourful as Jupiter’s. We see it hot on one hemisphere, too cold on the other. looking huge in the night sky. The people of as a blank canvas crying out to be used, and Come on, guys, have some compassion here. Earth will never stop thanking us. so by way of meeting this committee’s over- So, with immediate effect, we’re moving head costs we are publishing a tender for com- Mercury further out from the sun to share a Mars panies across the universe who wish to project similar orbit with Earth in the cozy, temper- First things first. We’re sending Elvis Pre- advertisements on to Saturn’s upper atmo- ate goldilocks zone. May the best planet win, sley back to Earth, as he’s been complaining sphere. Standard contract #31416 applies and gravitationally. about the cold on Mars. We are keen to get the highest bidder wins, of course.

28 Planetarian March 2012 Uranus and Neptune the good news. And the bad? From now on, behaviour. Any transgressors will face heavy It’s over-egging the pudding to have four they really will be harbingers of evil. penalties, including, but not limited to, being gas giant planets in the same star system, and removed from the prestigious Henry Draper so, with efficiencies in mind, we’ll amalgam- Stars Catalogue of Galaxies. ate Uranus and Neptune into one body. Any Jiminy cricket, there are a lot of these. Some left over gas will be given to Mars to increase are much less efficient than others, which con- Black holes the density of its atmosphere. cerns this committee, as we can’t abide slack- Good cosmic vacuum cleaners, getting rid ers. From now on, every star will be tested for of some of the universe’s waste, but they can Pluto its worthiness to exist, and those that fail to sometimes be a bit too enthusiastic and indis- Pluto is anxious to resume its previous sta- meet Wow! Factor® standards will be gently criminate. We will substantially increase the tus as a fully-fledged planet, so it has been pink slipped out of sight into one of the neigh- number of white holes that reintroduce into sent the requisite 84 forms, all to be complet- bouring multiverses, where they can fend for the universe material that shouldn’t have ed in triplicate and filed at our nearest branch, themselves. been sucked up. We are now processing an ap- which is in the vicinity of Alpha Centauri. We plication to have one positioned near Earth. expect to make a decision before the turn of Constellations the next millennium. We feel that the constellations are long Interstellar space overdue for modernising. Therefore, we have Committees hate waste, and boy, is there a Eris redrawn the constellation patterns to include lot of wasted space between stuff in the uni- We’ve mislaid our cue ball for the next an- 18 new ones, such as mobilephoneus, limousi- verse. From now on we’re going to be tough nual Cosmic Pool Championship tourna- necum and xfactorus. on space, and tough on the causes of space. ment, so we’ll use Eris instead. When we’re If these prove to be popular we’ll move the Therefore, with immediate effect, the uni- done it may come back a tad smaller, so it relative positions of all the major stars from verse will be dramatically decreased in size. may lose its status as a minor planet. To make month to month, so there’ll be a regular flow There, you didn’t feel a thing, did you? The up for this, we’ll arrange for lots of comets to of new constellations. resulting savings in space have been used to smash into it and increase its bulk. build another universe. Feel free to visit it at Nebulae your discretion. Asteroids Oh dear. In stark contrast to the sun, nebu- So there you have it. A much more struc- Given the enormous popularity of Saturn’s lae across the universe consistently failed mis- tured and efficient universe. You can see rings, the committee feels it is only appropri- erably our time and motion study. An average this committee’s full report on our website, ate that we gather all the asteroids together, of one star produced every 100 million years? www.ifyoubelievethis.you’llbelieveanything. crush them into tiny particles and distribute Are they having a laugh? Are they annoying com. I them as rings orbiting all the other planets. us for charity? Some committee members have noted that From now on, we will add humungous the new rings will ruin astronomy on Earth, amounts of extra hydrogen to nebulae, throw but consensus was reached and it was decided in a pinch of helium, ramp up the gravitation- Real tweets about real planetariums that will be the life forms’ problem. al constant, leave to simmer, then, hey presto, Mario DiMaggio bish bosh, Bob’s your uncle, there’ll be an av- Comets erage of one new star created every 100 years. •• I really wanna check out the planetari- Comets are not very efficient in the use um next week! I gotta find someone nerdy of their best asset—the dust that forms their Galaxies enough to take with me. tails—as the supply dries up after a few hun- Yes, they’re beautiful, majestic and so on, •• Yes a planetarium. Thanks. I thought a plan- dred orbits. This committee will install on but this committee abhors the practice seen etarium was a Sunbed shop that's where the each comet a device that will limit the release in many galaxies of ejecting stars into inter- confusion was. of dust on each passage, thus making for a galactic space. We will now be placing moni- •• Just came from the planetarium..it needs greater number of spectacular passages. That’s tors at the edge of every galaxy to police such more funding

PARTYcles Alex Cherman

Ever since we Atoms are What is going got together, I mostly empty on with you? can’t help but space! feeling empty…

I don’t That is only know… natural! How sad!

March 2012 Planetarian 29 Minutes of the IPS Council Meeting Conference Room, Kremlin Nizhny Novgorod, Russia July 1 & 2, 2011

* indicates action items Affiliates not in attendance: ty and presented an overview of the facilities Association of Spanish Planetariums (APLE) and events scheduled for the next two days. In attendance: Rocky Mountain Planetari- President Dave Weinrich and Council ex- President Dave Weinrich um Association (RMPA) pressed their gratitude to Alexander and his President Elect Thomas Kraupe staff for their efforts to provide a wonderful Past President Tom Mason Guests: setting for the first IPS Council Meeting to be Treasurer Shawn Laatsch Dr. Omar Fikry - IPS 2010 Conference Host, held in Russia. Following the introductions Secretary Lee Ann Hennig Director, Planetarium Science Cen- of Council members and guests, Dave recog- ter, Bibliotheca Alexandrina Egypt nized new Council members and reviewed Affiliate Representatives: Jon Elvert - Chair, IPS Outreach Committee, the format for the Council meeting as well as Association of Brazilian Planetariums and Pennington Planetarium, Baton Rouge, changes in the agenda. (ABP) – Dr. Alexandre Cherman Louisiana, USA, IPS 2012 Conference Host The Secretary’s Report on the Minutes of Association of Dutch Speaking Planetari- Celso Cunha - 2014 Conference Bid Host, the 2010 Alexandria, Egypt Council Meeting ums (ADSP) - Chris Janssen for Ad Los President of Rio Planetarium Foun- had been previously published in the Decem- Association of French Speaking Plane- dation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ber 2010 Planetarian. The minutes were ap- tariums (APLF) – Dr. Agnès Acker Melissa Ferreira - Press Advisor, Rio Planetar- proved. Association of Mexican Planetari- ium Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Treasurer Shawn Laatsch presented the ums (AMPAC) – Dr. Martin George Robert Appleton - 2014 Conference Bid Treasurer’s Report. Council reviewed and for Ignacio Castro Pinal Host, Executive Director, H.R. MacMillan discussed specifics of the 2010 Financial Re- Australasian Planetarium Soci- Space Centre, Vancouver BC Canada port, the mid-year 2011 Budget, and the pro- ety (APS) – Mark Rigby Dr. Jin Zhu - 2014 Conference Bid Host, Di- posed 2011/12 budget. The Audit Report of British Association of Planetar- rector, Beijing Planetarium, Beijing, China 2010 confirmed that the treasury is in good ia (BAP) – Shaaron Leverment Xiao Lin- Translator, Beijing Planetarium standing and the document has been posted Canadian Association of Science Cen- Lu Xiaoming - Vice President, Beijing on the Council Group Site. Shawn recognized tres (CASC) - Ian McLennan Academy of Science & Technology Ash Enterprises and Digitalis for their contri- Council of German Planetari- Martin George - Chair, International Rela- butions to promoting membership in IPS and ums (RDP) - Thomas Kraupe tions Committee & Elections Committee reported that others are considering similar European/Mediterranean Planetarium As- Yaroslav Gubchenko - Executive Director, initiatives. The Treasurer’s Report was filed. sociation (EMPA) - Manos Kitsonas Fulldome Film Society, Moscow Russia As Membership Chair, Shawn reported that Great Lakes Planetarium Associa- Dr. Dale Smith - Chair, IPS Publica- the total membership as of July 2011 was 606. tion (GLPA) – Jeanne Bishop tions Committee, via Skype Shawn also provided an overview of the As- Great Plains Planetarium Association sociate Membership initiative to date. Discus- (GPPA) – John Hare for Jack Dunn The meeting was called to order at 9:05 sion centered on the geographical nature of Italian Association of Planetaria (IAP) –Shawn a.m. by President Dave Weinrich. Dave wel- the Associates and the rate of conversion from Laatsch for Loris Ramponi via Skype comed the Council Members and guests and Associate status to standard membership sta- Japan Planetarium Associa- introduced several guests from the Nizhny tus. The Membership Report was filed. tion (JPA) - Kaoru Kimura Novgorod City Administration, the Nizhny Past President Tom Mason presented his fi- Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society (MAPS) Novgorod Planetarium, and the Russian Plan- nal Past President’s Report, which will be – Lee Ann Hennig for Patty Seaton etarium Association. Sergei Goren, Director printed in the September 2011 issue of the Nordic Planetarium Associa- of the Department of Cultural Support and Planetarian. Tom reported on his efforts to as- tion (NPA) - Lars Broman Youth Activities welcomed Council to the sist the transition of the President Elect and Pacific Planetarium Association (PPA) beautiful city. Also in attendance were: Vad- the incoming President in their new roles. As – Susan Button for Gail Chaid im Belov, Secretary of the Board of the Russian Tom’s term of Past President comes to a close Russian Planetarium Associa- Planetarium Association; Zinaida Sitkova, at the end of this year, he will continue to tion (RPA) – Zinaida P. Sitkova Chairman of the Board of the Russian Plane- contribute to moving IPS forward. Southeastern Planetarium Asso- tarium Association; and Alexandra Timoshi- President Dave Weinrich delivered the ciation (SEPA) - John Hare nova, Deputy Director of Cultural Activities. President’s Report. This report will also be Southwestern Association of Plane- Dave and Council acknowledged our host, Dr. published in the September 2011 issue of the tariums (SWAP) – Rachel Thomp- Alexander Serber of the Nizhny Novgorod Planetarian. Dave has been working on behalf son for Linda Krause Planetarium, who welcomed Council to Nizh- of updating the status of IPS Affiliates and pro- ny Novgorod and the historic Kremlin facili- (Continues on Page 32)

30 Planetarian March 2012 8.5X11_AD.pdf 1 11/9/2011 12:17:42 PM

NARRATED BY LIAM NEESON

D Y N A M I C

Exploring Earth’s Climate Engine

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CREATIVEMEDIA Thomas Lucas Productions

March 2012 Planetarian 31 cil Meeting in her own city and looks forward of conference activities (U-Stream- Hi Def). In- to having the IPS Council sharing the oppor- formation regarding the conference is post- (Minutes, Continued from Page 30) tunity of meeting and collaborating with oth- ed on the conference website: ips2012.com, moting new applications, one of which will er members of the Russian Planetarium Soci- which can also be accessed through the IPS be presented at this meeting. Dave has also ety while we are here. SEPA Representative Website Conference page at www.ips-plane- been monitoring the work of the new plane- John Hare reported that SEPA offers grants to tarium.org/events/conferences.html. tarium in Ghana. He has made a visit to Baton subsidize registration fees for their conferenc- Rouge, site of the 2012 IPS Conference, to meet es: 10% of sponsorship fees go to a profession- IPS 2014 Conference Bids with Host Jon Elvert on preparations for the al development fund which helps to promote Following up on the initial bids presented July meeting. Dave has also managed to take those grants. in Alexandria, Egypt in 2010, Council heard part in some affiliate conferences and sever- President Dave Weinrich announced that the final presentations for three proposals for al more are on his calendar. IPS Committee is- a new affiliate application has been received the IPS 2014 Conference: sues are also being addressed as one of the Pres- from the Chinese Planetarium Society. Dr. Jin 1. Planetário do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janei- ident’s duties. Zhu, director of the Beijing Planetarium and ro, Brazil - presented by Dr. Alexandre Cher- The Past President’s and President’s Re- president of the Chinese Planetarium Society, man and Celso Cunha. Date: July 26-30, 2014 ports were filed. presented the documentation for the organi- 2. H.R. Macmillan Space Centre, Vancouver, zation and answered questions from Council. British Columbia, Canada - presented by Rob- Affiliate Reports Affiliates were reminded to use the updated ert Appleton. Date: June 27-July 2, 2014 Written Affiliate Reports were reviewed template to file their reports and include the 3. Beijing Planetarium, Beijing, China - pre- and Affiliate Representatives highlighted affiliate logo on the IPS Affiliate webpage. sented by Dr. Jin Zhu. Date: June 23-27, 2014 events and concerns from their respective re- The Affiliate Reports were filed. Council tabled the business of the actu- ports. In news from the floor, there are still Affiliate Reports not submitted: al vote for the Conference of 2014 until the concerns that the threat of facility closure or Association of Spanish Planetariums (APLE) day following these presentations. After con- shrinking budgets is continuing to be an issue Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association siderable discussion and review of the 3 bids, globally. This issue will be discussed by Coun- (RMPA) Council voted to accept the Beijing bid for the cil during committee business. 2014 IPS Conference. President Dave Wein- ADSP Representative Chris Janssen reported Conferences rich thanked each of the potential hosts from that Eise Eisinga’s planetarium has been nom- IPS 2010 Conference IPS 2014, acknowledging the time and energy inated for UNESCO’s World Heritage. This is Dr. Omar Fikry presented the final report that goes into such an endeavor and urged Rio the world’s oldest working planetarium (built on the IPS 2010 Conference in Alexandria, and Vancouver to consider a future bid. between 1774-1781). They are seeking support Egypt. Among the highlights of the report: The first day of the Council Meeting was for the nomination through letters. Chris will •• Participants from approximately 48 coun- adjourned at 5:40 pm. have an article in the Planetarian related to tries represented the global cultural diversi- this item. ty (327 participants) The second day of the Council Meeting was APLF Representative Agnes Acker report- •• Many first-time conference participants called to order at 9:05 am on July 2, 2011. ed on the upcoming project of the produc- were from Africa and the Middle East tion for 2012 of an international planetarium •• 26 vendors were represented Standing Committee Reports show celebrating the 50th birthday of ESO. •• Evaluation feedback will be crucial in plan- Standing Committee Reports were present- RDP Representative Thomas Kraupe report- ning for future conferences ed, reviewed, and discussed. The full commit- ed on efforts to forge a restructuring for a new Council congratulated Omar and the staff tee reports will be posted on the individual organization of the German Speaking Plane- of Bibliotheca Alexandrina for a wonder- Committee Webpages on the IPS Website. taria. Formal recognition of the organization ful conference and appreciation for the hard is expected in the fall of 2011. work and dedication involved in such an un- Awards Committee GLPA Representative Jeanne Bishop re- dertaking. Council expressed special thanks Chair Lars Broman presented the IPS ported on the efforts of the U.S. planetari- to the volunteers and tour guides who made Awards Committee report. The list of can- um affiliates in supporting a document draft- the conference so memorable. President Dave didates for IPS Fellows and the IPS Service ed by GLPA regarding the next generation of Weinrich noted that the entire planetarium Award was presented to Council for consider- science standards as they relate to astrono- community was watching the political events ation. The President’s Award, the IPS Fellows, my and planetariums. The document can be in Egypt unfold during the spring of 2011 and and the IPS Service Award honorees will be viewed by linking to the GLPA Website. were kept aware of the status of the Bibliothe- presented to the membership at the IPS Ban- IAP Representative Loris Ramponi was pres- ca as we received updates. quet during the IPS 2012 Conference in Baton ent during part of the Council Meeting via Rouge. Chair Lars expressed concern that the SKYPE. He continues to maintain the IPS In- IPS 2012 Conference guidelines/requirements for IPS Fellows were ternational Calendar and urges affiliates to Jon Elvert, Conference Host for the IPS rather restrictive. After discussion among send him their logos for inclusion in the web- 2012 Conference, presented an update of the Council members, it was suggested that the site page. budget and plans for the July 22-26, 2012 con- Awards Committee should present chang- JPA Representative Kaoru Kimura reported ference at the Irene Pennington Planetari- es for consideration to Council, perhaps in- on the status of Japan’s planetariums follow- um in Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA. Presi- cluding the IPS Fellow status as a prerequi- ing the earthquake/tsunami event. Our col- dent Dave Weinrich visited with Jon earlier site for Service Award nomination. Affiliates leagues in Japan are appreciative of the many this year to review the conference details. are encouraged to submit nominations for IPS inquiries and offers of help that the planetari- Updates included more information on de- Awards to the Awards Committee. um community sent their way. tails of the conference venue facilities for par- (Continues on Page 37) RPA Representative Zinaida P. Sitkova ex- ticipants and vendors, post tours, and techni- pressed her pleasure at attending the IPS Coun- cal innovations such as live video streaming

32 Planetarian March 2012 Full-Size De niti Theater Capabilities To Go

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™ 34 WePlanetarian can take you there March 2012 S11-a11-01 Sky-Skan Exclusive

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Since its debut, the beloved Magic Tree House® book series has been a perennial best-seller. Published in more than 30 countries and 29 languages, the series focusing on the exploits of the brother-sister team of Jack and Annie has sold more than 70 million books in North America alone. Now, UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, in partnership with authors Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne, brings the blockbuster Magic Tree House® franchise to fulldome theaters for the fi rst time ever. In Magic Tree House® Space Mission, a mysterious “M” sends the intrepid Jack and Annie on a fun-fi lled journey to discover the secrets of the Sun, Moon, planets, space travel and more. Aligned with early elementary information skills learning objectives, this beautifully-produced show is a winner with Magic Tree House® fans of all ages and school audiences alike. Audiences age 5-10. Running Time: 30 minutes. An original UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center production, written by Will Osborne, co-author of Space, the non-fi ction companion and research guide to the Magic Tree House® book Midnight on the Moon.

Magic Tree House® Space Mission is available exclusively from Sky-Skan distribution. To view a show preview or receive pricing information, visit SkySkan.com/shows or call +1 603-880-8500 or e-mail [email protected].

March 2012 Planetarian 35 National Geographic Films

Four Shows For Fulldome From The Giant Screen Solar Storms Available in 2D and 3D stereo. Take advantage of stunning giant screen quality with these films formatted for fulldome. Length: 20 minutes. Sea Monsters, Forces of Nature, and Bugs! were digitally scanned and reformatted for the A Melrae Pictures production in association with K2 dome using Sky-Skan’s flat-screen to dome transformation process. Solar For Storms, Communications. Developed with the assistance of NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Sky-Skan accessed the original animation files, adding spherical stereo cameras and Fulldome Version Produced and Distributed re-rendering each scene to take full advantage of the fulldome environment. We’re Exclusively By Sky-Skan. proud to provide quality titles that both excite and educate. Sea Monsters Request Your Preview DVD Today! Available in 2D and 3D stereo. Length: 40 minutes. Transformed from giant-screen film by Sky-Skan. Produced by National Geographic. Transform coverage is truncated from fulldome. Forces of Nature Length: 40 minutes. Transformed from giant-screen film by Sky-Skan. Previewing these shows is easy! Just request a DVD by sending an e-mail to Produced by National Geographic and Graphic Films, Inc. [email protected] with the shows you’d like to see and your mailing address. If you’d Transform coverage is truncated from fulldome. like pricing, then please include your annual attendance, approximate number of seats, and dome size. Bugs! Available in 2D and 3D stereo. View Our Complete Catalog On-line Length: 23 or 40 minute versions. Transformed from giant-screen film by Sky-Skan. Sky-Skan’s distribution catalog now has over 80 titles! You can browse them online and Produced by Principal Large Format and SK Films. watch preview videos for many of the shows at our website: SkySkan.com/shows. Transform coverage is truncated from fulldome.

36 SkySkan.com | Americas/Pacific tel +1 603-880-8500, [email protected] | Europe tel +49 89-6428-9231, [email protected] | Australia/Asia tel +61 3-9372-6444, [email protected] 2012 S11-a08-01 ing the scanning of slides and photographs of Professional Services Committee archival material. Ian McLennan and Thom- Chair Mike Murray- No report (Minutes, Continued from Page 32) as Kraupe are working with John on the sub- Elections Committee committee for establishing a database of de- Script Contest Committee Elections Committee Chair Martin ceased IPS members and to create a digital Chair Thomas Kraupe reported that the memorial as a mechanism to recognize re- George presented the IPS Elections Com- second announcement for the Contest was cently passed members. mittee report. The last cycle of elections ran announced in the 2011 spring edition of the smoothly and the Committee is gearing up Planetarian. The Committee is preparing to International Relations Committee for the nominations process to begin for the sponsor a workshop on storytelling/script- Chair Martin George and his committee next election. Affiliate Representatives are writing at the 2012 IPS Conference. Thom- have been busy promoting IPS to those areas urged to encourage their membership to con- as and Manos are encouraging the Affiliates of the globe that are underrepresented and/or sider running for an IPS office. Martin and the to raise awareness and promote the contest who have expressed interest in communicat- committee will work on suggestions for in- among their regional memberships. The dead- ing with the planetarium community. Con- creasing membership participation in the vot- line for this contest cycle is December 31, 2011. tacts and encouragement to our colleagues ing process. forged during the Alexandria Conference con- Strategic Planning Committee tinue. An additional activity of the commit- Publications Committee Chair Tom Mason proposed that he pass tee is aimed at gathering information from The IPS Publications Committee Chair the committee’s work over to the Officers to planetariums that have been affected by clo- Dale Smith Skyped in to present his report. reevaluate the future issues that should be ad- sures or risk of closure and studying the results Indications of the growing academic reputa- dressed by the committee. of any actions that were taken. tion of the Planetarian, under the editorship of Sharon Shanks, are: (1) authors may request Technology Committee Outreach Committee that their articles be peer-reviewed, and (2) Newly-appointed Chair Jack Dunn’s writ- Chair Jon Elvert presented the report on the Planetarian is entering an agreement with ten report stated that the first article explain- outreach efforts. Jon announced that produc- ENESCO Publishing for the Planetarian to be ing downloading video from the internet will tion has begun on a planetarium presenta- included in their database of academic and re- be submitted to the Planetarian and posted on tion regarding space exploration in the post- search journals. the Committee webpage. The committee will Shuttle era. The fulldome digital show and a Preparation of the next edition of the IPS continue to seek ways to help make our plan- Directory (which includes the IPS Directory kiosk-related program will be distributed free etarium colleagues’ professional lives easier in of the World’s Planetariums-the “white pag- to all planetarians attending the IPS 2012 con- their daily use of technology outside of specif- es”, and the IPS Resource Directory-the “yellow ference. The committee continues to pursue ic fulldome technology. pages”) is progressing and distribution should partnerships and exchange of resources with take place later this year. Chair Dale Smith other organizations. Chair Jon will participate Web Committee and Executive Editor Sharon Shanks proposed in the annual ASTC meeting in Baltimore, MD Chair Alan Gould’s written report ad- posting electronic versions of the Planetari- (USA) in October to disseminate information dressed some of the progress on issues relat- an on the members-only area of the IPS Web- on IPS programs, encourage IPS partnerships, ed to updating the content and redesign of site at a more current level. Council agreed to and promote the IPS 2012 Conference. the IPS Website. More interactivity related to posting the Planetarian back issues to within individual committee pages, a Council page, six months of the current issue (2 issues back). Planetarium Development Group Com- and other membership related developments Standing Committee Reports were filed. mittee will be a priority. Council reviewed the written report sub- The Ad Hoc Committee Reports were filed. Ad Hoc Committee Reports mitted by Chair Ken Wilson. The complet- President Dave Weinrich commented that Ad Hoc Committee Reports were present- ed chapters of the Planetarium Guidebook are there would be some changes to goals and ed, reviewed and discussed. Complete reports posted on the IPS Web Site. chair positions in some of the committees/po- will be posted on the IPS Web Site Commit- sitions within the next month or so. tee Pages. Portable Planetarium Committee Chair Susan Button presented her report Constitution Matters Education Committee on the Portable Planetariums. Two new doc- Secretary Lee Ann Hennig reported that all The written Education Committee Report uments have been posted to the IPS Portable revisions to the Standing Rules since the last from Chair Jack Northrup was reviewed. Planetarium Committee Web Page: “Mobile Council Meeting were incorporated in the The Committee continues to focus on up- Domes in Business,” which lists best prac- document and posted on the website follow- dating links relating to Professional Develop- tices for running a business with a portable ing the 2010 Conference. ment and on the U.S. national and state stan- planetarium.; and “Portable Planetarium dards for science and astronomy. Domes,” which is a list of commercial porta- Unfinished Business ble planetarium domes currently on the mar- The Council reviewed the proposed revi- Fulldome Committee ket. sions for the Conference Guidelines. The pro- President Dave Weinrich reported that An- Work continues on production of a collec- posal will be posted on line for Council evalu- tonio Pedrosa is the new chair of the com- tion of planetarium lessons authored by U.S. ation and comments in September; a second mittee and is busy in efforts to organize the educators from the “Week in Italy” Contest draft will then be discussed for approval. committee. There was no report. (1996-2010) for distribution to IPS members. Treasurer Shawn Laatsch presented a report Please contact the Committee for any news, on the cost/delegate for several of the latest History Committee photos, updates, corrections, and suggestions IPS Conferences. Council’s review of past con- Historian John Hare reported that his that would benefit the Portable Planetarium ferences is important in terms of conference committee is making progress on complet- community. (Continues on Page 38)

March 2012 Planetarian 37 other issue is the challenge of collecting the IAP Representative Loris Ramponi suggest- facts regarding the circumstances of such con- ed that there be a special message from the (Minutes, Continued from Page 37) ditions leading to a facility being placed at IPS President, perhaps Skyped in if not in per- planning, analyses of bids, and evaluation of risk. The committee will make suggestions on son, at Affiliate Conferences. We already use the conference process. how IPS can be made aware of these situations the DVD format of an IPS President’s Message, International Relations Committee Chair in a timely manner so that assistance/support but a Skype session is another alternative/ad- Martin George presented for Council approv- can be offered. Again, Affiliate Representatives dition. al of the Scholarship Application Form. * Tom should pass this information on to their mem- Mason moved to accept the Scholarship bership and communicate with IPS when situ- Project Reports Application Form as written, seconded by ations arise regarding the risk of closure. No reports. Mark Rigby and approved by Council. The form will be posted on the IPS Web Site New Business For the Good of the Order and in the Planetarian. The Application for Affiliation from the President Dave Weinrich expressed thanks Secretary Lee Ann Henning will post the Chinese Planetarium Society was reviewed. to the work of the Affiliate Representatives- results of the IPS Membership Survey on the *Martin George moved to accept the appli- they are the link between their members and Council site and suggested that another sur- cation, seconded by Susan Button and ap- IPS. vey be conducted within the next 2 years. proved by Council. With business completed, Tom Mason The “Planetariums at Risk” issue was dis- Shawn Laatsch informed Council that moved to adjourn the meeting, second- cussed by Council. Committee Chair Mar- there is a proposal to produce and distribute ed by Manos Kitsonas, and approved by tin George reviewed the proposed draft doc- a short (10-15 minutes) fulldome digital pro- Council. uments from the International Relations gram in the form of a “trailer” relating to light Respectfully submitted, Committee concerning a policy/action state- pollution. This would be in conjunction with Lee Ann A. Hennig ment for addressing the issue of IPS support the IAU Meeting to be held in Beijing in 2012. Executive Secretary, IPS for planetaria under threat of closure. One of Council directed Shawn to determine more July 2, 2011 the biggest issues is that IPS is not being noti- details relating to the proposal and then re- fied when a planetarium is at risk, and the an- port back to Council as soon as possible.

Installing audio/visual components

(How we do it, continued from Page 26) tion now used. This is a for more ambient lighting, our situation with special plug that allows late afternoon sunlight. The bright images, for digital video and au- plus shutters we plan to install, will improve dio to be transferred in viewing and also allow for a longer throw. one, small cable. But, with High contrast is also valuable. The high- HDMI, the longer the line er it is, the darker the black will be. All plane- and the higher the initial tarians know about the dreaded floating gray data rate, the better qual- rectangle; that’s why CRT projectors became ity (a high speed cable) it so popular. With CRT we could adjust for a needs to be to avoid po- true black. A contrast ratio of about 1000:1 tential data loss. The lim- will be pretty grey. 2000:1 will be better, but it for a long cable and a not black. Many better projectors can attain 1080 pixel signal is about 20,000:1 with non-LED light sources now. 16 feet (5 meters). The mount is not super complex. It allows Another fact I discov- the projector to be hung from the ceiling so it ered about HDMI cables is out of the way. Prices should range between is that the video signal is $50 to $75. Things to check: how adjustable only digital. That’s great, Here's the left end of the screen. The end cap has not yet been installed, they are for how far down from the ceiling since that signal is the but allows one to see details. Once the cap is on, almost the entire they hang, how they attach to any projector, screen case will be hidden. All that will be left is the slit for the screen best possible. But our pro- and how much load they can carry. itself to pass through. jector has a VGA connec- Blu-ray players are pretty fancy now with tion, which is analog. I’ve most models in the $100-200 range. The Blu- tle more ($50) and it will be wireless! This all heard that DVI and HDMI are the same, but ray standard is also designed to be upgrade- means you can show photos and videos from actually they’re not. DVI is the current con- able. It will be backwards compatible, but as a portable drive, connect to your home net- nection for computers to monitors and can new features are added to the Blu-ray discs, work, and, via the internet, access YouTube handle both digital and analog. That is why then a newer player will be needed. Most of and Netflix and watch movies and TV. You simple adapters exist to convert DVI to VGA the newest versions can handle BD-Video, can, with a video camera, use Skype, for com- or vice-versa. which is video with a high bit rate audio, and municating. An SD card slot allows for storage To convert HDMI to VGA, however, you 3-D content. 3-D requires a very high bit rate and playback of online content related to Blu- need a converter box. This is a separate elec- (data transfer rate) to handle the doubling of ray movies. Updating the firmware is also pos- tronic device that does what your comput- frames, along with the audio and much more. sible to make sure you are up-to-date in inter- er video card will do and cost approximately Blu-ray players also will play regular DVD net-related software. $50-$100. It took me about a week of search- and CD discs, can handle USB devices, and A note about Blu-ray players and how they ing online for an actual reason why convert- have Ethernet connection. You can pay a lit- connect to projectors: HDMI is the connec- (Continues on Page 61)

38 Planetarian March 2012 YOURCOMING FULLDOME SOON AND FOR PLANETARIUM THEATER! Discover the Legend Written in the Stars...

Narrated by Terry O’Quinn

A New Fulldome Show From Evans & Sutherland Digital Theater Productions and the eugenides foundation planetarium

Digital Theater March 2012 Planetarian www.es.com 39 [email protected]

Lamps of Atlantis AD.indd 1 10/13/2011 10:22:58 AM 40 Planetarian March 2012 Rangsit Science Centre for Education 5 Mu 2 T. Rangsit Klong 6 Tanyaburi, Patumthan The flooded walkway to the Saraburi planetarium made it impos- sible to reach the facility, effectively closing the planetarium’s ac- and tivities for months. Saraburi Planetarium Ban Mo, Saraburi Thailand

Contributed by Johan Gijsenbergs Bangkok

When the monsoon season hit Thailand a few months ago, no one could predict that a national disaster was in the making. A flood covering 23 of Thailands’ 76 provinces brought tragedy and misery to millions of people. Two of the major planetariums in Thailand, at Saraburi and Rangsit, had to close for months due to the incoming water. The Saraburi planetarium, about two hours’ drive from Bangkok, is located on an island and they are a bit used to the water, but this year was extreme. Most hit, however, was the planetarium at the Rangsit Sci- ence Center for Education, located about 50 km outside Bang- kok. The planetarium itself kept dry since it is a bit higher than its surroundings. Because the Rangsit Science Center is a governmental insti- tute, it quickly became a rescue camp for families. More than 1,000 people were brought in by military trucks to shelter at the science center. Instead of the stars, the focus of the planetar- ium staff turned to comforting their guests with food, care and a place to sleep. The staff did a wonderful job for their flooded community and is well respected for their care. Both planetariums kept dry from the inside, but, being sur- rounded by water, both had to close their doors. By the beginning of December the water began receding slowly and cleanup operations began to bring back the facil- ities’ operations back to normal. The floods were devastating, but the disaster showed that a planetarium is part of society it- self and can adapt to those needs with the same focus and deter- mination as they do on a normal day. The staff of the science center made a small movie of their sit- uation during this time. You can find their story at youtu.be/ CV3bWxCnp8U; it vividly shows what a critical situation they were in. Top: A picture taken in late October shows the entrance of the Rang- If you want to show your support as well, contact Prof. Panya sit Science Center, where water reaches to the chest of a planetar- Srikrajang from the Rangsit planetarium at [email protected]. ium staff member. Next two: What looks like a yearly astronomy He is my hero of the year. I camp actually is a refugee camp next to the doors of the planetari- um. All photos by Panya Srikrajang

March 2012 Planetarian 41 I have worked with using this strategy can Educational Horizons jump between monitor and independent transparently as a way to focus the student’s Jack L. Northrup instruction. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planetarium King Science and Technology Magnet Center Fun with moon phases 3720 Florence Blvd., Omaha, Nebraska 68110 USA Do you know your waxings from your +1 402-557-4494 wanings, or is there a difference in the last and [email protected] third quarter moons? (I know that you know How did life on Earth begin? This tantalizing question what is going on but, these are good starter questions to have for classes as they enter.) forms the basis of the Morrison Planetarium’s most recent It has been an interesting school year so far. understand it. spare pea When I know I have a group coming to vis- production, Life: A Cosmic Story. Narrated by Academy We started with our modified start-of-year The basic structure of the idea is to break in- it that is going to be studying moon phases, I activities, implemented the newly-adopted struction into four sub-groups: guided, shared, Award winner Jodie Foster, the show launches the audience put up my poster from the original Karate Kid state science standards, and had a covert gath- monitored, and independent. on a journey through time, witnessing key events since movie1 and reference Mr. Miyagi as a kines- ering of astronomy students in the school foy- Using the transit of Venus as an example, let thetic astronomy teacher, wax on with right the Big Bang that set the stage for life. Visualizations drive er to celebrate Lunar New Year with a mini- me explain. hand and wax (replace as wane) off with left dragon dances. The guided part of the lesson would be the the narrative—from turbulent, star- and planet-forming hand. However, the event that has caught most “sit and get” information part of the presen- giant molecular clouds to the microscopic activity of Unfortunately, students who have seen interest is the transit of Venus. tation, with the planetarian/teacher as the only the most current remake of the film2 saw photosynthesis—in what the New York Times calls “a visually My astronomy students are working on a source of all information, i.e. Planet Venus will this action for only a few seconds. So I made few cross-curricular activities to promote in- pass in front of the sun on June 5, 2012. Let’s look spectacular demonstration.” Named the 2011 Jackson Hole a little 45-second loop of Asian-inspired mu- formation on the event. at this map of the Earth and see if we can observe Wildlife Film Festival’s Best Fulldome Program. sic and we “wax on” and “wane off” before the •• Graphical/Digital Arts: Creating web friend- it from our location. presentation. ly graphics and information on the transit, Shared invites the students to join a little I am fortunate that I get to have my stu- including safe observing procedures. bit more of the active learning, but they are in dents for an extended period of time and we •• Language Arts/Journalism: Preparing press a collaborative state with the students around integrated this into a larger activity, a small releases about people’s experiences observ- them. Well, I have this light bulb in the front group multiple intelligences lesson. For this ing the transit. of the planetarium and we will call it the sun. lesson, I let the students decide if they want •• Mathematics: Calculating the size of ob- I have a pea on a toothpick that will be Venus. to present the information on moon phases jects using limb darkening. (We seriously Discuss with your elbow partners (students on ei- through actions, dance, song, poetry, prose, or baked some fake numbers for this activi- ther side of you) what you think it will look like art. ty and I was not happy with its appearance when Venus (wiggle toothpick) goes in front IMMERSE + ENGAGE This year I have had several memorable in- so I am not making it available to the pub- of the sun (gesture to bulb). terpretations of the moon phases through lic yet.) A well put together resource lesson Allow them to discuss for no more than 2 dance, using a variety of songs as the back- Fulldome science storytelling from the california academy of sciences is www.transitofvenus.org/education/sci- minutes. Ask Do we have any volunteers with ground, notably “Gotta Get Thru This” by ence-math/316-activity-pixel-count ideas? and invite the students up to the demo Daniel Bedingfield, “Apache” by The Sugarhill •• Astronomy: Recreating the transit using the space to make the transit happen. Gang, and “Ride of the Valkyries” by Rich- planetarium and the fulldome system. Always have extra peas stashed in the plan- ard Wagner. We have a teacher with the last etarium, as one of my students thought it was name Moon and he was asked by a group of Some transit lesson ideas like when a comet passes too close to the sun students to provide the “man in the moon.” I wanted to give you, as readers and plane- and proceeded to eat the pea. They did a stop-motion animation of his face FRAGILE PLANET tarians, some ideas for different lessons to do Monitored is providing the students oppor- going through the phases with the assistance for the transit. However, what if you live in tunity to study independently with the in- of some dark construction paper. parts of the world that will not see the tran- structor checking for understanding. Often Earth’s Place in the Universe A slogan on one group’s posters of moon sit, or what if it is a cloudy day? That lesson this is done by “take back to school activities,” phases that read “New Moon—is still the Old would have to be filed away until the next but I am going to act like this is my planetari- Moon just nothing is visible” done in graffi- Travel 120 light years to rediscover home! transit in 2117 (I know that when I am 139 um, where we have space for students to write. ti style over other statements like “Old Moon years old, it will be very important for me to Using your map of the solar system labeled Sigourney Weaver guides audiences on an immersive kicked out of solar system.” “Bulb burned out present that lesson to my students). elongation, mark which position Venus will excursion that explores a Universe filled with the in Moon, NASA concerned.” “Aliens steal the So, instead, I am focusing less on the topic have to be in to have a transit take place. Check Moon—will return it for Bieber3 tickets.” possibility of life. This visually rich program is grounded of the transit and more on it as a tool of in- to make sure the students have identified in- Did this work? Well, this January our struction. ferior conjunction. If others are marked, then in observed data, with an evocative, multi-dimensional eighth graders took the state science exam My school district has been deploying an reteach, explaining why it would not work to sound environment by renowned giant screen composer pre-test and one of the proctors came up to instructional method called “Gradual Release have Venus at opposition or superior conjunc- me afterwards and mentioned students mov- Michael Stearns. Develop a renewed appreciation for our of Instruction,” and this triggered a smile from tion. ing their hands in little circles on the table, the staff at my school. You see, we have been Independent means that there is now fragile planet through the lens of astronomy. like they were polishing it. Never question the using this method for several years and found enough confidence that the students can power of Mr. Miyagi. I it to be a successful scaffolding method and work on understanding without introducing For more information contact: instructional style for working with students misconceptions. Again, I am using my plane- Maral Papakhian who do not have confidence in their knowl- tarium as the sample. On your computers, open 1 The original 1984 movie starred Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi and Ralph Macchio as the “kid.” The “wax on, 415 379 5127 edge of a content area. Transit.blend from the desktop. I have loaded the wax off” was a hand-strengthened exercise that in- Our Spanish teacher, for example, calls this elements there for a transit. Your task is to simu- volved actually waxing a car. [email protected] teaching strategy “Yo, Nosotros, Tu” for “I (yo) late Venus transiting the sun. 2 2010, starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith 3 Justin Bieber, 18, a Canadian pop singer, a current present it, we (nosotros) learn it, so you (tu) The truly masterful teachers with whom For full-length previews of both shows visit: pre-teen hearthrob. www.calacademy.org/domeshows username “d0mesh0ws”* 42 Planetarian March 2012 password “m0rris0n”* *use number "0" instead of letter "O." How did life on Earth begin? This tantalizing question forms the basis of the Morrison Planetarium’s most recent production, Life: A Cosmic Story. Narrated by Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, the show launches the audience on a journey through time, witnessing key events since the Big Bang that set the stage for life. Visualizations drive the narrative—from turbulent, star- and planet-forming giant molecular clouds to the microscopic activity of photosynthesis—in what the New York Times calls “a visually spectacular demonstration.” Named the 2011 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival’s Best Fulldome Program.

IMMERSE + ENGAGE Fulldome science storytelling from the california academy of sciences

FRAGILE PLANET Earth’s Place in the Universe

Travel 120 light years to rediscover home! Sigourney Weaver guides audiences on an immersive excursion that explores a Universe filled with the possibility of life. This visually rich program is grounded in observed data, with an evocative, multi-dimensional sound environment by renowned giant screen composer Michael Stearns. Develop a renewed appreciation for our fragile planet through the lens of astronomy.

For more information contact: Maral Papakhian 415 379 5127 [email protected]

For full-length previews of both shows visit: www.calacademy.org/domeshows username “d0mesh0ws”* March 2012 Planetarian 43 password “m0rris0n”* *use number "0" instead of letter "O." Visualization Lab at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the IMERSA News University of Illinois, NASA’s Scientific Visu- alization Studio, the Denver Museum of Na- ture & Science, and Thomas Lucas Produc- Judith Rubin tions, Inc. Communications Director, IMERSA.org Other notable recent shows on the program [email protected] included A Starry Tale (Kagaya Studio), The Wildest Weather in the Solar System (Nation- al Geographic) and Life: a Cosmic Story (Cali- fornia Academy of Sciences), which won Best future growth and modification. Fulldome standards: the dialog Fulldome Program at the 2011 Jackson Hole As the number of digital dome theaters and IMERSA’s working documents for estab- Wildlife Film Festival. the capabilities of systems both continue to lishing fulldome standards are headquartered online at www.imersa.org, and also posted at evolve and to grow, de facto standards estab- Summit report pending lish themselves. www.fulldome.com, for community review Did you join the fulldome community for IMERSA has been working to create for- and feedback. the IMERSA 2012 Fulldome Summit? If not, mal standards that take de facto issues into ac- The process is being spearheaded by Ryan watch for a report in the next issue of the Plan- count while also addressing gaps in meeting Wyatt of the California Academy of Sciences etarian. Organizers billed the event as a histor- the needs of operators, producers, distributors, and Ed Lantz of Vortex Immersion Media. The ic “conversation of convergence.” and audiences—with room to accommodate group led a real-time discussion at the IMERSA The first summit was held in conjunction Fulldome Summit in Denver in with the IPS meeting in 2008 in Chicago and February, with a view to estab- the second in conjunction with the Jackson lishing an official IMERSA Stan- Hole Wildlife Symposium 2010 in Denver. In dards Committee to take the this third gathering, IMERSA has continued process to the next stage. its practice of working closely with affiliate Whether or not you attend- organizations with shared interests, cultivat- ed the summit, you can join ing speakers and participation from the Giant the standards dialog now on Screen Cinema Association, the Themed En- the web—and additional vol- tertainment Association, the Producers Guild unteers are also invited to step of America, and the Great Lakes Planetarium up to join the committee. Association. The Great Lakes Planetarium On the program were seasoned pioneers Association (GLPA) has com- such as Ian McLennan (project/planetarium municated strong support of consultant) and Jeffrey Kirsch (executive di- IMERSA’s efforts to move this rector of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center), process forward, with Daniel planetarium mainstays such as Mark Peters- Tell (Roger B Chaffee Planetar- en of Loch Ness Productions, early adopters of ium, Grand Rapids) participat- fulldome such as Mike Murray of Clark Plan- ing in the summit as a GLPA etarium and David Beining of ArtsLab, inno- representative. vative fulldome artists such as Hue Walker and themed entertainment specialists such as Two premieres in George Wiktor of The GW Group, producer Denver Valerie Johnson-Redrow and fulldome entre- On the schedule of screen- preneur Markus Beyr. ings for the summit were two This diverse mix of voices was set up to fos- fulldome world premieres: ter dialog between sectors and to continue Lamps of Atlantis and Dynam- pushing the creative and business potential. ic Earth. A series of tech sessions enabled fulldome sys- A co-production between tem providers and tool developers to advance Evans & Sutherland’s Digital the conversation and awareness of what is Theater Productions and the possible. Eugenides Foundation plane- tarium in Athens, Lamps of At- Digital symposium “game changer” lantis explores the mytholo- The Digital Cinema Symposium at Galves- gy of Atlantis and investigates ton’s Moody Gardens, held January 9-10, 2012, clues to the origin of the names was perceived as a game-changer in the giant of modern constellations that screen industry. The event was sponsored by may have come from this mys- Barco, world-record holder for the brightest terious civilization. digital cinema projector, and museum cinema (Top) From the program Dynamic Earth, volcanoes belch CO2 on Earth’s sister planet, Venus, and (Center) surface ocean currents Dynamic Earth explores the integrator D3D Cinema. on Earth, visualized by NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. inner workings of Earth’s cli- Highlights included a keynote talk by cin- Courtesy Spitz Inc. (Bottom) Still from Lamps of Atlantis. Cour- mate engine. It is the result of ema pioneer Doug Trumbull, high frame-rate tesy Evans & Sutherland. collaboration between Spitz demonstrations in 3D, and demonstrations of Creative Media, the Advanced (Continues on Page 46)

44 Planetarian March 2012 March 2012 Planetarian 45 (IMERSA, Continued from Page 44) tions and workshop contributions, April 3. Workshops, April 30. www. Barco’s Enhanced 4K DLP Cinema® fulldome-festival.de 3D projection system for giant screen May 31-June 2, Ecsite Annual cinemas. Barco also demonstrated for Conference 2012, Toulouse, France the first time a new 55k lumen laser Theme: “Space and Time, Unlim- DLP video projection system that is ited.” Professionals from science cen- currently under development, and ters, natural history museums, uni- their Auro-3D multi-channel three versities, aquariums, zoos, research dimensional audio system. institutes and private companies will The 4K digital projection dem- converge to discuss the hottest top- onstration included a split-screen ics in science communication. The shootout with 15-perf/70mm film city’s famed Natural History Muse- projection. At the end of the demon- um is a partner of this year’s confer- strations, the audience overwhelm- ence. www.ecsite.eu ingly voted digital the winner in an June 8-10, Produced By Confer- informal show of hands. Barco’s la- ence, Los Angeles, California USA ser projector, presented on a 75-foot- Still from Arthur L’Adventure 4D, one of the recipients of a Thea Award at the TEA Summit in March. Courtesy Futuroscope, Poitiers, France. Organized by the Producers Guild wide unity gain screen, was also a hit. of America in association with In- Attendees seemed to agree that the ternational CES. Reaching across the digital revolution of giant screen cin- film, television and new media in- ema has begun. Tours: The Adventures Continue (a refresh of dustries, the conference is an educational fo- the popular ride with new digital projection rum that drew more than 2,000 participants Group of advisers expands and gaming-style interactivity). www.teacon- last year. www.producersguild.org IMERSA is expanding its management team nect.org. July 11-15, ESOF 2012: Euroscience Open Fo- through ongoing recruitment of advisers. This March 20-22, GSCA Film Expo 2012 & rum, Dublin, Ireland group of industry veterans provides guidance Dome Day, co-hosted by Euromax, Poitiers Euroscience represents European scientists and advice to the IMERSA board of directors and Paris, France of all disciplines (natural sciences, mathemat- without having to shoulder the full burden of Annual presentation of new films and films ics, medical sciences, engineering, social sci- a board member. in progress for the giant screen cinema mar- ences, humanities and the arts), from the busi- It includes kets. March 20–21 at Parc du Futuroscope, ness and industry sector, institutions of the •• Dina Benadon, vice chair, New Media Coun- Poitiers; March 22: Dome Day, La Géode, Par- public sector, universities and research insti- cil, Producers Guild of America; is. www.giantscreencinema.com. tutes. ESOF is said to be Europe’s largest and •• Immersive attractions expert and entrepre- April 18-20, 12th International Public most prestigious general science meeting and neur Markus Beyr Communication of Science & Technology is held in a leading European city every two •• Mike Bruno, creative media director at Spitz Conference, Florence, Italy years. esof2012.org Inc. Theme: “Quality, Honesty and Beauty in September 5-7, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film •• Paul Fraser, president at Blaze Digital Cine- Science Communication.” Organized by the Festival Symposium 2012, Denver, Colorado ma Works LLC PCST International Network and hosted by USA •• Martin Howe, chief executive at Global Im- Observa Science in Society, Fondazione Gi- At the Denver Museum of Nature & Sci- mersion annino Bassetti, Galileo Museum Florence and ence. Organizers promise more details soon. •• John Jacobsen, White Oak Associates INAF National Institute for Astrophysics. Con- www.jhfestival.org •• David McConville, creative director at firmed speakers include: Piero Angela (RAI, September 18-21, GSCA Internation- Worldviews Network and co-founder and Italian Public TV), Felice Frankel (MIT), Hel- al Conference, Trade Show & Dome Day, director of Noospheric Research at The Elu- ga Nowotny (president, European Research Sacramento and San Jose, California, USA menati Council), Semir Zeki (University College Lon- Screenings, sessions and technical pre- •• Mark Petersen, president of Loch Ness Pro- don), Martin W. Bauer (LSE, editor of journal sentations for the giant screen cine- ductions; and Public Understanding of Science), John Du- ma markets. September 18-20, confer- •• Tammy Thurmon, executive director of rant (MIT Museum of Science), Edna Einsiedel ence and trade show, Esquire IMAX the Giant Screen Cinema Association. (University of Calgary), Bruce V Lewenstein Theatre, Sacramento. September 21, Dome Day, (Cornell University). www.pcst2012.org The Tech Museum, San Jose. www.giantscre- Upcoming events: 2012 April 29–May 2, American Association encinema.com March 15-17, TEA Summit & Thea Awards, of Museums 2012 Annual Meeting & Museu- September 20-21, SATE Conference, Paris, Anaheim, California, USA mExpo, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, France This two-day conference of the Themed USA Themed Entertainment Association’s an- Entertainment Association culminates with Theme: Creative Community. New this nual conference on Experience Design. SATE TEA’s Thea Awards Gala. The Thea Awards year are sessions focused on career, manage- stands for Story, Architecture, Technology, recognize excellence in the creation of com- ment and leadership development. www. Experience. Co-chairs of SATE 2012 are Yves pelling places and experiences. aam-us.org Pepin and Joe Rohde. www.teaconnect.org This year’s Thea Award recipients include May 8-12, 6th FullDome Festival at the Jena October 13-16, ASTC 2012, Columbus, Arthur L’Adventure 4D at Futuroscope (a 4D ex- Zeiss Planetarium, Jena, Germany Ohio USA perience in a digital dome), YOU! The Expe- Theme: “Dissolving Space.” Professional, in- Annual meeting of the Association of Sci- rience at the Museum of Science & Industry, dependent and student productions. Submis- ence-Technology Centers. Theme: “Advanc- Chicago (an educational exhibit with inter- sion deadlines: Full-length feature shows and ing the field of informal science education.” active digital components) and Disney’s Star short films/clips, March 2. Student produc- www.astc.org I

46 Planetarian March 2012 March 2012 Planetarian 47 48 Planetarian March 2012 The show will benefit from the partner- International News ship of the European Southern Observatory (which celebrates its 50th birthday in 2012), Lars Broman and Hamburg Planetarium (Thomas Kraupe), Teknoland and Strömstad Academy and is realized with the help of private spon- Stångtjärnsv 132 sorships. SE 791 74 Falun, Sweden The show will explore the depths of neb- +46 2310 177 ulae and stars, accompanying the astrophysi- [email protected], [email protected] cist Eva Luna through an attractive story de- www.teknoland.se, www.stromstadakademi.se voted to water—the symbol of life—which is formed in the cosmos (H in the primordial At my latitude, 60° north, dusk is quite long, ippines/Asia and India. universe, O in the cores of stars) and searched and in the middle of the winter—when I write LSS training days are regularly organized by for on the surface of exoplanets. this—also quite early in the afternoon. Thus, Lionel Ruiz and Yves Lhoumeau to introduce The audience will discover in particular it has been a perfect time to teach my young planetarium leaders and animators to full- how the upcoming splendid European Ex- grandchild Vincent (3 1/2) a little astronomy, dome video format and the educational uses tremely Large Telescope will be used to help pointing out for him the two brilliant planets of the system. us understand why and how everyone is con- while no stars are visible. However, his little The 28th APLF Conference will be held at nected to the cosmos, linking us to the great- sister, Claudia (1 1/2) protested. Pointing first at the Planetarium de Bretagne in Pleumeur-Bo- est story of all times. Venus and then at Jupiter she exclaimed “It’s a dou, (Côtes d’Armor, France), from 17 to 20 Inspired by the shape and function of in- star! It’s a star!” I suppose I have to get back to May 2012. For more information, please con- sect eyes, the show will make use of the Pan- the subject of planets versus stars when she is tact [email protected]. optic camera for special 3D effects, a revolu- a bit older. Sky-Skan equipped this 20-m theater in 2010. tionary piece of technology developed by the Electrical Engineering Institute at the École The International News column is built on The 30-minute planetarium film H2O: Our contributions from IPS Affiliate Associations. Polytechnique Fédérale de Lau- If you have news that you want colleagues sanne in Switzerland. For infor- worldwide to read, please send them to your mation, see www.trendhunter. IPS representative (see page 3). Their deadlines com/trends/panoptic-camera. are 1 April 2012 for Planetarian 2/2012 and 1 Short educational add-on July for 2/2012, so they need your news ahead modules created by Hamburg of those dates. You who want to contribute Planetarium will complement news from parts of the world where IPS has the show, allowing post-show no Affiliate Association are welcome to send live/real-time interaction with them to Martin George, martingeorge3@hot- the public to develop and up- mail.com. date some scientific questions For contributions to this International and to lengthen the show ex- News column, I sincerely thank Agnès Ack- perience. Hamburg Planetari- er, Vadim Belov, Bart Benjamin, Ignacio Cas- um plans to also make the full- tro, Alex Delivorias, Jack Dunn, Line Visby dome show scenes available in Hansen, Aase Roland Jacobsen, John Hare, Na- stereoscopic 3D. taliya Kovalenko, Thomas Kraupe, Loris Ram- A 15-year license (including poni, Jenny Shipway, Mike Smith, Rachel VAT) is 47 €/seat; a kit for ana- Thompson, and Michele Wistisen. I wish you log/opto-mecanical theaters is and other representatives back with news for 32 €/seat; and the cost for por- upcoming Planetarian issues. tables is 633 €. Special prices are proposed for APLF mem- Association of French-Speaking bers and German planetariums. Planetariums More information is available Lhoumeau Sky-System (LSS) is a France- from [email protected] based planetarium vendor offering systems at tra.fr. low cost for small and medium planetariums. It consists of a very high quality video projec- Association of Italian tor, an optical device with a classical optic, a Planetaria diagonal mirror and a fisheye lens, a comput- In November, Simonetta Er- er with a decent graphic card and a large hard coli (Ignazio Danti Planetari- drive, software allowing fisheye projection, um of Perugia) and an operator AFP: (Top) During the tour in Bergues during the 27th APLF Con- and a remote control and a mouse for an eas- of Serafino Zani Astronomical ference; (Below) Workshop around digital portable planetari- ier control in the dark. See www.lss-planetari- ums, Marseille Planetarium, December 2011. Photos by Lionel Ruiz. Observatory conducted a labo- ums.info. ratory together via Skype dur- To date, 82 LSS are working in the world: ing the Perugia Science Fest. France 28, Spain 30, Italy 4, USA 3, two each Story will be produced for the fall of 2012 by The activity was for primary schools and con- in Portugal, Russia, and Africa, and one each APLF in French, German and English, pro- sisted of creative experiences with the constel- in Australia, Belgium, UK, Netherlands, Swit- duced by Didier GrosJean (French Master- lations as subject matter, using poor, recycled zerland, Poland, Canada, Mexico, Brasil, Phil- Films society, creator of The Future of Airbus). and salvaged material.

March 2012 Planetarian 49 stellation on the poster map. It will be a Digistar 4 projector under a perfo- 4. A group of three children rated aluminum 8-m (27-ft) dome, with a 5.1 were given a sheet of paper sound system and a seating capacity of 46-50, with buttons representing a still to be defined. constellation. They had to Another one is the Tuxtla Gutierrez Plane- draw the figure on a sheet of tarium in the State of Chiapas, at present un- paper and then had to find der construction, which will house a Digistar the constellation on the post- 4 projection system under a 15-m (50-ft) dome er map. All the children drew with two JVC cove projectors and 3D frontal the constellation correctly projection. It also will be equipped with a Ki- and then found it. nect motion sensing device, HD video projec- Other experiences via Sky- tion, and video astronomy projection means. pe are being organized in the coming months, one involv- British Association of ing the young members of Planetaria the group Astro-mome man- The British Association of Planetaria’s an- aged by Planetarium-Observa- nual meeting was held at Liverpool World tory of Laval (France) and dur- Museum, supported by E&S, Global Immer- ing the next Day of Planetaria sion, NSC Creative, Reef Distribution, RSA (March 18). Cosmos, Skypoint, Sky-Skan (who treated the To participate in the Day of participants to dinner at Liverpool Cathedral), Planetaria (www.dayofplane- and Zeiss. The meeting was well-attended by taria.org) is very easy. Perugia members, and also by some overseas visitors. Planetarium and Lumezzane At the general meeting, Shaaron Lever- Planetarium and Observatory ment (Explorer Dome), having transformed invite planetariums that will BAP during her maximum 3-year term as pres- be open on Sunday 18 March ident, passed this role to Dr. Jenny Shipway to join the day and to collabo- (INTECH Science Centre & Planetarium). Lev- rate with Italian planetariums. erment will continue to be closely involved In Perugia and Lumezzane, with BAP in the role of past president. for example, during the public The meeting included a wide variety of programs, images of planetar- demonstrations by sponsors, both digital and iums from around the world optical, and a taste of 3D real-time display. Par- are shown. In fact, a short con- ticipants shared best practices and learned tinuous presentation is run in some Makaton sign language before ending the planetarium hall. with Leverment’s wonderfully entertaining AIP: (Top) Skype lesson during the Perugia Science Fest; (Below) To participate in this slide- astronomy quiz. Finding the constellations on clear lids. Courtesy of Perugia Plan- show, please send your logo, a In member news, they are sorry to report etarium photo of the building, the pro- that Ray Worthy (Stargazer Planetariums UK) gram for the day, and a short has officially ceased trading after struggling The operator who conducted the laborato- paragraph about a particular point, e.g. the these past five years after a sudden loss of vi- ry from Brescia sometime used webcam like reason for the planetarium’s name. sion. The core of the business has been taken a small puppet theater, and Simonetta Ercoli Send the materials to osservatorio@sera- over by Richard Lake. supported him in Perugia. The laboratory con- finozani.it. There possibly will be organized They have also lost the NEPIC Planetarium sisted of four main steps: during the day a short Skype contact between (Durham University), but more positively, a 1. Every child had to make a creative picture the public of two different planetariums. cluster of southern universities have new mo- on a sheet of paper where there were some All these experiences will be described and bile domes funded by SEPnet. points representing the brightest stars of a discussed during the next national conference Other members have been busy, including constellation. Then they had to name the of Italian Association of Planetaria (Planit), on Inishowen Maritime Museum and Planetari- drawing and at the end had to find the real 14-15 April 2012, at the Brembate Planetarium, um, celebrating World Space Week with a free constellation on the map. They showed near the city of Bergamo. During the Italian rocketry display, a variety of science-art proj- their creative drawings to the Brescia oper- meetings, foreign speakers, planetarians, plan- ects at Thinktank, new presenter-led shows ator through webcam via Skype. (See many etarium makers and planetarium show pro- at At-Bristol and planetarium adaptations of examples of constellation drawing at the ducers are invited to submit a paper/abstract guest-speakers’ lectures at the Royal Observa- end of the page www.astrofilibresciani.it/ using Skype. tory Greenwich. Scienza_a_Scuola/Inventa_Costellall/In- venta_Costellazione.htm.) Association of Mexican Council of German Planetaria 2. A group of three children had to find the Planetariums At the November RDP meeting at Carl Zeiss constellations drawn on three transparent The number of Mexican planetariums Planetarium, Stuttgart, progress was report- yogurt container lids on the map. changing to digital projection systems is in- ed in finally establishing the new organisa- 3. A group of three children were given a creasing. One of them is the Planetrio de Cu- tional structure. The new Society of German blank map with two highlighted constel- ernavaca, in the State of Morelos, where AM- Speaking Planetaria GDP (www.gdp-planetari- lations. They had to draw the figure on a PAC’s annual meeting will take place in um.org), which has more than 70 members al- sheet of paper and then had to find the con- March 2012 to see the dome’s new equipment. ready, has now been fully registered and is in

50 Planetarian March 2012 (Left) CGP: Axel Meyer under the dome of Planetarium Hamburg introducing his multi- player fulldome game 360Touchit. Photo by Axel Meyer. (Above) EMPA: Puppet Theatre of Rijeka and school children in the Planetarium of Rijeka, Croatia. Photo by Petar Fabijan. the process of taking over the affiliation and multi-user interactivity will now be devel- Finally, the Eugenides Planetarium cel- the IPS Council seat from RDP (Council of oped further in close cooperation between ebrated the 2011 winter solstice with the German Planetaria). Hamburg and Lübeck for future use in other screening of its latest production, The Long This will be official as soon as IPS Coun- theaters. Night, to the backdrop of live musical impro- cil has reviewed the documents and agreed, In Vienna, Peter Habison, former director at visations by composer Dimitri Papadimitri- which will assure continuity and a broad- Vienna Planetarium, has taken over new re- ou. The Long Night is a visual 40-minute tour er access for those interested in planetariums sponsibilities for astronomy and space activ- of the universe from the night sky to the fur- in German-speaking areas. The official ad- ities at the Natural History Museum. thest reaches of space. dress of this new Society is: GDP, Gesellschaft On 11 February, Wilhelm Foerster Obser- Further north, in the Greek city of Thessa- Deutschsprachiger Planetarien, c/o Zeiss- vatory/Planetarium in Berlin celebrated the loniki, the Noesis Science Center and Tech- Großplanetarium, Prenzlauer Allee, D-10405 90th birthday of its former long-term plane- nology Museum hosted CERN’s new Acceler- Berlin, Germany. The email is info@gdp-plan- tarium director, Adolph Kunert, who also is ating Science traveling exhibition, designed etarium.org. quite well-known for his successful work in to communicate the basic principles of par- The first GDP Conference will happen on the international planetarium community. ticle physics, the fundamental questions it 5-7 May 2012 at Planetarium Wolfsburg. The raises and the research tools used, namely the conference website is under development at European/Mediterranean Large Hadron Collider and experiments. The gdp.planetarium-wolfsburg.de. Planetarium Association exhibition was open to the public in October. In October 2011, the Zeiss-Planetarium Wednesday 7 December 2011 was a special In November, Noesis and the French Acad- Jena, the longest operating planetarium in the day for the Eugenides Planetarium in Athens. emy of Thessaloniki, in collaboration with world, replaced its ADLIP Fulldome Lasersys- Marine conservationist Pierre-Yves Cousteau, Kalendi Editions and Ianos Bookstore, invited tem with a VELVET System from Carl Zeiss the son of legendary underwater explorer and French astrophysicist Christophe Galfard for Jena. Eight digital projectors now work as sup- filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau, introduced a presentation of the different physical phe- plement to the optomechanical star projector to a packed audience his Secrets of the Medi- nomena related to the sky, the sun and Earth’s UNIVERSARIUM. terranean: Cousteau’s Lost World, a 45-minute atmosphere. His talk, “From the birth of the During 8-12 May 2012, right after the GDP documentary created in collaboration with stars to the clouds in the sky: a cosmic voyage Conference in Wolfsburg, Jena planetarium marine ecologist Enric Sala for National Geo- for understanding the climate” was enthusi- will host again a Fulldome Festival. Please find graphic, to commemorate the centennial of astically received by the audience, who pep- details at www.fulldome-festival.de. Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s birth. pered Galfard with questions long after the The ongoing cooperation between Plan- Secrets of the Mediterranean attempts to as- end of his presentation. etarium Hamburg and the University of Ap- sess the health of the Mediterranean today by Also in November, Noesis presented a col- plied Sciences of the city of Lübeck in the field comparing historical footage from Cousteau’s lection of stunning space photographs taken of information technology and design has led earliest exploration of the Mediterranean Sea by Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, to a great achievement. to that filmed by his son and Enric Sala. who captivated his audience with his story- The master’s thesis of Axel Meyer was In November, the Eugenides Foundation telling of his experiences during several space awarded with the esteemed Possehl Engineer and the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece or- missions. Award. He developed an iPhone app working ganised a two-day symposium on Art-Science- The Astronomical Centre Rijeka, Croatia with the E&S Digistar fulldome system of the Universe. The symposium, which was open introduced some novelties in its regular pro- planetarium that now allows more than 200 to the public, included presentations by em- gram for 2012. The first trimester was dedicat- players to individually and simultaneously inent scientists, historians of art and philos- ed to the presentation Kauloka’Hina for the control and interact with objects on the dome ophers, as well as Russian cosmonaut Fyodor youngest and wide public. Also shown was using their smartphones or iPads. This unique Yurchikhin. The Sky Beneath Us, the new live presentation

March 2012 Planetarian 51 dedicated to the south night sky tai- lored for all age groups. For kindergartens and schools, a new exhibition of their works dedi- cated to the solar system and astro- nautics was organized within a the- matic winning competition. From January to April, the Astro- nomical Centre Rijeka organized and is hosting popular manifesta- tions intended for a broader audi- ence, including a “Night of the Mu- seums,” International Planetarium GLPA: Architect’s drawing of the new Peoria Riverfront Museum; the planetarium is on the left. Courtesy Peoria Riv- Day and a science festival. For the erfront Museum. second time ever, the Centre cele- brated Dark-Sky Week and World Space Week teachers, where she made three presentations dealing with the exhibit and shows. by introducing special week-long programs on the archeoastronomy of the British Isles. The Kingman Museum has partnered with that included live presentations, concerts, ex- Michigan. The Robinson Planetarium and an animation class at Kellogg Community hibitions and lectures. Observatory in south-central Michigan has College to create short artistic videos that will begun a remodeling program. be shown in the planetarium prior to their Great Lakes Planetarium The Kalamazoo Valley Museum Planetari- feature presentations. Association um recently offered Invaders of Mars as its fea- Ohio. The University of Toledo’s Ritter Illinois. From late-January through May, ture show, along with their stargazing show Planetarium had its public grand re-opening Lakeview Museum Planetarium is presenting Orion Nights and family show Sky Legends of on 29 October after a five-month shutdown the Burke Baker Planetarium’s The Dinosaur the Three Fires. Production is currently under- for renovation. Over 800 people attended Prophecy in conjunction with the museum ex- way for a show that details the transit of Ve- eight full-house presentations featuring the hibit “Be the Dinosaur.” Construction of the nus and the eclipses of 2012. world’s first SciDome XD system from Spitz. new Peoria Riverfront Museum is speeding The Abrams Planetarium is currently run- Wayne Kriynovich is the new planetari- along. The planetarium will close on 16 July ning its locally-produced show Relics of the Big um director at the Schuele Planetarium at the 2012 to move the Zeiss Powerdome planetar- Bang, which describes the research that MSU Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay ium system to the new building. physicists are doing to look for the Higgs bo- Village. The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at son and the dark matter particle. Suzie Dills, formerly at the Schuele Plane- Parkland College in Champaign recently host- The Upton Planetarium in St. Joseph recent- tarium, is the new executive director of the ed a very successful GLPA conference. In addi- ly hosted a very successful community night, International Women’s Air & Space Museum. tion to their regular public offerings, Parkland with 75 in attendance. For a facility with only IWASM is a free museum whose mission is to College also hosted the Science Olympiad re- 55 seats, it was a very full house. The staff is preserve the history of women in aviation gionals, plus a special Science Night for Head also working on organizing a transit of Venus and space by documenting their past, present, Start children and their families. event in June. and future contributions. The Cernan Earth and Space Center of Tri- The recently renamed University of Mich- Jay Reynolds, also formerly at Schuele, is ton College in River Grove presented its an- igan Museum of Natural History Planetarium now director of the Lakeland Astronomical nual holiday show Celebrations of Winter and in Ann Arbor (formerly the Exhibit Museum) Observatory at Lakeland Community Col- the Winter Wonderlight laser light show in De- will be going micro. As part of a temporary ex- lege. cember. In January, the Cernan Center staff hibit about mites and other small things, the Scott Oldfield reports that the Vandalia-But- premiered a trio of “mini shows,” including planetarium plans to host Nanocam: A Trip ler Planetarium at Smith Middle School host- their own presentation titled Mars 2012. into Biodiversity. ed a very successful International Observe the Indiana. The P-H-M Digital Video Theater The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium in Grand Moon Night event. Also, the dome hosted a in Mishawaka and the University of Notre Rapids is hosting Facing Mars, an interactive geometry class to calculate the square degrees Dame’s DVT plan to offer a wide variety of exhibit looking at the challenges that will be of sky covered by the various astronomical as- events and activities to make the Michigan- faced by explorers of the red planet. The ex- terisms. Indiana border area a destination for Transit hibit will be accompanied by the planetarium The Bowling Green State University Plane- of Venus enthusiasts. Also, Art Klinger reports show Our Bodies in Space and special events in tarium recently ran Fall Fest 2011, which fea- that their planetarium’s renovation was com- the museum. tured a series of programs on astronomy in pleted in January. Over in the Motor City, the staff of the Das- various countries and cultures around the The Ball State University Planetarium, sault Systèmes Planetarium has been experi- world. Muncie, has completed the process of remov- encing some unscheduled time off, due to the The Ward Beecher Planetarium in ing slide projectors from the dome. The plan- closure of the Detroit Science Center. This clo- Youngstown is busy producing a faculty re- etarium now uses six high-definition video sure is the result of a severe financial crisis. No search fulldome program called Cosmic Cast- projectors. date has yet been announced for its re-open- aways, about gravitationally-expelled extraga- B. J. Harper (retired director of the Northrop ing. lactic stars, and a program on celestial motions High School Planetarium, Fort Wayne) recent- In January, the Delta College Planetarium for all the fifth graders in the Youngstown ly traveled to the British Isles to pursue her collaborated with the Midland Center for the City School District. The dome hosted nearly passion of archaeoastronomy. Harper was a Arts on a new exhibit called Giant Worlds, 1,000 people for its First Night program, prov- recent presenter at the combined annual con- which concerns the giant planets in our solar ing again to be one of the city’s more popular ference of the Detroit area math and science system. There was also a joint scout program activities on New Year’s Eve.

52 Planetarian March 2012 March 2012 Planetarian 53 of Natural History re- 4 SP2HD digital system. Dates for this event cently agreed to inte- are 16-19 May. The conference hotel will be grate their program- the Toms River Holiday Inn just 10 minutes ming and operations from the planetarium. More details are avail- at the Bell Museum. able on the MAPS website, www.mapsplane- The Bell Museum in- tarium.org. tends to operate the Dennis Herrmann and the Kent County ExploraDome pro- High School Planetarium with its Spitz A3P gram in a similar fash- instrument in Worton, Maryland, present- ion as before, with lit- ed its 25th annual Christmas program for the tle or no disruption in school and the public communities. From the service. holiday program’s first days in 1987, when it was recorded on reel-to-reel tape and used Great Plains several 35 mm carousel slide projectors, it has Planetarium gone completely digital during the last two Association years and included video images this year for GPPA members the first time. The planetariums has the ad- had a great time at vantage of producing shows with radio sta- the Western Alli- tion WKHS-FM, located in their school. ance Conference in The show is the result of a collaboration of Killeen, Texas in July. the high school students in astronomy and One group visited the the broadcasting students in the radio pro- Space X test facili- gram. ty in McAllister, Tex- In November, MAPS members Francine as. Private initiatives Jackson (University of Rhode Island Planetar- are opening new di- ium, Providence) and Mike Smith (North Mu- mensions for human seum Planetarium, Lancaster, Pennsylvania) spaceflight and the attended NASA’s National Mars Education group was impressed Conference. with the enthusiasm Included with the conference was the and “can do spirit” of launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, which the Space X employ- educators viewed from the Operation Support ees. Bulding-1, right beside the Vehicle Assembly Participants ex- Building. pressed thanks to The conference’s main focus was to provide WAC 2011 hosts formal and informal educators new tools to Chuck Rau and Fred integrate mission-related activities. Educators Chavez for a great ac- got to plan their own mission, even with bud- GPPA: (Top) Western Allience Conference group visiting Space X test facil- commodations and get cutbacks and rocket failures, select a land- ity in Killeen, TW. Courtesy of Mayborn Planetarium. (Below) A3P projector lots of fun experienc- ing site, and compare imagery and rock anal- in the lobby of Mayborn Planetarium. Photo by Jack Dunn. es in the dome. ysis. Meanwhile, Jack Princeton University is seeking nomi- Wisconsin/Minnesota. The Universi- Northrup’s middle school students at King nations from secondary level (grades 7-12) ty of Wisconsin-LaCrosse Planetarium saw Middle School Planetarium in Omaha contin- schools throughout New Jersey to recognize the return of Bob Allen as director this fall af- ue to enjoy their new render farm and work a Distinguished Teacher. The annual award ter a five-year hiatus. Among other things, Al- on Blender projects. is $5,000 for the educator, and $3,000 towards len brought back monthly planetarium pro- At Mueller Planetarium in Lincoln, the books for that teacher’s school. Lenape Valley grams and weekly laser and light shows, both planetarium is working with both the nan- Regional High School in Stanhope has nomi- of which had been discontinued in 2009 be- otechnology researchers in physics and now nated MAPS Education Committee Chairper- cause of budget cuts. with University of Nebraska-Lincoln first-in- son John Scala for this honor. The final de- The UW-Milwaukee Manfred Olson Plane- the-nation Space Law graduate program (part cision from Princeton will be announced in tarium celebrated the longest night of the year of the College of Law College) June. with a special program called Winter Solstice. In 2012 there will not be a separate WAC, as The Hamilton Planetarium Scholarship In January, Odyssey Under the Stars described the four regions voted to encourage everyone Fund Inc., based within the MAPS region, gave the astronomical connections in Homer’s Od- to go to Baton Rouge for IPS 2012. out two scholarships in its first year of opera- yssey with storytelling, song, and stargazing. tion. The fund’s goal is to encourage and aid In January, the Charles Horwitz Planetari- Middle Atlantic Planetarium students who are interested in entering the um in Waukesha presented Skylase laser pro- Society planetarium field as a career. grams for Waukesha’s Winter Jan-Boree Festi- The 2012 MAPS conference will be host- The first two recipients were Sean Reid, a val. In February, their public program was an ed by Gloria Villalobos at the newly-renovat- senior at SUNY New Paltz, and Christopher in-house program titled Legends of the Winter ed Novins Planetarium Sky Theater at Ocean Karlic, a sophomore at Youngstown State Uni- Sky. County College in Toms River, New Jersey. versity in Ohio. Applications for a scholarship The Minnesota Planetarium Society and The planetarium features a Zeiss ZKP4 fiber may be submitted at any time, and may be the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum optic star projector combined with a Digistar found, along with other information, at the

54 Planetarian March 2012 Fund’s website, www.planetariumscholars. physical activities or experi- webs.com. ments such as launching wa- Tom Hamilton’s latest book, devoted to de- ter rockets, playing telescopic scribing the 100 stars nearest Earth (plus any ballgames, registering sun spots brown dwarfs in that range, which goes out and studying cells and cell to 19.2 light years) is about to be published by compartments in microscopes. Strategic Book Publishing. All royalties will be One of the highlights of the assigned to the Hamilton Planetarium Schol- week was a visit to a local clay arship Fund, Inc. The book should be out by pit, where remnants of prehis- the time of this publication. toric whales are trapped in the Dr. Declan G. De Paor (Pretlow Planetarium, clay. Digging in the clay at the Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia) bottom of the pit and walk- hosted a “NASA Night in the Pretlow Planetar- ing on a surrounding evolu- ium” for the university’s Physics Department. tionary path, where each step The event yielded a great turn out of approx- corresponds to 1 million year, imately 150 people, who had the opportuni- enhanced the children’s under- ty to touch an Apollo 17 moon rock specimen standing of how life on Earth from the Johnson Space Center. evolved and supported the The event also featured guest speaker Dr. imagination of how life on an- Ann Martin from NASA Langley. De Paor used other planet could evolve. innovative technology that enabled the au- Underlying the education dience to text or tweet questions to her using of the week was to give the As- their own mobile phones. troskole attendees an oppor- Bowen Technovation will soon have a ma- tunity to touch, play and ex- jor detailed announcement about a new 13-m periment with astrobiological (40-ft) planetarium they have designed for themes, a concept supported a new Hartford-Glastonbury (Connecticut) by a specially-designed science area math-science magnet school. Bowen was show (by Physics Shows at Aar- hired by Fletcher Thompson Architects and hus University) demonstrating the owner to provide the design documents. the environment in space and Their design is currently under construction circumstances in relation to and should be ready for use in May. spaceflight. Kyra Elliot and the Travelers ScienceDome To conclude the week, the Planetarium, part of The Children’s Museum pupils created their own plane- in West Hartford, Connecticut was awarded a tarium show about astrobiolo- grant from NASA to do a series of programs re- gy. A whole afternoon was used lating to Mars exploration. It combines a dig- for planning and editing of the ital timeline exhibit, classroom and outreach show and the day was extend- programs, public events, and teacher train- ed with a sleep-over, leaving ing to educate students, families, and teachers time for evening rehearsals. about Mars Exploration. The last day was used for re- The grant also includes funding for plane- hearsing, creating a huge show tarium production equipment to use to create poster, and finally performing a fulldome planetarium show about Mars ge- their show for parents and fam- ology and exploration. (Full story on page 22.) ily/friends that were invited to NPA: (Top) The physics show on space science captured the at- share the culmination of the Nordic Planetarium Association tention from the 20 pupils for more than two hours. Photo by Astroskolen. In 2011, Orion Planetarium in Jels, Denmark Line Visby Hansen. (Middle) Astroskole pupil Emil is anxiously On 15 October 2011, the Ole waiting for his parents and best friend to find their seats for the had the opportunity to realize a long-time as- Rømer Observatory in Aarhus, student’s show. Photo by Line Visby Hansen. (Bottom) The Dan- piration of establishing a summer school. It ish Ole Rømer Observatory. Photo by Hans-Henrik Hoeg. Denmark celebrated its 100th was the intention that the summer school was anniversary with a “24-hours to supplement normal primary school servic- +” event. Local amateur astron- es, and give children with special interest in which was held the last week of June. Every omers started the evening before with tele- science a week-long experience within a se- morning started under the dome, where the scope demonstrations and short lectures, and lected subject. The 5-day summer school was children received an introduction to the top- at 00h the anniversary was properly saluted named Astroskole (“Astroschool”) to empha- ic of the day in a specially-designed and inter- with three very large bangs, supplied by the size the connection to the planetarium. active show. Chemistry Show students from the common Astrobiology was chosen to be the subject The week’s program contained discussions parent organisation, University of Aarhus. of this first Astroskole because speculations of characteristics of life, studies of extremo- Weather didn’t permit telescope observa- of extraterrestrial life are very popular among philes and their biotopes, calculations and es- tions long after midnight, but Ole Knudsen children, and astrobiology offers a scientific timations of the likelihood to find life on exo- and his staff were back early with various approach to these speculations. planets, and construction of models of the events during the day and the following eve- Twenty enthusiastic girls and boys between probes we used to explore the solar system. ning. the ages of 10 and 14 attended the Astroskole, Each day’s activities were supplemented with Track and fitness runners could test them-

March 2012 Planetarian 55 selves along a 1:1 billion scale model of the so- The 16.8-m dome was cleaned and painted, search of the best vacation spot. The show fea- lar system and, surprisingly, many took the and they upgraded from Evans & Sutherland’s tures character voices, scene construction in whole 4.5 km route and back. Later in the day, Digistar 3 to Digistar 4. This advancement also a full 4k resolution environment, and even children could accompany Rytmerita, a prin- meant new projectors, moving from the pre- small sections of character animation. This cess from Venus, who could sing and dance vious 6-projector DLP system to a 2-projector show will be the planetarium’s first feature with them. JVC system. show available at both 30 and 60 frames per A series of lectures followed during the eve- This not only increased their projected res- second. Trailers and sample images from the ning with themes covering mainly modern olution (3200 to 4096 pixels), but also allowed show can be viewed on the distribution web- astronomy with connections to the Institute them to run fulldome video playback at 60 site. of Physics and Astronomy at the University frames per second. Rendering and production of Aarhus. capabilities were also improved to give them Russian Planetarium Association In addition to this, a new book covering that output ability. The planetarium in Astrakhan, opened in much of the history of the observatory was After surveying locally and around the 1959 but closed several years ago, is now back launched (available in Danish only, at Dkr country, it turned out that the most demand- and has resumed its work as the Department 120 plus postage). More information available ed music entertainment show (next to Pink of Astrakhan Construction Engineering Insti- from Ole J. Knudsen, [email protected]. Floyd) is still Led Zeppelin. As a result, an tute. The planetarium in Lund (Lund University, unprecedented amount of effort went into The dome there is 5 m (17 ft), and it includes Sweden) is in the process of upgrading equip- ment. The staff has been working hard on the procurement documents, and they have agreed that they are ready to go public with the invitation to tender. The planetarium currently has an opto-me- chanical GOTO projector that is closing in on 35 years in use and is ready to retire. They are looking for someone to provide them with new top-of-the line equipment to replace the old projector. More information available from Anna S. Árnadóttir, anna.arnadottir@ vattenhallen.lth.se. RMPA: (Left) A fulldome view from Led Zep- Per Broman moved in January from Dalar- pelin. Photo by Rob Lawrence, Clark Planetar- na to Sweden’s southernmost region, Skåne, ium. (Above) The new console booth in the with both his company, Broman Planetari- Hansen Dome Theatre. Photo by Mike Murray, um, and his science center, Backyard Cosmos Clark Planetarium. (including its 5 m planetarium), which will be dismantled and put in storage until he finds a new place to set it up. More information avail- the making of this show. The performances an exhibition hall, lecture hall, classrooms, li- able from [email protected]. opened to packed crowds and rave reviews brary and telescope. The roofing has become last spring. Each song has its own specific an observation deck. During the three au- Rocky Mountain Planetarium theme, sometimes nostalgic to the Led Zeppe- tumn months, about 3,000 people have visit- Association lin time period, sometimes abstract, but defi- ed the planetarium. In November 2010, the Clark Planetarium nitely with more environmental themes and The planetarium in Izhevsk, the capital in Salt Lake City went through some major scenery than anything the Clark has done be- of Udmurtia, also has renewed its work. The changes. Its 3D IMAX Theater was upgraded fore. planetarium has a 6-m (20-ft) dome. It also in- with digital projectors, a new sound system, Speaking of music entertainment, the Clark cludes two portable planetariums with domes screen and seats. This, combined with an show distribution staff has compiled a “build of 4 and 5 m (13 and 17 ft) for work outside the agreement with the Larry Miller Megaplex your own” library of fulldome video sequenc- planetarium. theater complex next door, now allows them es from virtually all of their original shows re- To organize all that, A. Khlebov and V. Chu- to play Hollywood films in their IMAX The- leased since 2003. More than 3 hours of astron- makom (previously leaders of the astronomy ater in the evenings. omy and space-based content and 4 hours of study group and astronomy club of the city After 8 years of trying to find attractive con- art and entertainment-based sequences are of Izhevsk) established a limited liability com- tent for that theater in the evening hours, the now available. pany. Nowadays the company rents accom- Clark Planetarium staff is happy to report that This fulldome video library joins Alterna- modations in the municipal exhibition cen- the Hollywood films are doing well. Films like tive X, a presenter-controlled music library. ter. Being an official partner of the Society of TRON, Harry Potter, Born to Be Wild and Pirates More information can be found at www. Spherical Cinema, the company came into of the Caribbean (all in 3D) have been huge clarkplanetarium.org/distribution. agreement with the municipality about car- hits. Their daytime shows (science, nature and Even though The Secret of the Cardboard rying out the presentation of the stationary adventure films) continue to draw well from Rocket continues as one of their most pop- planetarium. the public and schools. This combination has ular fulldome shows, the Clark production There will be further talks about providing provided an improved business plan for their group is finishing work on a new planets show accommodation for this stationary planetar- IMAX Theater so it can better support the geared for the same target audience: preschool ium. planetarium’s overall mission. through 4th grade and their families. Z. Sitkova, Nizhny Novgorod Planetari- The next big improvement took place with Called Perfect Little Planet, it is a grand um, participated recently in the XI Ukrainian the Hansen Dome Theatre in September 2011. tour of our solar system by an alien family in Conference on Space Research at the Centre of

56 Planetarian March 2012 tory departments (the first the European Astronomy Society, a member two being space and physi- of the Royal Astronomy Society (of Great Brit- cal). ain) and laureate of several awards. The planetarium owns The meeting of Cherepashuk and the pu- a huge collection of tele- pils of the forth form of the society of young scopes, which were made astronauts Alkor took place in October in the by the Novosibirsk Instru- planetarium. Since 1994, pupils of that school ment-Making Plant. Due have a two-year course of astronomy (in third to collaboration with this and fourth forms) based on the program of plant since 2006, the Sibe- teacher E. Medvedeva. This course has been rian astronomical forum successfully run for eight years. takes place in the country In Saint Petersburg, on the Day of Astronau- camp. tics in April, the first school interactive plan- Construction is now un- etarium in Russia opened in School #143. The derway in Novosibirsk on a equipment of the planetarium creates the new science education com- feeling of being inside the image. Pupils can plex, the first stage of which become pilots of space ships there and, from is a complex astronomi- the cabin, look at space rockets, space stations, cal observatory with a new moon craters, the sun and many other things. planetariums and exposi- A meteorite almost collides with the space tion facility, a Foucault tow- ship, and children can hear the sounds of the er, and astronomical and as- working machines and voices from mission trophysical sites. control. All the school desks have control pan- A museum, library and els and a monitor that allows pupils to do dif- restaurant complex is stage ferent quizzes. two, and for stage three, a polytechnic museum, large Southeastern Planetarium exhibit hall, and outdoor ex- Association position area. The 309-mil- The 2012 SEPA conference will take place lion-ruble construction cost in Baton Rouge, Louisiana immediately prior is coming from municipal, to, and during, the 2012 IPS conference. The regional and federal sources. IPS conference gets underway on 22 July with For the Perm Planetari- a welcome reception. SEPA will hold a ban- RPA: (Top) Cosmonaut Alexander Lazutkin welcomes participants um, the culmination and quet the evening before, with paper sessions of the Soberian Astronomy Forum. Photo by S. Maslikov. (Bottom) one of the most important on July 22 and a business meeting on 26 July. In center are research worker in cosmic medicine Liudmila Grech- events of the year of Rus- SEPA has arranged for a block of rooms at the ko, cosmonaut Georgy Grechko, planetarium director Taisia Baltina sian space travel science be- Belle of Baton Rouge Hotel, at the discounted and Perm planetarium collaborators. Photo by Vladislav A.Golunov. came the meeting with the IPS rate of $119 for single or double occupancy. famous pilot-cosmonaut G. Because of generous vendor support and a Grechko in October. healthy bottom line, SEPA will cover the cost Distant Space Communication, which is situ- There were so many people who wanted of the banquet and paper sessions. Delegates ated on the western coast of the Crimea, near to meet the cosmonaut that organizers of the will be responsible for their own hotel charg- Evpatoriya. About 140 specialists from the meeting had to broadcast the proceedings to es. Limited, additional monetary support is leading scientific centers of the Ukraine, Rus- the lobby. Talking about his work in space, expected for “full” SEPA members (those who sia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Poland took part Grechko demonstrated to the audience the work within the defined SEPA region). Details in that conference. photos which were taken by him. It turned are posted on the SEPA website at sepadomes. Famous pilot-cosmonaut G. Grechko visit- out that every photo keeps within it separate org. ed the planetarium of Nizhny Novgorod in story, which he gladly shared with the audi- October. He participated in an awards ceremo- ence. Southwestern Association of ny of the winners of the city painting compe- Veterans of cosmic branch, students, pupils Planetariums tition. About a thousand children took part in from the School of Young Astronomers and This quarter SWAP has good news to share! that competition. children from the club Young Cosmonaut The John C. Pogue Planetarium of Grand Prai- The Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium also were present at that meeting. rie, Texas is getting a new look. In early Jan- hosted the final meeting of different non-gov- During the days of the 100th anniversary uary the school board authorized an upgrade ernmental organizations dedicated to the end of Volga State Social-Humanitarian Acade- and renovation. of the year of Russian space travel science. my (previously the Pedagogical Institute), A. Architects’ designs include a new entrance, The Siberian State Academy of Geodesy Cherepashuk visited his home town of Sama- additional interior walls, new enclosure and Teaching and Research Planetarium in Novo- ra where, many years ago, he was a student. work desk, projection cover structure, carpet, sibirsk hosted the sixth Siberian astronomical Being a pupil at school he was carried away and guest seating. The dome is to be cleaned forum in September, attended by nearly 500 by astronomy, and later became an amateur and repainted with 45% gray reflectivity participants. astronomer and was making telescopes. Now- paint and new LED cove lighting will be in- The planetarium, which opened in 1952, adays he is a member of the Russian Acade- stalled. has been part of the Siberian State Geodetic my of Sciences, the principal of the Sternberg The planetarium will feature a MediaGlobe Academy since 1999, the third of the labora- State Astronomy Institute, vice-president of III digital planetarium and lifter system. Plans

March 2012 Planetarian 57 2016 Conference Bids It is time to start planning for the 2016 IPS conference. Proposals are being sought from venues interested in hosting their fellow planetarians in two years. Further details may be obtained from any of the IPS offi- cers or in our Society’s standing rules, page 11, posted on the IPS website at www.ips-planetarium.org/or/rules. I

12, the planetarium invited the audience. teachers of astronomy from On 1 January 2012 was the 60th anniver- 150 schools in Dnepropetrovsk sary of Kyiv Planetarium, the oldest one in for a meeting. Teachers got ac- Ukraine. The initiative of its creation be- quainted with new programs longed to well-known Soviet astronomer and of the planetarium, participat- professor of Kyiv University Sergiy Vsekhsvy- ed in a game training, and de- atskiy. Now the planetarium director is Klim veloped a schedule of monthly Churyumov, also a widely-known cometary lectures helpful for teachers. So scientist and professor of astronomy, who was now, once every month, teach- years ago a student of Vsekhsvyatskiy. ers of astronomy come to plan- All these 60 years, the planetarium has de- etarium to get the complete livered lectures on astronomy and geography information on different as- topics, and demonstrated the starry sky. Now- tronomy topics to share with adays the planetarium repertoire consists of their pupils. over 100 different programs, both lectures and Another important event at shows, for different age audience. the Depropetrovsk Planetari- Fulldome cinema from the scientific/cul- um took place in November, tural/entertaining center AtmaSphera start- when a new movie devoted to ed to work in the stellar hall of Kyiv Planetar- the life and activities of cos- ium in December, and a game zone appeared, monautics founder Konstan- where visitors can get rid of space invaders’ at- tin Tziolkovskiy was shown for tacks and asteroid danger, and get acquainted the first time in planetarium. with the solar system. AtmaSphera has trans- The movie was created by the formed the interior of the jubilee planetarium Ukrainian production compa- into a modern, futuristic design. ny Signal Red. So nowadays in the planetarium building, In preparation for 2012, the visitors can benefit from modern technolo- program What about prophe- gies of visualisation, watch fulldome movies cies are silent was created by (Kaluoka’hina, Natural Selection, Dawn of the Dnepropetrovsk Planetarium, Space Age, Realm of Light), as well as benefit from which is very popular among an almost real starry sky during classical plan- public. etarium programs using the opto-mechanical For the past three years, Do- Big Zeiss star projector. I UPA: (Top and middle) Teachers’ seminar in Dnepropetrovsk netzk Planetarium was been planetarium. (Bottom) Donetzk planetarium from outside. All photos courtesy of Donetzk planetarium. digital. Having had the oppor- tunity to show fulldome pro- Can anyone spare a lamp? grams, the planetarium started The Kyiv Planetarium is working to save its include a new projector control computer creating its own fulldome shows. Nowadays heart, the Big Zeiss projector. To do this, they with dual monitors and an offline work sta- two studios work in the planetarium, one to need specific lamps that are not produced any- tion. The planetarium will use the remainder develop shows with the astronomical simula- more. The lamp of the school year to prepare for a late sum- tor, and the other to develop shows based on they are look- ing for is a Nar- mer installation. fulldome 3D video graphics. va 110V 1500W LP Having created its first CIS-territory full- 25 6400/56 H4 Ukrainian Planetariums dome movie for children How the Moon went (E40). If any plan- Association as a guest to the Sun, the Donetzk Planetarium etarium has extra lamps for a pro- In 2011 Dnepropetrovsk Planetarium start- is finishing work on the show Air Ghosts. jector of our type, ed collaboration with teachers of astrono- Demonstrations with new technologies has which are not in my. For several years astronomy has been ex- attracted the attention of thousands visitors use anymore, they cluded form school curriculum. Experienced from Donetzk city and region, as well as the would be glad to teachers retired during these years, and new Lugansk and Zaporojie regions. Although the buy them. Please contact them via teachers don’t possess the necessary level of main audiences traditionally have been chil- e-mail kievplan- astronomy preparation. dren, now also more adults and more excur- [email protected]. I At the beginning of the school year 2011- sions from different cities of Ukraine are in

58 Planetarian March 2012 A life in science communication Retirement of one of Thailand’s leading lights

By Martin George [email protected] Last September saw the retirement of Salin Weerabutra, director of the National Science Centre for Education in Bangkok. For many years Salin was director of the Bangkok Planetarium—a major attraction within the centre—and continued to oversee its operation until her retirement. Over very many years, Salin has been our main IPS contact in Thailand and has kept the IPS, especially through the International Relations Com- mittee, informed of developments in the country. Salin began her 36-year career at the science centre in 1976. This suited her wonderfully, as she had a special interest in science and had majored in mathematics. At that stage her role was classed as a government officer under the Thai Ministry of Education, but by 1994 she was appointed to be the head of the Bangkok Planetarium, a prominent building which occu- pies a large area within the centre, several kilometres east of central Bang- kok off Sukhumvit Road. I first met Salin in 1996 when she attended the IPS conference in Osaka. She was very keen on the exchange of ideas among planetarians and I, and other IPS members, had many discussions with her in Japan. This began a long friendship which I am sure will continue well into Salin’s much-de- served time for herself. Especially once she had become head of the planetarium, Salin was al- ways keen to make improvements, updating the shows and even at one stage having the entire dome painted from the outside, making it look like a huge globe of the Earth complete with clouds. Travelling on the Sukhumvit line of Bangkok’s famous Skytrain (the ele- vated railway), one can see the unmistakeable dome clearly. She was also a driving force behind new exhibitions and science week activities. Science week in Thailand commemorates the wonderful effort put in by King Rama IV in 1868 to observe the total solar eclipse on August 18 that year from a place called Wah Kor, near Prachuap Khirikhan in the south of the country. Salin has done considerable research into this event, and on one of my visits there we travelled to the observing site. On learning of the construction of Vietnam’s first planetarium, at Vinh City in the country’s north, I was keen to visit, and so was Salin. We trav- elled from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City and went by train to Vinh. There, we met up with the enthusiastic and friendly staff of the planetarium and spent several hours with them discussing planetarium-related issues. In October 2005, Salin was appointed to the position of director of the Science Centre for Education. Her duties naturally increased, but, of course, she continued to take a great interest in the planetarium and its activities. Indeed, over her career, Salin has been closely involved in a number of important projects, many of which have taken years of hard work. These have included the establishment of the Memorial Science Park of King Rama IV near Wah Kor, the site of the 1868 eclipse observations. She has also been involved in the establishment of the Rangsit Science Centre and Planetarium north of Bangkok, and more recently, the Plane- tarium and Science Centre at Rot Et, in Thailand’s north east. Amongst her last official duties was her presence at the IAU Asia-Pacific regional Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in July 2011. Today, Salin no longer has the daily trip to the office. But her expertise, I’m sure, will still be needed from time to time, and I shan’t be surprised hear that she has been called upon for involvement in, and advice about, (Top) Salin (centre) at her retirement party in Bangkok. (Center) Salin various existing and new projects. Above all, I know that she still loves the Weerabutra with staff in the Bangkok Planetarium. (Bottom) The Bang- IPS and its activities and will remain a close friend of our organisation. kok Planetarium within the National Science Centre for Education. All Well done, Salin! I images courtesy the National Science Centre.

March 2012 Planetarian 59 IPS 2012 Conference in Baton Rouge, and then Mobile News we can judge if they have solved some of the above-mentioned problems. Contact Information: www.sciencediscov- erydome.co.uk; [email protected] Susan Reynolds Button Quarks to Clusters Astronomy Apps 8793 Horseshoe Lane There is a plethora of astronomy apps that Chittenango, New York 13037 USA you can use with mobile devices. It is difficult to sort them all out and time consuming to +1 315-687-5371 try each for yourself. Andrew Fraknoi, for the [email protected], [email protected] Astronomical Society of the Pacific, recently compiled a catalog of those apps that he feels Fulldome Filming for Portable and portable domes or not, is really expensive. are most interesting for educators. Planetariums Even if these domes are given a discount be- This is a first attempt and Andrew would It is interesting to read recent discussions cause of their smaller audiences, their budgets appreciate hearing suggestions and recom- and questions about production of fulldome typically still do not allow for purchasing the mendations for additions to the catalog. To video specifically aimed at portable and small content they need. find “Astronomy Apps for Mobile Devices, stationary domes. Mobile and small dome I applaud the small dome folks who are A First Catalog,’ go to the Astronomy Educa- planetarians should recognize that their envi- now producing in-house materials to satisfy tion Review website at aer.aas.org and search ronments require a unique approach and pro- their special needs. Some of these people are for “apps.” ducers of fulldome content might want to op- reaching out to others so they can work to- timize sales to these venues by making films gether and share the expense and the fruits of Back to Basics, Part II that address their specific needs or desires. their labors. I discussed some basic presentation tech- Early on in the production of fulldome Bryan Hatton, from Techniquest in Cardiff, niques in my last column. Developing strate- films, I once asked a planetarian who used England, recently began a discussion about gies for effective presentations is important, as them in a portable dome if students experi- this on [email protected]. His is becoming well versed in the developmental enced any problems during these shows. He email is [email protected]. characteristics of the various age groups that said, “I had only one throw up and one wet Vincent Jean Victor, Planétarium de Nantes you may be working with. his pants.” And this was from a teacher who ([email protected]) and It is always crucial to remember these char- stopped the show several times so that stu- Charles Treleaven, Cosmodome Australasia acteristics as you are writing lesson plans/ dents could have discussions about what they Pty. Ltd. ([email protected]) have programs. Even if you are not primarily an were seeing! Imagine if the films ran straight both shown interest in exploring the idea of educational institution, knowing these char- through with no “intermissions.” collaborating on fulldome content for porta- acteristics and addressing them can make So, one problem is that in these small domes bles. your programs more entertaining for your au- the action scenes are magnified and more in- I do see a trend that planetariums of all sizes diences. tensely affect the viewers. This can, at the very are beginning to collaborate in production of After exploring some relevant websites, I least, distract from the story line and can even fulldome shows and clips. That is a good sign was impressed by the amount of information make the audience sick. In my book, even one and will save everyone time and money. available on this topic. Since I am a fan of ex- child getting sick is too many. periential learning when used appropriate- Even if the producer judiciously limits the Dinosaur Science Dome ly, the first website I gravitated to was a site number of times the audience zooms through Portable dome movies now address a wide produced by the University of California Sci- a scene, those few times can be nauseating. So, variety of science topics. The Science Discov- ence, Technology and Environmental Liter- obviously, the speed of these dramatic parts of ery Dome in the United Kingdom uses a vari- acy (STEL) Workgroup’s Experiential Learn- the film need to be carefully adjusted for the ety of movies that include topics such as natu- ing Project Group (ELPG), which can be found portable and small dome. ral history, geology, geography and dinosaurs at www.experientiallearning.ucdavis.edu/de- A second problem is that many times the that are shown in a dome that can be posi- fault.shtml. images are so large that they appear extreme- tioned indoors as well as outdoors. Aside from the wealth of information on ly distorted on very small domes. Recently they advertised, “With the help this site about how various age groups learn, Thirdly, traditional portable domes are tru- of a local expert we are now offering 3D pic- I like their initial statements about defining ly immersive and every part of the dome is tures in most of our shows. See the power of goals and then choosing the appropriate de- important because students sit in a circle and 3D images to illustrate science and to stimu- livery system. In other words, it is not always view the dome from all directions. Most com- late young minds. See scary dinosaurs in 3D necessary to use experiential education. mercial fulldome video currently being pro- using 3D glasses (provided).” If your goal is just to transfer information duced direct the audience to focus primari- This is the first use of 3D that I am aware if or to inspire further investigation of a topic, ly on one section of the dome for full effect, in a mobile dome. then showing a movie or giving a lecture is so the audience must be positioned as if they They report that all their films are about 24 consistent with that goal. If deeper learning are in a movie theater. It would be a shame if minutes long and they normally combine a and understanding is the goal, then experien- all digital portable domes adopted the movie film and a planetarium star projector presen- tial education is most effective. Most of you theater seating arrangement and lost the abil- tation, in shows of 50 minutes to an hour in are familiar with the following proverb that ity to capitalize on their truly immersive ad- length. is quoted on the website and highlights what vantage. It will be interesting to follow their activ- we should already know about our presenta- And finally, commercial fulldome video, ities and gage their success in using movies tions. whether it addresses the special needs of small and especially 3D images in portable domes. I “Tell me, and I will forget. hope they will bring a demonstration to the Show me, and I may remember.

60 Planetarian March 2012 Involve me, and I will understand. tial education practices and/or the develop- for Astrophysics continued the work of A Pri- —Confucius, around 450 BC” mental characteristics of their audience. vate Universe by creating the Private Universe The website also clearly discuses what ex- One other website that should be on your Project. Funded by the National Science Foun- periential education is and presents the ped- list for exploration is one that provides An- dation, the Annenberg Media Math and Sci- agogy, theory and research-based literature nenberg Learner materials: www.learner.org. ence Project, and the Smithsonian Institution, behind it. Listed in the site’s “Experiential Especially of interest on this site is the “Private the Private Universe Project has produced a se- Learning Toolbox” is link to a document Universe Project in Science” www.learner.org/ ries of interactive teleconferences for teachers, called “Developmental Characteristics of workshops/privuniv/intro.html. an instructional television series, and a public Youth: Implications for Experiential Learn- Under the section called “History of A Pri- broadcast series, all of which examine current ing.” vate Universe,” the website reminds us that, research on how children learn science and In that document there are also links to “In 1985, Matthew H. Schneps and Philip M. the implications of that research for the class- helpful tables that outline developmental Sadler of the Science Education Department room.” characteristics of four groups: 5–8, 9–11, 12–14, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astro- Videos of the teacher workshops can be and 15–19 and tips for using the experiential physics created A Private Universe, a video pro- viewed through links on this page and they learning process with each group. The doc- gram for science teachers. The program opens will give you a deeper understanding of when ument states that each table can be used as a with a segment in which newly-minted Har- and how providing students with opportuni- “tip sheet for effective teaching and learning vard graduates, dressed in caps and gowns, dis- ties for experiential learning is valuable for strategies when designing rewarding and fun cuss their theories for the causes of the seasons. challenging their private theories. educational experiences.” The Harvard grads, intelligent and articulate, It is important for planetarians to under- And finally, there is a page on this site where speak eloquently about their ideas, which are, stand what kinds of conceptions are learned three experiential learning training modules for the most part, erroneous. Through inter- from different kinds of experiences. What are provided. Each module is designed as a views with high school students and teach- concepts and understandings are created by 2- to 3-hour staff professional development ers, and scenes of classroom activities, A Pri- your powerful planetarium programs and the workshop. The modules are titled: vate Universe demonstrates how a student’s models used in these programs? These videos I found this website to be easily navigated preconceived ideas and beliefs can pose crit- may give you some deeper insights about de- and I feel it could be extremely useful in re- ical barriers to learning science, whether the signing appropriate presentations. freshing our memories and refining what we learning environment is a public school or a know about the learning process. The three prestigious private college.” Signing Off modules and the developmental character- The study has been carried to a higher level Please keep me informed of your thoughts istics tables could provide an excellent way as explained by these comments on the web- and further ideas about the topics addressed to inform project developers and volunteers site, “Encouraged by the success of the origi- here and about other concerns that you might who may not be as versed in model experien- nal video, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center like discussed. I

Installing audio/visual components (How we do it, continued from Page 38) ing HDMI to VGA with just cables would not The screen is another major item for the work, and now you know, too. project. The size not only needs to match I am currently using the RCA plug for vid- what is projected, but also what can be com- eo. Unfortunately, it introduces scan lines fortably seen by the viewers. As stated earli- for an interlaced image and reduces the reso- er, the size ratio we purchased was 16x9, the lution by half; it’s not good for fine lines and dimension for most modern movies. It is also small details in a projected image. the HD standard. As far as its size, it is recom- Blu-ray players will usually have an audio mended for an image in a movie theater to optical out as well. This is the best way to con- have a 30° field of view (FOV) for the back row. nect to a surround-sound system if it will ac- This FOV is measured from the viewer to the cept a fiber-optic cable. Fiber-optic cables far left and right edges of the screen. Less than have no loss for essentially unlimited band- 30° will possibly add eye strain due to a small- width at any length; that’s why phone sys- er image. Anything wider than 70° will be be- tems use it over miles and can handle tons of yond your peripheral vision. It may also make phone calls. the apparent pixel size large enough to be seen Surround-sound systems run the price gam- and be distracting. For HD, the pixel size real- ut from $100 and up. Just by looking you can ly isn’t a problem. For 800x600, it can be. So, tell if a system will work for you. If the room is with the 30-70° FOV limit, your distance from small, a modest system will be fine. The more the screen is an important factor. power the amplifier has, the cleaner and more For home theater, about 30° is the recom- Here's a side view of the light trough from thunderous the sound will be. If you’re deal- mended size. Our couch is about 11 feet away above. Even though we wanted the trough ing with a large room, you may need separate from the screen, but the projector is mount- to be about 4 by 4.5 inches, the projector mount forced us to reduce its size. The cove components with larger speakers and more ed above, and a little behind, the center of the lights have not been installed yet. Notice the powerful amplifiers. I admit to not knowing couch. So, the projector is 11 feet, 7 inches from small trap door to allow wires to pass. It is not the details in this area. As with all these parts the screen. hinged; it is cut with miters so it can rest with- to a project, research is the key to understand- Another factor to consider is how large can out falling through. You can also see the brace with screws attaching it to the wall and other ing and being able to make a sound (pun in- the image be using the zoom feature of the screws attaching it to the base of the trough. tended) decision. (Continues on Page 63)

March 2012 Planetarian 61 upon which to stand: Krafft Ehricke. Book Reviews Krafft Ehricke (1917–1984) was one of the Peenemunde scientists who came to the Unit- ed States after the war. From his experience with the German rocket program, he realized the potential for leaving the surface of the April S. Whitt Earth. Fernbank Science Center When the Apollo astronauts made it to the 156 Heaton Park Drive NE moon, he, like many of the rest of us, knew we shouldn’t stop there, but should expand our Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA horizons and truly become a part of space, [email protected] beginning with low-Earth orbit, back to the moon, and beyond. In other words, his “extra- Turn Left at Orion, 4th Edition objects from 2012 to 2024. terrestrial imperative” had nothing to do with UFOs and alien autopsies; his imperative was Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis, Cam- Star charts are divided into groups of we people on Earth leaving the surface and bridge University Press, The Edinburgh Build- months (i.e. “seasonal skies: January - March”) traveling outward throughout our solar sys- ing, Cambridge, CB2 8RU, UK, 2011, ISBN 978- rather than seasonal skies: winter, as in the tem and beyond. 0-521-15397-3 third edition. Groups of objects follow each One of Ehricke’s biggest disappointments Reviewed by April Whitt, Fernbank Science chart, focusing on the clusters, galaxies and was the end of the Apollo program. His com- Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. nebulae best viewed during different months. ments concerning the “wasted” expenditure How many of us have heard, “I’d like to buy Sections at the end list the best objects to view of the space program: “Eliminating…the en- a telescope. What should I get?” Or how about, in the northern and southern hemispheres. tire NASA budget and allocating this money “I got this telescope for my birthday, but it elsewhere would be about as effective in com- doesn’t work.” bating this nation’s high priority problems as The general public is looking for guidance cancellation of the morning paper by a person in purchasing and using telescopes, and we with $700.00 net income would be in paying have the opportunity to share our love of the off the mortgage on the house…” Remember, night sky, and aid some budding astronomers this was in the ‘70s. out there. Here’s a great resource for the new His vision in designing observer. and pushing for us earth- And for those of us with amateur astrono- lings to leave the safety my clubs already in our areas, or maybe even of land and venture up- in our facilities, this book is perfect. The tat- ward was incredible. He tered remains of the third edition can be laid referred to the moon as to rest. The fourth edition is larger in size the “seventh continent,” a (“Now your grass stains can extend across the dead body that needs to be entire page!”) with a spiral binding to allow mined for the betterment the book to stay open during observing ses- of the entire world, with sions. Tables list each object’s name, runways slowing landers The book’s premise is “stepping” from one constellation, and RA & Dec, by friction of the lunar soil. star to the next. Directions for centering an along with page number and His goal was to work to- object in the finder scope, then moving to chapter. It’s an easy-to-use ref- ward our being a 3-dimen- other objects, are clearly written and easy to erence. sional civilization. Ehricke follow. And throughout the book, had hotels in low-Earth The authors spent several years observ- the authors’ sheer joy and en- orbit and also created so- ing the “hundreds of night sky objects to see thusiasm for observing the lar-powered generators, in a home telescope” through several differ- sky with small telescopes shines through, in sing electromagnetic radiation as a means of ent telescopes from several different viewing sidebars and comments. Get this one for your opening up third-world countries and bring- sites, including light polluted suburbia. Their book store, for your favorite amateur astrono- ing them into the realm of technology. His en- sketches, photographs, information and anec- mer, or for a local astronomy club. tire life was dedicated to increasing the space dotes are well worth the purchase price. program as a means of increasing the lifestyles The book opens with an overview, the rat- Krafft Ehricke’s of humans. He firmly believed that expand- ing system for objects, a few basic astronomy Extraterrestrial Imperative ing the ability to leave the security blanket of concepts, and descriptions of the objects to be Marsha Freeman, Apogee Books, Burlington, Earth would relieve much of the social prob- discussed: open clusters, diffuse nebulae, plan- Ontario, Canada, L7R 4K2, 2008, ISBN 9781- lems we have today. etary nebulae, galaxies and globular clusters. 894959-91-9 Ehricke would have been totally disap- Double stars and variables are included, along Reviewed by Francine Jackson, Universi- pointed had he seen the end of the manned with information about refractor, catadiop- ty of Rhode Island Planetarium, Providence, space program, with no continuation in the tric and Dobsonian (Newtonian) telescopes. Rhode Island, USA. near future. His voice never stopped pushing Some basic telescope math is followed by a Sir Isaac Newton is said to have stated that for what he believed was the only way for hu- comparison of “cats” and “dobs.” he was able to be the scientist he was because manity to continue. Even up to just six weeks The moon and the visible planets get their he “stood on the shoulders of giants.” Now, before his death by leukemia, Ehricke was still own sections, with labeled maps and drawings thanks to Marsha Freeman, all of us who are enthralling audiences with his vision of what and charts of when and where to find these into the space sciences have another giant the world should be doing, how it should be

62 Planetarian March 2012 accomplished, and, using his own artistry, fact sheet or list of web sites activity or reading. The activ- what it should look like. with correct information. ity’s objective, key concept, Freeman has given us the chance to hear the Many of us remember materials, time length and passion of a man who recognized the necessi- the 1970’s film A Private any safety or environmental ty of continued adventure above our heads. Universe, in which recent procedures are listed with the She has collected many of his writings into an Harvard graduates dem- teacher guide for each one. easy-to-read format, thanks again to Apogee onstrated their knowledge The 11 activities include publishers. Just try to read some of his works (or lack thereof) of the rea- Measuring the Moon Indi- without feeling what Krafft Ehricke knew— son for seasons. Have you rectly, Speed of Light, Light that the extraterrestrial imperative must be a seen the video at www. Year as Distance, Formation part of our everyday lives. youtube.com/watch?v=d of the Solar System, The Rea- YO7Hz2rWjk&feature=rel son for Seasons and Moon Project Earth Science: Astronomy ated? Most of the informa- Phases. There are readings to Revised second edition tion seems accurate, but accompany and expand the the sun rises “in the center activities, including several NSTA Press, Arlington, Virginia, 2011, ISBN of the Milky Way galaxy” on the Earth system, global 978-1-936137-33-6 every year. warming, and angular diameters. Reviewed by April Whitt, Fernbank Science The National Science Teachers Associa- The teacher guides provide a quick over- Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. tion (NSTA) offers some help with this pub- view of what’s happening in the activity and Listening to conversations between teach- lication. Its authors, Geoff Holt and Nancy how we know what we know about it, pre- ers and students as they enter (or leave) the W. West, are teachers in the best sense of the conception questions, a list of student under- planetarium can be enlightening. Or fright- word: Geoff in the planetarium and Nancy in standings, notes on time management, prepa- ening. high schools, colleges and universities. Work- ration and procedure. Extended learning tips When the “oohs” and “ahhs” from students ing with a team of middle school teacher lead- and web sites are included. seeing the star projector are answered by the ers, college professors, scientists and education You can learn more at www.nsta.org and teacher with, “That’s the telescope,” I try to re- innovators, they have produced an excellent search for the title. vise my lesson introduction accordingly. resource for earth science and astronomy ed- I’d recommend this resource for any (or ev- When the teacher tells the student that the ucators. ery) science teacher out there. It’s accurate, equinox is when the North Pole “flips over,” The book is graphically pleasing and clear- clear, concise, and easy to use. I I try (1) not to visibly cringe and (2) to offer a ly laid out, making it easy to find a particular

Installing audio/visual components (How we do it, continued from Page 61) optical lens. Our 800x600 image is just right IR. You can also opt for extra black on top of about spending money. We saved a lot by do- to fill the screen from top to bottom, but we the screen to allow it to drop lower than the ing the woodworking ourselves, purchasing have unused space on the left and right. The screen case, called «drop.» the products online to find the best price and future projector, though, will have the addi- An important feature for motorized screens using equipment we already owned and then tional width to fill the screen. is where the screen sits when it is coiled up slowly replaced along the way. A good place to go to online is www.projec- and where it stops when it comes down. If The Blu-ray player was $20 more than low- torcentral.com. They have calculators for all you mount the screen above ceiling tiles, you end models available locally, a mid-range these factors. You can choose any projector would want the start point with the screen product that was definitely most worthwhile. and it will use its specs to work out the num- sticking out a bit, but still above the tiles so The next model up was $50 more and the bers. I looked at many HD units and they all it’s not visible. only difference was that it had wireless Eth- worked with our dimensions. Yet another feature and one I would like to ernet connectivity instead of wired. This may Screens (and domes, by the way) also have do is to exchange the remote operation of the be very important to you, but it wasn’t worth many features. What type of material is it? screen to one that gets its signal from the pro- the cost for us. What is its reflectivity? The general home jector. When the projector is on, it sends a sig- The screen is another case where you can theater screen type is a vinyl material with a nal, via small wires directly connected to the save. There are a few companies out there that matte-white painted surface. It has a reflectiv- screen, to open. When the projector is off, it make screens, and a relatively new company, ity gain of 1.1. This works well with our sys- will stop the signal and the screen will retract Elite Screens (www.elitescreens.com), has a tem. automatically. Pretty cool! full line that includes more standard features You can pay more and get a higher reflec- What we installed is a screen with an 110- at about half the cost of its competitors. We tivity in the range of 1.8 to 2.2, important if inch diagonal, 96x54 inches dimension, 1.1 paid a bit extra to get the 24-innch drop on you have a very long throw and thus a dim, gain, with a 24-inch drop. This provided us a our screen, but that feature was worth it for us. projected image, or a room with lots of ambi- very large image and is low enough so that we ent light. These screens look silvery and shiny. are looking almost straight ahead. Note that Proceed with the project All of these modern screens have black bor- this is not good if you have rows of people. Now that you know what you need and ders. It is recommended to have the project- The view will be blocked for those behind the have worked out your budget, you get to in- ed image just slightly larger (just a few pixels front row. stall it! As mentioned earlier, you need to make worth) than the white area to create a sharp sure you can install all your optical compo- boundary. Establish your budget nents so they line up. If they deviate greatly, Other features available are screens that What can I say about this part of the proj- you can digitally compensate with the projec- have built-in tensioners to keep the screen flat ect? Although all the components are neces- tor, but this uses up valuable pixels and can in- and, if motorized, whether the remote is RF or sary and important, we did not go hog-wild (Continues on Page 66)

March 2012 Planetarian 63 regarding Buhl’s history for the book. Waxing New Andrew Carnegie is remembered as one of the world’s greatest philanthropists and the An eclectic collection about planetariums, products and people founder of the Carnegie public library. The compiled by Sharon Shanks first opened in his home town of Dunfer- mline, Scotland, in 1883; the first in the United States was built in 1889 in Braddock, Pennsyl- More dark skies in Texas, Illinois of Homer Glen citizens started the Illinois Co- vania, the home of one of the Carnegie Steel The International Dark-Sky Association has alition for Responsible Outdoor Lighting, an Company’s mills. More than 2,500 Carnegie named its tenth dark sky park and its fourth advocacy group striding for outdoor lighting libraries were built with money donated by dark sky community. changes throughout Illinois. Carnegie in the United States, Britain, Ireland, The park is the Big Bend National Park, lo- Other International Dark Sky Communi- Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, the cated in southwest Texas near the Mexican ties are Flagstaff, Arizona; Borrego Springs, Cal- Caribbean, and Fiji. border. The area is within 150 miles of the Mc- ifornia; and Isle of Sark, Channel Islands (also Donald Observatory. It is the largest Interna- the world’s first “Dark Sky Island). Googling the news tional Dark Sky Park to date. It also was named The other Dark Sky Parks are Natural Bridg- From the Times of India, Kanpur: The a “Gold Tier” level site, meaning the skies es National Monument, Utah; Galloway For- Students of Indian Institute of Technology, above the park are free from all but the most est Park, Scotland; Zselic National Landscape Kanpur, are developing a planetarium in the minor impacts of light pollution. Protection Area, Hungary; Cherry Springs school’s new student activity center. More Homer Glen, Illinois was named as the State Park, Pennsylvania; Clayton Lake State than 20 students have been working on con- fourth International Dark Sky Communi- Park, New Mexico; Goldendale Observato- struction for the past six months. Seating ca- ty. The village, located just 30 miles south- ry Park, Washington; Hortobagy National pacity will be 50 for this first-of-its-kind facil- west of Chicago, passed the state’s first stand- Park, Hunbary; The Headlands, Emmet Coun- ity. alone lighting ordinance in 2007, and a group ty, Michigan; and Obervatory Park, Geauga From the Associated Press: Plans are in County, Ohio. the works to build a hotel and planetarium at There are also two Cer- Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The $50 tified International Dark million project calls for the planetarium to be Sky Reservies: Exmoor Na- constructed within two years and the hotel tional Park in Debon and within five. Somerset counties, Eng- Puerto Rico’s Metropolitan University land, and The Reserve at helps to run the 305-meter telescope with Cal- Mont-Megantic, Quebec, ifornia-based SRI International, a nonprof- Canada. it research group, and the Universities Space Research Association, a Maryland-based non- New book about profit founded under the National Academy Carnegie’s legacy of Sciences. Glenn A. Walsh, the The project is expected to help promote the “keeper of the history” for observatory as an educational tourism niche the original Buhl Planetar- in the Caribbean. Among its other objectives ium in Pittsburgh, shares is to create a doctoral program in astronomy that a history of Pitts- and space science. burgh’s original Buhl Plan- From Forbes: A group of independent game Transit fulldome show under production etarium and Institute of developers called Babycastles and a software The Bays Mountain Planetarium has produced a fulldome Popular Science are in- developer have been using the dome of the show When Venus Transits the Sun, which focuses on the cir- cluded in a new book pub- Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for cumstances that cause eclipses and transits with a narrative lished by the University Earth and Space, New York City, for 200-per- on the voyage of Captain Cook aboard the Endeavor. of Pittsburgh Press. The son cooperative space game that transforms An interactive segment in the middle allows the audience book, Palace of Culture: the theater into “a living, breathing space ship to simulate the black drop effect (see box on page 12) and to Andrew Carnegie’s Muse- where participants navigate through a ficti- observe parallax by holding a thumb out at arm's length and ums and Library in Pitts- tious universe.” closing alternating eyes. burgh, was written by Rob- At the end the presenter can again go live to address lo- ert J. Gangewere, former RASC names Andy Fraknoi cal events and observing opportunities. Because of the im- adjunct professor of Eng- an honorary member minence of the transit of Venus and the show's narrowly fo- lish at Carnegie Mellon Foothill College Astronomy Instructor An- cused topic, creator Adam Thanz reports the program will be University and former ed- drew Fraknoi has been elected an honorary modestly priced and based on dome size, ranging from $175 itor of Carnegie Magazine member of the Royal Astronomical Society ro $525. for three decades. of Canada (RASC). The prestigious honor is If any other fulldome program is purchased at the same The Buhl Planetarium bestowed on only 15 living people at a time. time, Bays Mountain will waive the charge for the Venus and Institute of Popular The chairman of the astronomy department transit show. Science merged with Carn- at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, Cali- More information: Adam Thanz, Bays Mountain Plane- egie Institute in 1987, thus fornia, Fraknoi appears to be the first com- tarium, 853 Bays Mountain Park Road, Kingsport, Tennessee, the reason Buhl’s history is munity college educator selected for this 37660; [email protected], www.baysmountain.com. included in this book. The honor in the 143-year history of the RASC. Show image courtesy Bays Mountain Planetarium. author interviewed Walsh Founded in 1868, RASC is Canada’s leading as-

64 Planetarian March 2012 New book about Pittsburgh’s treasures; Andrew Fraknoi named RASC honoary member; a fulldome makeover of Case of the Disappearing Planet; may the force change your darkened room into a planetarium tronomy organization. Other current hon- program, which I’ve updated for playback My Room and Solar System in My Room. orary members of the Society include Brit- on our SciDome system here at Youngstown The company’s ‘Explore It” series include ish astrophysicist Prof. Stephen Hawking; Sir State University, for several years, and I stress three “star theaters” (bedroom star projectors) Patrick Moore, the prominent explainer of as- critical thinking skills from the very begin- that increase in ability (and in price, I’m sure) tronomy in England; Prof. P. J. E. Peebles, the ning. I found a classic detective’s fedora at a and a “3-D Adventure Projector.” award-winning cosmologist at Princeton Uni- thrift shop and wear it while I make the stu- And, in the “gotta have” category for plan- versity; Prof. Owen Gingerich, the noted his- dents into “detectives.” What do detectives etarians who are also Star Wars fanatics, you torian of astronomy at Harvard University; do? What tools do they use? What are their can get the Death Star Planetarium. It’s Darth and Julieta Fierro, one of Mexico’s most distin- most important tools? Vader’s Death Star that “transform a dark- guished astronomy popularizers. I then tell them that they’re all also sci- ened room into a planetarium,” according to Fraknoi teaches astronomy and “physics entists because they do the same job (look the company. “Compare the Star Wars galaxy for poets” to more than 900 students each for clues) and use the same tools (observing, and Earth’s night sky, you will,” is the plug year at Foothill College. Named the Califor- thinking). from Yoda on the web site (www.unclemil- nia Professor of the Year in 2007 by the Carn- The fulldome version should be ready ton.com). egie Endowment for Higher Education, he has by the time you receive this issue; see Bays Product reviews on Amazon complain also received the Gemant Prize of the Ameri- Mountain’s contact information in the box about battery and bulb life, but you have to can Institute of Physics for a lifetime of con- to the left. remember that these are toys. They range in tributions to physics popularization and con- price from about US $20 to approximately necting physics to the humanities. A toy for Star Wars fans $100 for the Star Theater Pro projector. Before coming to Foothill, he served as the Uncle Milton, the toy company that The Death Star is part of the compa- executive director of the Astronomical Soci- brought us the Ant Farm™ in the 1950s, is still ny’s “STAR WARS™” science brand “that ety of the Pacific (which is, in many ways, the in operation and has kept up with the times. combines the unique appeal of the STAR counterpart of the RASC in the United States). Its primary brands are focused on the science WARS universe with developments in The International Astronomical Union has and nature categories, and major toy series in- earth-based technology.” I named Asteroid 4859 Asteroid Fraknoi to hon- clude “In My Room,” which offers Moon in or his contributions to the public understand- ing of astronomy. •• I really really want to go to a planetarium suddenly. Even more from Bays Mountain •• that was for the chick starring at me in the In addition to When Venus Transits the Sun, Real tweets about real planetariums planetarium... DEUCES!;] Mario DiMaggio Bays Mountain Planetarium also is releasing a •• Daytime with the girl for stay at home dad fulldome version of one of my favorite pro- day and now a boys night out with my son grams, The Case of the Disappearing Planet. •• I ventured into my school's planetarium its to the planetarium. I'm in dad heaven. In its promotional material, Disappearing kinda sick •• Getting my frappé and fruit then off to Planet is described as “a fun show that looks •• Wow. Ok. So me and Ryan go to film at the chaperone Jeren's field trip to the Planetar- into the changing status of objects we call planetarium and guy is like "*does not take ium ;D planets. It not only covers Pluto, but the tem- ryan's hand* um. I'm trying not to catch •• Chickenpox, Chickenpox. So much better porary planetary status of asteroids as well.” anything" than Smallpox. But still shit. Poor Child2 It is, indeed, a fun show, and teachers in my •• Carpooling with Jason, Joel, and Mitch. looks like a Planetarium and can't sleep for area of Ohio like it for grades 3-5. The narra- Awesome Road Trip to the planetarium! itching. tor, the gumshoe Skye Watcher, has an outra- Best birthday evar! •• "a rabbit's visual field is like a planetarium geously funny Brooklyn (New York) accent •• "I can't answer my phone I'm in a planetar- dome (with ears)"...nicely noted, book. (thanks to Robin Byrne, associate professor ium" •• There was nothing like going to the Plan- of Astronomy and Physics at Northeast State •• I wish I was writing an adult planetarium etarium with the right girl sitting next to Community College, Blountville, Tennessee). show. I would call it: Men, Women, Mars, you I’ve been running the original slide-based Venus and Uranus. •• Why is the planetarium so cold?!?!?!?!?

March 2012 Planetarian 65 Joseph M. Chamberlain Adler Planetarium president emeritus

etarium staff past and present who had the op- pleted, adding a new planetarium café, a sky- portunity of working with Joe are quick to re- show production suite, a research center for gale listeners with fond memories and “Joe the History of Astronomy Department, and stories”. a “Stairway to the Stars” special-effects escala- He is survived by his wife Paula and by tor connecting the Universe Theater with the daughters Janet, Susan, and Barbara. A private Sky Theater. family memorial service was held. In addition to physical and administrative Originally from Peoria, Joe became director improvements, Joe also expanded the Adler’s of the Adler in 1968, after serving as director of professional staffing and standing in the com- the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium munity. He added astronomers, curators, edu- in New York City. He was invited to Chicago cators, exhibit specialists, and business profes- to help implement the recommendations of sionals to the staff. Mayor Richard J. Daley’s blue-ribbon commit- A longtime supporter of the American Asso- tee on the Adler’s future. At the time the Adler ciation of Museums, Joe worked to make the was operated by the Chicago Park District. Adler an accredited member of AAM, a sta- Joe’s tenure as director, and later as presi- tus the planetarium maintains to this day. He dent, was a time of numerous expansions. A was also active in the worldwide planetarium new $4 million underground facility, with community through groups such as the Inter- the Kroc Universe Theater, a dining area, and national Planetarium Society and the Interna- new exhibition space, was opened to the pub- tional Planetarium Directors Congress, as well lic in 1973. He also oversaw the upgrading of as in the local community through civic orga- the original Zeiss planetarium theater, replac- nizations including the Near South Planning ing the original 1930 Zeiss with a new Zeiss Board. Mark VI. After 23 years of leadership, during which Joseph M. Chamberlain, Ed.D., Adler Plan- In 1976, the Adler Board of Trustees assumed he firmly established the Adler Planetarium etarium president emeritus and life trustee, full management responsibility from the as one of Chicago’s major cultural institu- died on Monday, November 28, 2011, in Peo- Park District. In 1977, the Doane Observatory tions, Joe retired in 1991 and moved back to ria, Illinois. He was 88. was opened, a facility that houses a 20-inch Peoria. At that time he was named Adler presi- He was hard-working, dedicated, and con- Cassegrain reflecting telescope able to trans- dent emeritus and became a life trustee on the scientious and also had a great sense of humor mit live images. Adler Board. - Mark Web and enjoyed celebrating with staff. Adler Plan- In 1991, a $6.5 million renovation was com-

Installing audio/visual components

(How we do it, continued from Page 63) cause we have a log home, we had to install provides some very low ambient light, but troduce subtle distortions in the image. a piece of wood at the ceiling and have it run doesn’t let us see the light source (similar to Be aware that all projectors have a height between two wooden beams in order to in- the low-level lights high up in the ceiling at deviation in the projected image. This allows stall the projector mount. movie houses). It is not the best to watch a you to set a projector on a table and the screen Mounting the screen to the beam was some- movie in pure darkness. can be much higher for all to see. When you what easy. Two basic, 4-inch metal corner The last-installed component was a small install a projector on the ceiling, however, it brackets attached to the screen case mount- built-in cabinet to house the audio/visual is upside down, so the image is lower than the ing plate. We did have to drill an additional equipment. projector. hole in the bracket to let the two bolts align Our home’s log construction made my in- Start with the desired FOV. From there, it with the case’s mounting plate. stallation techniques and needs unique. Your becomes a daisy-chain of measurements that Since the screen was motorized and mount- physical space also will dictate your installa- will tell you where to install your equipment. ed just below the second floor, we were con- tion methods. Note, your desired FOV will need to work cerned about vibrations over time. We used I hope this article will help you understand with the optical zoom range of the projector. 2.5-inch bolts with a regular nut and a lock- some basic ideas behind this type of project Here’s the progression: ing nut. The long length of the bolt allowed and how to install it. Even if others are install- •• Desired FOV along with throw distance for a long travel before the screen could ever ing these components for you, you will now •• Projected image dimensions and diagonal fall off. The locking nut has a nylon insert that be prepared to work with them in designing (based on image ratio) grips the bolt to keep it from moving on its it properly. Planetarians have always been a •• Screen and projector separation own. Having two nuts tightened together acts “jack-of-all-trades” kind of folk, and now you •• Choose screen height along with projector as a jam nut. This also acts as a lock. I don’t can tackle that installation project with con- height deviation think the screen is going to move. fidence. •• Projector drop We wanted the screen case hidden, which If you have any questions, please don’t hes- Our home project was such that we want- meant a type of enclosure needed to be in- itate to contact me at [email protected]. ed all wires hidden and all components ei- stalled around it, and we also needed a light Share and enjoy! I ther hidden or mostly so. A special note: Be- trough for cove lighting. This lighting will

66 Planetarian March 2012 Planetarians’ Calendar of Events

2012 ing, National Space Centre, Leicester, United Kigdom. Contact: Dr 18 March. International Day of Planetaria. www.dayofplanetaria.org Jenny Shipway, [email protected] 20-21 March. Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA), 2012 Euro- 3-16 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) An- pean Film Expo, Co-hosted by Euromax, Parc du Futuroscope, nual Conference, COSI (Center of Science and Industry), Colum- Poitiers, France. March 22. Dome Day, La Géode, Paris, France. bus, Ohio. www.astc.org www.giantscreencinema.com 18-20 September. Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA), Interna- 31 March. Deadline for application for scholarship funds (IPS sup- tional Conference and Trade Show, Esquire IMAX Theatre, Sacra- port Baton Rouge Conference attendance by individuals). www. mento, California, USA. September 21. Dome Day, The Tech Muse- ips-planetarium.org um, San Jose, California, USA. www.giantscreencinema.com 14-15 April. Brembate di Sopra, Bergamo, Italy. Italian Association of 24-27 October. Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA), annu- Planetaria (PLANIT), XXVII National Conference, Italy, and 2nd al conference, North Hills High School Planetarium, Pittsburgh, Full-Dome Italian Festival. During the conference Skype session Pennsylvania, USA. Contact: Susan Batson. www.glpaweb.org for planetarians from other countries. www.planetaritaliani.it; co- tact [email protected] 2013 18-20 April, “Quality, Honesty and Beauty in science and technolo- 16-19 October. Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA), Annual gy communication,” PCST-International Public Communication conference, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria, Illinois, USA. Con- of Science and Technology Conference XII, Palazzo dei Congres- tact: [email protected] www.glpaweb.org si, Florence, Italy 19-22 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) 5-7 May. ADP 2012, Annual meeting of German speaking planetar- Annual Conference, Explora, NM Museum of Natural History & ia, Planetarium Wolfsburg, Germany. www.planetarium-wolfs- Science, National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, Albu- burg.de querque, New Mexico, USA. www.astc.org 8-12 May: 6th FullDome Festival in the Jena Zeiss-Planetarium. Jena, Germany. The 6th FullDome Festival again will show full-length 2014 feature shows, lots of student works and clips of independent and 16-20 March. Science Center World Summit, Technopolis, Mechelen professional producers. The main topic of the Festival will be “Dis- and Brussels, Belgium. Partners: Technopolis, Flemish science cen- solving Space” - How to use fulldome content to make the dome ter, Mechelen, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels. invisible. An international jury will present FullDome Awards for www.technopolis.be the best entries. Contact: Schorcht Volkmar, [email protected] 31 March. Deadline for application for scholarship funds (IPS sup- 17-20 May. Association of French Speaking Planetariums (APLF), port, Beijing Conference attendance by individuals). www.ips- Yearly Meeting, Planétarium de Bretagne, Pleumeur-Bodou, planetarium.org France, France. www.aplf-planetariums.org June. International Planetarium Society Council Meeting, Beijing, 31 May–2 June. ECSITE Annual Conference (European Network of China. Science Centres and Museums), Cité de l’Espace, Toulouse, France 23-27 June. 22nd International Planetarium Society Confer- www.ecsite.net ence, Beijing Planetarium, China. www.ips2014.org, contact 11-15 July. ESOF 2012, Euroscience Open Forum, Dublin City of Sci- Dr. Zhu Jin, [email protected] ence 2012, www.dublinscience2012.ie 18-21 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) 20-21 July. International Planetarium Society Council Meeting, Ba- Annual Conference, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, ton Rouge, Louisiana. Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. www.astc.org 21-22 July. Southeastern Planetarium Association (SEPA), 2012 con- ference, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (in conjunction with IPS Yearly Deadlines for “A Week in Italy” Conference). www.sepadomes.org 31 August. Deadline for the applicants of “An experience in Italy for 22-26 July. 21st International Planetarium Society Conference, a French Speaking Planetarium Operator,” in collaboration with Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, Louisiana Art & Science APLF. Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, [email protected], 15 September. Deadline for the applicants of “A Week in Italy for an www.ips2012.com. IPS conference will Ustream the opening cer- American Planetarium Operator,” in collaboration with IPS Porta- emony, keynote speaker, business meeting, and paper sessions ble Planetarium Committee. each day. www.ips-planetarium.org, link on IPS 2012, Baton Rouge 30 September. Deadline for the applicants of “An experience in Ita- 4-8 August. Communicating Science: A National Conference on Edu- ly for a British Planetarium Operator,” in collaboration with BAP. cation and Public Outreach, annual meeting of the Astronomical For more information on the “Week in Italy,” go to: www.astro- Society of the Pacific, Hilton Hotel, Tucson, Arizona, USA. www. filibresciani.it/Planetari/Week_in_Italy/-Week_Italy.htm astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html For corrections and new information for the Calendar of Events, 6-10 August. Spitz Summer Institute, Spitz, Inc. Chadds Ford (near please send a message to Loris Ramponi at osservatorio@serafino- Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, USA, annual event focusing on plan- zani.it. etarium education. Includes instruction in Starry Night real time More details about several of these upcoming events are included software, curriculum and live lessons/teaching with SciDome dig- in the International News column and elsewhere in the Planetarian. ital planetariums. Beginner, intermediate and advanced sessions. The most up-to-date information also is available online at the In- www.spitzinc.com/institute ternational Planetarian’s Calendar of Events at www.ips-planetari- 7-8 September. British Association of Planetaria (BAP), annual meet- um.org/events/conferences.html I

March 2012 Planetarian 67 “This is M13 if you don’t recognize it. They Last Light don’t all look alike.” About an image of NGC 4565 (an edge-on spiral sometimes called the Needle Galaxy): “I know I’m going to regret this. This image April S. Whitt was taken by a special NASA satellite that has Fernbank Science Center been out there and just returned, kept quiet 156 Heaton Park Drive NE by a massive conspiracy of tens of thousands of NASA scientists. As reported by Fox. …We Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA always round off—remember this is a science [email protected] where pi = 1.”” “Can’t remember why I put this slide in. Some clever people post jokes on Dome-L. the middle zoom projector. Don’t worry, you’ll all get like this. But I’ve al- Dave Grebner posted: In Star of Wonder it talks about all the things ways been like this—I called one of the kids by Q. How many neutrinos does it take to change that were most likely not the star of the Bible. the dog’s name once.” a light bulb? Like a supernova. It mentioned the Crab Neb- “Urea has been observed in interstellar A. None. If the neutrinos go really, really fast, ula as an example. One part of the script went space. I’ll allow you to make up your own the bulb is no longer burned out. (yes it is still stuck in my brain after viewing it jokes about that.” Alexandre Cherman added: over 1,000 times): “Stel- The bartender says: “We don’t serve faster- la novae were not new than-light particles in here.” stars, but stars near the A neutrino enters a bar. end of their life. Up Owen Phairis contributed: close we would see a A neutrino get pulled over for exceeding dying star, its outer lay- the speed of light by a relativity cop who says: ers flung into space in “We don’t allow spooky action at a distance.” the....etc.” Well, some- Dr. Ron Kaitchuk offered one more: how the zoom projec- Neutrinos. tor did not get reset. Knock, knock. So up zooms, not Paolo Amoroso noted: the expanding gas Concerning the OPERA neutrino exper- cloud image, but (you iment, Italian minister of education and re- guessed it) the horse- search Mariastella Gelmini boasted about the shoe crab image. I 45 million EUR Italian public-funded cost heard several older la- for building the neutrino tunnel connecting dies chatting as they CERN to the Gran Sasso laboratory. “And this left the program about This artifact was discovered on the white-painted outer wall of the Ralph is no joke; she issued an official press release.” how they enjoyed the Buice Memorial observatory here at Fernbank. The lipstick shows that And what about those answers to exam show. One lady said, some people really love astronomy, I guess. Photo by Ed Albin. questions? Some high school freshmen have “And that Crab Nebu- an interesting view of the four states of mat- la really does look like ter: a crab. Isn’t the universe amazing?” As far as I After the conference, Zeiss sponsored a trip The question: List the four states of matter. could tell she was being serious. to Peoria, to see Sheldon Schaefer’s brand new The answers: ZKP4 projector. A. Gas, water, air, plasma Dr. Kaler’s bits of wisdom Sheldon told us that the KZP4’s name was A. Plasma, fire, water, earth The Great Lakes Planetarium Association “Luke” since it was a Skywalker. Their previ- A. Hydrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon met in Champaign, Illinois last fall. Dr. Jim Kal- ous instrument, a Spitz, was named “Mark.” A. Solid, liquid, gas, plasma, Einstein’s con- er offered a list of Cosmic Mysteries. From his (The new computer in back has been dubbed densate seat behind the star projector, he noted that, “I “Seven of Nine.”) used to run the Zeiss, so I’m comfortable here. Sheldon is delighted with the accuracy of Horseshoe crab nebula? This is a quick route to the bathroom. And an the new projector (Daniel Arnberg mentioned Pat McQuillan offers a reminiscence: We escape route.” that he believed it “would guide him home”) make many mistakes in the dark over the Well known for his carousel trays of slides, and wanted to demonstrate it. years, but one stands out in memory as so Dr. Kaler mentioned that “he’d dropped the Several people asked for dates of particu- good you couldn’t plan it. thumb drive on the floor, and all the slides fell lar events: an upcoming solar eclipse and the When running Star of Wonder in my early out. I had to re-stick them in,” and “The beau- transit of Venus. Alan Pareis requested 17 June days at the Virginia Living Museum, we also ty of powerpoint is you’re not limited to 80 3 BCE. ran another program called Lifetide (written images.” A voice from the audience inquired, “birth- by Jon Bell). Lifetide talked about Earth and Some more of his wisdom: day?” how great it was with all the life and how “If you can imagine taking photographic While Sheldon struggled briefly with the there isn’t anywhere else in the solar system plates without computers and resolving stars, unfamiliar console, looking for a “plus” or that would support life, etc. etc. you’re a better person than I am.” “minus” for the year counter he muttered, Well, one part of the program explained “I seem to have lost the pointer. Oh, there “There ought to be a sign.” how horseshoe crabs would mate during the are two buttons. One must be the button of A voice from behind me observed “I believe full moon. We had a horseshoe crab image in death. It shoots out gamma rays.” there was.” I

68 Planetarian March 2012 The revolutionary power of Digistar 4 is now portable. The new Digistar Outreach uses a single DLP video projector with a fisheye lens, bringing uncompromising big screen planetarium experiences to inflatable domes. From a simple iPad interface, you can harness the power of Digistar to reach out to your community in ways you never thought possible.

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Outreach Ad.indd 1 10/20/2011 4:12:13 PM