Journal of the International Planetarium Society Vol. 41, No. 1
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Vol. 41, No. 1 March 2012 Journal of the International Planetarium Society Teaching the transit Page 10 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. WWW.ES.COM FOLLOW US: Outreach Ad.indd 1 10/20/2011 4:12:13 PM Articles 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