Vol. 39, No. 2 June 2010 Journal of the International Planetarium Society

Vol. 39, No. 2 June 2010

Journal of the International Planetarium Society

Taking the Stars to all of Uruguay Page 30

Articles

June 2010 Vol. 39 No. 2 8 Save the Planetarium Sharon Shanks 9 Assessing Planetarium Programs for Content Executive Editor and Pedagogy Harold Geller, Wendy Frazier Sharon Shanks 12 Methods for Sharing Audio Among Ward Beecher Planetarium Youngstown State University Planetariums Leslie Gaston One University Plaza 20 Constellations for All: Studying Identification Youngstown, Ohio 44555 USA Techniques Jean Creighton, Sandra Martell +1 330-941-3619 26 Fulldome Content Development and Presentation [email protected] Tools Toshiyuki Takahei 30 The Universe in Your City: Uruguay’s 19 Capital Advertising Coordinator Dr. Dale Smith, Interim Coordinator Cities Program Daniel Scarpa, Antonio Mas (See Publications Committee on page 3) 33 Astronomy in India Suhas Naik-Satam, Piyush Pandey Membership 36 A Visit to India Martin George Individual: $65 one year; $100 two years 41 Under One Dome: Northern Stars Planetarium Institutional: $250 first year; $125 annual renewal John Meader Library Subscriptions: $45 one year; $80 two years All amounts in US currency Direct membership requests and changes of Columns address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman 71 25 Years Ago...... Thomas Wm. Hamilton 68 Book Reviews...... April S. Whitt Back Issues of the Planetarian 72 Calendar of Events...... Loris Ramponi IPS Back Publications Repository 44 Educational Horizons ...... Jack L. Northrup maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair; 6 Letters to the Editor ...... contact information is on next page 4 In Front of the Console ...... Sharon Shanks 47 IMERSA News...... Judith Rubin Index 50 International News...... Lars Broman A cumulative index of major articles that have 76 Last Light ...... April S. Whitt appeared in the Planetarian from the first issue 63 Mobile News...... Susan Reynolds Button through the current issue is available online at www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/planetarian_ 67 Planetarium Show Reviews...... Steve Case index.pdf 43 President’s Message ...... Tom Mason 73 Waxing New...... John Schroer Final Deadlines March: January 21 June: April 21 Index of Advertisers September: July 21 American Museum of Natural History ...... 23, 46 December: October 21 Antares FullDome...... 11 Astro-Tec Mfg., Inc ...... 42 Audio Visual Imagineering ...... 29 Clark Planetarium ...... 53 Associate Editors Creasey Productions ...... 56 25 Years Ago Education Last Light Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc...... 45 Thomas Hamilton Jack Northrup April S. Whitt Dome 3D...... 35 Book Reviews Forum The Elumenati ...... 17 April S. Whitt Yaroslav Mobile News Evans & Sutherland ...... outside back cover Gubchenko Susan Button Calendar Global Immersion...... 5 Loris Ramponi General Planetarium Counsel Show Reviews GOTO INC ...... 59 Cartoons Christopher Reed Steve Case ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center ...... 75 Alexandre Cherman IMERSANews Waxing New Konica Minolta Planetarium Co. Ltd ...... 15 Judith Rubin John A. Schroer R.S.A. Cosmos ...... inside back cover Editor-at-Large Steve Tidey International Rudinec & Associates ...... 25 Lars Broman Sky-Skan, Inc ...... 37, centerfold, 40 Softmachine...... 19, 61 Spitz, Inc...... 32, 49, 65 White Tower Media...... 54 International Planetarium Society home page: Zeiss, Inc...... 66, inside front cover www.ips-planetarium.org

Planetarian home page: On the Cover: Kappa Crucis Mobile Planetarium took the International Year of As- www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian tronomy to the entire country of Uruguay, visiting each of the capital cities. Daniel Guidelines for Contributors and Advertisers: Scarpa conducts a planetarium session at one of the stops. Photos provided by Kappa www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/ Crucis; map outline from Wikipedia Commons. See story on Page 30. guidelines.html

June 2010 Planetarian 1 Affiliate Representatives

Association of Brazilian British Great Plains Planetarium Rocky Mountain Planetariums Association of Planetaria Association Planetarium Officers Alexandre Cherman Shaaron Leverment Jack Dunn Association Planetário do Rio de Janeiro Explorer Dome: Ralph Mueller Planetarium Rick Greenawald President R. Vice-Governador Hands-on Science Outreach University of Nebraska-Lincoln Faulkner Planetarium Dr. Tom Mason, Director Rubens Berardo, 100 Mailbox 42 210 Morrill Hall Herrett Center Armagh Planetarium Rio de Janeiro RJ 22451-070 179 Whiteladies Road Lincoln, Nebraska College of Southern Idaho College Hill +55 (21) 2274-0046 ext. 264 Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG 68588-0375 USA P. O. Box 1238 Armagh BT61 9DB +55 (21) 2529-2149 fax England +1 402-472-2641 315 Falls Avenue Northern Ireland [email protected] United Kingdom +1 402-475-8899 fax Twin Falls, Idaho United Kingdom www.rio.rj.gov. +44 117 914 1526 [email protected] 83303-1238 USA +44 (0)2837 524725 br/planetario +44 793 035 0805 www.spacelaser.com/gppa +1 208-732-6659 +44 (0)2837 526187 fax shaaron@explor- Italian Association +1 208-736-4712 fax +44 (0)771 0013453 cell erdome.co.uk of Planetaria [email protected] [email protected] Association of Dutch- information@explor- Loris Ramponi herrett.csi.edu/ www.armaghplanet.com Speaking Planetariums erdome.co.uk National Archive of Planetaria faulkner_overview.asp Ad Los www.planetarium.org.uk c/o Centro Studi e Ricerche Past-President Planetarium Ridderkerk Serafino Zani Susan Reynolds Button Museum Johannes Postschool via Bosca 24, C.P. 104 Quarks to Clusters Rijksstraatweg, 101 Canadian Association I 25066 Lumezzane Russian Planetariums 8793 Horseshoe Lane 2988 BB Ridderkerk-Rijsoord of Science Centres (Brescia) Italy Association Chittenango, New York The Netherlands Ian C. McLennan +39 30 872 164 Zinaida P. Sitkova 13037 USA + 31 180 434441 or #404 - 1275 Haro Street +39 30 872 545 fax Nizhny Novgorod +1 315-687-5371 + 31 180 437716 Vancouver, British Columbia [email protected] Planetarium +1 315-432-4523 fax [email protected] V6E 1G1 Canada [email protected] Revolutsionnja Street 20 [email protected] www.planetariumrotterdam.nl +1 604-681-4790 www.planetaritaliani.it 603002 Nizhny [email protected] phone + fax Novgorod Russia +1 604-240-0938 cell +7 831 246-78-80 President-Elect Association of French- [email protected] Japan +7 831 246-77-89 fax Dave Weinrich Speaking Planetariums [email protected] Planetarium Society [email protected] Planetarium Agnès Acker www.ianmclennan.com Kaoru Kimura [email protected] Minnesota State Observatoire de Strasbourg Japan Science Foundation University-Moorhead 11, rue de l’université Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda-ku 1104 7th Avenue South 67000 Strasbourg France Council of German Tokyo, 102-0091 Japan Moorhead +33 3 90 24 24 67 Planetariums [email protected] Southeastern Minnesota 56563 USA +33 3 90 24 24 17 fax Thomas W. Kraupe www.shin-pla.info Planetarium +1 218-477-2969 [email protected] IPS contact person Association +1 218-477-5864 fax [email protected] Planetarium Hamburg John Hare [email protected] www.aplf-planetariums.org Hindenburgstraße 1 b Middle Atlantic Ash Enterprises D-22303 Hamburg Planetarium 3602 23rd Avenue West Deutschland Society Bradenton, Florida Executive Secretary Association of Mexican +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 Steve Mitch 34205 USA Lee Ann Hennig Planetariums +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax 258 Springdale Avenue +1 941-746-3522 Planetarium, Thomas Ignacio Castro Pinal +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax Wheeling, WV 26003 USA [email protected] Jefferson High School Torres de Mixcoac, A6-702 +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell +1 304-242-7614 www.sepadomes.org for Science and Technology C.P. 01490, México City thomas.kraupe@ [email protected] 6560 Braddock Road D.F. México planetarium-hamburg.de Alexandria, Virginia 22312 USA +52 (55) 5500 0562 www.rdp-planetrium.de +1 703-750-8380 +52 (55) 5500 0583 fax Nordic Planetarium Southwestern +1 703-750-5010 fax [email protected] Association Association of [email protected] cosmos.astro.uson.mx/ European/ Prof. Lars Broman Planetariums AMPAC/AMPACintro.htm Mediterranean Teknoland Linda Krouse, Director Treasurer and Planetarium Stångtjärnsv 132 Noble Planetarium Membership Chair Association SE-791 74 Falun Fort Worth Museum of Shawn Laatsch Association of Spanish Manos Kitsonas Sweden Science and History ‘Imiloa Astronomy Planetariums Eugenides Planetarium +46 2310177 1600 Gendy Street Center of Hawai’i Javier Armentia 387 Syngrou Avenue [email protected] Fort Worth, Texas 600 ‘Imiloa Place Planetario de Pamplona 17564 P. Faliro lars.broman@strom- 76107 USA Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Sancho Ramirez, 2 Athens Greece stadakademi.se +1 817-255-9409 +1 808-969-9735 E-31008 Pamplona +30 210 946 9674 www.teknoland.se +1 817-360-0082 cell +1 808-969-9748 fax Navarra Spain +30 210 941 7372 fax www.planetarium.se/npa [email protected] [email protected] +34 948 260 004 [email protected] www.swapskies.org +34 948 260 056 +34 948 261 919 fax Pacific Planetarium [email protected] Great Lakes Planetarium Association gestion@pamplonetario. Association Gail Chaid infonego-cio.com Jeanne Bishop 1320 Glen Dell Drive Westlake Schools San Jose, California Planetarium 95125 USA Australasian Planetarium Parkside Intermediate School +1 408-540-8879 cell Society 24525 Hilliard Road +1 408-288-8525 Mark Rigby, Curator Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA [email protected] Sir Thomas Bris- +1 440-899-3075 x2058 sites.csn.edu/plan- bane Planetarium +1 440-835-5572 fax etarium/PPA Mt. Coot-tha Road, [email protected] Toowong www.glpaweb.org Brisbane, Queensland 4066 Australia +61 7 3403 2578 +61 7 3403 2575 fax mark.rigby@brisbane.qld.gov.au

2 Planetarian June 2010 Standing Committees IPS Permanent Awards Committee +20 3 482 4988 fax Finance Committee Mailing Address Prof. Lars Broman [email protected] President, Past President, Presi- Teknoland www.biblaex.org dent Elect, Treasurer, Secretary Stångtjärnsv 132 International Planetarium SE-791 74 Falun IPS Conference Host- 2012 Membership Committee Society Sweden Jon Elvert Shawn Laatsch, Chair +46 2310177 Irene W. Pennington Planetarium ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii c/o Shawn Laatsch [email protected] Louisiana Art & Science Museum 600 ‘Imiloa Place Treasurer/Membership www.teknoland.se 100 South River Road Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Chair Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 USA +1 808-969-9735 Conference Committee +1 225-344-5272 +1 808-969-9748 fax ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center Susan Reynolds Button +1 225-214-4027 fax [email protected] of Hawaii Quarks to Clusters [email protected] 600 ‘miloa Place 8793 Horseshoe Lane Publications Committee Chittenango, New York 13037 USA Elections Committee Dr. Dale W. Smith, Chair Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA +1 315-687-5371 Martin George, Chair BGSU Planetarium +1 315-432-4523 fax Launceston Planetarium 104 Overman Hall [email protected] Queen Victoria Museum Physics &Astronomy Department IPS Web Site: [email protected] Wellington Street Bowling Green State University www.ips-planetarium.org Launceston Tasmania 7250 Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA Conference Host-2010 Australia +1 419-372-8666 Dr. Omar Fikry +61 3 6323 3777 +1 419-372-9938 fax Please notify the Editor Head of Shows & Programs Unit +61 3 6323 3776 fax [email protected] of any changes on these Planetarium Science Center [email protected] two pages. The Library of Alexandria PO Box 138 El Shatby, Alexandria 21526 Egypt Contact the Treasurer/ +20 3 483 9999 ext. 1881 Membership Chair for individual member address Ad Hoc Committees changes and general cir- Armand Spitz Rochester, New York 14607 USA Script Contest Committee culation and billing ques- Planetarium Education Fund +1 585-271-4552 ext. 409 Thomas W. Kraupe tions. Finance Committee +1 585-271-7146 fax Planetarium Hamburg [email protected] Hindenburgstr.1b Education Committee D-22303 Hamburg Germany Jack L. Northrup IPS Publicity Coordinator +49(0)40-428 86 52-21 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planetarium (Publications Committee) +49(0)40-428 86 52-99 fax King Science and Technology Jacques Guarinos +49(0)40-4279 24-850 e-fax Magnet Center Astronef–Planetarium +49(0)172-40 86 133 cell 3720 Florence Blvd. de Saint-Etienne thomas.kraupe@plane- Omaha, NE 68110 USA 28 rue Ponchardier tarium-hamburg.de +1 402-557-4494 F-42100 Saint-Etienne France www.rdp-planetarium.de [email protected] +33 (0)4 77 34 40 85 webmail.ops.org/~jack.northrup [email protected] Strategic Planning Committee The Planetarian (ISN 0090- Tom Mason, Chair 3213) is published quarterly Full-Dome Video Committee Outreach Committee Armagh Planetarium Ryan Wyatt, Chair Jon W. Elvert, Chair College Hill by the International Planetar- Director, Morrison Planetarium Irene W. Pennington Planetarium Armagh BT61 9DB ium Society. ©2010, Interna- California Academy of Sciences Louisiana Art & Science Museum Northern Ireland 55 Music Concourse Drive 100 South River Road United Kingdom tional Planetarium Society, Golden Gate Park Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 USA +44 (0)2837 524725 Inc., all rights reserved. Opin- San Francisco, California 94118 +1 225-344-5272 +44 (0)2837 526187 fax ions expressed by authors +1 415-321-8156 +1 225-214-4027 fax +44 (0)771 0013453 cell [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] are personal opinions and are [email protected] www.armaghplanet.com not necessarily the opinions Planetarium of the International Planetar- History Committee Development Group Technology Committee John Hare, IPS Historian Ken Wilson, Chair Karen Klamczynski , Chair ium Society, its officers, or Ash Enterprises 9346 Drawbridge Road Education & Training Specialist agents. Acceptance of adver- 3602 23rd Avenue West Mechanicsville, Virginia 23220 USA E&S Digital Theater Division Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA [email protected] 770 Komas Drive tisements, announcements, +1 941-746-3522 Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 USA or other material does not [email protected] Portable +1 801-588-7409 imply endorsement by the Planetarium Committee +1 801-588-4520 fax International Susan Reynolds Button, Chair [email protected] International Planetarium So- Relations Committee Quarks to Clusters www.es.com ciety, its officers or agents. Martin George, Chair 8793 Horseshoe Lane The Editor welcomes Letters Launceston Planetarium Chittenango, NY 13037 Queen Victoria Museum +1 315-687-5371 Web Committee to the Editor and items for Wellington Street [email protected] Alan Gould, Chair consideration for publica- Launceston, Tasmania 7250 Australia [email protected] Holt Planetarium +61 3 6323 3777 Lawrence Hall of Science tion. Please consult “Guide- +61 3 6323 3776 fax Professional University of California lines for Contributors” at [email protected] Services Committee Berkeley, California 94720-5200 USA www.ips-planetarium.org/ Mike Murray, Chair +1 510-643-5082 Job Information Service Clark Planetarium +1 510-642-1055 fax planetarian/guidelines.html. Subcommittee 110 South 400 West [email protected] The Editor reserves the right (Professional Services Committee) Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 USA to edit any manuscript to Steve Fentress, Chair +1 801-456-4949 Strasenburgh Planetarium +1 801-456-4928 fax suit this publication’s needs. Rochester Museum & Science Center [email protected] 657 East Avenue

June 2010 Planetarian 3 ered or changed to fit a political line; it means that I’ll take a red pen to chatty, non-profes- In Front of the Console sional material as needed and to fix grammar, English, and typographical mistakes.

More Evolution The Planetarian is ever evolving, seen most easily in our cadre of columnists. Chris Reed, Sharon Shanks who has been discussing the intricacies of Ward Beecher Planetarium the law under our domes for the past several Youngstown State University years in his column General Counsel, has fi- Youngstown, OH 44555 USA nally run out of topics for us and will submit articles on an “as needed” basis, perhaps once a [email protected] year. I have always enjoyed reading Chris’ columns; it is a rare writer who can take some- Batter Up Enough Already thing like copyright law and make it interest- Don’t you wish you could thump school Steve Tidey’s book review article in the De- ing to read. Thanks so much for sharing your board members a good one with the common cember 2009 Planetarian continues to stir up expertise, Chris. sense stick? Don’t you wish just one of your the waters, the result of which are two addi- This also is the final Planetarium Show Re- school board members would visit your plan- tional Letters to the Editor (see Page 6). At this views column from Steve Case, at least for etarium to see for themselves a third grader’s point we’re also saying “enough is enough” on the moment, who took on a controversial enthusiasm for learning? Not on a “cheese and the issue, which has become a political black job and set the standards for it honestly and wine reception for the board” visit, but during hole (good data sucked in, politically-charged fairly. Starting this summer, Steve is taking a an actual class? words spewed back out). Once an issue has leave from Olivet Nazarene University to pur- These words, of course, come as a result of been touched by politics (like abortion, reli- sue graduate studies at Notre Dame in the his- recent news on Dome-L that two school plan- gion, the economy, and even poor Pluto), it tory and philosophy of science. He’ll contin- etariums were going to be closed at the end of loses not its significance, but its ability to be ue to work part-time at the planetarium, but this school year. discussed and acted upon with any sense of doesn’t anticipate the time to continue the At press time, Arlington (Virginia) Public progress. column. Schools planetarium appears to have been Also, on Page 7, is a statement by IPS Presi- Anita Sohus has done a superb job of put- given a stay of execution, albeit with a much dent Martin George outlining the IPS stand— ting together columns relevant to planetari- reduced budget, while the Colonial Planetar- not on climate change, but on the necessi- ums from the multi-tendrilled monster of in- ium in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, is ty within science to have an open exchange formation that is today’s NASA. As NASA does still holding its breath. of ideas. Just as we accept and print letters to a better job of sharing information to the pub- In Arlington, the David M. Brown Planetari- the editor without changing their words, so lic, Anita’s job has become more difficult: just um, named for a graduate of Arlington’s York- do we accept material—in this case a book re- what do you pick? A quarterly publication just town High School who was killed in the 2003 view, not a research paper—that might not re- skims the surface. This is a case where internet Columbia disaster, now will have only a part- flect our views. resources are a better choice than print, so we time teaching position (down from 2 and a Just to remind you, on Page 3, bottom right urge you to take advantage of the wealth of half). hand corner, is a statement that we and most information from the beast on line and wish The Colonial board had not made a deci- publications live by: “Opinions expressed by you good luck with your navigating. sion by the time I write this, although it is lis- authors are personal opinions and are not nec- The always enthusiastic John Schroer has tening, at least, to planetarium supporters. essarily the opinions of the International Plan- agreed to combine his What’s New informa- Boards at both Arlington and Colonial ar- etarium Society, its officers, or agents. Accep- tion with material that would have appeared gue that the cost of replacing outdated equip- tance of advertisements, announcements, or in Gibbous Gazette in a new column that ment is one of the reasons for their decisions. other material does not imply endorsement I’ve called Waxing Gibbous (because it’s get- Arlington also questioned the educational by the International Planetarium Society, its ting bigger). It’s a nice blend, and it’s the place value of the planetarium. officers or agents. The Editor welcomes Letters where we can share information about people As a side note, the article that starts on Page to the Editor and items for consideration for and products. 7, “Assessing Planetarium Programs for Con- publication.” Steve Tidey has been absent for the past two tent and Pedagogy,” refers to a study done for And there’s also the line “The Editor reserves issues, not because he’s avoiding the storm of the Arlington planetarium. the right to edit any manuscript to suit this the climate change issue, but because of an ill- Enthusiasm under the dome can translate publication’s needs.” I have never interpreted ness close to the family. He’ll be back again in to enthusiasm for learning in general. We this line to mean that material will be consid- September. I know it intuitively, in our “hearts,” if you will, but we can’t quantify a feeling—or convince a school board that has already decided Here’s the correct address to close a planetarium and easily eliminate an In Mike Shanahan’s March 2010 article about improving planetarium programming entire line item on their budget that the mon- through formative evaluation, he gave the wrong internet address to check for evalua- ey spent on and in the planetarium does more tion data of his Galileo program. Here is the correct address to this evaluation data direct- good for education than it appears. ly: www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/pdf/Galileo%20evaluations.xls. Here also is the There’s more about closing planetariums correct link to the overall Bishop Museum Watumull Planetarium web site (Galileo evalu- on Page 8, my brief wrap of the “state of the ations are on right hand side partway down): www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/plan- dome” now that the ripples of the global eco- etarium.html. nomic crisis are spreading insidiously.

4 Planetarian June 2010 READY?...

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36628 GLO] New advert_v11.indd 1 16/4/10 15:44:44 Letters to the Editor

More input on The Chilling Stars review I hot black asphalt, next to trash burn barrels and even attached to hot chimneys, a methodology that is seriously flawed. Dear Editor: Are any of you aware of the 31,000 American scientists who can Steve Tidey’s review of The Chilling Stars by Henrik Svensmark and prove that there is no anthropogenic global warming? Are you aware Nigel Calder makes the assumption that the cause of global warming of the fact that even the founder of the Weather Channel has called is still being debated within the serious scientific community. It is not. global warming a farce? Both Steve’s own Royal Society and the National Academy of Scienc- How about the fact that several NASA scientist have said that CO2 is es in the United States have stated unequivocally that climate change not the main greenhouse gas, but water vapor is—and that comes from is a result of human activity and the increased release of carbon diox- ocean evaporation. How many of you are aware that over 50 percent ide into the atmosphere. of all the CO2 in the atmosphere is from plants and trees, as once they Such a conclusion from the world’s most respected scientists is not reach mature stage actually release CO2 into the atmosphere? Some 45 reached without serious and extensive study. These top-rung research- percent of the CO2 is from ocean evaporation, and only 3 percent is ers are well aware that what they find will become the official posi- from human activity. tion of the scientific community. Are any of you aware of the fact that Al Gore’s 25 points in his mov- Planetariums are not in the same position. They are not expected to ie2 can be disproven with simple college level earth science? Think do research, weigh evidence and reach consensus. Their mandate is to of your earth science, people. Ice displaces the same amount of wa- teach science and inspire wonder. Implicit in that mandate is the as- ter that would be there if it melted. Therefore the alarmist scenario of sumption that the science they teach represents the best understand- melting polar caps flooding the continent is way off base. Meteorol- ing of the subject at that time. For that they must turn to the best and ogists all over the country have admitted that the computer models the brightest—to institutions like the Royal Society and the National used to support GW are flawed in the way they use the data. Academy of Sciences. How many of you are aware of the global cooling scare in the ear- As the official publication of the international planetarium com- ly 1970’s? A scare that predicted famine, disease, and hundreds of thou- munity, the Planetarian should reflect the best, most credible sci- sands of deaths; all by the year 2000. Duh, wrong again! ence available as well. Just as it encourages peer review of its articles, it I guess if you go against the trend of supporting global warming, should take similar care to avoid calling attention to a view of climate you are maligned. The fact is, that regardless of what we hear from the change that flies in the face of the greater scientific community. media and from the IPCC, (which, by the way, has hardly any folks on Finally, Steve Tidey’s characterization of climate scientists as the their panel who have degrees in meteorology or climate studies), GW “carbon lobby” is misleading in the extreme. Is he not aware that in is not an established scientific fact. It is political agenda. the United States the term refers to the oil and gas industry? Lars Broman talks about his fellow scientists who believe in GW. He I urge the Planetarian to take its responsibility seriously to offer the would be shocked to find out about the many members of the plane- best information available on climate change from the most trusted tarium field who believe that this global warming stuff is a farce. They, sources. It speaks for our industry and should reflect its best practices however, will not openly write that for fear of being maligned. and conscientious pursuit of the truth. Ka Chun Yu claims that the mindset that Steve Tidey has is not one Jim Sweitzer, PhD that serves our planetarium audiences well. So I guess according to Ka Science Communication Consultants, Oak Park, Illinois Chun Yu, unless you buy into the GW scare, you are of the wrong mindset. If you would like to read about all of the scientists who are against More input on The Chilling Stars review II the global warming scam, you can go to my web site at www.look-to- Dear Editor: the-skies.com and scroll down to the weather section. You can also see It is amazing that people with scientific backgrounds can be brain- how Al Gore’s inconvenient truths are nothing but inconvenient mis- washed into believing something. I find quite frightening the respons- information, and read about all of the predicted warming and cooling es from planetarians who have been brainwashed by people like Al scares in the past 100 years, of which none have actually happened. Gore1 and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. So to the Read the facts, and don’t be led around like cattle going to slaughter! folks who said that Steve Tidey was wrong, I now offer you facts, since Steven LJ Russo I spent 15 years as a broadcast meteorologist and have a background in Suits-Bueche Planetarium climatology and climate studies. Schenectady, New York There is no worldwide consensus that humans cause global warm- 2 An Inconvenient Truth, 2006. -ed. ing, and actually no consensus that there is actually any global warming outside of the Earth’s normal cycle of warming and PARTYcles Alex Cherman cooling. It depends upon where the data is Who are you? taken. Are any of you aware that the GW Some say I’m a … or, still, a alarmists get their data from weather sta- wave… vibrating tions at airports, toll booths on major high- super- string… ways, and large cities where the “heat island” effect distorts the overall data? Data has been compiled that shouldn’t be used, Wow! Insecurity because its reporting points are located on Some people alert! say I am a …or a I just wanted to particle… probability 1 Referring to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore know your name… cloud… and his crusade against global warming. -ed.

6 Planetarian June 2010 The response from IPS Dear Editor: In response to the letters criticizing the deci- this right to free speech, even if we strongly they stand. Any debate ought to be careful- sion to print the book review article by Steve disagree with the sentiments or think they are ly considered, words weighed and measured, Tidey, I make the following observations and misguided or just plain wrong. and should reflect the hallmark of a civi- comments on behalf of the IPS Officers and If material is misguided, it can be disputed lised democracy. Debate can be conducted Publications Chair. by reasoned argument; if it is wrong, it can be through the medium of face-to-face discus- I am sympathetic to the basic scientific corrected by reasoned argument. sion or through the letters column. I would point of view laid out by Lars Broman and Jim Thus, the Planetarian’s Editor has been much prefer that we receive some letters rath- Sweitzer, as I think it is correct. However, I am charged to exercise her judgment to make er than none: at least a few of our readers are disappointed by the way they have chosen to our magazine interesting and informative. Far being stirred and we are promoting debate. It argue their points of view: to me they read not from making planetarium professionals look is also within our Editor’s gift to curtail such as part of a scientific debate but rather as a po- bad, or implying that by printing someone’s debate and move on, as that is her job. lemic. A polemic is a dispute arguing a single opinion piece we are endorsing the view- So translating this into a policy for our jour- point of view; a debate recognizes that there is point, it is the strength of a journal to print nal, I suggest: “In the Planetarian journal, all always more than one point of view. something thought provoking, even if you opinions are held freely, and the IPS commu- I do not agree that Steve Tidey’s review arti- think it is left field or incorrect. nity unreservedly supports this principle. It is cle is out of line, or that the Planetarian should I think that the only instances where cen- not scientific to use anything other than rea- not be publishing his work. On the contrary, sorship ought to be considered is if the article soned argument to refute claims or to modi- while I am unsympathetic to Steve’s view- is libelous, profoundly offensive, or promotes fy theories.” point, like many scientists and non-scientists, hatred or racism or any of the other disastrous Dr. Tom Mason I think that everyone has a right to their point aberrations that caused so many deaths in the IPS President of view. It is a cornerstone of reasonable debate century just past. and of our democratic systems that we defend It is the job of the readers to decide where

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June 2010 Planetarian 7 arium elements from istockphoto.com

ry in Downer, Australia, closed early this planetarians aren’t writing and submitting. year. The owners of the site upon which it There are several current planetarium re- Sharon Shanks stands plan to redevelop the land. search papers out there, including by Dr. Lar- Planetarian Editor •• In the March issue of the Planetarian, the ry Krumenaker, whose paper on “High School Astronef Planetarium in Saint-Etienne, Planetariums: Results of a Survey” appears in There been some good news and some bad France, was fighting “repurposing” by the the December 2008 Planetarian. news in the planetarium field recently. city government. Another “must read” appears in AER Vol. 8, Among the good news is the reopening of I’m sure there are more, especially among 2009, “Meta-analysis of Planetarium Efficacy the Flandreau Planetarium in Tucson, Arizo- the school planetariums. They are the most Research” by Bruce Brazell at Navarro College na, closed last year due to a budget crisis in the likely to close and traditionally have suffered in Corsicana, Texas and Sue Espinoza at Texas state university system in Arizona, and the the most at the wrong end of the budget. Why A&M in Commerce, Texas. planned reopening of the Moscow Planetari- is this so? Here are my thoughts: The major thing that jumps out at me is the um. See Waxing Gibbous on Page 73 for more •• Many school planetariums were built in the age of the studies being analyzed: most are information on both. glory days of space exploration in the 1960s. from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Just a few are from The bad news, of course, includes planetari- School administrators who supported them this century. um closures and the lay off of more respected have long since retired and the current gen- I full realize that on our own, working by people in the field. In this issue, the people af- eration of administrators sees the planetari- ones or twos, we do not have the knowledge fected are Noreen Grice from the Boston Mu- um as an expensive relic. (or time) to develop an evaluation instru- seum of Science, after 26 years (see Page 73) •• Planetariums are not part of mandated state ment to measure our effectiveness beyond the and Tom Callen from Cosmonova in Stock- or local government programs. They are ex- dome. Nor do we have the training in educa- holm, Sweden, after 18 years (see Page 55). pendable. Natatoriums can be justified as tion research methods to evaluate the results As I write this, it’s that time again: the end part of physical fitness programs; planetar- and publish the results. of the academic year for schools and the time iums cannot say the same for educational We need to collaborate. when school boards struggle to finalize bud- programs. We need an evaluation tool that can be gets for the following fiscal year. Unfortunate- •• The equipment in school planetariums isn’t shared and used by nearly all planetariums, ly, one budget item that can be cut easily is as likely to be updated as in the university- regardless of their size or setting, that can col- the school planetarium. and museum-based facilities, which can lect solid data on the effectiveness of planetar- Readers of Dome-L have been kept up to seek large grants and/or use in-house de- iums. date on the threatened closing of two school velopment offices to seek capital campaign We need a central point where data can be planetariums in the eastern half of the Unit- funds. submitted by individual planetariums, and ed States, in Arlington, Virginia and Plymouth •• Astronomy is disappearing from state edu- then analyzed by a trained team. Meeting, Pennsylvania. cation standards; most states that still men- This sounds like a grand, huge project, and I was curious, however, about how many tion it include it with earth science or se- I admit it is. But it is doable, perhaps with IPS other planetariums were facing closure. I did nior level physics. support or perhaps with a National Science a quick Google search and came across the fol- Foundation Grant. lowing: We Need the Research Without this research and its published re- •• The Dunn Planetarium at Danvers High One thing that can help a planetarium’s sults, planetariums will continue to shut down School, Massachusetts, was set to close on case is solid research showing the efficacy of and people will continue to be out of work. May 14, to make way for school reconstruc- the planetarium in education. It’s a loss to us personally and professionally, tion. Moving the planetarium was not in The problem? We’re such a divided field. of course, but more of a loss to the children renovation plans. The variety of skills and talents within our who will never have the chance to be amazed •• The Robert H. Johnson Planetarium, Jeffco field is amazing, but there is a lack of true re- by the stars and led down paths in science, en- Public School District, Golden, Colorado, searchers who can investigate, write, and be gineering, technology and math. closed last year due to budget cuts. published in the educational journals. Without this professional level of research •• The Independence High School Planetari- The Astronomy Education Review is helping and publication, planetariums will continue to um in San Jose, California, closed in 2008, to change this, but it tends heavily toward the be the relics, placed in importance far behind again due to budget cuts. college level introductory astronomy classes, college professors and school teachers when it •• The Canberra Planetarium and Observato- not planetariums. Part of the reason why: we comes to astronomy education. I

8 Planetarian June 2010 Assessing Planetarium Programs for Content and Pedagogy

Harold A. Geller, D.A. Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy [email protected]

Wendy Michelle Frazier, Ed.D. Assistant Professor of Science Education [email protected]

George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia 22030

Abstract: We present an approach to the assessment of planetariums and planetarium programs. We not only address aspects of operations and maintenance of planetariums, but also the educational aspects of the planetarium programs, including content and pedagogical approach. We highlight the need for relevancy of planetariums and planetarium pro- Harold Geller grams to state science education standards of learning (in Virginia known as SOLs) and the National Science Education Standards (NSES). We believe such planetarium assessments are necessary to allow planetariums and their programs to better serve their targeted audiences of students and the community within which they exist be it formal or informal science education venues.

Wendy Frazier

Introduction Learning for Virginia Public Schools (SOLs) bard, 2007; Smith, 1974; and Wyatt, 2002). We were contacted by the science super- (Virginia Department of Education, 2003), as Unfortunately, it appears that implementa- visor of a nearby county public school sys- well as the National Science Education Stan- tion of research-based pedagogical reform has tem to discuss the assessment of the planetar- dards (NSES) (National Research Council, been lacking in educational planetarium pro- ium which it supported. A contract proposal 1996). grams (McComas, 2006). Examples of such re- was bid and ultimately negotiated between The utility of planetarium programs in search-based approaches include the 5-E Mod- the public school system and our institution. K-12 education has been studied extensively el of Instruction (BSCS, 1989), problem-based We report herein the approach used to per- with respect to the astronomy education con- learning (Delisle, 1997), project-based learning form the assessment. By proposal design and cepts which form the basis of science educa- (Krajcik and Czerniak, 2007), and integrated mutual agreement, this includes the relevan- tion standards (Adams and Slater, 2000; Bish- instruction (Ritz, 2007). cy of the planetarium and its programs to the op, 1996; Bishop, 1992; Brinkman and Nerdahl, Furthermore, the utility of fulldome vid- educational goals of the county, which must 1982; Cavedon and Peri, 2004; Croft, 2008; eo presentations using modern digitally con- align itself with state standards for science ed- Hostetter, 1988; Platco, 2005; Plummer, 2009; trolled projectors allow for the inclusion of ucation, in our case the Science Standards of Ridky, 1974; Sarrazine, 2005; Skelton and Lom- science content and pedagogy in disciplines

June 2010 Planetarian 9 far beyond the standard applications to as- •• Information about equipment in planetar- Discussion tronomy, but still well within the science ed- ium We address here just a few of the most out- ucation standards set at our state and nation- •• Information about the planetarium build- standing issues that we encountered in our per- al levels (VDOE, 2003; and VDOE, 2003b and ing and surrounding spaces formance of our planetarium assessment. We NRC, 1996). •• The school division’s emergency prepared- first note that the conduct of an assessment by Planetariums and their programs can and ness plans a two-person team can only be accomplished should be used not only for astronomy educa- •• Facility environmental data, including if all of the necessary expertise for the assess- tion reform and public outreach, but also for number of persons to be seated in the plan- ment can be found in the backgrounds of the other discipline outreach and education, in- etarium facility team members. For example, as in a museum cluding biology, chemistry, climatology, ge- •• Surveys and other reports that the school assessment, one member of the team needs to ology, meteorology, and physics. This may division had conducted in the past related have sufficient civil engineering background likely be the only way that planetariums can to the planetarium in order to address the appropriateness of the justify their existence in educational systems •• Staff positions and people who fill them facilities and their management. In this case, and informal education venues today, on a Following the reviews, we prepared an the senior team member had civil engineer- cost effective basis. agenda and questionnaire for the primary site ing training with the U.S. Army Corps of En- visit that, in addition to the areas list- gineers at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Thus, this ed above, also sought information two-person team encompassed the necessary about the planetarium’s equipment experience within the three major thrusts of management policy; show-related the assessment, namely, the facilities them- policies, guidelines, and standard op- selves, the operation and management of the erating procedures; a history of the planetarium projector and its ancillary equip- structure; written plans for facility ex- ment, and finally the education standards and pansion/rehabilitation, if any; and en- their implementation. vironmental monitoring. Not all of Mission statements do not always meet the this information was available and some sim- standard criteria for mission statements, such Methodology ply didn’t exist. as those highlighted in 1998 by Janel Radtke We summarize the methodology used in During our primary site visit, assessors in Strategic Communications for Nonprofit this study herein. Our first task was to devel- viewed both live shows and recorded plan- Organizations (Radtke, 1998). Standard crite- op a proposal to support the assessment of the etarium shows with students present. There ria for a mission statement would limit it to planetarium. The approach taken was based were also follow-up site vis- a single paragraph which personnel could upon the museum assessment program of its, during which time as- readily repeat; avoid jargon; explain the ex- the American Association of Museums (AAM, sessors observed additional istence of the organization; and, describe 2010), augmented with education- and plane- live planetarium shows as what the organization hopes to achieve in tarium-specific applications. The proposal de- well as “canned” planetar- the future. tailed the assessment in the following tasks: ium shows geared for pub- Position descriptions are often nebulous lic viewing and informal ariumand may not be available for the assessment Task 1 – Initial interview science education. study. However, all personnel should have Task 2 – Preparation for site visit Additionally (but not fi- the necessary capabilities to perform all of Task 3 – Develop agenda for site visit nancially supported by the grant the tasks associated with the planetarium Task 4 – Develop questionnaire for site visit itself) we visited the manufactur- facility as needed, regardless of the posi- Task 5 – Site Visit ing facilities of one of the top plan- tion description details. Task 6 – Analysis and synthesis of data etarium manufacturers, Spitz, Inc. As an example, if a planetarium Task 7 – Draft report (an E&S Company), headquartered in is run as part of a larger facility, Task 8 – Feedback from draft report Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. We were also there may be no building main- Task 9 – Final report production able to meet with other planetarium projec- tenance staff personnel ded- tor and show producing companies while in icated to the planetarium. After the initial contact with planetarium attendance at the Middle Atlantic Planetari- Building maintenance may management, we received an overview of the um Society Conference held in 2009 in Bow- be handled through the main- planetarium facility and established goals for ie, Maryland, where we also made a brief pre- tenance staff of the larger facility, the primary assessment as well as a timetable sentation regarding the assessment approach but these may not be available during for our planetarium visits. We also identified used in performance of our grant with the lo- all scheduled show times. Maintenance per- representatives of the county school system cal school system. sonnel descriptions may simply not be avail- as points of contact. The major points in the final report ad- able to planetarium assessors, as they are not As part of our review of project materials dressed: attached to the planetarium facility. None- in preparation for facility site visits, we per- General Information theless, assessors may wish to assist planetar- formed the following reviews: Staffing ium management in defining such ancillary •• Planetarium program mission statement General Building/Facilities positions to the planetarium facility. •• The school division’s long-range plans for Climate Control and Environment There may not be any formal orienta- the planetarium program Planetarium Equipment Policies tion provided in planetarium operations and •• SOLs and NSES related to planetarium goals Exhibitions maintenance. Personnel may be associated •• The school division’s science curriculum es- Storage with the planetarium for many years. They pecially as related to planetarium goals Emergency Preparedness may learn by means of on-the-job training •• Curriculum materials used during instruc- Education Review with respect to operations and maintenance tion at planetarium Recommendations and Conclusions of the planetarium facilities.

10 Planetarian June 2010 No Budget for Development Only by addressing assessment issues, includ- Bishop, J.E. (1996). Astronomy Learning and Another issue with planetarium facilities is ing the upgrade requirements of the planetari- Student Thinking, Journal of the Astronomical that there may be no budget allocated for up- um facility itself, and by more closely aligning Society of the Pacific, 25(2): 1-7. dating the skills of any planetarium person- the planetarium to the particular educational Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (1989). nel. Professional development programs are science standards of learning and modern re- New designs for elementary school science all too often overlooked in both formal and search-based pedagogy, can planetariums and and health: A cooperative project of Biological informal science education venues. their programs continue to be a valuable as- Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) and Interna- Another issue for planetariums, particular- set to formal and informal educators, as well tional Business Machines (IBM). Dubuque, IA: ly for those which are one smaller portion of as the public at large, within the confines of a Kendall-Hunt. a much larger facility, may be that there is no cost-effective educational or public outreach Bishop, J.E. (1992). The Educational value of separate signage for the planetarium itself. system. the planetarium, in The Rocky Mountain Plan- The planetarium itself may then be almost in- etarium Association Planetarium Primer. Salt visible to both school system employees and Acknowledgements Lake City, UT. the general public itself. The authors would like to take this oppor- Brinkman, D. and Nerdahl, R. (1982). Night Finally, for educational assessment, we con- tunity to acknowledge the contributions of time astronomy for middle school children and cluded that planetarium assessors need to fo- the following persons in the conduct of this their parents, University of Minnesota Press. cus on the science educational content, grade planetarium assessment: Bill Dedmond, Jon- Cavedon, M. and Peri, F. (2004). The theatre level appropriateness, and relevancies to sci- athan Harmon, Ron Melkis, Ralph Perrino, of stars, Memorie della Supplementi Societa ence standards at both the state (SOLs for the Connie Skelton, and Candice Wilson. Astronomica Italiano, 5: 427-431. authors’ state of Virginia) and national (NSES) Croft, J. (2008). Beneath the dome: Good work levels. References in planetariums. Boston, MA: Project Zero. Adams, J.P. and Slater, T.F. (2000). Astrono- Delisle, R. (1997). How to use problem-based Conclusion my in the National Science Education Stan- learning in the classroom. Alexandria, VA: As- We conclude that formal planetarium as- dards, Journal of Geoscience Education, 48: 39- sociation for Supervision and Curriculum De- sessments, similar to formal museum assess- 46. velopment. ments, are necessary to justify the position American Association of Museums (2010). Hostetter, D. (1988). Fighting science Illiter- of a planetarium and its programs within the Museum Assessment Program. Available at acy from the planetarium, in The Rocky Moun- formal science education community and www.aam-us.org/museumresources/map/in- tain Planetarium Association Planetarium the informal science education community. dex.cfm Web. 8 March 2010. Primer. Salt Lake City, UT. (Continues on Page 25)

June 2010 Planetarian 11 Methods for Sharing Audio Among Planetariums

Leslie M. Gaston, Assistant Professor University of Colorado Denver Campus Box 162, PO Box 173364 Denver, Colorado 80217-3364 USA [email protected]

Student Researchers: Peter Dougall, Curtis Connelly, Jeff Merkle, Erick Thompson University of Colorado Denver Recording Arts Program Denver, Colorado, 80217, USA

istockphoto.com

Abstract: Operations Manager Dan Neafus of Gates Planetarium at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science approached the Recording Arts department at the University of Colorado Denver about collaborating to explore solutions for sharing audio with other planetariums around the world so that audiences have similar immersive audio experiences, and audio engineers can easily create those experiences. The research considers: acoustics, production, delivery, equipment, seating arrangements, current and future audio technology, and what similarities and differences exist between planetariums. This article highlights a survey of over 100 planetariums worldwide, describing cur- Leslie Gaston rent audio methods and practices. This work supports the community’s movement towards audio standardization and dissemination of best practices for immersive audio production.

In our survey of planetariums around the about 5.1 “surround sound”? And why can’t this article, we examine the challenges that world, two of the questions we posed were: a show that sounds fantastic in one theater prevent some planetariums from sharing—or “How immersive is your visual experience?” sound just as great in another? It’s relatively merely achieving—great audio. In the Appen- (Figure 1) and, “How immersive is the aural ex- easy to surround the audience with sound, dix, we summarize the results from our sur- perience?” (Figure 2). but is the audio really enveloping? More to vey, presented at the 2008 IPS Fulldome Sum- More than 100 people responded to our sur- the point, is it an accurate representation of the mit in Chicago. vey, and rated the aural experience as less im- audio engineer’s intent? mersive than the visual one. The audio experience of each planetarium Acoustics But what about all those speakers? What differs widely from one venue to the next. In The domed surface of the planetarium presents many challenges, not just speaker place- First presented at Fulldome Summit, Chicago, Illinois USA, July 3 2008 ment. Other factors include the surface of

12 Planetarian June 2010 the dome onto which the visuals are projected (acoustically transparent, perforated alu- minum in most cases) and behind which the speakers are situated; the seating in the theater; the arrangement of the loudspeakers; and the type of construction material surrounding the dome itself. In 2005, a study at Brigham Young Univer- sity’s Summerhays Planetarium concluded that BASWAphon1 acoustic material can help control unwanted reflections from a dome and also is good for projecting images. They also found that directional loudspeakers im- prove speech clarity by keeping sound out of the dome [Shepherd].

Loudspeaker Correction Loudspeaker correction is necessary in or- Figure 1. Survey respondents rate their venue’s “immersive” visual experience on a scale from 1 to 10. der to address the characteristics of a room. Al- Around 25 respondents gave the experience a 9 or a 10. All figures by author. though it is highly recommended, less than half of the planetariums surveyed use equalization or delay to compensate for room anomalies. Correction in the frequency and time domains is effective in correcting room response and lowering reflections [Bean et al]. Loudspeakers interact with a room to influence our perception of perceived image position, sense of spaciousness, and timbre [Toole]. Uncorrected loudspeakers will thus have det- rimental effects on these parameters. It is important to note that attempting to correct for just frequency response is not enough: phase is also an important factor. An article in a 1983 issue of the Planetarian [Hoff- man et al.] attempted to describe the need for improving audio in planetariums, especially for prerecorded programming. Although it was a unique study for planetariums, the focus was only on frequency response and Figure 2. Survey respondents rate their venue’s “immersive” audio experience from one to ten. Only 10 respondents gave the experience a 9 or a 10. RT602 values. The impact of having uncorrected loudspeakers at one venue for a given program is which gave us 144 sound files to analyze. that would be experienced by individual au- that audience members will have very differ- With this data, we could only look forward dience members. ent experiences of that program. It stands to to doing frequency-based correction by either At point “B,” bass frequencies are louder, reason that differences will also be heard from buying 16 graphic equalizers, or manually at- and there is a sharp dip near 2 kHz, a frequen- one venue to the next. Other perceptions, such tempting to use the Media Matrix or Lake Hu- cy related to the “presence” of vocals. At point as whether a mix sounds “muddy,” “murky,” ron software to insert an EQ on each channel. “A,” there is an abundance of energy at 800 Hz. or “thin,” and even speech intelligibility are We might also have had to decide which Based solely on these two examples, it is possi- certainly impacted. More to the point, uncor- position was the optimal position to measure ble that a listener at point “B” might perceive rected loudspeakers pose an obstacle to the any changes we made. This initial approach a boomy mix with indistinct narration, and goal of effectively sharing content. did not take into consideration any correc- a listener at point “A” might perceive a boxy, tion for phase or delay; rather, it was meant hollow mix. Collecting Data to illustrate differences in frequency response Of course, the problem is compounded Our team gathered data from Gates, which with respect to seating location. when multiple loudspeakers interact with currently does not do any loudspeaker correc- The data illustrates the wild variances in each other. Over 70% of respondents to our tion, using 9 microphone positions, exciting response at the nine locations measured for survey indicate they use 5.1 systems or higher. 3 each of the 16 loudspeakers with pink noise , each loudspeaker. Here are just two of the mic The number of loudspeakers at planetariums positions recording a single source: means that a faster and more accurate way of 1 BASWA acoustic systems is a company based in The data in Figures 3 and 4 (next page) clear- achieving loudspeaker correction is desirable. Switzerland. More information at www.baswa.com ly shows the kind of frequency differences Such devices do exist, and include the Opti- 2 RT60 is a measurement of the amount of time it mizer by Trinnov, among others. takes for a momentary sound to decrease 60 deci- bels from its maximum level. RT stands for “Reverb of frequencies has an equal amount of power. The Time” sound is rather like standing under a powerful wa- Loudspeaker Placement 3 Pink Noise is broadband noise which contains all au- terfall. There are currently no standards among dible frequencies played together. Each octave band

June 2010 Planetarian 13 genre of music. However, there was a notice- able increase of clarity for the hi-hat cymbals, which practically disappeared without correction, but sounded clean with the correction applied.

Production Audio needs can be as simple as using a public address system to amplify a presenter’s narration. However, for larger productions, some planetariums produce their own shows, which can be live or prerecorded (or a hybrid of both). For example, a show might have a live narrator with prerecorded visuals and audio. Another event might feature live musicians and live visual “navigation” through the universe. Other visuals can include laser shows or, as is currently being explored, computer “vi- sualizer” programs with audio “vee-jays.”

Prerecorded Programming Figure 3 (top): Sound Forge spectrum analysis for a rear loudspeaker measured at point “A”; Figure 4 The most popular editing tools used by (bottom): Sound Forge spectrum analysis for the same loudspeaker measured at point “B” planetariums that produce and edit their own shows include: Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Nuendo, and Vegas. Almost half of the plan- planetariums about speaker arrangement. So what are the “real world” impacts of this etariums do stereo only, but 54% of planetari- Each planetarium must therefore either create theory and data? Our team did some “before ums indicate they do accommodate shows in a custom, in-house mix or recreate a basic sur- and after” comparisons in Denver, using the 5.1. round mix played back over a certain number Trinnov Optimizer. With our research team Despite the lack of consensus regarding of speakers. standing in various places in the theater, we speaker configuration and correction, plan- This makes work towards standardization played speech samples through a number of etarium operators have found ways of deal- difficult, but with stereo, L-C-R and 5.1 setups loudspeakers used to remap the different 5.1 ing with the myriad of issues related to shar- as a starting point, it’s possible to arrive at con- channels: Left, Right, Center, Left Surround, ing content. sensus for general production elements. Right Surround, and Low Frequency Exten- The most troublesome aspects of doing re- sion, which is comprised only of low frequen- mixes reported by our respondents were: 1) Loudspeaker Remapping cies and is played through a subwoofer). trying to balance music with narration, and 2) One promising application of current audio Without loudspeaker correction, team technology is the ability to perform speaker members pointed to different locations in addressing intelligibility problems. However, “remapping.” The basic concept is to “remap” the dome in order to indicate from which di- some theatres did report that they didn’t make or “spatialize” a surround setup from its orig- rection they heard the sound. In one test, the any changes to incoming programming. inal speaker format into a different speaker “right channel” was played alone. The team With regards to sharing content, respon- configuration. This would allow for the play- was asked to point at the direction where they dents were asked, “Beyond simple volume con- back of, say, a 5.1 (5 main channels and 1 sub- perceived the sound. Everyone pointed to a trol, what aspects of the mix do you control?” woofer) surround mix over the 16.4 loudspeak- different direction. The most common answer was “equaliza- ers (16 main speakers and four subwoofers) in Then, as the sound played again, the loud- tion,” followed by panning, foreign language the dome. Most importantly, remapping tech- speaker correction was engaged, and the team track insertion, track remapping, downmix- nology might also provide a key to sharing 5.1 members all moved their fingers to point to- ing, and spatialization. content between two venues with different wards the same area. This was an exciting and These types of activities will continue due loudspeaker arrangements. encouraging result that could indicate im- to the different set ups at each venue, but provements in localization are achievable. hopefully the need to re-equalize program- Seating Arrangements At Chabot Planetarium in Oakland, em- ming would decrease once operators start The variety of seating arrangements with ployees (who did not specialize in audio) adopting some recommended changes to respect to the domed viewing area also pres- were asked for their opinions of the correct- their loudspeaker setups. ents an area of concern for content produced versus uncorrected mix of two shows, Black ers. Some are “theater style” with all of the au- Holes: The Other Side of Infinity and Sonic Vi- Live Programming Elements dience facing forward and looking ahead or sion. Their comments included: “narrator is Many planetariums also do live events; above, while other venues offer circular seat- much more compelling with correction,” “un- 68.7% of those surveyed responded that they ing, on a flat floor where all audience mem- corrected sound somewhat distorted,” “crisp- do programming other than prerecorded bers look straight up at the screen. Therefore, er audio (with correction),” “better balance shows, and 13 of those have live concerts fea- placement of the main dialog channels from in low frequency (with correction),” and “the turing anything from chamber music to elec- one venue to the next can be a challenge. Ad- corrected show has much more audio infor- tronic music. Other activities include NASA ditionally, theater sizes range from a few doz- mation since the bass is no longer dominant.” broadcasts, “star talks,” classes, lectures, and la- en seats to almost 400 seats. For the show Sonic Vision, which has elec- ser shows. tronic beats, some listeners wanted the pro- The narrator’s voice is the biggest determin- Informal Listening Sessions found bass, which is part of the style for that er of perceived audio quality. Not only is in-

14 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 15 … over 90% of respondents said they would want some sort of standardization for sharing content and audio quality.

telligibility important, but anomalies such as comb filtering4, which makes a voice sound as if it’s coming through a vacuum hose, and localization errors are easy to detect with a single voice. The convention for cinema is to have the narrator’s voice panned to the center; however, in a domed environment, there is no consensus on where “center” is. For example, if the dome is tilted so that part of the hemisphere is in front of the audience, will “center” be a speaker located directly in front of the listener? Or the top of the hemisphere? istockphoto.com If the dome is horizontal, so that the audience is seated below the hemisphere, and all such as shooting stars, or the sense of travel- sample rates. There are some producers using the seats are on a flat surface, will “center” be a ing past a planet on the right, for instance. For 88.2, 96, and even 192 kHz rates, but these are speaker located at the apex of the dome? these elements, localization is important. not common. The higher sample rates argu- At Chabot Planetarium, the production Thankfully, the visual component does ably sound better, but take up twice as much team received a show (Black Holes) that orig- help mitigate localization error; however, if space as the lower (44.1, 48) rates. A standard inated at Gates Planetarium. The attempt was major reflections and localization errors exist, here could help save time in converting sam- to spatialize the voice by putting a little in all they will be distracting [Holman]. It has been ple rates from one venue to the next. speakers. observed at Gates that high frequency con- In addition to the “usual” 5.1 channels of However, the precedence effect5 took over, tent from the rear reflects from the front—to Left, Right, Center, Left Surround, Right Sur- and the narrator’s voice appeared to come such an extent that the sound appears to orig- round, and LFE, show producers often use a from the side of the screen nearest the listener. inate from the front. “top” channel. Formats such as 6.1 and 7.1 are The attempt to widen the narrator’s voice by In most cases, music and some effects should not as common, but are being used. A variety simply adding them to left and right channels be enveloping, and give a more immersive feel. of channel orders were given in the survey, worked to the detriment of the mix. The need for localization is not so important which could be another item to consider for At Gates, the narration channel does come here, but high-frequency, percussive elements standardization. from a center speaker in front of the listen- (such as hi-hat cymbals and other percussion, As in feature-length films, some planetari- er. The planetarium tries to stay away from a sound effect “whooshes,” etc.) can give away ums replace the main dialog track with anoth- “voice of God” effect, where the voice comes problems in the room. er language, so they need a mix separated into from all around. This approach might be pref- Finally, it is desirable that the distinction “stems,” with the dialog on one set of tracks erable in terms of the psychological effect is made between “enveloping” and “immer- (mono or stereo) and the music and effects on of having the narrator speaking directly “to sive” versus “washy” and “indistinct.” Some another (mono, stereo, cube, 5.1, etc.). you,” instead of “at you.” One drawback of us- amount of education and listening demos Not only does this allow replacement of the ing a single loudspeaker for narration could be should be done with planetarium operators in dialog track, it allows the show to be remixed that the voice is too “dry” or “lifeless.” order to show the difference. to create a more intelligible show for a given For both examples, a judicious amount of venue’s acoustical considerations: production reverb sent to neighboring channels with the Delivery engineers can simply increase the level of the voice assigned to the center speaker might A program can be shared among planetar- dialog track, if desired. help “make the voice bigger.” iums in a number of ways. Attempts at standard practices seem to be adopted from broad- Recommendations Envelopment vs. Localization cast and cinema, but there are no written In conclusion, here are some recommenda- It is desirable to have sound effects that standards destined solely for planetariums. tions as we take the next step towards a stan- match the location of objects on the screen, dard (or standards) based on the factors men- 4 Comb Filtering occurs when several frequencies Media and More tioned in this paper, and which consider the from two sources interfere with each other and dis- The various media accepted for playback various types of shows, venues, and budgets appear. This is often the result of a timing discrep- and transfers at planetariums include DVD- involved. ancy, where one sound starts slightly ahead of the ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DTRS tapes, In our survey, over 90% of respondents other. 5 The “precedence effect” describes a psychoacous- Laser Disc, VHS, hard drives, Betacam, DAT, said they would want some sort of standard- tic phenomenon involving two identical sounds ar- and CD. ization for sharing content and audio quality. riving at slightly different times to the listener. The The most popular file formats of .wav and Planetariums would find significant benefit listener will perceive the sound that arrives first as .aiff (Audio Interleaved File Format) stand out, in equalizing and correcting for loudspeak- the originating location of the sound. and most systems can handle 44.1 and 48 kHz er phase problems. Manually taking readings

16 Planetarian June 2010 THE ELUMENATI GEODOMETM EVOLVER

With the GeoDomeTM Evolver, today’s planetariums can support their proven, effective approaches to science education with the versatility and precision of premier digital display systems. The Evolver is easy to incorporate and enables you to either complement or replace your existing starball machine.

Truncated Projection, Truncated Projection, Truncated Projection, Fulldome South of Starball Center North of Starball 160-degree Projection

The Evolver is the simplest and most cost-effective way to bring digital projection capability into your planetarium. Benefits of the OmniFocusTM digital projection system include: + Resolution up to WUXGA+ (1920x1200) + Optimized pixel placement in your audience’s line of sight + Easy setup, operation and content creation + Low maintenance costs Complete packages including training start at $59,500

PHOTO : MATT LINKE, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN EXHIBIT MUSEUM PLANETARIUM

+ Explore the most beautiful + Join the GeoDome network and + Engage your audience and let renderings available of NASA's use "domecasting" to bring sessions them guide the curriculum with Digital Universe Atlas with Uniview hosted by NASA, AMNH, Denver interactive, gamepad driven, from SCISS AB. Museum of Natural Sciences, the inquiry-based presentations. Minnesota Planetarium Society, and + Optimize content in your more into your own planetarium. + Enhance your presentations with planetarium with Uniview’s new Earth science stories using datasets and improved opto-mechanical available in WMS and KML layers with features. Uniview’s GeoScope.

“The Evolver is such a joy to use. My lessons usually start with observations of the sky using my opto-mechanical system and then I switch to the Evolver and travel into space to help classes understand the observations they made from their earth-bound perspective.” – Dennis Brinkman, Como Planetarium, Saint Paul, MN

“The GeoDome is user-friendly and operations are very intuitive. Support services have been attentive and responsive. The Elumenati is forward thinking and knows how to listen and works in a collaborative way.” – Larry Mascotti, Mayo High School Planetarium, Rochester, MN

PHOTOS : DENNIS BRINKMAN, COMO PLANETARIUM

THE ELUMENATI [email protected] June 2010IMMERSIVE PROJECTION DESIGN Planetarian www.elumenati.com - www.geodome.info 17 and correcting equalization and phase problems takes a significant amount of time and hardware. Therefore it would seem most fea- sible to install and use a hardware system that will correct for phase and equalization auto- matically. Standards for speaker placement might be advantageous as well. A standard similar to the ITU 5.1 specification should be imple- mented if content is to be shared among planetariums without remixing. Such a standard must also consider the different venue lay- outs. There can be some experimentation in speaker placement so long as equalization and phase correction act as a starting point. So far, the IPS has merely recommended— informally—that the voice track be kept separate from other channels in order to allow foreign language substitutions. This research and accompanying survey are unique in addressing the problem of sharing audio content between the wide range of planetariums worldwide. There is much work yet to be done in choosing representative theaters and production environments, perform- ing repeatable and quantifiable listening tests, and getting the majority of the producers and facility managers on board with implement- ing a set of solutions to ensure great sounding shows.

Appendix: Survey Results A total of 103 planetariums participated in this survey. Question 1: Are you satisfied with the audio in your Planetarium? If you answered “no,” with which factors are you Figure 5 (top): Chart illustrating how planetarium operators rate their visual experience. Figure 6 (bottom): Chart illustrating how planetarium operators rate their aural experience. dissatisfied? Some 55 (53.4%) of the 103 responding are satisfied with the audio in their venue. Of the Question 5: If you answered “yes” to the Some 82.7% (81) use DVD Data, 72.4% (71) 46.6% who are not satisfied, 54.5% cite fidelity above question, what kind of surround use hard drives, 16.3 % (16) use DTRS Tape (i.e. distortion, limited bandwidth, and intel- format (s) do you use? (multitrack digital tape), and 28.6% (28) an- ligibility issues) as their primary complaints. 72.2% of the respondents have a 5.1 sur- swered “other”. 50% deem localization and difficulty panning round sound system, 2 respondents have a Question 10: What formats do you ac- as an issue and 45.5% responded that their the- Cube system, 2 respondents have a 7.1 system, cept? atres’ acoustics are unsatisfactory, with 31.8% and one respondent has a 3.1 system. 63.2% accept 5.1, 14.7% accept 3.0, 11.8% ac- agreeing that some kind of audio standardiza- Question 6: Do you use any DSP (Digital cept 3.1, and 2.9% accept 7.1. Thirty-five sur- tion is needed because of the difficulty pre- Signal Processing)? vey respondents skipped this question. senting. Out of 103 respondents: 69% do not use any Question 11: What sample rates do you Question 2: On a scale of 1 to 10, how DSP, 18% use DSP, and 13% do not know. accommodate? immersive is your VISUAL experience? 1- Question 7: Do you utilize other special Of 103 survey respondents, 63 answered this Not Immersive at all 10 - Extremely Im- equipment for individual audience mem- question. 81.3% (52) use 44.1 kHz, 75% (48) use mersive. bers, such as headsets, or “seat shakers”? 48 kHz, 23.4% (15) use 96 kHz, 15.6% (10) use (See Figure 5 for responses) 89.1% do not use any special equipment for 88.2 kHz, and 1 (1.6%) use 192 kHz. None of the Question 3: On a scale of 1 to 10, how im- individual audience members. Three survey survey respondents use 176.4 kHz. mersive is the AURAL experience? 1- Not respondents skipped this question. Question 12: Would you advocate mov- immersive at all 10 - Extremely immer- Question 8: Do you do programming ing towards some type of standard or rec- sive. other than prerecorded shows? (For exam- ommendation to facilitate: Ease of shar- (See Figure 6 for responses) ple, live concerts). ing? Audio quality? Question 4: Do you have a surround sys- 68.7% of the 103 survey respondents use Eighty-six (92.5%) and 82 (91.1%) of 103 sur- tem? their venue for events other than pre-record- vey respondents advocate moving toward Out of 103 respondents, 56.4% have a sur- ed shows. some kind of standard or recommendation round sound system. (Two survey respon- Question 9: What types of media do you for ease of sharing and audio quality, respec- dents skipped this question). accept? tively. (Continues on Page 70)

18 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 19 Constellations for all: Studying identification techniques

Dr. Jean Creighton, Director Manfred Olson Planetarium/Physics University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee P.O. Box 413 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 USA [email protected]

Dr. Sandra Toro Martell Educational Psychology University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee P.O.Box 413 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 USA [email protected]

We combined our expertise to investigate you find three constellations in the sky?” respondents claimed they could find three which techniques help general public mem- We expected that people would be more constellations was a result of optimistic self- bers identify at least three constellations after comfortable with constellations than, say, reporting. We needed an independent way a 55-minute live planetarium program. These the scale of the universe, and, indeed, 79% of of measuring whether people could, indeed, programs were held in the University of Wis- the 192 respondents from a set of nine Spring identify constellations correctly, so we added consin-Milwaukee’s Manfred Olson Planetari- 2008 shows self-reported that they could find to the questionnaire a simple star map for peo- um (UWM Planetarium), which is an intimate three constellations in the sky, whereas 19% ple to mark the constellations. The star map theater with 68 concentric seats around a said maybe. In other words, a whopping 98% would give us a way of measuring how many 1966 Spitz A3P optomechanical projector. The of respondents thought they could or might constellations audience members could find stars are supplemented with images and mov- be able to find three constellations! versus what they self-report. ies projected on the dome with two mirrored Two different productions were used to LCD units. There’s Something Amiss evaluate the impact of different instruction- Of the various planetarium programs of- However, upon closer examination, we no- al devices: 11 shows of Northern Lights during fered, we decided to focus our study on gen- ticed something amiss. When we looked at the fall 2008 with a total of 585 visitors and four eral audiences that come to our Friday night 62 written-in responses (out of 192) to the ques- shows of Myths Under the Stars in the Sum- shows. tion asking which concept audience members mer 2009 with a total of 197 audience mem- The audiences that come to the UWM Plan- found most difficult, 16 (26%) found the hard- bers. The basic structure of each production etarium are diverse in age, gender, and group- est idea was identifying constellations. In con- was the same: a 6-12 minute interactive piece ings (individuals, couples, Big Brothers/Big trast, only 12 (19%) mention the scale of the at the beginning, a 20-25 minute featured pre- Sisters, nuclear and intergenerational family universe as being the hardest concept. This sentation that discussed the topic while show- groups, social groups, etc). To make sure that finding surprised us, since we think the scale ing projected images, 15 minutes of stargazing the topics selected were of interest and that of the universe is an intrinsically harder con- in a city and a country sky, and, finally, a 5-10 they were presented at the right level for a cept than finding constellations. minute question and answer period. general audience, the authors designed a ques- After this preliminary analysis, we won- We distributed questionnaires for people’s tionnaire with focused questions, such as “Can dered to what extent the finding that 98% of feedback during the question period. The data

20 Planetarian June 2010 Abstract: People are fascinated by the beautiful stars in the sky. We are drawn to them; we see patterns in them. Most of these patterns are not recognized universally; different cultures saw different patterns and told different stories. As recently as 1922, the International Astronomical Union organized these patterns in a system of constellations that account for the entire sky. Audiences are eager to learn the patterns in the sky that connect them to a deep-rooted appre- ciation of the night sky and to some of the richest stories ever; however, we came to understand from our work that people have a hard time identifying

Jean Creighton constellations. Obviously identifying many constellations requires a lot of practice, skill, and—dare we say it?—imagination. We conclude that some of the tried-and-true techniques work well: describing the constellations with every-day terms, showing them with a laser pointer, having the audience point to them, telling the audience stories to get in the mood, and displaying projected outlines on the dome. When all of these techniques were used, about 50% of our general audience could correctly identify at least three constellations.

Sandra Toro Martell

includes 355 responses (61% of 585 visitors) er she could have grouped people different- dence among visitors. Depending on the ge- from the Northern Lights audiences and 94 ly. “Of course,” people replied. She went on to ometry of different theaters, it may not be responses (48% of 197) from Myths Under the explain that astronomers needed a universal possible to have people point without ob- Stars audiences. scheme so they could describe specific stars to structing the view of other audience mem- These two programs were selected because each other; they treated the sky as a large puz- bers, but when it is practical, it is helpful to their featured topic had different empha- zle and cut the sky into 88 official patches or give people an opportunity to find and point ses: Northern Lights focused on the physical constellations so each star belongs to one con- to constellations on the dome. processes that cause aurora borealis where- stellation. In the second production, Myths Under the as Myths Under the Stars used myths as a ped- In the stargazing portion of the program, Stars, two more devices were added. The pre- agogical tool to learn the constellations. We she used a second instructional device: she senter told Greek myths connected to the wanted to see if different situations in terms described the patterns in everyday terms. Big summer constellations such as Hercules. She of content and visitorship (e.g. demograph- Dipper was a shopping cart with a long curvy also showed artists’ renditions of constella- ics) yielded similar results in terms of ability handle, Cassiopeia was an M or a W, Leo was a tion outlines for the Big Bear, Cassiopeia, Her- to identify constellations. flipped question mark. cules, and Cygnus from four new constella- Although the feature presentations were The third device, very commonly used in tion projectors. different, the stargazing portion was similar planetariums everywhere, was the ubiquitous for both productions: the circumpolar con- laser pointer with which she traced outlines. Comparing Self-reporting, Ability stellations were introduced first, followed by When the lights dimmed to a country night For both shows, audience members tended a handful of seasonal constellations. Below, sky level, she asked people to point to the ob- to be somewhat optimistic when they self-re- we discuss the different instructional devices jects they had been shown in the city lighting, ported their ability to find constellations. We used in the two productions. such as the Big Dipper, North Star, Cassiope- now examine the audience responses sepa- When introducing the idea of constella- ia, and often one seasonal pattern (such as Leo rately for each show. tions in Northern Lights, the presenter grouped and Cygnus). Of the respondents from the Northern Lights audience members in clusters with a sweep- Repetition was the fourth device employed shows, 270 (76%) thought that they could find ing gesture of her hand and asked wheth- to solidify the knowledge and build confi- three constellations (for short, “yes” respon-

June 2010 Planetarian 21 dents) or more, whereas only tween 31% and 48% of a gener- 5% thought they couldn’t (for al audience who sits in a dark short, “no” respondents); see Ta- theater on a Friday night can ble 1. A fairly large fraction of demonstrate that they can find visitors (19% of respondents) an- at least three constellations on From the Hayden Planetarium in New York swered that maybe they could. a star map! We must be doing When we compared the self- something right! reporting with the constellation Why is there a difference of identification on the star maps, 17% between the two produc- only 131 (37%) of yes respon- tions? We think there is such a dents from the Northern Lights difference in the ability of re- shows were able to find three or spondents to identify constella- more constellations (Table 1). tions because of the two addi- Not surprisingly perhaps, the tional instructional devices used people who thought they could the second time: the superim- JOURNEY find three+ constellations were posed outlines of the constella- more successful (37%) than the tions helped audiences actually respondents who thought they “see” the patterns and the story- TO THE couldn’t (0%). telling helped them retain the The data suggests that peo- information about the constel- Jean Creighton holding a globe in the center of the theater. Photo provided by ple are more accurate in self-relations by creating imagery in author. porting what they don’t know: their minds. not one person who said they STARS couldn’t find three constellations in the sky terns during the Myths Under the Stars shows Correlation with Age Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg was able to identify three. (see Table 2): 72% of respondents thought that It is likely that the accuracy with which they could find three or more constellations self-reporting takes place is correlated with Problems with Vision while 24% of respondents thought that they age. One might expect that young children It is worth noting that 53 respondents (15%) might be able. We were pleased to see that in (under 12) might not be as skilled at identify- from the Northern Light shows didn’t even at- this production, 48% of respondents were able ing constellations as adults are. Children are tempt to circle a constellation on the map. to find three or more constellations, 23% were less able to correctly identify three or more Some people wrote that they couldn’t see the able to find 1 or 2 constellations, and 29% were constellations (only 21% for Northern Lights stars on the questionnaire since the stars were unable to find any. In other words, almost half and 33% for Myths Under the Stars identified “‘Journey’ is easily the most beautiful planetarium show I have too small or they were not wearing their glass- the people across the board could identify at three or more constellations). Almost 50% of es. There is no way of knowing what the cir- least 3 constellations after a 55-minute pro- the under 12 group in both productions (46% ever seen” – New York Times cumstances were, so we assumed that peo- gram. and 58% respectively) identified no constella- ple who didn’t circle constellations really As was seen with the Northern Lights shows, tions correctly. audience self-reporting is corre- There is more work to be done regarding “Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg’s narration makes the complex lated with performance (Table 3). the effect that age has on correctly identify- Some 56% of yes respondents were ing constellations. topics seem like a thrilling tale told around a campfire.” able to find three or more constel- At a glance it looks as if younger (under 17 lations, whereas 0% of the “no” re- year olds) and older (over 71 year olds) audi- – Scientific American spondents were able to locate three ences tend to have a hard time finding three or constellations. more constellations. It is not clear why. Why Furthermore, the difference be- would 13-17-year olds have a harder time iden- Licensing information available at www.amnh.org/traveling tween the two shows is more pro- tifying constellations than 18-25-year olds? nounced when responses for two A possible explanation is that adolescents in Visit us at booth W7 at the IPS conference in Alexandria! constellations are considered rather this age group are not as likely to pay atten- than with three. Of the respondents tion during the explanation of how to locate who thought they couldn’t find and identify particular constellations. Also Available from AMNH: three or more constellations, 67% At this age, there is a heightened interest in Passport to the of the attendees from the Myths Un- social relations and they may be more interest- Universe Cosmic Collisions The Search for Life Sonic Vision der the Stars shows demonstrated ed in what is going on around them in terms that they could find two (which is of what their peers are doing, especially if they more than three times higher than came to the show with friends or fellow scout what respondents demonstrated troop members. It is also possible that adoles- after seeing the Northern Lights cents may respond more positively to group- shows). based work and interactions rather than the couldn’t find them. This assumption makes Overall, almost half of all Myths Under the format used, which is more lecture-style. our estimates conservative. There might have Stars respondents (48%) were able to identi- Another reason for the difference in ability been audience members who could identify fy three or more constellations as opposed to to identify constellations might stem from dif- constellations if they had their glasses with 32% of the Northern Light respondents. ferent experiences. Teenagers, especially those them. who live in cities, have fewer opportunities to Despite the differences in the content of the We’re Doing Something Right see the night sky in all its glory, so they have productions, we saw similar self-reporting pat- First of all, let us celebrate the fact that be- fewer opportunities to look for constellations

Journey to the Stars was developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org) in collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; 22 Planetarian June 2010 GOTO INC, Tokyo, Japan; Papalote • Museo del Niño, Mexico City, Mexico; and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. Journey to the Stars was created by the American Museum of Natural History, with the major support and partnership of the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

ad art v2.indd 1 4/20/2010 3:06:21 PM From thethe HaydenHayden PlanetariumPlanetarium inin NewNew YorkYork JOURNEY TO THETHESTARSSTARS NarratedNarrated byby WhoopiWhoopi Goldberg Goldberg

“‘Journey’ isis easilyeasily thethe mostmost beautifulbeautiful planetariumplanetarium show show I Ihave have ever seen”seen” –– New New York York Times Times “Entertainer WhoopiWhoopi Goldberg’sGoldberg’s narrationnarration makes makes the the complex complex topics seemseem likelike aa thrillingthrilling taletale toldtold aroundaround a a campfire.” campfire.” – – Scientific Scientific American American

LicensingLicensing informationinformation availableavailable atat www.amnh.org/traveling www.amnh.org/traveling VisitVisit usus atat boothbooth W7W7 atat thethe IPSIPS conferenceconference in in Alexandria! Alexandria!

AlsoAlso AvailableAvailable from from AMNH: AMNH: Passport toto thethe Universe CosmicCosmic CollisionsCollisions TheThe Search Search for for Life Life SonicSonic Vision Vision

Journey to the Stars was developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org) in collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; Journey to the StarsGOTO was INC,developed Tokyo, by Japan; the American Papalote Museum• Museo ofdel Natural Niño, Mexico History, City, New Mexico; York (www.amnh.org) and Smithsonian in Nationalcollaboration Air and with Space the CaliforniaMuseum, Washington, Academy of D.C.Sciences, San Francisco; June 2010JourneyGOTO toINC, the Tokyo,Stars was Japan; created Papalote by the • American Museo del Museum Niño,Planetarian Mexico of Natural City, History, Mexico; with and the Smithsonian major support National and partnership Air and Space of the Museum, Heliophysics Washington, Division D.C. of 23 Journey to the Stars was created by the American MuseumNASA’s of Natural Science History, Mission with Directorate. the major support and partnership of the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

ad art v2.indd 1 4/20/2010 3:06:21 PM ad art v2.indd 1 4/20/2010 3:06:21 PM in their daily lives. Older people might have had more time over the life span to notice the Self report Number of correctly identified constellations beauty in the night sky. 0 1 2 3 4+ Recommendations Yes 271 (76%) 27% 16% 21% 15% 22% Taking into account the correlations that have been discovered relative to self-reporting Maybe 68 (19%) 37% 29% 15% 6% 13% and identification of constellations across age No 16 (5%) 69% 13% 19% 0% 0% groups, we feel that the following points may be helpful to other presenters when teaching All respondents 31% 37% 32% people to identify constellations: Table 1: Tabulated responses from the Northern Lights shows. Draw the audience’s attention: Include the audience in the explanation of the constellations by having them use their Self report Number of correctly identified constellations bodies: for example, encourage people to 0 1 2 three 4+ point to constellations during the show if it doesn’t obstruct the view of other audience Yes 68 (72%) 28% 3% 13% 28% 28% members. Maybe 23 (24%) 30% 22% 17% 17% 13% Consider the age of your audience: young children are probably not developmentally No 3(3%) 33% 0% 67% 0% 0% ready to understand the concept of a constel- All respondents 29% 23% 48% lation, which is rather abstract. For children and adolescents, one might need more kines- Table 2: Tabulated responses from Myths Under the Stars shows thetic activities to display constellations. Consider the age of your audience: adults over 70 years old might need more focused, Age (in years) Number of constellations identified brighter displays of stars than a traditional op- 0 1 2 3+ tomechanical projector can provide alone. < 12 46% 17% 16% 21% Keep the audience’s attention: 13-17 38% 25% 19% 19% Use repetition: after showing a constellation with a laser pointer, have audience mem- 18-25 15% 10% 53% 53% bers look for the pattern on their own. Repeat- 26-35 25% 21% 39% 39% edly finding the same constellation during the presentation seems to make it easier for a 36-50 26% 24% 26% 26% person to locate the constellation later. 51-70 44% 18% 15% 15% Incorporate storytelling associated with the constellations: everyone likes a good story. 71+ 22% 56% 22% 22% Show people outlines of even a few constellations to help audiences identify the patterns Table 3: Number of constellations correctly identified versus age for Northern Lights shows. again. These recommendations come from our work. We were interested to see what peo- Age (in years) Number of constellations identified ple can learn in this special environment and 0 1 2 3+ what techniques work best. Hopefully, our whole community can be more reflective < 12 58% - 8% 33% about our pedagogical choices and the use of 13-17 33% - 33% 33% particular devices that help explain other interesting astronomical concepts during plan- 18-25 10% 10% 20% 60% etarium programs. 26-35 5% 15% 10% 70% If using a star map to measure ability, the 36-50 35% 3% 21% 41% quality of the star map is important: contrast, background color, size of stars, number of 51-70 13% 13% 13% 63% stars shown, orientation etc. can all influence 71+ 100% - - - the ability to identify constellations. Obviously identifying constellations is not Table 4: Number of constellations correctly identified versus age for Myths Under the Stars the ultimate goal of planetarium programs, shows. but it is important because it is a skill that can be acquired relatively easily by anyone and can increase interest in the night sky and astronomy in general. A little bit of mastery can draw people in to want to know more about our cosmos. I

24 Planetarian June 2010 Visitor Questionnaire

About the Show Visitor Questionnaire Yes Maybe No About the Show Do you better understand Earth’s motions? ......    What idea was most interesting to you? Why? ______What idea was most difficult? Why? ______Can you find three constellations in the sky? ......    Tell us about the Myths Under the Stars part of the show Yes Maybe No Did you enjoy the stories and myths? ......    Did you enjoy the myths? ......    Were there words or ideas that should be explained more? ......    Did you like getting acquainted with our galaxy? ......    What idea was most interesting to you? Why? ______Were there words or ideas that should be explained more? ......    ______Tell us about the Stargazing part of the show What idea was most difficult? Why? ______Can you find three constellations in the sky? ......    ______Was there enough stargazing? ......    Please circle the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, Please circle the picture that best Tell us about the Motions of the Earth part of the show the North star, Cassiopeia the Queen, describes how the earth moves. Do you better understand Earth’s motions? ......    EARTH and whatever else you can recognize. EARTH Was the amount of time spent on motions appropriate? ......   

Please CIRCLE and LABEL (as shown in the example) Please circle the picture that best SUN

SUN Big Dipper, Little Dipper, North star, Cassiopeia the Queen, describes how the earth moves.

EARTH and whatever else you can recognize. EARTH SUN

SUN SUN EARTH SUN xyz EARTH SUN NORTH EAST ______WEST ______SUN

Please tell us about you EARTH EARTH How would you describe your ethnic background? WEST EAST ______How many times have you visited us before?  First time  1-2  3-4  5 or more Please tell us about you     Age  12 or younger  13-17  18-25  26-35  36-50  51-70  71 or older How many times have you visited us before? First time 1-2 3-4 5 or more Age  12 or younger  13-17  18-25  26-35  36-50  51-70  71 or older Other comments ______How did you hear about us?  web  newspaper flier school friend  other______How would you describe your ethnic background? ______Thank you! Other comments: ______The questionnaires. The authors permit reuse. Thank you!

(Assessing Programs, continued from Page 11) in Science Teaching, April 1974. partment of Education (2003). Science stan- Krajcik, J.S., & Czerniak, C.M. (2007). Teach- Ritz, W.C. (2007). A head start on science: dards of learning for Virginia public schools. ing science in elementary and middle school: A Encouraging a sense of wonder. Arlington, VA: Richmond, VA. project-based approach (3rd ed). Mahwah, NJ: NSTA Press. Virginia Department of Education (2003b). Lawrence Erlbaum. Sarrazine, A.R. (2005). Addressing astrono- Science standards of learning curriculum frame- McComas, W.F. (2006). Science teaching be- my misconceptions and achieving national work. Richmond, VA. yond the classroom. Science Teacher, 73(1): 26- science standards utilizing aspects of multi- Wyatt, R. (2002). The big picture: Planetar- 30. ple intelligences theory in the classroom and iums, education and space science. NASA Of- National Research Council (1996). National the planetarium. Indiana: Indiana University. fice of Space Science Education and Public science education standards. Washington, DC: Publication Number: AAT 3178473. Disserta- Outreach Conference, The Astronomical Soci- National Academy Press. Available at www. tion Abstracts DAI-A 66/06, p.2093. ety of the Pacific Conference Series, Volume 319, nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309053269 Skelton, C.W. and Lombard, M.K. (2007). San Francisco, CA. I Web. 8 March 2010. “Evaluation re- Platco, N.L. (2005). A comparative study of port, Science the effectiveness of “star show” vs. “participa- Department of tory oriented planetarium” lessons in a mid- Instruction,” dle school starlab setting. Pennsylvania: Tem- Arlington Pub- ple University; PhD Dissertation, 162 pages, lic Schools, Oc- AAT 3178821. Dissertation Abstracts DAI-A tober 2007. 66/06, p.2159. Smith, T. Plummer, J.D. (2009). Early elementary stu- (1974). The dents’ development of astronomy concepts in planetarium in the planetarium, Journal of Research in Science education: A Teaching, 46(2): 192-209. review of the Ridky, R.W. (1974). A study of planetarium literature. ERIC effectiveness on student achievement, percep- Document #: tions and retention, Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research ED111658. Virginia De-

June 2010 Planetarian 25 Fulldome content development and presentation tools

Toshiyuki Takahei Orihalcon Technologies, Inc. 3-26-3-201, Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, Japan 164-0001 [email protected]

Synra Dome Theater

In the summer of 2008, we built the first Abstract. In the summer of 2008, we built public stereoscopic dome theatre in Japan, the first public stereoscopic dome theatre in located at the Science Museum in Tokyo. We named it the Synra Dome; synra (shinra) Japan, the Synra Dome at the Science Muse- means “everything in the universe” in Japa- um, Tokyo. To optimize its fulldome content nese. Synra Dome, located next to the Impe- development workflow, I developed a quick rial Palace, was a former IMAX theater; it features a 10-m seamless dome at an 18° tilt. dome previewing tool called AllSkyViewer/ Twelve Barco projectors are used to display Pro. For live show programs, I also developed the INFITEC (interference filter technology) a unique real-time presentation tool called 3D presentation. This new dome theatre will be used not Quadratura. These tools make dome and im- only to show astronomical content, but also Toshiyuki Takahei mersive environments easy to use, and ex- content from various other fields of science, tend their capabilities. arts, entertainment, and more with its immersive and interactive capabilities. For this dome theatre I developed a fulldome content development workflow tool the dome and how the audience would feel low-resolution dome master movies without and brand new presentation software for in- when watching them. a pre-slicing process. Using today’s powerful teractive live shows. In this paper I’ll describe To help solve this, I made a virtual dome- PC clusters, we can play 1.5k x1.5k dome mas- these new softwares that facilitates us the use previewing tool called “AllSkyViewer,” with ter or 1k x1k cubic face with OpenGL-acceler- of the fulldome environment. which you can project dome master movies ated real-time slicing techniques. This quick on a virtual dome screen surface and check it virtual dome projection helps our graphics de- Dome Previewing Tool from anywhere you want (see Figure 2). I have signers very much. While creating the new fulldome movies, released this software as freeware; to down- We found that in some cases, a user-defined we quickly realized that none of us really had load, check the website in References section. safe area gives a better perception of scaling enough experience, especially when dealing I also made it work in an actual dome with between virtual and actual domes. This ver- with how objects and scenes get distorted on multiple computers and projectors to play sion is “AllSkyViewer Pro,” released as a product. I also added format/type conversion func- First presented at Fulldome Summit, Chicago, Illinois USA, July 3 2008 tions to the AllSkyViewer Pro for better con-

26 Planetarian June 2010 Figure 3.

Figure 2. Screen shot of the AllSkyViewer. All images by author. tent post process and slicing workflow (Fig- dramatically fast ure 3). immersive content We found that the inter-conversion be- designing tool. (Fig- tween dome master and cubic files is useful ure 4) in the post-process workflow. These days post effect editing software like AfterEffects© and Screen Surface Apple Motion© have 3D scene composition Coordinates abilities and come with lots of powerful ef- In usual imple- fects. So we converted our dome master foot- mentation, ob- age to 5 cubic face files with AllSkyViewer Pro jects are placed in (or they can be rendered out directly as such), an orthogonal co- and imported them into these softwares as a ordinate system, virtual cube around a camera in the 3D com- so their spatial po- position scene. sitions are repre- In these scenes we can add images, mov- sented as x, y and z ies, text layers, and 3D particles, etc. After that, values. But for pre- Figure4. Quadratura we can render the composite scene as 5 cubic sentation use, most face movies, and finally convert them back to objects, such as im- a single dome master movie file with All- ages, movies and text, should be facing the au- of the operation console at anytime. It has SkyViewer Pro again. dience. So in Quadratura, I adopted a “screen three view styles: first person, third person, With these optimized workflows, we could surface + depth” coordinates system to rep- and dome master. With these views, you can check and discuss about the dome content resent objects’ positions. It allows intuitive quickly grasp the entire layout of objects and over and over again. drag and drop object placement like in Power- arrange them intuitively. Point. Better still, with this coordinate system, Presentation Tool one can use the same content both on flat Object Types AllSkyViewer/Pro’s quick dome previewing screens and dome screens by simply chang- In Quadratura, you can add objects just by is powerful, but editing, rendering and slicing ing the base coordinate system according to dragging and dropping the files from the ex- the final dome master content needs quite the new screen shape. All objects are actually plorer windows onto the screen surface in the long time. In our dome we have weekly live placed in 3D space, so it supports stereoscopic view area. show by guest speakers, so we have to prepare rendering as well. Currently supported object types are imag- fulldome presentation in only a few hours. es (with alpha channels, most common for- At early 2008, I developed a brand new real- View Styles mats and sequential images), movies (with time presentation tool for fulldome and oth- During interactive presentations, you can alpha, most common formats), FITS files (real- er immersive environments. I decided that put additional objects at any time and any time exposure processing supported), 3D mod- it should be easy to use, like PowerPoint©, place that you want. To get the most out of the els, texts and all-sky images/movies (with al- and powerful enough to make the most immersive environment, you should check pha, dome master, panorama and cubic files), of these immersive environments. the entire view of the presentation space and free drawing, web pages and live video cap- I named this product Quadratura. Not only be able to layout the objects in this view. ture (from web cam to HD capture). All these is it a real-time presentation tool, but also a In Quadratura, you can change view style types of objects can be placed and composit-

June 2010 Planetarian 27 Figure5. Timeline Editor

correction and edge blending), so you can fill the displayed area as large as you want. These projection corrections are designed not only for domes, but for any screen shapes, so you can use this presentation tool for any kind of ed in 3D space. I found that the composition Projection Correction immersive theatre. With this real-time slicing of all-sky movies with alpha channel is useful If you have an optical planetarium facili- functionality, you can drag and distort the for powerful fulldome special effects. ty, you can project the Quadratura scene over displayed image directly. It is extremely use- Currently I have plans to add some addi- the starry scene with as many projectors as ful for quick projector adjustments. tional object types, such as real-time particles, you want. This tool comes with integrated 3D avatar characters, and so on. real-time slicing functionalities (distortion Extensible Platform The last and most Presentation Assistance important feature of Once the objects are placed in the presenta- Quadratura is that it tion space, you can store the current objects could be an extensible and layout as a “slide.” Notice that in this tool, platform for OpenGL- a slide does not mean a 2D image, but a whole based immersive 3D real- 3D scene environment. Like PowerPoint, you time applications. I inte- can do entire presentation by showing slides grated it with Mitaka sequentially. In the slide list interface, you can Pro©, a real-time space directly access each slide to show or edit it. simulator, which orig- You can also organize slides by using folders inally was developed like usual file system. by the 4D2U Project, to To assist the presentation, Quadratura has a make it full-featured as- virtual 3D cursor and free drawing pens. These tronomy presentation are quite useful for marking up the important software. points. Of course these cursor and pens can Quadratura works as move across the entire area of the screen sur- an overlay plane of the face projected by different PCs. space scene, and shares Figure6 (top): . Quadratura in Mitaka Pro; Fibure 7 (bottom): Trial inte- the projection correc- Timeline Motion Control gration with Uniview™ tion and setup with the For content creation, Quadratura has a base application Mita- timeline-based animation designing tool [10]. ka Pro. It looks like Adobe Flash©, Director© and any Integration of Quad- other non-linear editing tools and 3DCG pack- ratura to this kind of in- ages, so most content creators will be familiar teractive contents gives with it. All objects’ positions, rotations, scales, great usability to it. In visibilities and other properties can be con- the next step I’ll inte- trolled by key frames, scripts and external de- grate Quadratura with vices. The timeline also has background music SCISS UniviewTM, and and sound effects lines, a timing control line try to work with other and frame control line for building complicat- visualization software. ed content such as kiosk applications. All operations in Quadratura are imple- References mented as internal script commands. You can To check out All- record or describe your interactive presenta- SkyViewer/Pro, go to ori- tion as script lines and replay it later. This re- halcon.jp/allskyviewer/ play capability allows the rendering of the en- index_e.html. tire presentation as a dome master movie. You For Quadratura, go can also write useful macro scripts for your to orihalcon.jp/quadra- presentations. tura/index_e.html. I

28 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 29 Paysandú

Maldonado

The Universe in Your City: Uruguay’s 19 Capital Cities Program

and Brazil) there is a total population sustaining glass fiber and expanded polyure- of over three million, with one and a thane panels, it is 5.5 m in height and 8 m in half million people living in Montevi- diameter. deo, the country´s capital city, and the Another enhancing feature to add to our Daniel Scarpa rest distributed among the 19 provinc- presentations was a digital projection system. es called departments. Our project visit- Antonio Más Our choice was to incorporate the Digitarium ed each of the 19 capital cities, the popu- projection system, which offered a wide range Planetario Móvil Kappa Crucis lation of which ranged between 20,000 of possibilities, going from the ordinary sky Gonzalo Ramirez and 90,000 people. projection to fulldome materials. 1487 bis CP 11200 It would be useful to point out that While the dome was being constructed, we scientific public outreach, especially in www.kappacrucis.com.uy prepared scripts to accompany the sessions. the field of astronomy, used to be lim- In order to do so, we counted on a multidis- [email protected] ited to the Municipal Planetarium, and ciplinary team composed of elementary and +598 2-410-97-19 located in Montevideo. As of the year high school teachers and professional and am- Montevideo, Uruguay 2005, through the Kappa Crucis project, ateur astronomers. We devised a well-thought- this situation was reversed and commu- out session which included Galileo Galilei and nities across the entire country now are the importance of his discoveries and adapted starting to have access to that kind of in- it to the different levels of the prospective stu- formation. dents in terms of age groups as well as cogni- tive competence. A Word of Introduction The 19 Capital Cities Program This also encouraged us to generate sup- Kappa Crucis Mobile Planetarium is a cul- The International Year of Astronomy pro- plementary materials to complement the ses- tural enterprise dedicated to the dissemina- vided an opportunity for us to undertake an sions. tion of astronomy. Since 2005 we have been ambitious enterprise. The remaining phase was to make contacts traveling around the country and visiting a The planning started in February, 2008. We with the different institutions and authorities variety of educational and cultural institu- had to do significant research to be able to de- and start to elaborate our agenda. tions, offering sessions addressed to an audi- sign and construct the dome to be used in the ence ranging from children to adults. project all by ourselves. The demanding con- Objectives of the Program In our country (Uruguay, a small South struction process lasted for six months. What Our project had the following objectives: American country bordering on Argentina does the dome look like? Made up of 41 self- •• firstly, to contribute to the process of the

30 Planetarian June 2010 Facing Page: The dome at the international square right on the Uruguayan- Brazilian border—each half of the dome set up on a different country! Right, top: The Kappa Crucis Mobile Planetarium set up in a square in Colonia del Sacramento, historic tourist place and capital city of the province of Co- lonia. Next: Schoolchildren in Artigas, the northernmost capital city in Uru- guay, bordering on Brazil. Next: Visitors look enthused as they marvel at the images of the FETTU exhibition set up in the gallery leading to the entrance of the dome. Bottom: Schoolchildren in Fray Bentos with the map of the sky that was given to each student. All images courtesy Kappa Crucis.

popularization of science and the development of the population´s scientific culture; •• secondly, to motivate, especially the children, to approach astronomy, awakening their interest in topics related to the universe; and •• thirdly, to support teachers´ daily work by providing them with an advanced pedagogic tool. On the other hand, our main specific objectives were to promote scientific and technological knowledge in the framework of the In- ternational Year of Astronomy 2009 and to reach the 19 capital cities of Uruguay between April and October 2009, decentralizing and de- mocratizing a cultural space for the promotion of science and technology.

Development of the Program The key concept of our project was traveling around each of the 19 most important cities in Uruguay to offer educational sessions not only to students at both the primary and secondary levels of school- ing, but also to the rest of the community. A feature that was coordinated with the presentations was the exhibition “From Earth to the Universe,” displayed as a series of large-sized images with backlight illumination arranged alongside a 12-m gallery providing access to the dome. To describe the work involved in the project, we should begin by pointing out that the equipment was transported in three vehicles: a truck, a van and a private car. Eight workers were hired to put up the dome, a 10-hour process, and later take it down, which took another 5 hours. Every arrival to a new location meant the same procedure. There were, on average, 9 daily sessions. Each of these presentations lasted 40 minutes. It started with an introduction on the Internation- al Year of Astronomy that introduced participants to Galileo Galilei and the importance of his discoveries. After that, they had the chance to observe a projection of the night sky of Uruguay while being made aware of its significance in terms of cultural heritage. The Digitarium system played a crucial role in this phase and also made the work of the planetarian easier and smoother. Participants were amazed with at the fulldome technology. At the end of each presentation, participants were assigned different observation tasks related to the sky at night to be performed on their own regardless of their location. In order to help carry out these tasks, we drew a map of the sky as visible from our latitude and gave it out to teachers for further distribution to students.

Feedback and Results In order to achieve our initially-stated objectives, we also organized the secretarial work and specific procedures from our headquarters in Montevideo. Upon arrival of each group of students, the teacher was given an evaluation form to enter his or her opinion or level of satisfaction. In this way, we gathered and later processed data regarding the number of teachers attending and feedback on the project. The completed forms added up to 1,222. A grid was also used to keep a record of the schools and groups attending. Here are some relevant figures showing the reach of our project: (Continues on Page 74)

June 2010 Planetarian 31 32 Planetarian June 2010 A giant radio telescope + a meteor impact lake Astronomy in India

Suhas B. Naik-Satam and Piyush Pandey Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai 400018, India [email protected], [email protected] www.nehru-centre.org/planetarium.html

Top: Lonar Lake, its circular shape telling its origin by impact; Inset: Author Suhas Naik-Satam There is nothing common in the two ob- shops on telescope making, quizzes, painting, at the GMRT telescope facility. Photos by Piyush jects that constitute the headline except that elocution and poetry competitions, designing Pandey. both are in India and one of us (Suhas) hap- sundials and star charts are a few of the activ- pened to visit both recently. Intrigued? Let us ities targeted at students from school to uni- org/astronomy.html) joined hands and our complete the story. versity level. “Course in Astronomy & Astrophysics” real- Most planetarians would agree that we can- The result has been quite satisfying. Right ly took off. not accomplish the goal of popularizing as- from its inception in 1977 there has been a This course begins in June and ends in Feb- tronomy through planetariums by merely demand from a section of visitors for a basic ruary and the classes are held on Sundays in dishing out good planetarium shows. How course in astronomy for all ages. An attempt the “Hall of Quest” of the planetarium. Peo- many repeat visits take place? Are the plan- was made in the 1980s and a “Basic Course in ple 18 and older are eligible to enroll. A mod- etarium programs connected in a way that Astronomy” was started by the then Director est course fee as well as an excursion fee is they take the visitor to a higher level of under- Dr. V. S. Venkatavaradan. He and his colleagues charged and the number of students on roll is standing every next visit? Conduct a survey ran the entire show during summer vacations, restricted to around 30. and most likely you will find that the show which was also the duration of the course. Mrs. Mugdha Karnik, director of Extra Mu- themes are often a reflection of the likes, dis- It was a loosely-knit basic course, which its ral Studies of Mumbai University, organizes likes and whims of the current planetarium detractors called “astronomy for lovers and curriculum advisory committee meetings ev- director. loafers,” yet it was a valiant attempt. The di- ery year and the course contents are updated Like most planetariums, Nehru Planetari- rector himself did 90% of the teaching and regularly every year. Some of our planetarium in Mumbai (which celebrated its 33rd an- there were no admission criteria or fee. A per- um staff members, scientists, and astronomers niversary on 3 March 2010) realized this long son of any age could walk in and join. drawn from colleges of Mumbai University ago and has offered a vast variety of activities Much later, in August 1997, Nehru Plane- and some research institutes in Mumbai serve to support its astronomy popularization pro- tarium and the Extramural Department of as the faculty and are paid an honorarium on gram. Lectures by eminent scientists, work- the University of Mumbai (www.extramural. a per lecture basis.

June 2010 Planetarian 33 You would notice that apart from the 19 area of the Very Large Ar- or so courses there is also an emphasis on ray (VLA) in New Mexi- hands-on astronomy, night-sky watching, co, USA, which consists of and an excursion to an observatory or a site 27 antennas of 25m diam- that may have some astronomical signifi- eter and is presently the cance. world’s largest aperture synthesis telescope oper- Two Destinations ating at centimeter wave- This year the excursion was planned for lengths. two exciting destinations, the Giant Metre- At 327 MHz, GMRT is wave Radio Telescope (gmrt.ncra.tifr.res.in) about eight times more and Lonar Lake. Customarily, some teachers sensitive than VLA be- accompany the students on such a trip and cause of the larger collect- this year this honor was shared by one of ing area, higher efficien- the authors (Suhas) and Prof. Mahesh Shetti cy of the antennas, and of Wilson College, Mumbai, both members a substantially wider us- of our course faculty. able bandwidth because On 8 January 2010 two of us with 30 stu- of the low level of man- dents in tow left for GMRT, which is locat- made radio interference ed in the village Khodad near the city of in India. Pune, about 130 kilometers from Mumbai. It is a national facility It is the world’s largest radio telescope ar- and is being used exten- ray working at metre wavelengths. The stu- sively by astronomers to dents were awestruck by the sheer size of study and learn about as- the large dishes of steel that moved in uni- tronomical objects emit- son to track heavenly objects. ting in radio frequencies. The GMRT was built and is operated by One of the science proj- the National Centre for Radio Astrophys- ects of GMRT is to de- ics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Re- tect hydrogen from dis- search (NCRA-TIFR) Mumbai. It consists of tant galaxies. Hydrogen 30 fully-steerable gigantic parabolic dishes forms a major constitu- of 45 meters in diameter. ent from which galaxies The number and configuration of the formed, and atomic hy- dishes was optimized to meet the principal drogen emits radio emis- astrophysical objectives, which require sen- sion at 21 cm. sitivity at high angular resolution as well The GMRT has con- as the ability to image radio emission from tributed to studies of the diffuse extended regions. Fourteen of the 30 solar system by study- dishes are located more or less randomly in ing a variety of solar and a compact central array in a region of about planetary radio bursts, in- one square kilometer. Top: One of the giant metrewave radio telescopes stands sentinel against a cluding those from Sat- The remaining 16 dishes are spread out clear sky; Bottom: A temple at Lonar Lake. Photos by authors. urn and ionospheres along the three arms of an approximately and magnetospheres of Y-shaped configuration over a much larger some planets by observ- region, with the longest interferometric base- to an important technological breakthrough ing scintillations of radio sources passing close line of about 25 km. achieved by Indian scientists and engineers to the planet. It can also be used for detecting The correlation of radio signals from all the in the design of light-weight, low-cost dishes. the presence of Jupiter-like planets orbiting 435 possible pairs of antennas or interferome- The design is based on what is being called the around nearby stars. ters over several hours thus enable radio imag- “SMART” concept, for Stretch Mesh Attached es of celestial objects to be synthesized with a to Rope Trusses. Lonar Meteoritic Crater resolution equivalent to a single gigantic dish We traveled overnight in our bus and cov- 25 km in diameter! An Unconventional Structure ered 338 km to reach Lonar Lake the next day. The array operates in six frequency bands The dishes have been made light weight by Luckily for us we had in our bus a contingent centered on 50, 153, 233, 325, 610 and 1420 replacing the conventional back up structure of six geology students from another course MHz, corresponding to a wavelength range of by a series of rope trusses (made of thin stain- also run by Mumbai University Extra-mural about 8 m to 20 cm. The highest angular res- less steel wire ropes) stretched between 16 par- Department and their team leader Dr. Rohing- olution achievable ranges from about 60 arc abolic frames made of tubular steel. The low ton Avasia, former head of the Geology De- seconds at the lowest frequencies to about 2 solidity design cuts down the wind forces by a partment at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. arc seconds at 1.4 GHz. large factor and is particularly suited to condi- Dr. Avasia and a local retired school prin- GMRT is an indigenous project that became tions in India. The weight of a disk is about 80 cipal, Mr. Sudhakar Bugdane, took us around fully operational in 1999 and was opened tons and the counter-weight is about 40 tons. the lake and to several ancient temples that to the world community of astronomers in The dishes have alt-az mounts. dot that area. They gave us detailed informa- 2002. The construction of 30 large dishes at The large size of the parabolic dishes implies tion about the Lonar Crater and the stone a relatively small cost has been possible due that GMRT has over three times the collecting temples, constructed in the 12th-13th centu- (Continues on Page 70) 34 Planetarian June 2010 THRILLING RIDES EXOTIC DESTINATIONS ONE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

wwwJune.S p2010ace Par k360. com CreativePlanetarian Media & Techno logy Consulting [email protected] A Visit to India (Astronomy in India, Part II)

Martin George Chair, International Relations Committee

In late January and early February 2010 I spent a delightful fortnight in India, visiting several astronomical and planetarium-related sites and, in particular, enjoying the company of several of our planetarium colleagues there. One of my first activities was to visit the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, site of the largest of the five famous observatories built by Jai Singh II between 1724 and 1727. The observatories are all “sight based”—that is, they contain no optical instruments. Basically, the instruments are all either sundials or devices to measure the positions of celestial bodies. The most famous—and most photographed—of these instruments is the Samrat Yantra, the largest sundial at Jaipur. Of the other three surviving observatories, another is in Delhi itself, and it is there that I met up with Rathnasree Nandivada, director of the Nehru Planetarium in Delhi, who is an expert on these fascinat- ing structures. On the morning of my visit to the Delhi site, several students met up with us. Their enthusiasm was obvious as they attentively watched Rathnasree explain how to perform calculations explaining the method of operation of the instruments. Later in the day, I was pleased to visit the Nehru Planetarium itself as Rathnasree’s guest. I was invited to present a talk between public shows at the planetarium, and was honoured to have an appreciable audience gather for my presentation. The visit also gave me the opportunity to speak with Rathnasree about the planetariums of India and our desire to further consolidate and formalise the Indian planetarium group. Following my visit to Delhi, I flew to Pune, and subsequently travelled to the site of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (the GMRT). (See related story on page 33.) This was in order to give a talk about the life of Grote Reber, the world’s first radio astronomer and to present, together with colleague David Jauncey, a small box of Reber’s ashes. The superb hospitality of the Pune astronomers was memorable, as was a sign on the rear of my bedroom door warning of a leopard that had been seen near some of the radio dishes! I then travelled to Mumbai, some five hours’ drive away, to meet up with Piyush Pandey, director of Mumbai’s Nehru Planetarium, and Pro- gram Director Suhas Naik-Satam. Piyush and I spent quite some time discussing the future of the Indian planetarium group. As a result of this, I feel confident that India is heading toward an all- inclusive group that will soon be meeting more regularly. A newsletter is being instigated, and already both Piyush and Rathnasree have done some work in this regard. I sat in on Mumbai’s Saturday afternoon planetarium show, an all- digital show which was attended by some 400 people. It was all very impressive, including a sundial in the planetarium grounds that was designed by Piyush himself. I look forward to my next visit to India. There is certainly a great deal to see, and I have no doubt that our planetarium friends there will be very welcoming to all! I

From Top: The scale on the sundial known as the Laghu Samrat Yantra at Jaipur; the Samrat Yantra, the largest sundial at Jaipur; Director of the Nehru Planetar- ium in Delhi, Rathnasree Nandivada, explains the instruments of the Jantar Mantar in Delhi to students; and the Zeiss projector at the Nehru Planetarium in Del- hi. All photos by Martin George.

36 Planetarian June 2010 Coming Soon to 2D and 3D Theaters

From Earth, the Sun cannot be looked at with human eyes. Solar Storms gives the audience the opportunity to see the Sun up close. Stand above the arctic circle and witness the most brilliant auroras on Earth; take a ride on a solar blast from Sun’s surface to Earth Magnetosphere, and come to a deeper understanding of what this vast sea of re means to life here on Earth. For Sky-Skan’s exclusive fulldome version, the original 3D animation les have been accessed, adding spherical stereo cameras and re-rendering each scene to take full advantage of the fulldome environment. Solar Storms for fulldome is no mere spherical transform but a completely custom scene-by-scene reproduction.

Fulldome Version Produced and Distributed Exclusively By Sky-Skan A Melrae Pictures production in association with K2 Communications. Contact [email protected] Developed with the assistance of NASA and the Smithsonian National Air +1 603-880-8500 and JuneSpace 2010 Museum. Planetarian SkySkan.com/shows 37 S10-a01-01 38 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 39 40 Planetarian June 2010 Northern Stars Planetarium and Educational Service Fairfield, Maine 04937 USA

John T. Meader It’s been more than 20 years since that conference. “Real” plane- [email protected] tarium or not, today I run a successful portable planetarium. Though www.northern-stars.com with today’s digital all-sky projections becoming the new norm, I sometimes question what kind of antique cyclorama I’m operating. We call ourselves planetarians. Kids in Maine call me the bubble Actually, I’m happy with my personal evolution of equipment. Cur- man. rently I am phasing out two of my four slide projectors and using a Northern Stars Planetarium was created in 1987 from my desire to laptop and video projector—both lighter in weight than the Ekta- live in central Maine, an area without a planetarium. Between 1983 graphics on their rack mount and the four milk crates of carousels (6 and 1987 I directed the planetarium at the Francis Malcolm Science carousels per crate) that support my show offerings. I still like most Learning Center in northern Maine, where, with a tight budget, cre- of my special effect projectors and I’ll always keep at least one Ekta- ativity, and ingenuity, I succeeded in producing numerous public graphic active for the occasional slew or that really clean planetary and school shows with few resources. Such success made me con- image floating in the stars. fident I could start my own planetarium business. With perhaps a Advertising and paperwork have evolved too. When I started, I somewhat naïve confidence I moved from a traditional hard dome had a two-color brochure (it was all I could afford) and program list to the “bubble” of a portable. that I mailed to schools and libraries twice a year. I produced a 12- With no property or children, I had nothing to lose but my pride. page teacher’s guide for each show I offered and spent hours photo- I contacted Learning Technologies Inc., the STARLAB manufacturer copying and mailing them to schools that scheduled. at the time, and was told they didn’t sell to individuals, only insti- Today, I do only one targeted mailing per year and my brochure tutions. With perseverance and persuasion, they accepted my order is multicolor and inexpensively self-produced. Most of my advertis- and my first 4.9-m dome arrived three months later. ing comes through my monthly e-newsletter and website. Teach- I asked myself “what could I do with a portable? How could I er’s guides are available as free downloads and contracts are sent by make a living?” I thought simultaneously about show offerings and email. It frees up a lot of time formerly spent copying, sorting, stuff- equipment. I knew I’d have to do hundreds of shows each year to ing and mailing. I use little paper, ink or postage these days. make a living. I’d need a variety of offerings, both for my own sani- In the past 23 years I have worn out one dome and replaced it ty and to fill the needs of school curricula. with two—another regular dome that holds 30 people and a super- To meet these goals I considered adding a couple of slide projec- dome that accommodates 65. Schools pick which dome best fits tors and a handful of special effects to the basic STARLAB. Every- their needs. The superdome is more economical and has a bigger sky, thing had to be preassembled and mounted in some type of projec- while the regular dome will fit in a classroom and is more intimate. tion box for quick and easy set up. It was the perfect challenge. How All of my current 28 shows are available in either dome. far could I push the envelope? Since acquiring the super dome in 1996 my yearly attendance Six months later I had pushed the envelope further than I origi- has increased from 13,000 to more than 18,000 students, while the nally planned. I had built a portable console with 20 special effect number of shows given has dropped from more than 500 per year projectors mounted inside along with controls to remotely run four to under 300—all while traveling the sometimes wintry roads of ru- Ektagraphic slide projectors in a separate projection box. Add in a ral Maine! Bose Acoustic Wave sound system, a dozen shows, a brochure mail- I have not taken the conventional path moving up the planetari- ing and a Volkswagen van and I was ready business. um ladder. There are times when I get a bit envious of the expensive At a MAPS conference, when I told colleagues what I was doing, gear I see at conferences. Fulldome video projection can be stunning I received a combination of smiles, intrigue and disbelief. Portable and immersive. Yet I don’t lose sleep over my choices that have kept domes at the time weren’t fully accepted as viable planetariums. me from the expensive high-tech gadgets. When I see such shows I Some colleagues supported my efforts, while others thought I was am often impressed. It’s like Hollywood with good science: flashy, making a mistake. Skeptics were full of advice. I was told I didn’t un- clean, and inspiring. I think all those qualities are important in any derstand traveling in winter. I should drop this foolishness and ap- planetarium show, regardless of the technology. That’s why we old- ply for a position at one of the larger domes—that was the proper ca- timers spent so many hours masking slides and making our shows reer path. One vendor who was giving out free slide sets refused me a as clean and realistic as possible. We all inspire our audiences in our set as he was only giving them to real planetariums. own unique ways. We inspire them to look up, to learn more, and to (Continues on Page 70)

June 2010 Planetarian 41 42 Planetarian June 2010 ported and funded by the it will surely appear as a DVD set. trade unions. Their slogan The program has prompted me to think President’s Message in the past was “Unity is more about teaching astronomy. I firmly be- Strength” and this has rel- lieve that good teachers are born, not made. I evance to the IPS. assume that many of you may have had the Dr. Tom Mason While appreciating that mind-expending experience of working un- Armagh Planetarium unity of effort and purpose der the direction of a good teacher or of a gift- College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DB is a strong foundation, es- ed mentor who really inspired you to do well. Northern Ireland pecially when presenting My most memorable teachers taught phys- United Kingdom a case for the retention of ics and chemistry at the school I attended in +44 (0)2837 524725 an astronomy planetar- Belfast in the 1960s. Brian Anderson was the +44 (0)2837 526187 fax, +44 (0)771 ium programme to less- chemistry teacher with a passionate, vulpine 0013453 cell than-supportive accoun- personality. He took no prisoners; his mantra [email protected] tants and budget people, was that you had to know your stuff. It was I also strongly believe in your job to learn it and then to use it. He ex- the value of diversity. plained to us the fabulous precision of the pe- Dear Colleagues and Fellow I think that the IPS is strengthened by the riodic table and what you could learn and in- Planetarians diversity of our membership. I have written fer from it. Well everyone, the time is nigh: the IPS before about the diverse viewpoints of our The physics teacher was Billy Brown, a 2010 conference at Alexandria, Egypt is good members; for example, the passionately-held softly-spoken avuncular Scot, who skillful- to go. I do hope that all of you who can will views that fuel endless discussions on the rel- ly wove together the disparate parts of the try to get there as this is a landmark event for ative merits of different projection systems. jigsaw that was modern physics. His gift was the IPS. The IPS includes a large number of members that we should never take anything for grant- It is the first conference that we will have who are individuals working alone with their ed and that we must do the experiments for held on the African continent, and it will be portable planetariums as well as huge state-of- ourselves: do the work, make the observations the first in the Arabic-speaking world. I think the-art facilities like the ultra modern Beijing and apply the maths. We were given the tools that both these elements are very important, Planetarium with multiple theatre spaces and and told to form the hypotheses and theories as one of our prime functions is the promotion huge numbers of visitors. for ourselves; we were not to be concerned of our profession worldwide so that children about failures. Mistakes are the pathway to ex- all over the planet can learn about the myster- Our Worldview is Important perience ad a better theory. ies of the cosmos in their local planetariums. It is our ability in IPS to collect such a diver- I do fear that the modern UK education- We hope that this conference may help lead sity of opinion under one all-encompassing al system is more about ideology and ticking to the formation of an Arabic-speaking affili- umbrella and worldview that is hugely bene- boxes rather than the great educational expe- ate group eligible to join the IPS Council. ficial. It also provides us with a great platform rience which can be achieved by carefully tar- During the meeting in Alexandria, we are and wealth of experience that can be used geted digressions. looking forward to the change in perspec- to advise our funders and administrators. As tive and of pace, as the Egyptian people are I write this, I am mindful of the current tur- Lessons from the Best Teachers immensely proud of their long history. We moil in the USA over continuing budget sup- The best teachers can conjure magic from also anticipate learning more and experienc- port for small school-based planetariums. thin air, exploiting our human susceptibility ing firsthand the impressive artifacts of civi- Our diversity also shows that the IPS is a mi- for good stories and our vivid imaginations. In lization in the Nile Valley, and the undoubt- crocosm of the real world, and that we already my previous experience as a geology professor, ed importance of astronomical observations serve a huge section of the human commu- I used to ask my students to close their eyes to to this earliest of human societies. nity. The little boys and girls in Cape Town, visualize what an ancient undersea environ- When I first put my vision for the future to South Africa and Niteroi, Brazil who dream of ment may have looked like. This blocks out IPS members in Melbourne to persuade you to becoming scientists are inspired by their plan- visual distractions, thus preventing the hard- vote for me, I did so on a platform of further etarium presenters in the same way as those wired ability to detect small movements and internationalizing our society. In seeking sup- who are fortunate enough to live in the coun- changes in our visual field which might have port for this aim, I believe that I was follow- tries of the European Union and the USA. kept us safe from predators when we lived on ing in the footsteps of previous IPS presidents I believe that it is the job of the IPS President the savannas of Africa. who had also striven to achieve this target. and the IPS Council to expand our reach and This visualization technique is also used by One result of this effort has been the recent to encourage groups to form an alliance of sports coaches asking that their aspirant win- admission of the Brazilian planetariums as af- common interest (“unity”) so that they may ners see themselves coming first and standing filiate members of the IPS Council. I look for- be eligible to join and benefit from the diver- in the podium to get the gold. We do it, too, ward to this addition to the IPS family be- sity of our collective experience. every day in the planetarium dome. It’s all in coming an exemplar for other planetarium the mind. groupings and associations around the world Lessons Remembered So too, we can ask our small visitors to see to join IPS. I have been following a very informative themselves, clad in a space suit, scaling Olym- and visually stimulating new TV series on the pus Mons on Mars. I am always impressed Lessons from Labour Wonders of the Solar System, which has just by the unfettered power of a primary school As I write this article, the UK is in the mid- been broadcast by BBC2 in the UK. It is pre- child’s imagination, and their ability to see dle of a general election campaign for a new sented by physicist Professor Brian Cox of the themselves as space explorers. Try it out. You national government. The incumbent party University of Manchester and is well worth will be pleasantly surprised. is called the Labour Party, as it grew from the a look. I guess that it may make the public I wish you all dark and clear skies, wherev- organized labour movement, and is still sup- broadcasting channels in North America, and er you are. I

June 2010 Planetarian 43 guidelines for good feedback; readers will Educational Horizons learn what kinds of feedback work best in the various content areas and how to adjust feedback for different kinds of learners, including successful students, struggling stu- Jack L. Northrup dents, and language learners. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planetarium •• Never Work Harder than Your Students— King Science and Technology Magnet Center Robyn R. Jackson, ASCD, 2009. Develop 3720 Florence Blvd. questions that lead to deeper understand- Omaha, Nebraska 68110 USA ing, motivation, and ownership of learning. Anticipate misconceptions, use effective +1 402-557-4494 feedback with the audience and organize [email protected] your knowledge to create meaningful patterns in the teaching approach. “Students, here is your June and July sum- or “how am I going to use this in my life?” •• Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word—Barbara R. mer reading lists. You are to read three of the The list I put together is mix of methods that Blackburn, Eye On Education, 2008. Rigor is texts before we return in August.” can be applied at the building, classroom, and and how individual educators can provide This may be a direct quote from your past, planetarium level. challenging learning experiences to prepare spoken as a teacher handed you a list of titles Here is my suggested reading list: students for a better future. that were to be covered in the next term or •• Activating the Desire to Learn—Bob Sullo, As- •• Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy—Judith to expand your knowledge of topic covered sociation for Supervision & Curriculum De- L. Irvin, Julie Meltzer and Melinda Dukes, in the current year. The idea was that students velopment (ASCD), 2007. According to the ASCD, 2007. This book offers strategies to would have time between social engagements, author, we are all driven to fulfill five essen- help educators integrate literacy and learn- sports, and general relaxation to read books. tial needs: to connect, to be competent, to ing across the content areas. In the planetarium community we are as make choices, to have fun, and to be safe. aware of the school holidays as the students •• A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will I am not requiring you to read every book are, as we often see a transformation in our au- Rule the Future—Daniel H. Pink, Riverhead, on the list in preparation for a pop quiz at IPS dience population. I know that my planetar- 2005. The transition from “left brain” ca- Alexandria. Instead, I was thinking that some- ium uses part of the June and July break for reers to “right brain.” one, an intrepid planetarian reader for ex- maintenance and upgrades to the systems. •• Discipline with Dignity: New Challenges, ample, may want to take one of these books With a slowdown of groups coming in to New Solutions—Richard L. Curwin, Allen N. and make a paper or poster presentation for the planetarium, it is also a good time to write Mendler, & Brian D. Mendler, ASCD; 3rd ed., your regional conferences. If you are at fa- new presentations and read some items on my 2008. This book offers practical solutions cilities that have several staff members, you reading list. that emphasize relationship building, cur- may want to investigate creating PLC’s, or After giving many of you flashbacks to riculum relevance, and academic success. Professional Learning Communities. They school days, I should give you a moment or •• How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed- are groups of 3 to 4 people who read the same two to recover. Ability Classrooms—Carol Ann Tomlinson, book and meet to brainstorm or plan ways to Ready? A difference in school and profes- ASCD; 2nd ed., 2001. How to use students’ implement changes to their programs. sional reading lists is that the professional will readiness levels, interests, and learning pro- If you are at a smaller planetarium but have have a little less Chaucer and Lord Byron and files to address student diversity. a collection of colleagues who are interested a lot more on a focused theme. Our planetar- •• How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Stu- in creating a PLC, we have found that Google- ium professionals’ reading list will be focused dents—Susan M. Brookhart, Docs is a good place for book group collabo- on engaging dis- ASCD, 2008. General ration. PLC’s are normally associated with e n f r a n c h i s e d traditional education systems, but in my learners. These readings I have found that they can be learners will be adapted to work in the informal education the first to ask system. To find a quick resource for you “why are we if you are interested in creating a PLC at learning this,” your planetarium, check out www.sedl.org/ change/issues/is- sues61.html. Since I have given you a bit of homework already, I am skipping this edition’s lesson plan. Our next edition will be on the Small Angle For- mula, so have your adding machine paper and black mark- ers ready. Class dismissed. I

44 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 45 Digital Universe Atlas

Fly through the universe with a 3-D atlas of the observed galaxy. Assembled at AMNH’s Hayden Planetarium, the Digital Universe contains every satellite, planet, star and galaxy, to scale and in its correct, measure location according to the best scientific research to-date.

Use the Digital Universe on your full dome system to create customized onsite programming for use at your planetarium. Planetariums around the world use the Digital Universe Atlas for their live presentations. Take your visitors on a flight they will never forget.

See The Known Universe http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/universe Created from the Digital Universe Atlas Over 4.6 million views on YouTube

For more details, contact your planetarium system vendor.

The Digital Universe was developed by the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). The Known Universe was developed by the American Museum of Natural History in partnership with Rubin Museum of Art. 46 Planetarian June 2010

DU ad 3.indd 1 4/20/2010 3:04:40 PM The change enabled Heureka to add a new en- IMERSA News trance ticket package for exhibitions plus three planetarium films. “Before the alterations, the (planetarium) ticket sales situ- Judith Rubin ation was only, as it were, Communications a side product which was Director taken if the subject was in- IMERSA.org teresting or if it suited the rubin.judith@gmail. visitor’s schedule. Now com customers arrive inspired by the planetarium, not only the exhibitions. In Tales from the convergence: my opinion, the reasons include shorter shows Building bridges between film and (children’s interest is kept digital boosts educational venues, up throughout the show), content creators and the industry the enhanced thrill of the guest experience when the Vattenfall Planetarium eliminated its 70- image covers the entire mm dome film system, grew attendance, in- 500-square-metre dome, creased revenue and diversified its program- the versatility of our pro- ming gram, good marketing and “We gave up films completely, and now sensible ticket packaging.” we focus on high-quality development of our Santavuori observed planetarium,” says Kai Santavuori, manager of that the audience doesn’t the Vattenfall Planetarium at Heureka Science necessarily perceive Center in Vantaa, Finland. Vattenfall is part of the difference in medi- Heureka’s theatre unit, which is responsible um. “The audience is en- for all the science centre’s audiovisual tasks tranced by the image cov- in addition to the 135-seat planetarium’s op- ering the entire dome and erations, development, maintenance and pro- by the fact that the im- gramming. Santavuori’s immediate superior is age is extremely sharp, Lea Tuuli, director of communication. Per-Ed- crystal clear and it doesn’t vin Persson is CEO. flicker. As there are only a All digital since a comprehensive renovation few planetariums in Fin- in 2007, Vattenfall employs a Sky-Skan defini- land and as for most peo- ti digital dome video system with two Sony ple the word planetarium SXR 10 HD 4K projectors with custom lenses, brings to mind some old LED cove lighting for its 17.5-m dome, and 5.1 fashioned way of show- digital surround sound. Heureka dismantled ing stars, we decided that and sold the film projection system, an Iwerks instead of calling our pro- 870 that shared the space with a Zeiss fiberop- gram planetarium ‘shows’ tic Universarium star projector. The dome, we’d call them planetari- also made by Zeiss, and the star projector um ‘films.’” were retained and new seating was installed. He reported that during Public response to the renovation was over- the first year, the planetar- whelmingly positive and enabled the plan- ium saw a 20% increase etarium to open up programming and sim- in attendance. “Now as plify operations in lucrative ways, reported the planetarium has been Top: The Zeiss Universarium projector at the Vattenfall Planetari- um; Center: The Science Center, located in Vantaa, Finland, is a pop- Santavuori. “Before the renovation, we only in use for 2.5 years, we ular field trip destination. Bottom: A familiar sight in science centers had two giant screen films at a time in our have been able to keep around the world. Photos courtesy Vattenfall Planetarium. program due to lack of technical space. Now the attendance at the first we show four different planetarium films ev- year’s level.” He credits ery day and, for example, a school teacher can the quality of the programming paired with the evening sky. also choose shows from the library. It is so the shorter run times. “We have tried to lis- “Cosmic Collisions has been the most pop- easy now as everything is on hard disks and ten to our customers’ and schools’ wishes as ular show with more than 135,000 viewers. loading a show takes less than a minute. Also regards to the program and show schedules.” There has not been a suitable children’s show the length of planetarium shows, 25–35 min- Vattenfall’s programming has included Cos- available—one that would also suit older chil- utes, has made a more flexible schedule pos- mic Collisions, Infinity Express, The Search for dren—and I find this a bit of a shortcoming,” sible. There are now more screenings and cus- Life: Are We Alone?, Passport to The Universe, says Santavuori. He noted that most visitors tomer comments have been positive. They Kaluoka’hina, Black Holes–Journey into the Un- during the week are schoolchildren and that now have more time to visit the exhibitions.” known and an interactive live show exploring families visit on weekends, so the program is

June 2010 Planetarian 47 designed accordingly. Finland is a bilingual For that reason, going forward “it is always a country (Finnish and Swedish) and Heure- good idea to have a hi-res scan be part of your ka observes a three-language policy with all overall planning,” says Barker. “I advise any- exhibitions, brochures and notifications in one making a production for the giant screen Finnish, Swedish and English. Increasingly, to maximize all potential revenue streams.” they are also translating materials into Rus- He pointed out that a hi-res scan is most eco- sian to serve a growing number of Russian nomical when it is part of the initial process. tourists. The large number of digital domes tips the Vattenfall also hosts special events. “We balance toward domes, when it comes to edu- have created live performances in accor- cational special venue formats. SK Films and dance with the customer’s Principal Large Format have this in mind as wishes. Company events they prepare to follow Bugs! with Flight of the have been on the increase, Butterflies. “One of the things we’ve been ad- and as the majority of them dressing very, very seriously is to shoot and be take place after hours, they 100% certain this is going to work on domes. have not affected our nor- We’re thinking harder about how it is going mal operations. Income to play on a dome now than we might have from these events has also 10 years ago,” says Barker. been on the increase.” “Our future looks bright,” Working toward standards says Santavuori. “We have Museum planner John Jacobsen, president established our position as of White Oak Associates and long an active the leading planetarium player in the giant screen cinema industry, in Finland. Several people launched the nonprofit White Oak Institute working in the planetarium in 2007 to look constructively at problems field abroad have visited us Stills from Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure. Courtesy SK Films facing the museum field. One of their initia- to look at our renovation. tives is DIGSS, which stands for Digital Im- We will continue to invest in a high standard Principal Large Format CEO Phil Streather mersive Giant Screen Specifications. The first program. Staff training plays an important calls it “sweating the asset.” He and Jonathan step is DISCUSS (Digital Immersive Screen role. Training is planned and carried out to- Barker of SK Films indicated that the lucrative Colloquium for Unified Standards and Spec- gether with the Sky-Skan personnel. We have exploitation of such assets is a promising di- ifications), an invited conference funded by started the planning of our own show produc- rection that has only just begun. Streather had a grant from NSF, which will convene giant- tion and hope to open the first during 2012.” been impressed by a presentation at the 2008 screen experts and leaders to establish specifi- The change was difficult in some respects but conference of the Giant Screen Cinema Asso- cations and standards for a digital equivalent there are no regrets. “Retrospectively, it is easy ciation (GSCA) by Jeri Panek of E&S and IM- of giant-screen film exhibition. to say that changing from the giant screen ERSA co-founder Ed Lantz. The DIGSS team includes Christopher Rey- film technology to an up-to-date digital plan- “They pointed out that a giant screen film is na (founding president of the Large Format etarium was the right thing to do,” says Santa- the best place from which to take existing ma- Cinema Association, now part of GSCA), An- vuori. “When we were making the decision, as terial for a digital dome show. Material that drew Oran of Fotokem, Ed Lantz of IMERSA, an old filmmaker the issue was difficult for me originated in 1570 or 870 can be scanned from Victor Becker (a specialist in theater geome- personally. Now I can say that we made the original negative at a resolution that does jus- try), Mark Peterson (director of theater anal- right decision and at the right time.” tice to filling the dome. Then we looked at it ysis for White Oak) and Jeannie Stahl (White on a business plan level.” Their conclusion: Oak’s expert in museum economics). Bugs! and leveraging resources “The digital dome represents a genuine ancil- Others contributing their industry exper- One of the big successes in the giant screen lary for giant screen filmmakers.” tise to Jacobsen’s digital brain trust initiatives film sector is Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure. This The proven track record of Bugs! as well as include Greg MacGillivray of MacGillivray 2003 release, produced in stereoscopic 3D by its visual quality were factors. “It’s obviously a Freeman Films, Mark Katz of National Geo- Principal Large Format and executive pro- very solid film in its genre, and it played very graphic Cinema, Toby Mensforth of Smith- duced and distributed by SK Films, had a long well in domes,” notes Barker. “We were able to sonian Enterprises, Doug King of the St Louis and productive main release in 70mm giant make some decent business projections based Science Center and James Hyder, publisher of screen formats (2D flatscreen, 2D dome and on that. Not every film will necessarily make LF Examiner. (MacGillivray, Katz, Mensforth, 3D flatscreen) and has been finding its way to sense to incur the expense of the hi-res scan. King and Oran are all members of the GSCA ancillary successes in other formats, demon- Certainly there are a lot of giant screen films, Board of Directors.) strating the typically long shelf life enjoyed especially 3D films, made without any expec- A two-day meeting will take place at White by the best titles in this film genre. tation of ever playing in a dome.” Oak headquarters at Marblehead, Massachu- After studying the digital dome market The rapid growth of digital dome theaters setts in June. The resulting draft specification (which included consulting with Paul Fraser in planetariums and science centers signals an will be published online and open to com- of Blaze Digital Cinema Works), SK Films and exponential and very welcome increase in the mentary by all giant-screen and digital dome Principal decided to invest in a high-resolu- potential distribution market for creators of professionals later this year. Project principal tion master scan for digital dome conversion. educational content for special venues. Add- investigator Jacobsen says, “One of the things Bugs! will shortly be released in both 2D and ed to the relatively small and finite network we’ll do is look at findings on Maya Skies, the stereo 3D for the digital dome, by arrange- of Imax and other 70mm theaters, they can digital dome show funded by NSF. There will ment with Evans & Sutherland and Sky-Skan, now also be producing with digital domes in be a report on what our field is finding out who will be distributing it. mind. (Continues on Page 67)

48 Planetarian June 2010 Zula_DTE_addForPrint_8.5x11_Rev0Page 1 4/20/2010 1:21:16 PM

CMY

June 2010 Planetarian 49 And it was with this conviction that, at the International News Ignazio Danti Planetarium in Piscille-Perugia, the multimedia performance Music of Infini- ty was presented in February. The violinist Fa- bio Imbergamo led the audience into the in- Lars Broman finity with his beautiful songs, accompanied Teknoland and Strömstad Academy by spectacular images of the planets of the so- Stångtjärnsv 132 lar system and mythological references in pas- SE 791 74 Falun, Sweden sages recited by Marcello Manuali. A performance was offered where art forms +46 2310 177 such as music, the image processing and the [email protected], [email protected] acting have met and harmonized with sci- www.teknoland.se, www.stromstadakademi.se ence, transporting the viewer into a dimen- sion made of space, sound and celestial bodies in inspirational surroundings, which is the This column is being finalized while the time. The first project of this planetarium planetarium. Icelandic ash cloud still covers most of Europe dates from 1992! Ignazio Danti Planetarium also hosted Plan- and has closed many international airports. It Belo Horizonte (Portuguese for “Beautiful it, the 2010 national Meeting of Italian Plane- is generally believed that air traffic soon will Horizon”) is located in the capital city of Mi- tarium Association, in April. run as usual, even if the Eyafjallajökull vol- nas Gerais State, one of the largest and richest cano might stay active for months to come. I states in Brazil. Belo Horizonte is the third larg- Association of Mexican still plan to meet many of you at IPS’10 in Al- est city in Brazil and the only capital city in Planetariums exandria! the Southeast region that did not have a plan- In 2009 the International Astronomy Year The International News column is depen- etarium. had many activities for public participation, dent on contributions from IPS Affiliate As- The new planetarium has a Zeiss ZKP4 pro- surpassing expectations. An impressive issue sociations all over the world. Many thanks jector integrated with the SpaceGate Quinto was the fact than 210,000 people went star to Vadim Belov, Bart Benjamin, Ignacio Cas- digital system. It currently is showing an orig- gazing through thousands of telescopes spread tro, Gail Chaid, Pierre Chastenay, Alexandre inal production named ABC of the Stars for across México and in France simultaneously. Cherman, Alex Delivorias, Martin George, grade school kids. The Star Night is an event fostered by the John Hare, Nataliya Kovalenko, Linda Krouse, On a different note, the Association of Bra- French Embassy in México, supported by var- Shaaron Leverment, and Loris Ramponi for zilian Planetarium salutes the Rio de Janeiro ious educational and research institutions like your contributions. Planetarium’s bid proposal for IPS2014. South the National Astronomy Institute, the Na- Upcoming deadlines are 1 July for Planetar- America is the only inhabited continent nev- tional Anthropology Institute (where many ian 3/2010 and 1 October for 4/2010. Anyone er to have hosted an IPS Conference, and hope- archeological parks remained open at night who wants to contribute news from parts of fully this will change in 2014. for this purpose) and the National Council for the world where IPS has no Association (see Science and Technology, among others. page 3) is welcome to send it to Martin George, Association of Italian Planetaria This year, like last year, 10 AMPAC-mem- International Relations Committee, at martin- News from stars and constellations have al- ber planetariums participated in the April [email protected]. ways inspired philosophers, scientists and art- Star Night, offering free public events where ists to create works that have forever enriched Association of Brazilian the heritage of humanity. Formerly there was Planetariums no distinction between the figures of the sci- AIP (below): Musician Fabio Imbergamo per- A new star shines on Brazilian soil. In March, entist, artist, philosopher and mystic: the per- forms the original songs Music of the Infinite 2010, the Belo Horizonte Planetarium opened son, who “knew,” contained everything in under the dome of the Ignazio Danti Plane- tarium, during the projection of a video with to the public, after a long journey through himself. the images of the planets of the solar system. Courtesy of Perugia Planetarium.

ABP: The newly opened Belo Horizonte Planetarium. Courtesy of the Belo Horizonte Planetarium.

50 Planetarian June 2010 astronomy groups and associations perform science demonstration area (GroundStation star observation. This kind of activities awak- Canada Theatre). The show, through demon- en public interest in astronomy and in plan- strations and discussion, gives the audience etariums. a chance to decide what might be the best ways to limit the impact of an asteroid hitting British Association of Earth. Planetariums The evening astronomy shows have been International Year of Biodiversity 2010 is brought back and a few extra perks have been lending its influence to many planetarium added. In addition to one of the regular plan- shows and presentations, with astrobiology etarium shows, the evening audience is treat- being a stimulating hook for adults and chil- ed to Hot Topics, short segments about current dren alike to make a more personal link with issues in astronomy and space science pre- astronomy. sented by the planetarium’s astronomer. The It is often the smaller domes, such as Explor- evening is capped off with a visit to Gordon er Dome (Bristol) or Science Dome (Oxford), MacMillan Southam Observatory with the as- who are able to be flexible to vary shows to tronomer for a little star gazing through their specific schools requests – environmental is- 0.5-m Cassegrain telescope. sues, animal adaptation, and microbiology all They have also spent the winter explor- being big sellers this year. ing potential relationships with new indus- At the BAP Conference in May this year, the tries. Vancouver is a center of digital excel- theme was “is there anyone out there?” Along lence with a number of animation and media with the UK premier of Natural Selection from schools as well as big-name animation studios. Mirage 3D, the conference hosted talks for Currently, ways to tap into this wealth of ex- dome professionals and teachers on extra-ter- CASC: H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Astrono- pertise and insight into future trends to en- restrial life; many fulldome features concen- mer Raminder Samra, Education Programmer hance productions are being looked into. trate not on physics/astronomy but on biolo- Trish Pattision, and Public Programmer Camer- The planetarium staff is working with a gy and earth sciences. on Cronin talk with grade 9 students (visible in team of animators to help update a popular screen at top of image) through video Skype. A newly-forming fulldome company based Courtesy of H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. show, Quest for Origins. In addition to updat- at Surrey University introduced themselves ed animation, this show (originally produced at the conference with their pilot show Wake by planetariums in Vancouver, Montreal, Cal- Up and Smell the Coffee. It chronicles the epic into new streams of revenue and funding. The gary and Winnipeg), will also include new im- journey of caffeine from bean to brain: travel Centre for Life in Newcastle, Thinktank in ages from Hubble. A process of setting up an with caffeine through cell walls and into the Birmingham and INTECH in Winchester are archive for more than 300,000 images from bloodstream before finally interacting with taking a front seat to push short fulldome art around the world amassed over the past 40 neurons in the brain. It is a show aimed at A- experiences and projects forward. Particular- years is also underway. This begins the long level biology. ly interesting and useful is to consider what process of sorting the catalogued images and A fulldome slant to the BAP Conference is happening and what more could be done eventually digitizing the gems. was reflecting the increased use of fulldome from the mobile planetarium side. MacMillan staff has been busy with out- digital projection. Many domes have been up- Finally, BAP’s new website has proved its reach as well. This past year they have exper- dating equipment over the past six months. worth in the short time it has been online, at- imented with connecting into schools via For example, the planetarium of the Great tracting new members to BAP and inspiring Skype. Skype provides a very accessible al- North Museum in Newcastle has new pro- individuals to think about setting up planetar- ternative to other, more complex video con- jectors: three LED projectors suspended from ium domes themselves. With increased traffic ferencing systems and there has been great the dome. Steve McLean said “What a differ- comes increased advertisement, which is great feedback from teachers. With this simple ence, great resolution and colour, and noth- for the members. The professional look of the technology, the interpretive staff can bring ing to block your view in the middle, so we site has had a secondary effect: browsers now some of the best parts of the planetarium pro- are very excited about it.” Techniquest in Car- get in touch with BAP for professional mat- grams into the classroom. diff has installed a Digitalis Gamma fulldome ters such as searching for expert opinions for They are also working with the local cable projector, so now comes the work of convert- radio/TV interviews, examination marking company, Shaw Communications Inc., to pro- ing their many in-house productions to full and for various research projects. The fact that duce astronomy and space science “shorts.” dome! many large and mobile planetariums provide With the dynamic team of the planetarium’s An open session to ascertain what plane- the facility where interested individuals can public programmer and astronomer, over 60 tarians and teachers look for in a planetari- meet with professionals - astronomers, aero- segments on topics ranging from black holes um fulldome show yielded some interesting nautical engineers and space scientists - is a to light sabers have been filmed. These shorts results. Planetariums who have not updated great move forward and an added string to air regularly on a local television station. equipment and who may use other methods, the BAP bow. Check us out at www.planetar- In a more traditional approach to outreach, such as multi-sensory/hands-on/presenter led ium.org.uk. the MacMillan staff has been taking the new shows, still hold their own perfectly well with Digital Starlab to students all over British Co- visitor numbers and recommendations that Canadian Association of Science lumbia. The response from students and staff certainly match the domes with more ad- Centres has been overwhelmingly positive. In addi- vanced technologies. It has been a busy winter at the H.R. Mac- tion to the great content available through Art installations in the dome are becoming Millan Space Centre in Vancouver, both with Starry Night Small Dome program, they are more popular, proving to be a fantastic way onsite and outreach programs. They have just also working on converting elements from to engage with new audiences and also to tap opened End of the Earth, a new show for their the popular planetarium show Sky Stories: A

June 2010 Planetarian 51 First Nation’s Journey into a format Jackson hosted a showing of The for Starlab. Contact: Lisa McIntosh, Explorers of Polynesia in support of [email protected]. Jackson County’s “Big Read” of the book The Wizard of Earthsea; A Tour European/Mediterranean of the Spring Sky was presented in Planetarium Association support of the Ella Sharp Museum’s Six months after its opening to Sugar and Shearing Day. In Novem- schools, Eugenides Planetarium’s ber, the Peter Hurst Planetarium un- show 7 wonders of the World is still veiled two large prints of the multi- going strong and, based on the book- wavelength galaxy in the lobby, ings received, the planetarium proj- followed by a planetarium presen- ects that it will continue to do so by tation and a reception featuring the end of May. Thereafter, it will two decorated cakes, one of which naturally diminish due to the begin- was made into a 3-D planetarium. ning of the secondary education ex- The Dassault Systèmes Planetari- aminations. um in Detroit opened their adapta- EMPA members planning to at- tion of the Clark Planetarium show tend IPS’10 in Alexandria includes Black Holes. Work is also proceed- Alex Delivorias and Manos Kitso- ing on Sunstruck, a NASA grant nas from Eugenides Planetarium. Ohio Planetarians meet in Marietta show for traditional and fulldome Roger Grossenbacher, retired from the Peters Planetarium at theaters exploring the sun and the Great Lakes Planetarium Lancaster High School, Lancaster, shows the range in size of stan- Solar Dynamics Observatory. The Association dard wooden spheres which he has painted with realistic like- Detroit Children’s Museum will Illinois. In April, Lakeview Mu- nesses of various planets and moons in the solar system during re-open under the management of seum held its 10th Interplanetary the Ohio state meeting in April in Marietta. Dr. Ann Bragg was the Detroit Science Center in June, 5K Race/1 Mile Walk/Kids Fun host at the Anderson Hancock Planetarium at Marietta College. including its Spitz planetarium. Run through portions of Peoria’s Photo by Arthur Bogard. At Battle Creek’s Kingman Mu- Community Solar System mod- seum, the winter season kicked off el. In May, the museum’s fundrais- with its own program, Out of this ing event had an astronomy theme, a Mete- training take place in late-spring and summer. World Space Adventure. Over the course of or Shower Golf Ball Drop, where thousands Indiana. The Koch Planetarium at the three half-days, the children made solar sys- of numbered golf balls are dropped from a Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Sci- tem models, watched planetarium shows, and helicopter onto a target circle consisting of ence has launched a public campaign to raise learned about the constellations. the sun and inner planets. Two more Wine & money for a facility renovation and expan- The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium in Grand Cheese Under the Stars programs were held in sion. Included in the expansion are a 2-1/2 Rapids has spent the winter occupied with a the spring. story glass entrance, classrooms, a gift shop, major reimagining of their lower elementary The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at meeting spaces, a new science center, and a show Crickets and Constellations in prepara- Parkland College in Champaign re-opened in new planetarium. Since announcing its plans tion for daily presentation during the Grand February after a month of cleaning, painting, a year ago, the museum has raised $13 million Rapids Public Museum’s exhibit titled Big, Big and re-carpeting. Astro-Tec visited the facili- in pledges and gifts toward a goal of $17.5 mil- Bugs. Their staff recently hosted an in-service ty and the dome was vacuumed and repaint- lion. day for their local community college. ed to reduce reflectance. They also installed a The E.C. Schouweiler Memorial Planetar- Marquette’s Shiras Planetarium ran a mix new cove trough. At the same time, the col- ium at the University of Saint Francis, Fort of show topics this spring, including a great- lege gave the planetarium a new paint job for Wayne, will soon be receiving new planetar- er emphasis on observational astronomy us- their offices, as well as new carpet for the offic- ium control capabilities from Indianapolis- ing their MS-8 opto-mechanical star projector es and dome. In January, the college’s Board of based Bowen Technovation. In February, the and live sky shows. Trustees approved a bid for a fulldome system university dedicated the new atrium as the Ohio. Shawnee State University’s Clark and new audio system. Digistar 4 will be com- Robert G. “Bob” Stoeckley Atrium, in memory Planetarium recently installed Hubblesource’s ing to Staerkel this summer! of the planetarium’s first director, who served ViewSpace. The Elgin School District U-46 Observato- from 1972 through 1986 and continued as pro- The Erie Planetarium (Pennsylvania) recent- ry celebrated its 100th birthday this winter ducer and consultant to directors until 2000. ly celebrated its 50th anniversary! The plane- with a series of public programs. In February, Michigan. At the Longway Planetarium in tarium started out with a Spitz A2 and then they hosted an open house at the observato- Flint, a second year of Poetry Under the Stars eventually upgraded to a Spitz A3. Jim Gavio ry. Historic artifacts were also displayed at the continued in March and April. Also continu- ran a series of sold-out Dinner under the Stars school district headquarters. The nearby El- ing during this time were rock laser shows programs for Valentine’s Day this year. gin Area Historical Society also reopened its and monthly public star parties. Their annu- Gene Zajac, Bryan Child, and Joe Maren- Old Main museum, which includes an exhibit al fundraiser After Hours Under the Stars was cik from the Shaker Heights Planetarium re- about the observatory. held in April. cently attended the Solar System Explora- The Cernan Earth and Space Center of Tri- Currently the Kalamazoo Valley Muse- tion Educator’s Conference in Houston. Gene ton College, River Grove, will soon be receiv- um Planetarium is running Sky Legends of the met Alvin Drew, who flew on Shuttle Mission ing a new three-screen video system from East Three Fires as its family show. The KVM host- 118 and will fly on the final mission, 133. For Coast Control Systems that will begin the pro- ed an informal interstitial meeting of Michi- their recent public shows, Gene and six of his cess of replacing its slide-based programming gan planetariums in February. students did a joint venture with the Shaker with digital counterparts. Installation and In March, the Peter F. Hurst Planetarium in Lakes Nature Center.

52 Planetarian June 2010 THEY DON’T WANT THE HIGH SEAS. THEY WANT THE UNIVERSE.

A family adventure that puts you into the action. Available March 2010. Contact Mike Murray at [email protected] June 2010 Planetarian 53 801-456-4949 • clarkplanetarium.org/distribution

2245_Clark_SpacePirates_7x10.indd 1 1/21/10 9:20:48 AM 54 Planetarian June 2010 Besides running the Bowling Green State Callen joined the what University Planetarium, Director Dale Smith was then Stockholm Omni- is teaching an honors introductory astrono- theater Project in Septem- my course, a senior/graduate course on stellar ber 1991 and was involved structure and evolution, and a quiz section of with finishing, commis- introductory physics. sioning and opening the The activity is on the outside at the Ward now-named Cosmonova. Beecher Planetarium at Youngstown State Besides being astronomer University. Construction has begun on a and program producer, he sundial memorial to honor the late Richard also served as their Digistar Pirko, long-time planetarium technician, who I systems manager and pro- passed away in 2008. Former Planetarium Di- grammer until that system rector Warren Young is one of the principal was removed to make way backers of the project. for fulldome video that Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Minne- premiered in 2008. Much sota State University-Morehead Planetarium of the Request for Propos- recently hosted an observing event called als for the new digital 3D NPA: Per Broman and Backyard Cosmos’ new Warped Media all-sky Saturn: Lord of the Rings with their local as- and fulldome systems were video projector. Photo by Eva Berg. tronomy club. written by him based on The UW-Milwaukee Manfred Olson Plan- doing RFP work as part of his previous job of Budd Wentz, Alan Friedman, and Alan Gould, etarium celebrated spring with the programs 13 years at the Albert Einstein Planetarium of who celebrated at the old dome. Since then re- Life of a Star and Shooting Stars. They also the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air search and preparations have been underway hosted a Stars in the Tropics benefit event in and Space Museum. to prepare for a new dome, projector, and seat- April. Callen has also written and illustrated an ing. This spring, the Blocher Planetarium at the original monthly astronomy article on-line The problem with the old planetarium af- University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point pre- since 2002 as well as Cosmonova’s space- and ter the fire marshal requirement that three sented Sky Quest, In Search of New Worlds and astronomy-based web pages. seats be removed was that it could not accom- Marsquest. The Lund Observatory Planetarium that modate at least 30 people or a normal school closed down two group. Groups had to be split into two groups. Nordic Planetarium Association years ago has recent- The entrance was also not wheelchair acces- November 2009 saw the premier of the ly reopened as part sible. Stockholm, Sweden Cosmonova’s first produc- of the Lund Vatten- After research and narrowing down the tion with their new fulldome video system: a hallen Science Cen- field of acceptable projectors, a “shootout” was live ambient electronic music concert with ter. Regular shows presented at a meeting of the Bay Area Domes the group Carbon Based Lifeforms (CBL), who will be given for subgroup of the Pacific Planetarium Associa- are based in Göteborg, Sweden. The 45-minute school groups and it tion. The Digitarium Epsilon projector was se- long event was produced by Tom Callen, Cos- will be open to the lected. Pacific Domes was chosen to create the monova’s astronomer/program producer us- general public from 30-foot geodesic dome. The sound system was ing SCISS’s Uniview, Adobe AfterEffects and time to time. The designed by Pro-Home Systems. PhotoShop. Two concerts were given on two planetarium will be The old Goto Mercury Projector is now part dates in November; the first sold out and the run by staff from Tom Callen of the Planetarium Projector Museum near second just short of selling out. Judging from Lund Observatory Bog Bear, California, www.planetariummuse- the audience’s reaction on both nights, it was and it is planned to upgrade the equipment um.org. much appreciated by both CBL fans and the over the coming years The peoplecurrently Lawrence Hall of Science has produced general public. One of the goals, encourag- running the planetarium are Anna Arnadot- many great audience participation programs ing a different kind of audience to attend Cos- tir, PhD student, and David Hobbs, research- for planetariums called PASS; see lawrencehal- monova’s regular public shows, seems to have er. The web page is www.astro.lu.sed/Planetar- lofscience.org/pass. been met. ium. Alan Gould and Edna DeVore, who have Unfortunately, bad news at the start of The science center Backyard Cosmos in been involved with the Kepler mission edu- 2010 has followed the good news at the end of Våmhus, Sweden has a planetarium with a cation-public outreach effort, reported a new- 2009. Due to financial problems at the Swed- 5-m dome. There, Europe’s first Warped Me- ly-designed Kepler website (kepler.nasa.gov). ish Museum of Natural History, Cosmono- dia all-sky video was installed in February by They also attended the American Astronom- va’s parent organization, 11 people were told Mark Perkins from Ash Enterprises and plan- ical Society meeting, where first Kepler planet that they were going to be laid off from their etarium director Per Broman. See also www. discoveries were announced 4 January 2010. jobs starting 1 March. One of those was Tom bakgard.se and www.planetarium.se. Bing Quock, assistant director of the Mor- Callen, who had been in the Museum staff for rison Planetarium, San Francisco, reports that over 18 years. Pacific Planetarium Association Carl Zeiss, Inc was in town for a technology According to Stockholm newspaper arti- From Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, demonstration featuring their Velvet high cles, the museum intends to no longer pro- California, Alan Gould and Toshi Komatsu re- contrast fulldome display system. The Ameri- duce original planetarium shows with their port progress on the new and improved Wil- can Museum of Natural History production of new equipment, but rather just offer pre-pro- liam K. Holt Planetarium. Journey to the Stars was presented. For more in- duced “push button” shows made elsewhere Early planetarium staff gathered to cele- formation, contact Bing Quock, bquock@cala- that have had their soundtracks versioned brate at the 40th Anniversary Gala. They were cademy.org. from English to Swedish. Andrew Fraknoi, Dennis Schatz, Cary Sneider, Pam Maher at the College of Southern Ne-

June 2010 Planetarian 55 56 Planetarian June 2010 vada, North Las Vegas, or- and region was launched ganized their annual teach- in February by the Nizh- er workshop.The teachers ny Novgorod Planetarium. spent three days in the plan- This year the contest is ded- etarium and/or the class- icated to the memory of the room. Noble Prize Winner Acad. Edna DeVore from the Vitaly Ginzburg, who held SETI Institute educated the the position of professor at 30 classroom teachers from the Lobachevsky State Uni- the Clark County School versity of Nizhny Novgorod District about the Kepler 1945-1968. Project. The sounds of a celtic On another day the teach- harp under the digital stellar ers trained on the Library of heaven of Nizhny Novgorod Congress Primary Sources Planetarium pleased visitors web site (memory.loc.gov/ in February during concerts ammem) to research the by the Hungarian musician Wright Brothers and the Alizbar. History of Flight. Anoth- The Annual Spring Astro- er day, the teachers worked nomical Conference, tradi- with Brian Hawkins, an tionally timed to the equi- aerospace education expert nox, was held in March at from NASA Ames Research the Nizhny Novgorod Plan- Center. etarium. The conference PPA President Benjamin program was quite exten- Mendelsohn reminds PPA sive and included a report members about the Western on dwarf stellar objects, a Alliance 2010 Conference review of the March stellar 4-7 August 2010 at King Sci- sky, and the information on ence and Technology Mag- the project “Planetarium to net’s Planetarium in Oma- Schools.” The new show Hy- ha, Nebraska. patia Inheritresses was also The WAC for 2011 will presented. The educator sec- be at Central Texas College, tion of the conference was hosted by Mayborn Plan- devoted to teaching astron- etarium in Killeen, Texas. omy in the school physics And of course, PPA mem- courses, experiencing the de- bers won’t forget the up- livery of astronomical open coming exciting IPS Confer- RPA (Top): Conference attendees near the monument at the Tsiolkovsky tomb in Kaluga. classes, and sharing multi- ence in Alexandria, Egypt. Photo by Nikolay I. Lapin. (Bottom) Larisa A. Panina, director of the planetarium of the media material used for as- Cultural Center of the Russian Army and Acad. Anatoly M. Cherepashchuk, president of Russian Planetarium the Russian Planetarium Association, take the floor. Photo by Olga D. Egorova. tronomy teaching. Association A variety of events were The Conference of the offered to the public at the Russian Planetarium Association was in and the optical projector SKYMASTER ZKP 4 Barnaul Planetarium on the International Day March 2010 at the Planetarium of the Cultur- put into operation in 2009 were demonstrat- of Planetaria. The Festival of Planetarium Lec- al Center of the Russian Army in Moscow. The ed to the visitors. tures and Shows were prepared at Perm, Vladi- conference was attended by 47 lecturers and The conference summarized the results of mir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, and Kostroma educators from 24 Russian and 1 Kazakh (Ak- activities during the International Year of As- planetariums. In addition, the visitors could tyube) planetariums. tronomy (IYA2009). The most active IYA2009 enjoy the best works by the participants of The conference was accompanied by the organizers and participants were awarded with the contest “All stars to the Planetarium.” The Workshop of Lecturers and Educators. The diplomas of the Astronomical Society. This contest included several nominations, such workshop program included lectures de- was the last meeting of the Russian planetar- as spacecraft models, architectural models for livered by Moscow scientists, in particular ian community attended by the most senior future planetariums, presentations of research “Searching for Black Holes in the Universe” by lecturer of the Moscow Planetarium, Stanislav projects, pieces of art, scenarios, and poems. Acad. A.M.Cherepashchuk, “Origins of Planets Shirokov who died on 18 March 2010. More than 950 adults and children of the age and Molecules in Space” by D.Z.Wiebe, “Short- Zinaida Sitkova, chairman of Board of the over 7 participated. Wavelength Astronomy” and “The Sun as a Russian Planetaruim Association, informed Star” by Prof. A.V.Zasov, “Hypotheses in As- the participants about the Russian Cosmo- Southeastern Planetarium trophysics” by S.B.Popov, and “Optical Studies nautics Year (2011), announced by President Association of the Atmosphere” by O.S.Ugolnikov, among of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev For the past several years, the SEPA Council others. in commemoration of the 50th anniversary has worked to set up a scholarship fund to as- The conference attendees made a trip to of the cosmic flight by Yuri Gagarin. sist travel to conferences, funded through pro- Kaluga to visit the Museum of Cosmonautics The traditional annual extramural astro- ceeds from the annual silent auction at con- History there. New digital fulldome shows cosmic contest for schoolchildren of the city ferences and donations from members.

June 2010 Planetarian 57 SEPA President-Elect April Whitt chaired the scholarship committee, whose job it was SWAP: Noble Plan- to develop an application process and then etarium in Fort award scholarships for the 2010 SEPA confer- Worth. Courtesy of ence in Bays Mountain, Tennessee. It is expect- Rhonda Hole Pho- tography. Inside ed that the scholarship program will contin- (below), the plan- ue and hopefully expand in future years. The etarium features a following is paraphrased from Whitt’s report hybrid planetarium to Council: system that enables the viewing of both It was decided to award up to six scholar- hemispheres; show ships of $250 each for the 2010 conference. here is the Zeiss Future years may vary. Each scholarship will SKYMASTER ZKP4 cover the amount of registration and (de- star projector. pending on how the costs work out), perhaps Courtesy of Ralph Lauer Images. a small stipend for travel or hotel stay. To apply, one must be currently employed at an active planetarium (i.e. be a member of the planetarium staff) in the SEPA region. Can- installed, used by didates must submit a completed scholarship the planetarium un- application and current resume. Applicants til the building was must meet deadlines for submitting the ap- razed in 2007. plication and, if selected, must meet deadlines In November for conference registration and paper presen- 2009, the new Fort tation. Worth Museum of Scholarship recipients must present a pa- Science and History per or poster at the conference. The paper or opened its doors, to- a write-up of the poster will appear in the fall gether with the new edition of the SEPA journal. Recipients of the Noble Planetarium. scholarship this year will be ineligible for the Planetarium con- award the following year. sultants Visual Acu- Candidates must complete an on-line ap- ity guided planetar- plication form found at the SEPA website; the ium staff effortlessly deadline is approximately five months prior through this com- to the upcoming conference. Successful appli- plicated construc- cants are notified by e-mail at least 90 days pri- tion process. or to the conference. The planetarium The conference site for 2011 will be the Rol- experience starts lins Planetarium at Young Harris College in even before guests enter the dome. The dim ages. Partnering with the University of North Young Harris, Georgia. The conference cen- lighting and the quiet of the exhibit hall pre- Texas in Denton, Texas, the Noble is current- ter and hotel will be the elegant and nearby pares guests for the out-of-the-world journey ly building a solar observatory at the univer- Brasstown Resort. Young Harris is nestled in they are about to embark on. One wall is cov- sity’s remote site, housing a Chronos mount the picturesque high-mountain region of ex- ered by Dr. Axel Mellinger’s new view of the and four solar telescopes with cameras. White treme north Georgia. Look for details in this Milky Way. The center of the room spotlights light, hydrogen-alpha, calcium-K, and sodium column in a future issue of the Planetarian. a 302-pound oriented pallasite, on loan from filtered images will be microwaved to the uni- For more information about SEPA, please the Brenham Meteorite Company and Phil versity and to the Noble Planetarium for use visit the website sepadomes.org. Manni. “We are particularly pleased to dis- with astronomy groups and classes. play this meteorite, because we assisted in its The Noble Planetarium itself is a new Astro- Southwestern Association recovery,” says Linda Krouse, Noble Planetar- Tec 12-m (40-ft) dome. The “kneewall” is 10.8 of Planetariums ium Director. Other meteorites owned by the m (36 ft) in diameter, allowing 60 cm (2 ft) all The first planetarium in a children’s mu- museum are also on display, including the around for additional projection and future seum opened in 1949 at the Fort Worth Chil- 100-pound Blue Mound nickel-iron specimen, expansion. At the center of the room is Zeiss’ dren’s Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. It was an which fell in 1964 to the north of Fort Worth. ZKP4 fiber optic star ball, providing a beau- oblate spheroid, 18 feet in diameter, construct- Also in the exhibit hall, an astronaut with tiful night sky. Surrounding the star ball are ed of plywood and cardboard under a tent in a Manned Maneuvering Unit hovers above five Zeiss Spacegate projectors to providing the museum’s backyard. It was in this setting your head, as does one of the original Sputnik all-dome digital images. This hybrid system, that a Spitz A-1 was installed amidst the steel satellites from the mid-1950s. along with SCISS’ Uniview software, provides folding chairs. When the Museum moved to Four large video screens dominate anoth- the best of both worlds. The bonus is that one a new building, the Spitz A-1 was installed un- er wall, together with a large display of the is never without a way to provide program- der a spherical 30-ft plaster dome. electromagnetic spectrum. The screens dis- ming. In 1955, this planetarium was dedicated to play current images of the sun in various A local steel fabricator worked with Noble Miss Charlie Mary Noble, a local teacher of wavelengths with commentary about to- staff to provide a new version of circular seats, mathematics, and became the first planetar- day’s views. Currently the solar images come which are removable to allow flexibility for ium in the world to be named for a woman. from the Solar Heliospheric Observatory, but the room. Recently, the Noble provided 60 Several years later, a new Spitz A-3 star ball was soon the Noble will be showing its own im- people dinner under the stars with tables and

58 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 59 chairs brought in for the event. Amateur Astronomers, Polta- In addition to purchased programs, the No- va Gravimetric Observatory, ble produces many shows in a recently up- Astropolis Club in Kiev, Kiev graded small production studio. With the ad- Observatory and Planetarium, dition of two Canon 5D Mark II cameras, a and Bavarian Public Observa- new RED 4k x 4k video camera, and multiple tory in Munich (www.stern- fisheye lenses, as well as a small render farm, warte-muenchen.de). At the they are able to provide programming that is meetings, different aspects of specific to local needs. Don Garland, assistant activities in Dnepropetrovsk director, runs the studio and is production Planetarium and Astroclub manager. Programming is an equal mixture during IYA2009 were present- of purchased shows and live shows to provide ed as talks or were discussed. variety for audiences, as well as the capabili- This year, Kherson Plane- ty to provide new information about space tarium celebrates its 50th an- as events occur. Planetarium Educator Rachel niversary. The initiator of the Thompson and her staff of 10 volunteers and planetarium in Kherson was part-timers greet each guest and answer ques- Elena Kasimirchak-Polonska- tions, as well as narrate the live shows. ya, bright scientist and peda- While under construction, the Noble pur- gog; she inspired her students chased two portable domes from e-Planetar- to be interested in astronomy. ium. Outreach Educator Sarah Littler takes The idea to build the planetar- planetarium programming to schools and sci- ium in the city appeared few ence events across Texas and adjoining states. months before the launch of The programming for the mobile Noble is also the first artificial satellite of done in their own studio. the Earth, the Sputnik. Other activities include monthly star par- The construction of the as- ties with the Fort Worth Astronomical Soci- tronomical courtyard and ety, telescope building classes, and distance total reconstruction of the learning sessions. building that before the Rev- The Noble Planetarium hosts approximate- olution served as a synagogue ly 125,000 visitors per year, which includes public, schools, portable dome classes, university labs, and private events. For more infor- UPA: (Top) Guests of mini- mation, check www.fortworthmuseum.org. conference Stellar Occulta- tions by Asteroids in Dnepro- petrovsk, March 2010. From the Ukrainian left to the right are Alexandr Planetariums Prokofiev, AstroDnepr, Dnepro- Association petrovsk; Vladimir Slusaren- The AstroDnepr Amateur Astronomy Club ko, Astroclub of Lyceum #59, Kiev; Nataliya Virnina, Astrodes of Dnepropetrovsk Planetarium celebrated the Club, Odessa; Roman Kosten- closing of the IYA2009 in January 2010. The ko, Poltava Society of Amateur most active participants and organizers of the Astronomers POLA, Poltava; main events and projects in Dnepropetrovsk and Oleg Kryklya, Krasnograd. during IYA2009 gathered at the planetarium. Courtesy of Dnepropetrovsk Planetarium. (Next) Hans-Georg In February, the presentation “how to make a Schmidt from Munich Public telescope” by Anton Melnik, who built a 150 Observatory makes a presen- mm reflector, was featured. tation for Dnepropetrovsk As- In March, the mini-conference Stellar Oc- troclub AstroDnepr to Alex- andr Prokofiev, March 2010. cultations by Asteroids took place and gath- Courtesy of Dnepropetrovsk ered amateurs from Kiev, Krasnograd, Poltava, Planetarium. (Next) Visitors of Odessa, and several smaller cities. It was the the scientific-popular astrono- biggest gathering in the Astroclub history. An my exhibition “The Universe at observational network throughout the coun- the Very Heart of the City” in Kyiv Planetarium. Courtesy of try was created as a result of the conference. Kyiv Planetarium. (Bottom) Or- On the same night, the 4th Internation- ganizers and high guests at the al Night of Sidewalk Astronomy took place. opening ceremony of scientif- More than 250 people had a look through ic-popular astronomy exhibition “The Universe at the Very the telescopes from the planetarium and am- Heart of the City” in Kyiv Plan- ateur astronomers during this event. With la- etarium, also March 2010. Iri- ser pointer it was possible to demonstrate the na Vavilova from Main Astro- brightest constellations, the celestial equator, nomical Observatory of NAS of and the ecliptic to city dwellers. Ukraine, who was the coordinator of the IYA2009 activities in AtroDnepr club members have visited URSA Ukraine, gives short talk. Cour- in Helsinki, Krasnograd, the Poltava Society of tesy of Kyiv Planetarium.

60 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 61 the Life of a Genius, What are we Looking for It has been some time now since I men- in Cosmos?, and 50 Years-Is it Much or Little? tioned to you Chris’ proposal for a planetari- (about the Kherson planetarium). um in Gaza. I am hoping that this project will In a framework of jubilatory events, togeth- eventually succeed, but meanwhile there has er with the Center of the Youth initiatives, also been some progress in the proposal for the project World of Stars in the World of Peo- a portable planetarium in Arbil Province in ple has been prepared. It was performed on the northern Iraq. We have learned that the gov- evening of 15 May 2010 and project includ- ernor of the province is keen on such projects, ed a master class on the construction of kites, and it is hoped that funds may be made avail- theatric mono performance, sidewalk astron- able. omy, and the youth action “Keep the planet, I’m delighted to report that Chris feels very you are not alone.” positive about this initiative and I hope that In Kiev Planetarium, the closing ceremony by the time of the IPS in Alexandria we shall of IYA2009 took place in March. The official have some more to report. ceremony gathered scientists, top Ukrainian It is very timely that IPS 2010 is being held astronomy officials, astronomy communica- in Egypt, because of the current initiative to tors, and students. Talks were given on results set up an IPS affiliate for the Arab-speaking of Ukrainian activities during the IYA, includ- world. Marc Rouleau has devoted a great deal ing one presented by Irina Vavilova, coordina- of time to working on this, and by the time tor of IYA in Ukraine. The same talk was given you read this I am hoping that an initial meet- at the International conference in Padua that ing of planetarians in the United Arab Emir- closed IYA2009. Scientists and astronomy of- ates will have been held. ficials delivered talks on actual questions and Following this, an important part of the IPS discoveries in astronomy, describing the sit- conference will be an Arab-Speaking Planetar- UPA: The 4th International Night of sidewalk uation with astronomy in Ukraine. Astrono- ium Meeting on 26 June. I recently had a long astronomy in Dnepropetrovsk. Vladimir Sukho- my communicators received praise for their and productive telephone conversation with nos from AstroDnepr Club with his telescope. Courtesy of Dnepropetrovsk Planetarium. work. Marc on this and all of the related issues, and During the week after International Day of I and the rest of the committee feel that this lasted for three years. The opening of the plan- Planetaria, Kyiv Planetarium hosted the sci- meeting, which I and hopefully one or more etarium was on 14 May 1960. The planetarium entific-popular astronomy exhibition “The other members of the committee shall also be still occupies the same building, in spite of the Universe at the Very Heart of the City.” The attending, will be a valuable one. fact that it is difficult to keep a religious build- international cultural association The New As you will all be aware, the committee ing as a planetarium after the collapse of the Acropolis prepared and presented posters with had been hoping to produce translations of USSR. astronomical pictures, describing objects of abstracts for IPS2010. After discussion with The Kherson Planetarium staff has always the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe; Omar, it appears that the timing of the arriv- been eager to find out new ways of science informational posters on outstanding astron- als of abstracts will be a little too tight for this communication. For the first time, a profes- omers; and those describing constellations to happen in advance of IPS2010. We must, of sional film director was involved in the cre- and celestial myths. After being showed in the course, remain aware that the official IPS lan- ation of stories for scripts and show programs; planetarium, the exhibition was displayed at guage is English, but we still hope to be able these programs are now spread to different New Acropolis House in Kiev for two more to produce some abstract translations after- planetariums in Ukraine and Russia. weeks. I wards, in order to at least have a record, in sev- Together with the ecological department eral other languages, of the type of material of the city, the planetarium created the pro- covered by the conference. In particular, Guo gram Our House-the Earth for the general audi- International Relations Xia in Beijing is still happy to make some Chi- ence. The planetarium plays an active role in nese translations available to our Chinese col- city life, spreading knowledge on ecology, as- Committee leagues. tronomy, and the lives of exceptional people, During late January and early February, I such as famous scientists. The video project, In Martin George traveled to India to, amongst other things, the Language of Stars, in conjunction with the [email protected] pay a visit to our planetarium colleagues in Kherson TV channel VTV-Plus, began in Feb- Delhi and Mumbai. (See article on Page 36.) I ruary 2007 and has already run 53 short TV As IPS2010 approaches, the International am pleased to report that my discussions with movies of 15-20 minutes each. Relations Committee is looking forward es- Rathnasree Nandivada in Delhi and Piyush During IYA2009, the programs Searching for pecially to the participation of a number of Pandey in Mumbai were very productive and Zero Meridian, Kepler-Genius of Renaissance, planetarians who will be at their first IPS Con- I am very grateful to them both for spending and Galileo Galilei were created. The contin- ference. In particular, we hope to see many some time with me. The main push there at uous project is popularizing Ukrainian obser- colleagues from the part of the world in which the moment is to formalize and consolidate vatories. In 2009 programs about Nikolaev the conference is being held. the Indian planetarium group, and I think Observatory and the Main Astronomical Ob- This is especially timely in light of discus- we are well on the way to achieving that servatory of NAS of Ukraine were created. sions that have been held between myself aim. I have suggested that a newsletter circu- In 2010, its jubilee year, the Kherson plane- (representing the committee), Marc Roule- lated amongst planetarians in that country tarium hosts the exhibition “Sky by the HST au, and Chris Philips. Both Marc and Chris are will have a unifying effect and look forward Eyes,” the philately exhibition Our Space, the very keen to see growth in the planetarium in- to contributing one or more short articles to video projects 40 Years of Kondratyuks Route, dustry in the Arab world and the Middle East them soon on behalf of the Committee. Poltava Gravimetric Observatory, Kondratyuk- in general. I look forward to seeing you at IPS2010! I

62 Planetarian June 2010 “This project emphasizes all kinds of audiences. So the GeoDome also Mobile News the exploration and devel- works as a marketing tool, especially in the opment of narrative and Norrköping region, for making people aware alternate forms of presen- of the Norrköping Visualization Center and tation that provide tools the public production and programmes that and inspiration for taking will be available there. Susan Reynolds Button initiative toward a posi- “All larger dome presentations have been Quarks to Clusters tive future development. accompanied by research surveys that focus This demands the initia- 8793 Horseshoe Lane on visualization and the dome environment tion of new approaches as a tool for climate communication. The re- Chittenango, New York 13037 and methods for convey- sults of these surveys are analyzed by research- USA ing knowledge to a young- ers at the Centre for Climate Science and Pol- +1 315-687-5371 er audience, where partici- icy Research (CSPR) and will be published in [email protected] pation and interaction are international scientific journals. Results point [email protected] essential ingredients. From towards a high-perceived relevance of the cli- the beginning the aim was mate visualizations, but open up to questions to find new ways of visu- of selection of data and which specific parts of As I write this column, the Norrköping Vi- alizing climate change and climate research the narrative that connect to various audienc- sualization Center is preparing to open to the data and exploring the possibilities with uses. Over the next year also more specific stud- public on May 27. The center will host a dome ing immersive environments as a communi- ies on perception and knowledge are planned, theatre, exhibition halls, cinemas, research fa- cation platform was incorporated early on.” applying both focus group methods and inter- cilities and conference arenas. The center cre- “We’ve been using Uniview as the platform views with the audience. ates a platform for public activities as well as for the shows as we see great potential with “In the future we’d like to continue using research and production centering around using live, real-time presentations in the Ge- the GeoDome to be able to reach different au- the area of visualization. For more informa- oDome. Especially when presenting the com- diences, since it’s not bound to one place it of- tion about the center, please visit their web- plex issues of climate and climate change it’s fers great flexibility. We will continue using it site: www.visualiseringscenter.se. important to have an instant connection be- for shows for various audiences and on differ- Katarina Przybyl, production manag- tween the presenter and the audience, the rel- er, wrote to say, “We bought the GeoDome atively small space of the GeoDome is partic- in the fall 2008, after having brought it to ularly suited for this. The software also allows Norrköping to a New Media festival and a lo- us to talk about climate change on both a cal cultural activity. The aim was to introduce global, regional and local level, something the dome medium to our future visitors, staff, that is important. collaborators and local production teams and “Offering an immersive visual experience artists, which was very successful. gives the audience new perspectives on cli- “During the same time we had just started mate change issues. For some presentations a close collaboration with the Centre for Cli- we’ve also been using a voting system where mate Science and Policy Research (CSPR) with the audience themselves can take a stand on the goal to produce a climate-change-orient- various climate related issues which has also ed, Uniview-based live presentation to our up- been a good way of further involving the au- coming dome facility. The CSPR saw new pos- dience. sibilities arising with a mobile dome. It would “The fact that it’s flexible and mobile give us the possibility to do presentations in means we’ve been able to reach many dif- schools, at national events and, not the least, ferent audiences. Two major events were the An image is worth a thousand words: It is possible to dramatically show emissions from coun- at the big upcoming climate meeting, COP 15.” Swedish Politician’s week in Almedalen and tries around the world. This World View image (The United Nations Cop15-Copenhagen Cli- the UN Climate Change Conference in Co- shows total global emissions in 2005. Image by mate Change Conference was held in 2009.) penhagen 2009, two highly relevant venues Norrköping Visualization Center/Centre for “The Climate Change project, called World for the WorldView presentations. The presen- Climate Science and Policy Research. Uniview View, has grown ever since and resulted in tations there discussed sea level rise and effort software developed by SCISS. several conferences, international and nation- sharing principles underpinning climate ad- al presentations, generated funding for fur- aptation and mitigation scenarios, presenting ent locations. Its one way of spreading knowl- ther climate visualization research and a large data sets from SMHI (Swedish Meteorological edge and engaging people in one of the most media attention. and Hydrological Institute) and CSPR (Centre important current issues as well as promoting “There is more information about the proj- for Climate Science and Policy Research) re- visualization and immersive environments as ect at www.visualiseringscenter.se.” search, as well as a number of emission scenar- great tools for communication. Anna Öst, project leader from Norrköping io models. “For the production we’d like to work more Visualization Center and Tina Neset, head of “The aim has also been to create a dome on integrating different types of media, like Visualization, CSPR, continued: “Like Katarina presentation to be shown at the Norrköping movies and animations as well as better ways wrote earlier we started using the GeoDome Visualization Center once it opens in May of showing time resoluted data. It would be a to both promote the dome medium in our 2010. The GeoDome has offered us a possibil- great way of making the presentation more region as well as using it for production tests ity to both test our production on different dynamic. We also want to work more with and climate shows together with the Centre target groups - from high school kids to cli- the narrative and evolving the way in which for Climate Science and Policy Research at the mate reseach professionals. The format gener- we present and connect to different types of Linköping University. ates interest in itself and attracts more or less audiences.”

June 2010 Planetarian 63 I look forward to reading about their re- istic, and colors that match up to the search, especially their findings about the best real star color. content and pedagogy for effective presenta- “Motions: O-M star projectors have tions with various audiences. I hope to hear smooth motions that are not ‘jerky’ more from Katrina and Anna and include in- and do not show the stars ‘trailing’ and formation about their grand opening in the blurring with their motions. September Planetarian. “Reliability: O-M star machines are Contact information: Anna Öst, Project Co- reliable and have much less ‘down- ordinator Citilab, Norrköping Visualization time.’ If an O-M star machine has a Center; +46 (0)11 152019 and Katarina Przyb- ‘glitch,’ it can be restarted in most cas- yl, [email protected]; es in a few minutes. website: www.visualiseringscenter.se “Lifespan: O-M projectors have a life span of 30-50 years before any major Advertising on the Dome upgrades or replacement. There are At a recent conference, Karrie Berglund hundreds of O-M star machines pur- showed me her method for holding the Dig- chased in the 1960’s that are still run- italis banner on the dome. I have always used ning 40 years later, and some that Velcro and I have seen stenciled logos, but were purchased in the 1950’s that are this method is much more flexible. I thought still running! it was ingenious because you can place a ban- “Maintenance. Maintenance is easi- ner anywhere on the dome, for best visibili- er and less expensive on O-M star pro- ty, no matter where the dome is situated. Mag- jectors.” nets are used to hold the banner! (Steven LJ Russo, Suits-Bueche When I asked Karrie how she thought of it Planetarium, Schenectady Museum, she replied, “I cannot take credit for the mag- Schenectady, New York 12308; email nets idea to hold up our banner—that was a [email protected]; former co-worker. We use small neodymium www.schenectadymuseum.org) (a.k.a. rare earth) magnets on the exterior with Top: Here is Karrie’s banner attached to the dome with steel washers on the inside. To make the wash- What do I value about a digital magnets. The banner can be placed anywhere on the dome. Photo provided by Karrie Berglund. Bottom: This ers less visible, I use a bit of rubber cement to machine? is an example of a “rip-stop nylon” banner. Photo provid- attach some of our dome fabric (gray side fac- Karrie states, “Since I’m a vendor, ed by Susan Button. ing the middle of the dome, of course) to each I’ll address primarily what our cus- washer. You have to be careful with neodym- tomers value. ium magnets as they are very strong—finger “Usability without sacrificing functional- hardest to please of all audiences, lose them- pinches are a real issue due to the strong at- ity: Our customers greatly appreciate the ease selves in the moment, particularly during the traction between two of those magnets.” of use offered by our remote control. The re- very first zoom. It is worth it to have a professional sign mote makes it easy to present live, interactive “Most audiences also enjoy constellation company make your banner. A simple meth- lessons, as well as to play back scripted seg- legends with the artwork projected. Leaving od is to use a durable material called “rip-stop ments/shows or fulldome movies. Earth is also a hit, as is the ability to simulate nylon,” with rubberized logo and letters. A “Software support: We maintain all the soft- the sky from any point on Earth or on differ- good size is 1.5 m x 1.5 m (5 ft x 5 ft). Rip-stop ware on our systems, and software updates are ent dates/times. nylon is light weight and does not seriously free for the life of the system. Because we make “As an educator, I think the ability to use wrinkle, no matter what you do to it. sure all the system software works correctly the planetarium software to approach a con- together before releasing an update, there are cept from several different angles is the most Value Your Tools no compatibility issues. Obviously this saves valuable strength of a digital system. For ex- Many people ask for advice about what our customers a lot of time and headaches. ample, when I’m discussing moon phases, I kind of projection system to buy for their new “Affordability/value: Although our sys- show the moon phasing as it travels across the or updated dome. A posting on the Fulldome tems are not the least expensive on the mar- sky, then zoom in on the moon and jump for- Video Discussion Group prompted me to ad- ket, we believe they are the best value, due to ward day by day to show the cycle of phases. dress this question again. the above factors as well as their projection However, I also take people to the surface of Two people graciously agreed to let me quality. the moon and show Earth phases as seen from publish their comments about the major pro- “I do occasionally have the opportunity to there. I don’t know how many times I’ve had jection options. Please find below some com- do public shows. I come from a background of people comment that they’ve never stopped ments from our colleagues, Steve Russo and only live, interactive planetarium lessons (Pa- to think how the earth would look if we were Karrie Berglund. cific Science Center in Seattle). I’ve actually watching it from the moon.” never just played a fulldome movie for an au- (Karrie Berglund, Digitalis Education So- What do I value about an optical-me- dience, although I have interspersed short vid- lutions, Inc.; [email protected]; chanical star machine? eos and images into my lessons. I’ve only used http://DigitalisEducation.com) Steve shares his thoughts: our digital systems with audiences since leav- “Primarily, the star field. The main purpose ing Pacific Science Center. Signing Off of any planetarium is to reproduce the sky as “I’ve noticed that audiences of all ages That about covers it for this column. All realistically as possible. Only O-M star projec- LOVE zooming in on an object. Deep space comments, stories, and questions welcome! tors can do that. Today’s O-M star projectors objects, the moon, Jupiter, etc., all elicit oohs Don’t forget to check the IPS Calendar for ap- show pinpoint stars, magnitudes that are real- and ahs. Even teenagers, whom I consider the plication deadlines for a trip to Italy. I

64 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 65 66 Planetarian June 2010 My primary complaint regarding the show was that I felt it tried to do too much. The sci- Planetarium Show Reviews ence behind the astronomy presented is accurate, but there’s simply almost too much of it. The transitions between the mythology outlined by the grandfather and the scien- Steve Case tific data given by the computerized narrator Assistant Professor/Planetarium Director seemed rather abrupt, and while the astrono- Department of Physical Sciences my content and the mythology content were Olivet Nazarene University both excellent—there’s an especially effective One University Avenue scene that depicts all the major Greek gods an- Bourbonnais, Illinois 60914 USA imated on an antique Greek urn—they didn’t +1 815-939-5681 feel like they fit together seamlessly. The astronomical portions, while beautiful- [email protected] ly rendered, felt like they were presenting too much information too quickly. For example, Astronomyths tumn sky of the Northern Hemisphere, and in one particular sequence the narrator ex- the computer voice highlighting various as- •• White Tower Media plains Hubble’s galaxy classification and the tronomical bodies including black holes, •• Fulldome main portions of galaxies and then moves di- planetary nebulae, variable stars, star clusters, •• Running time: 24 minutes rectly into commenting on objects like qua- galaxies, and globular clusters. •• Audience: General audiences, middle school sars, BL Lacertae objects, and Seyfert galaxies The visualization and art in this show—both to adult with barely a pause for breath. Throughout mythological and astronomical—is extremely •• www.whitetowermedia.com/movies.php the show so many numbers are given relating well done. The highlight of the show is the de- •• [email protected] to the distance or size of various objects (sim- piction of Perseus’ rescue of Andromeda using •• +30 213 0273742 ply read with no accompanying graphical or the head of Medusa. This well-rendered clip al- numerical representation) that they quickly most made me wish the entire show focused One of the points I try to make to my gen- lose meaning. on Perseus’ adventures, and it will certain- eral education astronomy courses is how inte- What in my opinion might be a weakness ly pique the interest of audience members in gral astronomy is to history, mythology, and to many others, however, could be viewed as learning more about the mythology. literature. Learn- strength. With regard to content, the show is Just as effective were the astronomy visu- ing the names a smorgasbord of information compliment- alizations: the sequence showing Algol as an and locations of ed by wonderful visualizations. If someone is eclipsing binary, for example, was especial- different con- looking for a show along those lines—general ly well done. There are also compelling visu- stellations may astronomy that introduces a very wide range als of star clusters and great depictions of M15 not seem initial- of topics using the theme of mythology and and the Andromeda Galaxy. ly compelling to constellations—this may be a place to start. The concluding discussion on the fact that them, but (I like According to White Tower Media’s website, the elements composing our bodies were orig- to think) they this is slated to be the first of four shows that inally created in stars is accompanied by a eventually come deal with the constellations of each season. stunning transition that moves seamlessly to realize that un- The curious science-fiction twist at the end from expanding galaxies to red blood cells in derstanding these makes me eager to see how the rest of these the body of the boy. names and stories shows tie into the first. I will put them in continuity with thousands of years of history and tradition. (IMERSA, continued from Page 48) Ideally they begin to see this backdrop of cul- about learning in immersive environments— of the Reuben Fleet Space Center as a repre- tural tradition as a setting for the develop- how the human brain receives the informa- sentative. (Kirsch also sits on the GSCA Board.) ments in modern science. tion and whether it is more memorable than The Association of Science-Technology Cen- I think this is one of the compelling aspects other teaching formats, in terms of retaining ters (ASTC) is also involved. of astronomy, and it is this juxtaposition be- what you learn.” Jacobsen defines his venture as a “new op- tween the old and the new that the show As- The ultimate goal is to establish a specifica- portunity for operators of planetariums and tronomyths, produced by White Tower Me- tion that would be adopted by GSCA and re- science centers to work together and think dia, attempts to capture. sult in a network of DIGSS compliant theaters, about ourselves in a larger world. This is a pro- Astronomyths begins with a boy and his which would facilitate the production and cess by which we can be involved in what the grandfather discussing the stars while seated distribution of content. specifications are. It’s a stepping stone for the around a campfire. The grandfather explains “A key question,” says Jacobsen, “is how convergence.” the stories behind various constellations, and many theaters globally have to become DIGSS after each explanation the narration shifts to compliant for there to be a sustainable net- IMERSA and IPS in Alexandria a computer voice outlining different celes- work of theaters to support four or five high- IMERSA will spearhead several events, dem- tial objects that have been discovered with- budget productions a year. We want to build onstrations and meetings specific to digital in those constellations. The story transitions standards that fit big museum theaters that dome systems, fulldome productions and re- back and forth between these streams of nar- are 2D, 3D flatscreen and dome.” lated issues in the context of the upcoming ration throughout the show: the grandfather Jacobsen indicated that IPS is active in the IPS conference in Alexandria, Egypt. Please re- pointing out constellations visible in the au- venture and has designated Dr. Jeffrey Kirsch fer to the IPS schedule for details. I

June 2010 Planetarian 67 ries, right through to twentieth century radio- fessional astronomer. For example, in Chapter Book Reviews graphic studies on meteorites and the Earth 2, “Life and Intelligence,” he states how disap- itself. Well over one thousand years of won- pointing it would be if searches for alien in- April S. Whitt der, trial and error just to discover what can telligence were doomed to fail, but that also Fernbank be learned from a single planetarium visit! Ac- “…it would give humans a pretext for a boost Science Center tually, that magical datum we now share is in self-esteem.” We would suddenly become 156 Heaton about a half century old. And its discoverer, much more important with respect to the Park Drive NE Clair Cameron Patterson, understood, as did universe. I do believe Rees would like that. Newton before him, that his insight was from Everywhere in this book, the information is Atlanta standing on the shoulders of giants. written as a down-to-earth lover of the subject Georgia 30307 This book has 50 illustrations, seven useful would explain to those he is trying to bring USA tables and much charm. As Jackson thought- into the fold of science. In his “Stellar Alche- april.whitt@ fully delineates, our present knowledge base my” section, the sketch of the life cycles of fernbank.edu comes from recounting the myths from stars of different masses is one of the clearest many traditions plus a wonderfully rich ad- visuals I’ve seen. mixture of scientific disciplines. Indeed, the Don’t understand dark matter? After read- Here is something different for the solstice entire book is an homage to the generations ing that section, which includes its first men- season, dear readers: a quarterly magazine for of intelligent, dedicated heroes who mounted tion in the 1930s through present day, every- astronomy teachers joins the review list. The the earth-knowing quest. thing will be clear (although still dark). age of the Earth, the night sky and the rest of Rees also discusses the problem of intro- the universe complete the offerings. Our Cosmic Habitat ducing a new person to an astronomical top- We’re still looking for readers who want Martin Rees, Princeton University Press, ic. “Supernovae fascinate astronomers, but free books or software in exchange for shar- 2001, ISBN 0-691-08926-4, US $19.95. only one person in 10,000 is an astronomer.” ing your opinions. Contact me at the e-mail Reviewed by Francine Jackson, Universi- He makes sure there is adequate reason for the address above. ty of Rhode Island, Bryant University, Smith- other 9,999 to want to learn. Thanks to our reviewers for this column: field, Rhode Island, USA As books encompassing the realm of every- Bruce Detrich, Warren Hart, Francine Jackson thing in the universe (universes?) go, this one and Karl von Ahnen. Although Martin Rees is the is relatively short. Its brevity, however (only Astronomer Royal for Great 201 pages of easy-to-read print), its elaborate The Chronologers’ Britain, he also apparently en- index (a point I find refreshing), and the fact that it was written by someone so esteemed in Quest: Episodes in the joys writing books for the general public. His Our Cosmic the astronomical community, begs the read- Search for the Age of Habitat is a perfect example. er to ask why this couldn’t be used as a one-se- the Earth Rather than find myself with mester introductory text. Well-written, clear Patrick Wyse Jackson, Cam- a treatise on the universe, I visuals, great author: a good combination for bridge University Press, 2006, found myself being treated to a first book on the subject. ISBN-13 978-0-521-81332-7, US an easy-to-read, short, concise $41.00. Night Sky: A Field Guide to the Reviewed by Bruce L. Constellations Dietrich, Wyomissing, Penn- Jonathan Poppele, Adventure Publica- sylvania, USA tions, Cambridge, Minnesota, USA; 2009, ISBN 1-59193-229-7, US $14.95. Human history can be Reviewed by April Whitt. viewed as a series of quests. Mankind has unsuccessfully sought the phi- theory of ev- Sixty-two constellations are detailed in this losophers’ stone, the Holy Grail, King Arthur’s erything. fine guide to stargazing. Written from a north- key, the lost chord, and world peace. Along From the ern hemisphere perspective, the author has the way at least one quest was fruitful. The age preface, it prepared an easy-to-follow introduction to of the Earth has been shown to be 4.555 bil- seems this the night sky, suitable for any reader. lion years old. book came as The volume Patrick Wyse Jackson has assembled an en- a result of his opens with an gaging history of this search. He is a lecturer in being asked introduction geology and curator of the Geological Muse- to speak on and clear di- um in Trinity College, Dublin, and is a mem- the topic at rections about ber of the International Commission on the Princeton University. Yet, even there, Dr. Rees how to use the History of Geological Sciences. This bright geared his words toward the general audience. guide. Oth- knight presents a very through compilation That immediately comes to light as we read er than the of the various methodologies which have led the title of his prologue: “Could God Have statement on to our present understanding. Made the World Any Differently?” Immedi- page 17 that And varied they are, starting with records ately, this is unique—God? In a science book? Earth “rotates” written 4700 years ago, moving on to the Bib- And yet, he makes the question seem a per- (should read lical Timetables of Archbishop Ussher and his fectly natural part of the scientific process. “ r e v o l v e s ” ) predecessors, the development the “geolog- Also, while reading this book, his comfort- around the ical column” and oceanic salinization theo- able style often made me forgot he was a pro- Sun, the infor-

68 Planetarian June 2010 mation is accurate. is a quarterly), that makes this magazine a rel- tional Astronomy Olympiad.” Before you read Sample pages describe two ways of using atively new resource, and few of us are aware it, guess how many times the USA has partici- the star maps: the “map method,” in which the of its existence. However, I am sure that after pated and how well we have done. Be sure you user faces south and holds the book overhead becoming acquainted with it and what it of- are sitting down when you find the answers! (using the chart to find the constellation) and fers you will consider this magazine a great re- The third issue has two articles devoted to the “horizon graph.” To use the graph, one lo- source. the use and misuse of the predictions con- cates the current month along the bottom In the first issue Dr. Krumenaker’s editorial cerning the Mayan calendar and A.D. 2012, of the graph, which in turn determines what column clearly explains the magazine’s back- one written by a planetarian. The first article direction to face and how high in the sky to ground and purpose: is “2012—The End of the World—Again?” The look, to find the constellation. “This endeavor is an outgrowth of a re- other article, “12 for ’12”:Websites, Resources The constellations are grouped search finding that and Activities for Combating 2012 Hysteria,” by season. Easy-to-find star pat- classroom astronomy lists helpful and informative websites. terns are followed by constella- teachers have no pub- The basic US subscription prices (4 issues/ tions of increasing difficulty. Each lication to call their year) at $15 per year (electronic) or $29 per constellation is pictured, with own. Articles on the year (paper edition) are great values. You can bright stars labeled. The constella- practical aspects of as- get both versions for $35 per year. tion name, pronunciation, English tronomy teaching rare- The website is classroomastronomer. name, size among the 88 official ly appear in the larg- toteachthestars.net. Click on the “Resources” constellations, best time to look er science education link for access to some of the activities. for it and some notes accompany magazines. The popu- Later this year Dr. Krumenaker’s book, To the finding charts (overhead view lar astronomy maga- Teach the Stars: How to Create, Run, Maintain and horizon graph). zines have long since and Defend Astronomy in the Schools, will be The labeled stars are listed next, given up on covering available. with distance in light years, appar- much astronomy edu- The Classroom Astronomer has a great future ent magnitude, and origin of the cation, too. Thus was and will be a very good resource to have in star’s name in detail. A page of my- born the idea of this your planetarium’s library. thology/history follows. It is a con- magazine, where teach- cise listing. ers will find useful, practical how-to informa- Atlas of the Messier Objects: Deep space objects are mentioned after the tion, how to get astronomy concepts into the Highlights of the Deep Sky four seasons of constellations. A summary of minds of students. Ronald Stoyan, Stefan Binnewies, and Su- “I queried several dozen high school astron- planets in our solar system, and tables for lo- sanne Friedrich; translated by Klaus-Peter omy teachers about what articles they’d like cating them from now through 2019 provides Schroeder; Cambridge University Press, ISBN and they replied: information on low cost labs an excellent reference. 978-0-521-89554-5, US $70.00 Added attractions include a small red LED for the classroom, classroom teaching techniques—lessons that work well, ideas that get flashlight inside the book’s back cover. The Reviewed by Karl von Ahnen, Fijitsu Plan- a concept across, strategies, mnemonics. Also, battery is recyclable, a plus for the environ- etarium, De Anza College, Cupertino, Califor- what can be done to use the sky events for ment. A deck of playing cards, with a different nia, USA. teachable moments, and more. While nomi- constellation on each card, provides a review Upon receiving my copy of this book for re- session for those evenings when the outside nally centered on high school, teachers at ele- view, I was truly surprised. This book is big, as sky is clouded out. The cards also can be pur- mentary/middle and col- well as beautiful and chock full chased separately, for US $5.95. lege are welcome in this of good information. You need universe, too.” an oversized book shelf for this The Classroom Astronomer When I read Dr. Kru- one; it’s nearly coffee table sized menaker’s explanation Dr. Larry Krumenaker, Hermograph Press, a and, in fact, would be nice just division of To Teach The Stars Network, At- of the magazine’s back- to have sitting around to browse lanta, Georgia, USA, ISSN 2151-0105 (print ver- ground and purpose, I through. sion) said “This is for me!” I was Although there are many Reviewed by Warren Hart, Mayborn Plane- especially pleased to see books available about Charles tarium and Space Theater, Central Texas Col- his request for readers to Messier’s famous list, this one re- lege, Killeen, Texas, USA. “Write for The Classroom ally stands out. First, its size and Astronomer.” We plane- the huge number of illustra- Where do you look? What resources do you tarians should contrib- tions and photographs are real- consult when you are looking for new meth- ute articles on teaching ly eye catching. Then there’s the ods to teach astronomical concepts (phases concepts in planetariums (and from those of vast amount of historical and up-to-date sci- of the moon, eclipses, appulses, etc.) to use in us who teach also in classrooms) and our class- entific information about the objects in the your planetarium shows? If you are like me rooms. catalogue. In the first 70 pages of the book we I go to different books, look on the internet What I am looking forward to is this maga- learn about Messier’s life and the making of and reread back issues of Astronomy and Sky zine has the potential to become a great cen- his list, followed by an exhaustive series of ta- & Telescope magazines. When those resources tral source of ideas, how-to’s, etc., when we bles of statistics of the objects as well as expla- are not enough, I then scuffle around looking share our “sugar stick, whiz-bangers”—those nations of astronomical concepts involved. for new ideas. Well, on my last foray I found presentations we do that have the kids and The heart of the book is a sequential look at a real gem. adults exclaiming “aha” and “wow!” each object in the catalogue. There are three The Classroom Astronomer is the gem. Since Here are some examples to pique your in- main headings for discussing each object: His- only three issues have been published so far (it terest. The first issue describes “The Interna- tory, Astrophysics, and Observation.

June 2010 Planetarian 69 The “History” section includes when Messi- (India, continued from Page 34) (Sharing audio, continued from Page 18) er either discovered or first viewed the object, as well as historical descriptions by Messier ries, set around the lake. The lake is located in Question 13: Do you do any downmix- and other early observers. the Buldhana district of the state of Maharash- ing or speaker remapping? (For example: The “Astrophysics” section describes the tra, or 550 km from Mumbai. from 5.1 to 2.0, or from 7.1 to 5.1, etc.) physical characteristics such as distance, size, The Lonar crater is an important geological 77.8% (49) answered “no,” and 22% (14) etc, and any recent research on the object. The feature. This crater, formed in the basalt rock answered “yes.” Forty survey respondents “Observation” section describes what instru- of the Deccan plateau some 35,000 to 50,000 skipped this question. ments, magnifications and sky conditions are years ago, is unique. Although today we know Question 14: Do you accept full mixes, needed for viewing the objects. it as an impact crater, for almost a century and stems, or both? There are photos: some are beautiful am- half after J. E. Alexander brought the crater to 56.1% (32) accept both, 45.5% (26) accept ateur images and some are from the Hubble the notice of the world in 1823, its exact origin full mixes, 5.3% (3) accept only stems. Forty- Space Telescope. Sketches, many by the au- was not known. six respondents skipped this question. thor and many historic, help give a sense of Initially it was thought to be a volcanic cra- Question 15: Do you provide full mixes, what one might see in the eyepiece. ter. In 1896, the famous geologist G. K. Gilbert stems, or both? Charles Messier’s famous catalog is a very demonstrated its similarity to Meteor Crater 64.3% (27) provide full mixes, 2.4% (1) pro- important to astronomers, both amateur and (the Barringer crater in Arizona, USA). vide only stems, and 33.3% (14) provide both. professional. Most of the bright deep sky ob- The saline water in the crater supports only Sixty-one survey respondents skipped this jects are commonly known by their “M” num- some algal forms and recently the presence of question. ber. With only a few exceptions, it is a list of magnetotactic bacteria was noticed. Question 16: What formats do you pro- all of the most beautiful deep sky objects visi- Somewhat oval in shape, the lake has a mean vide for sharing content? ble through binoculars or a small telescope. diameter of 1.2 km (the maximum breadth be- 44.1% (15) use 5.1 to share content. 14.7% (5) By a few exceptions, I mean that he missed ing 1.8 km) and the base is about 137 m be- use 3.0, 8.8% (3) use 3.1, and 5.9% (2) share con- a few, like the Double Cluster in Perseus and low the crater rim. It is the second largest im- tent using 7.1. Sixty-nine survey respondents some fairly bright galaxies like NGC 253, and pact crater in basaltic rock, and is surrounded skipped this question. of course, a number of objects that were not by a jungle rich with flora and fauna. Variet- Question 17: Do you use any loudspeak- visible to him from his latitude in Paris. ies of birds, such as peacocks, owls, red-water correction or equalization? Also, there are a few objects in the cata- tled lapwings and ducks, make it a good des- 47.9% (45) answered yes, 52.1% (49) an- logue that are rather boring, like M40, which tination for a nature lover. For devotees and swered no. Nine survey respondents skipped is a just visual double star, or a couple of very the religious minded, there are thirteen tem- this question. sparse clusters. What I really like about the list, ples around the lake. which is so revered today by so many of us as Most of the temples are in ruins except for Acknowledgements a conveniently-sized list of the sky’s greatest the Daitya Sudan Temple dedicated to Lord This work was supported by Thomas Lang, wonders, is that to Messier, his list was a list of Vishnu. It has beautiful carvings (some of Curt Hoyt, Arnaud Laborie, Andrew White, “nuisance objects” that got in his way of find- those showing erotic poses similar to those at Ross Ewing, Curtis Connelly, Dan Neafus, Matt ing comets. the famous Khajuraho temples). The temple’s Brownell, David Malham, JoAnn Kuchera- This is not a field observer’s book. It is far idol is made of an ore with high metal con- Morin, Xavier Amatriain, Jim Kosinski II, em- too big to carry easily along with all your oth- tent that resembles stone. The temple is dat- ployees at Chabot, Laura Danly, Oschin Plan- er equipment and it has no finder charts. It ed to the Chalukya Dynasty, which ruled Cen- etarium, David Rick, and the AES Colorado is a wonderful reference book and would be tral and Southern India between the 6th and Section. useful in an observatory. It is fun to read on 12th centuries. cloudy nights. Anyone interested in astrono- About a kilometer away we visited Ambar References my will enjoy its beautiful pictures, drawings Lake, which is believed to have formed due at Shepherd, Micah et al, “Acoustics of a Plane- and the wealth of historical and scientific in- the same time by the impact of a piece of the tarium,” 150th meeting of the Acoustical formation. I same meteorite that had broken off. I Society of America, 2005. Bean, Colin and Craven, Peter, “Loudspeaker and Room Correction using Digital Signal (Under One Dome, continued from Page 69) Processing,” 86th International AES Confer- think critically. We inspire them to wonder. topic. I want my audiences to learn that science, 1989. High-tech equipment has never been part ence is not a set of facts, but a logical way of Toole, F.E. “Loudspeakers and Rooms for Ste- of my bag of tricks. I’ve never worked any- examining the world and the cosmos. I want reophonic Sound Reproduction,” 8th AES where that had the budget for it. I learned to them to be appropriately challenged and to International Conference, 1990. inspire audiences instead by talking to them leave the dome hungry to know more. Hoffman, William and Everet, Earl, “Planetari- at an age-appropriate level and by telling sto- I live happily in the beautiful state of um Acoustics,” Planetarian, Volume 12, No. ries. Storytelling, whether in the form of leg- Maine. I feel fortunate to make a living doing 1. 1983. ends and myths or descriptions of planets and what I love and doing my best to inspire stu- “5.0 Sound recording in High Spatial Reso- stars, is a presentation technique that captures dents. A teacher once told me that when her lution,” trinnov.com, Trinnov Audio. 10 kids’ imaginations and promotes understand- daughter, a graduate student in astronomy, is March 2008. www.trinnov.com/down- ing. asked how she got interested in astronomy, load_file.php?file=Trinnov_SRP_GB.pdf, Throughout I ask questions, lots of ques- she says it was because a man came to her ele- accessed 23 June 2008. tions. With questions I get to know each mentary school with a bubble and told stories Holman, Tomlinson. Sound for Film and Televi- group and tailor the show appropriately. I like about the constellations. That man was me— sion. Focal Press, 2002, p. 46. I to keep it simple and focus a show on a given the bubble man. I

70 Planetarian June 2010 increase public awareness and interest in me- to deal with mass media. One interesting idea: teorites, and wrote on how to identify any ask the reporter what they think you said! What’s25 Years New Ago found by the public. The advice in this arti- IPS President Alan Friedman’s column dealt cle remains valid today, regardless of any pass- with how to handle comet interest and que- Thomas Wm. ing comets or other grand attractors of pub- ries from the public and news media. Hamilton lic attention. Regional Roundup was done by Kathleen HOSS Mike Ryan (Lake County Schools Planetar- Hedges (New Mexico). She had reports from Planetarium ium, Florida) provided suggestions on how to nine regions, including Europe and Mexico. 153 Arlo Road edit into a shorter format the widely-circulat- Mark Sonntag (Aldrin Planetarium, West Palm ed show A Comet Called Halley. He had a run- Beach, Florida) co-authored with a librarian an Staten Island, ning time of less than 40 minutes. article on what planetarians can learn from a New York 10301 A paper presented by Dennis Jennings (of library, and Gerry Mallon (Methacton School tham153@ Parma, Ohio) at the 1984 IPS conference on District Planetarium, Norristown, Pennsylva- hotmail.com computer music for the planetarium was ex- nia) showed how panded and updated for the Planetarian. “Al- a planetarium can Vol. 14, No. 2 ways keep in mind that planetariums are an be used in second- Second Quarter 1985 audio-visual medium, and that your sound- ary school classes Comet Halley’s impending apparition dom- tracks have just as much impact on your au- to teach a subject inated this issue. Von Del Chamberlain (Han- dience as does your visual presentation.” (Em- such as how the sen Planetarium, Salt Lake City, Utah) had phasis in the original; see related story on page eye works. been the banquet speaker for SEPA’s 1984 con- 12.) John Mosley’s ference, and his speech became the lead arti- Tim W. Kuzniar (Ward Beecher Planetari- Computer Cor- cle. He looked at Earth as the comet would um, Youngstown, Ohio) described a Hallow- ner described the have seen it during apparitions starting in 256 een-themed light show done in his planetar- primitive star B.C., the time of Eratosthenes and the early ium. This included rotating pumpkins, zoom charts then avail- Abdulazizal Al-Saud Mayans. skulls, and unveiling eyeballs. “The result was able for comput- The fifth apparition was in the time of Ptole- something like a cross between being in the ers, and James Brown’s What’s New column my. The Bayeux Tapestry was inspired by the middle of a forest and on a film set for Chil- found hordes of Halley-related items. The Cre- 16th, and Giotto by the 19th. Copernicus saw dren of the Corn. It was so popular they had to ative Corner, run by Eric Mellenbrink, had a the 22nd return. The next was one year too add several extra showings. (And continues to parallel, or double, unveiler designed by Carl early to be seen in a telescope. Edmund Halley be popular today; 2009 saw the first fulldome Dziedziech of the Strasenburgh Planetarium, predicted the 25th return, getting his name digital presentation.-ed) and Jane’s Corner, as usual, closed the issue forever attached to the comet. The 27th re- Gary Tomlinson reviewed a book, Present- with her well of humor (Mayan puppet show: turn was the first to be photographed, the ing Science to the Public (Barbara Gasteb, Kukulcan and Ollie). 28th the first to be visited by spacecraft. What MD, isi Press). Planetariums should find useful In space, three Soyuz spacecraft were will the 29th bring? sections on communicating, using A-V equip- launched in June 1985, and the Shuttle Discov- Carl Wenning (Illinois State University ment, locating science materials, twenty ques- ery carried Sultan Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Planetarium) predicted that the comet would tions to ask yourself when editing, and how the first Arab astronaut, into space. I

The Bayeux Tapes- try (actually a long embroidered cloth) depicts events leading up to the Nor- man conquest of England and the in- vastion itself. Isti Mirant stella: “These men wonder at the star.” In this case it is Halley’s Comet, a “star” with hair. Wi- kimedia Commons

June 2010 Planetarian 71 Planetarians’ Calendar of Events

2010 Conference, University of Notre Dame, Indiana. 3-5 June. ECSITE Conference (European Network Host will be Dr. Keith Davis at keith.davis.dvt@ of Science Centres and Museums), DASA, Dort- nd.edu. www.glpaweb.org/conference.htm mund, Germany. Grant opportunity for attend- 19-11 November. Association of Brazilian Planetari- ing Pre Conference and main Conference. www. ums meeting, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Contact Alex ecsite.net Cherman at [email protected]. 8-12 June. Novice Blender Workshop at Ott Plane- rj.gov.br tarium, Ogden, Utah, USA. June 15-19, 2010 - Ad- vanced Blender Workshop. Registration is re- 2011 quired. See weber.edu/planetarium/training for 20 March. International Day of Planetaria, www. more information. dayofplanetaria.org. 8-12 June. Southeastern Planetarium Association April. Italian Association of Planetaria (PLANIT), (SEPA), Annual Conference, Kingsport, Tennessee, XXVI National Conference, Crespano del Grappa USA. sepadomes.org. (Treviso) and Padova, Italy, www.planetaritaliani. 14-16 June. Japan Planetarium Society, JPA Confer- it. Contact [email protected] ence Sendai Astronomical Observatory, Sendai, May. Annual Conference of the British Association Miyagi. Contact Kimura Kaoru at [email protected] of Planetaria (BAP). 24-25 June. International Planetarium Society Coun- May. Association of French Speaking Planetariums cil Meeting, Alexandria, Egypt. (APLF), Yearly Meeting, Saint-Etienne, France. June 26-30: 20th International Planetarium So- www.aplf-planetariums.org. ciety Conference, Alexandria, Egypt. Contact: May. German Planetarium Association Annual Con- Omar Fikry, Head of Shows & Programs Unit, ference. 2-4 September. Nordic Planetarium Association Bi- 7th European Planetarium Science Center, Library of Al- ennial Conference in Riga, Latvia. Conference Meeting of Small exandria, El Shatby, Alexandria 21526, Egypt, host Dace Balode, [email protected] and Portable + 203-4839999 (Ext.1881), Omar.Fikry@bibalex. 8 September. 6th Science Centre World Congress, Planetariums org, www.bibalex.org/ips2010. 2-7 July. EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF), Turin, Ita- Cape Town, South Africa. www.astc.org ly, www.euroscience.org 4-8 September. 6th Science Centre World Congress, The world’s first plane- 11 July. Total solar eclipse Cape Town, South Africa. www.astc.org tarium built into the rock, 19-23 July. Spitz Institute in Chadds Ford, PA, near 15-18 October. Association of Science-Technology Kallioplanetaario, invites Philadelphia. 5-days of instruction, covering ev- Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference, Maryland all of you to the 7th Euro- ery aspect of space-science teaching with digital Science Center, Baltimore, USA. www.astc.org pean Meeting of Small and tools including Starry Night software, SciDome, Portable Planetariums on audio software. Visit www.spitzinc.com/institute, 2012 17-20 August 2010 in Fin- or call 610-459-5200. 31 March. Deadline for application for scholarship land. 20-24 July. Novice Blender Workshop at Ott Plane- funds (IPS support Baton Rouge Conference atten- If you have not registered tarium, Ogden, Utah, USA. July 27-31 2010 - Ad- dance by individuals). www.ips-planetarium.org already, for more informa- vanced Blender Workshop. Registration is re- 22-26 July. 21st International Planetarium Society tion and registration vis- quired. See weber.edu/planetarium/training for Conference, Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, it: emspp2010.kallioplan- more information. Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge, etaario.fi or contact Arto 4-7 August. Western Alliance Planetarium Confer- Louisiana, USA, [email protected] Oksanen at arto.oksanen@ ence (GPPA, SWAP, RMPA, PPA) will be hosted in kallioplanetaario.fi. I Omaha, Nebraska, USA, by the King Middle Mag- Yearly Deadlines for “A Week in Italy” net School Planetarium. Contact: Jack Northrup, 31 August. Deadline for “A week in Italy for a French- [email protected]; www.spacelaser.com/gppa speaking Planetarium Operator.” 17-20 August. 7th European Meeting for Small and 15 September 2009. “A week in Italy for an American Portable Planetariums. Ilpo Kuusela and Arto Ok- Planetarium Operator”. sanen of the Kallio Planetaario will host this con- For more information on the “Week in Italy,” go ference in Finland. Contact: ilpo.kuusela@kallio- to: www.astrofilibresciani.it/Planetari/Week_in_ planetaario.fi; www.kallioplanetaario.fi. Italy/-Week_Italy.htm 2-5 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference, Bishop Muse- For corrections and new information for the Calen- um, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. www.astc.org dar of Events, please send a message to Loris Ramponi 5 October. Full Dome Film Festival, Imiloa Astrono- at [email protected]. my Center of Hawaii, USA. More details about several of these upcoming events 6 October. ASTC Post Conference Planetarium Ses- is included in the International News column. sions, Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii. Con- The most up-to-date information also is available on- tact: Shawn Laatsch ([email protected]) line at the International Planetarian’s Calendar of for more information regarding these events. Events at www.ips-planetarium.org/events/confer- 20-23 October. Great Lakes Planetarium Association ences.html I

72 Planetarian June 2010 The Flandrau Science Center is again open dia such as Facebook. Here is the news from Waxing New to the public seven days a week, offering Mario DiMaggio: scheduled planetarium shows, science dem- ThinkTank Planetarium (Birmingham, UK) John Schroer onstrations, hands-on exhibits, an extensive reached 1,000 Facebook fans in only 6 months Dassault Systèmes mineral collection on display, a special ex- (www.facebook.com/ThinktankPlanet). The Planetarium hibit of Bisbee minerals, telescope viewing in interest from astronomy, space and fulldome The New Detroit the observatory, and storytelling and exhibits enthusiasts has been overwhelming, and we Science Center from the Miners’ Story Project. encourage other planetariums to “go where the people are,” i.e. Facebook. Keep your fan 5020 John R Street In Memoriam: Charles Wilkin Detroit, Michigan page fresh (like a tasty sandwich), and loy- The staff at Spitz Inc. (Chadds Ford, Penn- al supporters will gather around you from all 48202 USA sylvania) is sorry to announce the passing of a over the world. [email protected] long-time co-work- You can learn more about ThinkTank’s Fa- +1 313-577-8400, Ext. 435 er, Charlie Wilkin, cebook venture by contacting Mario at mario. 72, on March 24, [email protected]. 2010. Charlie worked First, the Bad News with the Spitz fam- In Search of Chocolate With the global economy struggling to re- ily for nearly 40 Aayushi Animation Studio has just intro- bound, many institutions have been forced to years. duced a new fulldome planetarium show just cut back staff. Unfortunately, planetarians are He installed and for the little ones: Map to the Chocolate Planet. feeling the effects of maintained plane- It is a funny story about two alien kids who got small budgets. tariums in 46 states the taste of chocolate and are now in search After 26 years and 29 foreign coun- of an imaginary planet made up of chocolate. of service, Noreen tries, and was service They travel through the Milky Way and stop Grice—well known manager from 1998 at the planets of our solar system, learning lots in the planetarium to 2006, at which Charles Wilkin of facts along the way. The 35-minute program community for her time he retired. Many of you will remember is available in 3K, 2K and 1K dome masters of work in sharing as- his good-natured determination at keeping the show are available. 4K can also be provided tronomy with the planetariums working well, his keen expertise on request. Regardless the dome resolution, the blind—was recent- in diagnosing instrument challenges (in later show has one low price: $2,690 USD, which in- ly laid off from her years, entirely by phone), and the stories he cludes domestic and international shipping. position at the Bos- shared of his large, lov- ing family at home. ton Museum of Sci- Noreen Grice ence (Boston, Massa- Charlie was raised chusetts). in Prospect Park, Penn- She will focus on her work in accessibil- sylvania by his grand- ity projects, and stands ready to assist plane- mother, Eva Wilkin and tarians working on grants that address acces- uncle, Corry Wilkin, sibility issues, especially as “add on” projects and graduated Interboro to NASA or NSF grants. She has years of expe- High School in 1957. He rience designing tactile images for books and served in the U.S. Navy exhibits, teaching accessible astronomy work- for six years as an avia- shops, and developing accessibility solutions tion electronics techni- for programs and facilities. She can be reached cian and helicopter air via her homepage, www.youcandoastrono- rescue crewman in the my.com, or by email, noreen@youcandoas- HU2 squadron, and af- tronomy.com. terwards worked at Boe- ing-Vertol for six years And Now the Good before starting work Our good news comes from Tucson, Arizo- with Spitz. na, where the Flandrau Science Center’s plan- If anyone would like etarium reopened in April after an hiatus of to share a memory or about ten months. Flandrau closed last June photo of working with due to budget cuts at the University of Arizo- Charlie, drop a note or e-mail to spitz@spitz- Moscow Planetarium to reopen in December 2010 na. During the down period it was moved back Global Immersion has announced the renovation of the Moscow Plane- into the College of Science, where the dean or- inc.com, and it will be tarium with an opening date scheduled for December 2010. Global Im- dered that it be reopened as soon as possible. passed on to his family. mersion has been selected as prime contractor to design and deliver Michael Magee, who lost his position as four state-of-the-art digital theater environments into the new planetarium, making this historic Russian landmark one of the most technical- planetarium director last June, has been re- Working With the ly advanced facilities of its kind in the world. The theater environments hired as a consultant to help get the planetari- Social Media include a digital fulldome system integrated with a panoramic hybrid um ready for reopening. The ThinkTank Plan- immersive display (to work with the optical star projector), a large-for- Besides reopening, the planetarium is now etarium in Birmingham, mat 3D experience, a 4D theater, and a 4.6-m production dome com- making plans to overhaul the theater with England, has enjoyed plete with motion seats. The Moscow Planetarium, which dates back to 1929, is anticipating more than 1.5 million visitors a year pending the new fulldome equipment to augment the ex- success with getting at- grand launch at the end of 2010. Photo by Yulia Sanches-Peres. isting Minolta star projector. tention with social me-

June 2010 Planetarian 73 More information is available from the show distribution page, mtcp.aayushianima- tions.com, by email- ing contact@aayush- ianimations.com, or by contacting Shikhar Stanislav V. Bhatnagar, director, Shirokov Aayushi Animation Studio, Nasik, India 1932-2010 422009, shikhar@aay- ushianimations.com.

Stanislav V. Shirokov, vice-director Sharing the of science at the Moscow Planetarium, Unseen Universe passed away on March 18, 2010. The Planetarium at Stanislav, who was born on November Recognizing the Best the University of Tex- Donna Pierce (left), Planetarium Director at Highland Park Indepen- 30, 1932, entered Moscow Planetarium for as at Arlington has in- dent School District in Dallas, Texas, was recently recognized for the first time in 1944 when he was 12 years troduced its third new 30 years of service. Prior to joining the school district she spent 15 old. There he grasped the basics of astron- years at Dallas Health & Science Museum (now known as Museum of fulldome planetari- omy during lessons at open astronomical Nature & History) as a planetarium docent/educator. At the right is um show: The Unseen classes. He brought a passion for knowl- a 1970 cover of Dallas Guide magazine showing her at the console of Universe–the Vision of Spitz A1. Donna reports that Highland Park is “going SCIdome” and edge to everything in his life. SOFIA. This show fea- the 1969-installed carpet and seats finally will be replaced this sum- He returned to Moscow Planetarium in tures the science, pub- mer. “The school district wants me to stay on … and on … and on.“ 1961 to work, and passed through a career lic outreach and po- from lecturer and educator to science con- tential of the NASA sultant and vice-director on science. mission SOFIA, an acronym for Stratospheric Sutherland theaters (Digistar3 and up). Regard- He always created lectures and shows Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. less the dome resolution, the show has one for the stellar dome. He was both an idea The 40-minute show discusses the proper- price: $3,000, which includes domestic ship- man and the inventor of new technolo- ties of light, electro-magnetic spectrum, black ping. gies. body radiation, and infrared light as well as For more information, contact: Levent Gur- Stanislav always paid special attention showing several video clips from the con- demir, planetarium director, the University of to the open astronomy classes at the plan- struction phase of the aircraft. 4K, 2K and 1K Texas at Arlington, Box 19059, Arlington, Tex- etarium. He led the Council of Open Class- dome masters of the show are available. A pre- as 76019 USA; email [email protected] or plan- es, delivered lessons, and taught children rendered version is also available for Evans & [email protected]. I to maintain astronomical instruments and devices. He loved his pupils very much. His inquiring mind, the ability to listen (Capital Cities, continued from Page 31) attentively and to wonder, his unquench- •• Total number of attendees: 46,428, distrib- mocratizing—was accomplished. able thirst for knowledge, his speaking tal- uted as follows: primary school students: The feedback gathered from both teach- ent and his vivid perception of the world 31,186; secondary school students: 6,135; ers and students on either the contents or the attracted boys and girls like a magnet. general public: 7,627; teachers: 1,480. proposal was extremely favorable. The last years of his life were devoted •• The number of sessions conducted be- The participants were not the only ones to to the reconstruction of the astronomical tween the months of April and September express their satisfaction with the event. The area of the Moscow Planetarium. This area was 884. media provided valuable support, due to the included a collection of astronomical in- The following list will provide an idea of fact that every time the planetarium reached struments and devices and played the role the institutions that participated in this proj- a location, it attracted attention from the lo- of an open-air observatory and museum. ect: rural schools (some of which had just cal people and it was given widespread media He called this area the “Stellar Park.” three students; others a maximum of 10), kin- coverage. It is important to remark that Uru- Fortunately, this child of his devotion dergartens, and special schools (schools for the guayan TV provided coverage of the project has been born. All the show pieces of the deaf, mentally challenged, adult schools, and free of charge, in the belief that the program “Stellar Park” were manufactured accord- orphan homes). Among these, some were la- deserved such treatment in view of its cultur- ing to drafts by Shirokov. The unique beled as “critical context” schools, referring to al interest and national reach. complex of devices, instruments, and children and families in a situation of social Finally, the most positive result came from models will be presented to the planetar- and economic deprivation. the teachers´ evaluation of the impact of the ium visitors very soon. The “Stellar Park” project in their classroom: 89% said the proj- by Stanislav Shirokov, his Sun City, will Conclusions ect had an important impact, while the re- please and wonder us for many years until Analysis of the data provided conclusive maining 11% not only agreed but also provid- the sun ceases to rise. Thus, the memory of evidence that the project was highly success- ed additional feedback comments. These data the eminent person, the great Russian phi- ful and had a significant impact in each of the allow us to project into the future and plan losopher and astronomer Stanislav Shi- places visited. If we consider that, for 94% of new and equally innovative activities to con- rokov, will remain in our souls forever. the attendees, this was their first experience of tinue taking scientific and particularly astron- - By Moscow Planetarium staff; going to a planetarium, we know that one of omy-related knowledge to the different areas photo by Larisa A. Panina, March 2010 our main objectives—decentralizing and de- of our country. I

74 Planetarian June 2010 June 2010 Planetarian 75

S9-a01-02 Losing sleep over 2012 Last Light The first entry in our 2012 Scenario Contest comes from Elizabeth Wasilik, a planetarian in West Virginia: “After reading your column in the March issue of the Planetarian I thought I would share the story of a physical therapist who I went to last spring when I broke my arm. When she April S. Whitt found out that I worked in a planetarium, she Fernbank Science Center said, “I have to ask you something that has 156 Heaton Park Drive NE troubled me for the longest time, to the point Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA where I am not sleeping at night. Is the sun going to be sucked into the Milky Way’s center april.whitt@ fernbank.edu black hole in December 2012? “And this was a college educated person. I proceeded to draw a picture of where the sun Jack Dunn shared an e-mail message from pacts, and craters and all kinds of interesting is in relation to the Milky Way’s center black one of the astronomy department secretaries science. But when the segment aired on the ra- hole and how we are in no danger of falling in. at New Mexico State University: dio, it had been shortened. I did talk a little about why black holes do not Subject line: Book “An hour-long interview was edited down suck. It took me a while to convince her. I had There was a moon found in the back of to one statement: It’s every little boy’s dream— to forward her pictures and maps of the Milky BX201. If you can describe it, it will be re- a big explosion!” Way before she would believe me.” turned to you. A comet that has broken apart (such as A web comic from xkcd.com is printed here (And the room number was supposed to be Shoemaker-Levy 9) could impact a body and with permission from the artist. BX102.) leave a chain of craters, called a catena (pro- nounced kah-TAY-nuh). There’s a catena on Parting thought: Either way, it’s icky Callisto. Hmmm, could Jupiter have pulled “Were I to write out one prescription de- Dr. Tim Livengood is an excellent speaker. other comets apart in the distant past? signed to help alleviate at least some of the At a conference, he described his work with Speaking of Shoemaker-Levy 9, on 18 July self-made miseries of mankind, it would read comets. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or 1994, Dr. Livengood’s team was in Chile on like this: One gentle dose of starlight to be tak- PAH form part of comets. “PAH is also known an observing run, and witnessed the first frag- en each clear night just before retiring.” as ‘icky brown crud’ or ‘dirt,’ he said. But we ment impact. He was about to tell the whole -Leslie Peltier I call it ‘refractory minerals.’” world when a colleague pointed to his com- He also described an hour-long interview puter screen and said, “No, that’s Io.” So no one he had with National Public Radio’s science said anything to the media. reporter here in the United States, Joe Pal- Oops—seems the colleague’s laptop was still ka. They talked about comets, and comet im- set on Paris time. It was the comet fragment!

76 Planetarian June 2010

Introducing a revolutionary new way to operate your Digistar 4 system: the iPod Touch. With our new app, you can control virtually every system feature from a handheld wireless device. It has never been easier to give live astronomy presentations and respond instantly to audience questions with stunning examples on the dome. This unique interface puts the power of the universe at your fingertips.

The D4 app is also available for the new iPad!