Vol. 40, No. 2 June 2011 Journal of the International Planetarium Society

Vol. 40, No. 2 June 2011

Journal of the International Planetarium Society

Interpreting cosmology through dance Page 36

Articles June 2011 Vol. 40 No. 2 8 Boston: Reinventing a planetarium David G. Rabkin Executive Editor 12 Found: One solution to social responsibility Sharon Shanks Irlaine de Alvarenga Ward Beecher Planetarium 14 Space Ship Planetarium: A New Marketing Frame for Youngstown State University One University Plaza Digital Planetariums Jim Sweitzer Youngstown, Ohio 44555 USA 18 Remembering Nobel Laureate S. Chandrasekhar +1 330-941-3619 Suhas B. Naik-Satam [email protected] 20 The Western Alliance Conference is “Waitin’ on you in Texas! Fred L. Chavez Advertising Coordinator 22 Behind the scenes of our favorite listserve Dr. Dale Smith, Interim Coordinator (See Publications Committee on page 3) Steve Tidey

Membership Individual: $65 one year; $100 two years Institutional: $250 first year; $125 annual renewal Columns Library Subscriptions: $45 one year; $80 two years 48 Book Reviews...... April S. Whitt All amounts in US currency 54 Calendar of Events...... Loris Ramponi Direct membership requests and changes of 26 Educational Horizons ...... Jack L. Northrup address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman 4 In Front of the Console ...... Sharon Shanks 31 IMERSA News...... Judith Rubin Back Issues of the Planetarian 35 International News...... Lars Broman IPS Back Publications Repository 56 Last Light ...... April S. Whitt maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair; 45 Mobile News...... Susan Reynolds Button contact information is on next page 16 Partycles...... Alex Cherman 6 President’s Message ...... Dave Weinrich Index 51 Waxing New...... Various A cumulative index of major articles that have appeared in the Planetarian from the first issue through the current issue is available online at www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/planetarian_ index.pdf

Final Deadlines March: January 21 June: April 21 Index of Advertisers September: July 21 allsky.de...... 37 December: October 21 Astro-Tec Mfg., Inc ...... 49 Audio Visual Imagineering ...... 19 Bob Crelin/Moon Gazers’ Wheel...... 20 Associate Editors Clark Planetarium ...... 43 Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc...... 13 Book Reviews Editor-at-Large International April S. Whitt Steve Tidey Lars Broman Evans & Sutherland ...... outside back cover Global Immersion...... 5 Calendar Education Last Light Loris Ramponi Jack Northrup April S. Whitt GOTO INC ...... 7 Konica Minolta Planetarium Co. Ltd ...... 33 Cartoons IMERSANews Mobile News Alexandre Judith Rubin Susan Button Live Interactive Planetarium Symposium ...... 25 Cherman R.S.A. Cosmos ...... inside back cover Sky-Skan, Inc ...... 27, centerfold, 30 Spitz, Inc...... 17, 21, 39, 53 Western Alliance Conference...... 34 White Tower Media...... 55 Zeiss, Inc...... inside front cover

International Planetarium Society home page: On the Cover: The first 300,000 years of the universe (just a second!) are evoked by www.ips-planetarium.org the dance of separation. Astrophysics gives different keys to understanding how the Planetarian home page: universe evolves from a state of energy and exotic particles to a state where mat- www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian ter dominates. It focuses on the phenomenon of recombination when the light es- capes and separates from the material. This particular moment, when the universe Guidelines for Contributors and Advertisers: suddenly becomes observable, is highlighted by the dance. Image©John Frederick, www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/ used with permission. guidelines.html

June 2011 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 Dave Weinrich Rubens Berardo, 100 Mailbox 42 210 Morrill Hall Herrett Center Planetarium Rio de Janeiro RJ 22451-070 179 Whiteladies Road Lincoln, Nebraska College of Southern Idaho Minnesota State +55 (21) 2274-0046 ext. 264 Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG 68588-0375 USA P. O. Box 1238 University-Moorhead +55 (21) 2529-2149 fax England +1 402-472-2641 315 Falls Avenue 1104 7th Avenue South [email protected] United Kingdom +1 402-475-8899 fax Twin Falls, Idaho Moorhead www.rio.rj.gov. +44 117 914 1526 [email protected] 83303-1238 USA Minnesota 56563 USA br/planetario +44 793 035 0805 www.spacelaser.com/gppa +1 208-732-6659 +1 218-477-2969 shaaron@explor- +1 208-736-4712 fax +1 218-477-5864 fax erdome.co.uk [email protected] [email protected] Association of Dutch- information@explor- Italian Association herrett.csi.edu/ Speaking Planetariums erdome.co.uk of Planetaria faulkner_overview.asp Ad Los www.planetarium.org.uk Loris Ramponi Past-President Planetarium Ridderkerk National Archive of Planetaria Dr. Tom Mason, Director Museum Johannes Postschool c/o Centro Studi e Ricerche Armagh Planetarium Rijksstraatweg, 101 Canadian Association Serafino Zani Russian Planetariums College Hill 2988 BB Ridderkerk-Rijsoord of Science Centres via Bosca 24, C.P. 104 Association Armagh BT61 9DB The Netherlands Ian C. McLennan I 25066 Lumezzane Zinaida P. Sitkova Northern Ireland + 31 180 434441 or #404 - 1275 Haro Street (Brescia) Italy Nizhny Novgorod United Kingdom + 31 180 437716 Vancouver, British Columbia +39 30 872 164 Planetarium +44 (0)2837 524725 [email protected] V6E 1G1 Canada +39 30 872 545 fax Revolutsionnja Street 20 +44 (0)2837 526187 fax www.planetariumrotterdam.nl +1 604-681-4790 [email protected] 603002 Nizhny +44 (0)771 0013453 cell phone + fax [email protected] Novgorod Russia [email protected] +1 604-240-0938 cell www.planetaritaliani.it +7 831 246-78-80 www.armaghplanet.com Association of French- [email protected] +7 831 246-77-89 fax Speaking Planetariums [email protected] [email protected] President-Elect Agnès Acker www.ianmclennan.com Japan [email protected] Thomas W. Kraupe Observatoire de Strasbourg Planetarium Society Planetarium Hamburg 11, rue de l’université Kaoru Kimura Hindenburgstraße 1 b 67000 Strasbourg France Council of German Japan Science Foundation D-22303 Hamburg +33 3 90 24 24 67 Planetariums Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda-ku Southeastern Deutschland +33 3 90 24 24 17 fax Thomas W. Kraupe Tokyo, 102-0091 Japan Planetarium +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 [email protected] Planetarium Hamburg [email protected] Association +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax [email protected] Hindenburgstraße 1 b www.shin-pla.info John Hare +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax www.aplf-planetariums.org D-22303 Hamburg Ash Enterprises +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell Deutschland 3602 23rd Avenue West thomas.kraupe@ +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 Middle Atlantic Bradenton, Florida planetarium-hamburg.de Association of Mexican +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax Planetarium 34205 USA www.rdp-planetarium.de Planetariums +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax Society +1 941-746-3522 Ignacio Castro Pinal +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell Steve Mitch [email protected] Executive Secretary Torres de Mixcoac, A6-702 thomas.kraupe@ 258 Springdale Avenue www.sepadomes.org Lee Ann Hennig C.P. 01490, México City planetarium-hamburg.de Wheeling, WV 26003 USA Planetarium, Thomas D.F. México www.rdp-planetarium.de +1 304-242-7614 Jefferson High School +52 (55) 5500 0562 [email protected] for Science and Technology +52 (55) 5500 0583 fax Southwestern 6560 Braddock Road [email protected] European/ Association of Alexandria, Virginia 22312 USA cosmos.astro.uson.mx/ Mediterranean Nordic Planetarium Planetariums +1 703-750-8380 AMPAC/AMPACintro.htm Planetarium Association Linda Krouse, Director +1 703-750-5010 fax Association Prof. Lars Broman Noble Planetarium [email protected] Manos Kitsonas Teknoland Fort Worth Museum of Association of Spanish Eugenides Planetarium Stångtjärnsv 132 Science and History Treasurer and Planetariums 387 Syngrou Avenue SE-791 74 Falun 1600 Gendy Street Javier Armentia 17564 P. Faliro Sweden Fort Worth, Texas Membership Chair Planetario de Pamplona Athens Greece +46 2310177 76107 USA Shawn Laatsch Sancho Ramirez, 2 +30 210 946 9674 [email protected] +1 817-255-9409 E-31008 Pamplona +30 210 941 7372 fax lars.broman@strom- +1 817-360-0082 cell All fiscal matters: Navarra Spain [email protected] stadakademi.se [email protected] P.O. Box 4451 +34 948 260 004 www.teknoland.se www.swapskies.org Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA +34 948 260 056 www.planetarium.se/npa +34 948 261 919 fax Great Lakes Planetarium All other correspondence: [email protected] Association ‘Imiloa Astronomy gestion@pamplonetario. Jeanne Bishop Pacific Planetarium Center of Hawai’i infonego-cio.com Westlake Schools Association 600 ‘Imiloa Place Planetarium Gail Chaid Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Parkside Intermediate School 1320 Glen Dell Drive Australasian Planetarium 24525 Hilliard Road San Jose, California +1 808-969-9735 Society Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA 95125 USA +1 808-969-9748 fax Mark Rigby, Curator +1 440-899-3075 x2058 +1 408-540-8879 cell [email protected] Sir Thomas Bris- +1 440-835-5572 fax +1 408-288-8525 bane Planetarium jeanneebishop@ [email protected] Mt. Coot-tha Road, wowway.com sites.csn.edu/ Toowong www.glpaweb.org planetarium/PPA Brisbane, Queensland 4066 Australia +61 7 3403 2578 +61 7 3403 2575 fax mark.rigby@brisbane.qld.gov.au

2 Planetarian June 2011 Standing Committees IPS Permanent Awards Committee Conference Host-2012 Membership Committee Mailing Address Prof. Lars Broman, Chair Jon Elvert Shawn Laatsch, Chair Teknoland Irene W. Pennington Planetarium ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii Stångtjärnsv 132 Louisiana Art & Science Museum 600 ‘Imiloa Place International Planetarium SE-791 74 Falun 100 South River Road Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Society Sweden Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 USA +1 808-969-9735 +46 2310177 +1 225-344-5272 +1 808-969-9748 fax c/o Shawn Laatsch [email protected] +1 225-214-4027 fax [email protected] Treasurer/Membership www.teknoland.se [email protected] Chair Publications Committee Conference Committee Elections Committee Dr. Dale W. Smith, Chair All fiscal business: Dave Weinrich Martin George, Chair BGSU Planetarium P.O. Box 4451 Planetarium Launceston Planetarium 104 Overman Hall Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Minnesota State Queen Victoria Museum Physics &Astronomy Department University-Moorhead Wellington Street Bowling Green State University All other correspondence: 1104 7th Avenue South Launceston Tasmania 7250 Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA ‘Imiloa Astronomy Moorhead Australia +1 419-372-8666 Minnesota 56563 USA +61 3 6323 3777 +1 419-372-9938 fax Center of Hawai’i +1 218-477-2969 +61 3 6323 3776 fax [email protected] 600 ‘Imiloa Place +1 218-477-5864 fax [email protected] Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA [email protected] Finance Committee +1 808-969-9735 President, Past President, Presi- +1 808-969-9748 fax dent Elect, Treasurer, Secretary [email protected]

IPS Web Site: Ad Hoc Committees www.ips-planetarium.org Education Committee IPS Publicity Coordinator Script Contest Committee Jack L. Northrup (Publications Committee) Thomas W. Kraupe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planetarium Jacques Guarinos Planetarium Hamburg Please notify the Editor King Science and Technology Astronef–Planetarium Hindenburgstr.1b of any changes on these Magnet Center de Saint-Etienne D-22303 Hamburg Germany 3720 Florence Blvd. 28 rue Ponchardier +49(0)40-428 86 52-21 two pages. Omaha, NE 68110 USA F-42100 Saint-Etienne France +49(0)40-428 86 52-99 fax +1 402-557-4494 +33 (0)4 77 34 40 85 +49(0)40-4279 24-850 e-fax Contact the Treasurer/ [email protected] [email protected] +49(0)172-40 86 133 cell webmail.ops.org/~jack.northrup thomas.kraupe@plane- Membership Chair for in- Outreach Committee tarium-hamburg.de dividual member address Full-Dome Video Committee Jon W. Elvert, Chair www.rdp-planetarium.de Antonio Pedrosa, Chair Irene W. Pennington Planetarium changes and general cir- Navegar Foundation Louisiana Art & Science Museum Armand Spitz culation and billing ques- Centro Multimeios Espinho 100 South River Road Planetarium Education Fund tions. Av. 24, nº800, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 USA Finance Committee 4500-202 Espinho +1 225-344-5272 Portugal +1 225-214-4027 fax Strategic Planning Committee +351 22 7331190 [email protected] Tom Mason, Chair The Planetarian (ISN 0090- +351 22 7331191 fax Armagh Planetarium 3213) is published quarterly [email protected] Planetarium College Hill by the International Plane- Development Group Armagh BT61 9DB History Committee Ken Wilson, Chair Northern Ireland tarium Society. ©2011, Inter- John Hare, IPS Historian 9346 Drawbridge Road United Kingdom national Planetarium Society, Ash Enterprises Mechanicsville, Virginia 23220 USA +44 (0)2837 524725 Inc., all rights reserved. Opin- 3602 23rd Avenue West [email protected] +44 (0)2837 526187 fax Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA +44 (0)771 0013453 cell ions expressed by authors +1 941-746-3522 Portable [email protected] are personal opinions and are [email protected] Planetarium Committee www.armaghplanet.com Susan Reynolds Button, Chair not necessarily the opinions International Quarks to Clusters Technology Committee of the International Planetar- Relations Committee 8793 Horseshoe Lane Jack Dunn ium Society, its officers, or Martin George, Chair Chittenango, NY 13037 Ralph Mueller Planetarium Launceston Planetarium +1 315-687-5371 University of Nebraska- Lincoln agents. Acceptance of adver- Queen Victoria Museum [email protected] 210 Morrill Hall tisements, announcements, Wellington Street [email protected] Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0375 USA or other material does not Launceston, Tasmania 7250 Australia +1 402-472-2641 +61 3 6323 3777 Professional +1 402-475-8899 fax imply endorsement by the +61 3 6323 3776 fax Services Committee [email protected] International Planetarium So- [email protected] Mike Murray, Chair www.spacelaser.com/gppa Clark Planetarium ciety, its officers or agents. Job Information Service 110 South 400 West Web Committee The Editor welcomes Letters Subcommittee Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 USA Alan Gould, Chair to the Editor and items for (Professional Services Committee) +1 801-456-4949 Holt Planetarium Steve Fentress, Chair +1 801-456-4928 fax Lawrence Hall of Science consideration for publica- Strasenburgh Planetarium [email protected] University of California tion. Please consult “Guide- Rochester Museum & Science Center Berkeley, California 94720-5200 USA lines for Contributors” at 657 East Avenue +1 510-643-5082 Rochester, New York 14607 USA +1 510-642-1055 fax www.ips-planetarium.org/ +1 585-271-4552 ext. 409 [email protected] planetarian/guidelines.html. +1 585-271-7146 fax [email protected] The Editor reserves the right to edit any manuscript to suit this publication’s needs.

June 2011 Planetarian 3 ence Room and Planetarium was one of three facilities to host this year’s Middle Atlan- In Front of the Console tic Planetarium Society conference. The SER, Don Knapp’s planetarium, is now located in the McDonald Elementary School, slated for Sharon Shanks closing in 2012. Ward Beecher Planetarium The facility will move to the new high Youngstown State University school in time for the beginning of school this Youngstown, OH 44555 USA fall. It will share space with a new Distance Learning Center. [email protected] Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, specifically at the Penn-Trafford School District in Harrison City, the high school planetarium had a new The budget ax continues to fall years ago into the Southwest Early College Digitarium Epsilon fixed-dome system installed in January. Things are tough for school planetariums Campus that drew motivated students for col- In North Carolina, the Zeiss VI was retired across the U.S., but those in Tennessee have lege-level coursework. The building is now es- in early May after 42 years at the Morehead taken the hardest hit. There are only two, and sentially a dumping ground for the students Planetarium and Science Center, University of they’re both closed. from several closed schools. North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Staff held a good- The Heritage Planetarium, located at Her- As schools struggle to erase deficits, plane- bye party for the machine. itage High School in Maryville, Tennessee, is tariums are also on the chopping block at Boy- It has been replaced by a Definiti 4K from part of the Blount County Schools. The school ertown Area School District in Pennsylvania, Sky-Skan; the planetarium itself has been re- board made $5.8 million in cuts to balance its northwest of Philadelphia and at the Richard- named the GlaxoSmithKline Fulldome The- budget; $85,000 of that is operational expens- son Independent School District, Richardson ater to recognize the source of the gift to al- es for the planetarium. Texas. low the upgrade. The planetarium was dormant from 1987 to the late 1990, when Thomas Webber was Have funds, but no planetarium hired and was responsible for a $250,000 ren- On the flip side of the money, so to speak, More about Arlington ovation that included a hybrid Konica Minol- an $80 million addition and renovation proj- Most planetarians know by now that the ta 3-D MediaGlobe and AVI’s SkyLase projec- ect to the Danvers High School (Danvers, Mas- David M. Brown Planetarium in Arlington, tion system. sachusetts) means the loss of the school’s plan- Virginia, has been saved (at least for now) by As a result of the threatened clos- the Friends of the Planetarium and ing and a serious reduction in wag- a concerted media effort. But how es, Webber left the district earlier many of us know that it became a this year for the new Bryan Good- political topic, at least for one school ing Planetarium at the Museum of board candidate debate. Science and History in Jacksonville, Two candidates for the board, Mir- Florida. iam Gennari, the Green Party candi- The second school district plane- date, and Sally Baird, the incumbent, tarium, the Craigmont High School were asked about the planetarium as Planetarium in the Memphis City part of a public “meet the candidates” School District, has closed after 35 event. years due to budget cuts. The very active planetarium. As a result, the district is selling the The Friends of the Planetarium has raised etarium, which also did a number of public entire facility: star projector, 50 cloth theater $326,724 of its $400,000 goal as of presstime, programs and offered an off-campus outreach seats, 30 padded folding chairs, and the 24-ft including a new $10,000 pledge from former program, had a 40-ft dome, 130 seats, and a aluminum dome. astronaut Bill Readdy. Spitz 512 projector. From the Salem News (Salem, Massachu- Arlington Public Schools has proposed to In Texas, the Mesquite Independent School setts): “The new high school will not have put $230,000 in reserve to fund a portion of District is facing funding cuts between $19 and space for a planetarium. Assistant Town Man- the capital improvements to the planetarium $38 million and the Russell Planetarium is on ager Diane Norris said the planetarium has building and to hire a half-time employee to the “cut” list. Staff now working there may be been a good way to introduce students to the keep the planetarium open. reassigned as teachers. stars, but Massachusetts School Building Au- While the Arlington planetarium breathes The planetarium was renovated in 2008 thority guidelines do not reimburse cities and a sigh of relief, the Carl Sandburg Middle to include a Spitz SciDome. It served close to towns for planetariums, especially in these School planetarium, located just south of Ar- 17,000 students from the Mesquite district. tough times.” lington, has closed. The 30-ft facility had a Spitz A4 and seats for 54. It is part of the Fair- A real mess in Kansas City Have funds—and a planetarium fax County Public Schools. A fire damaged the planetarium in 1978; it Bob Riddle’s planetarium at the former The Centennial School District in Warm- was renovated and operated until 2006 until Southwest High School in Kansas City, Mis- inster, Pennsylvania, also is in the midst of a it was closed due to lack of funds. souri, was victim of a massive purge that renovation project for William Tennent High Virginia House of Delegates Member closed half of the district’s 31 schools and laid School, but, despite at least one school Scott A. Surovell has been working to off hundreds of teachers to help close a $50 board member’s misgivings about the get the planetarium back up million budget shortfall. cost of the new planetarium facility, arium and running and is look- The planetarium was a key part of the high plans are proceeding to include it. ing for volunteers. school, transformed optimistically several The Henry W. Ray Special Experi- I

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37834 GLO] Advert_AW.indd 1 10/05/2011 17:41 could afford it or not. While traveling to Liberia, I passed through President’s Message Ghana and it was on this trip that Jacob and Dave Weinrich I finally met in person. We watched the total Planetarium, Minnesota State University-Moorhead solar eclipse together and had the opportuni- 1104 7th Avenue South ty to talk for many hours about Jacob’s dream Moorhead, Minnesota 56563 USA of a planetarium. He was so passionate about his dream that he inspired me. That’s what +1 218-477-2969 dreams do! Jacob passed his dream on to me. +1 218-477-5864 fax I resolved to try and help him in any way [email protected] that I could. Once I returned home, at every opportunity I spoke with fellow planetarians and in the process inspired them. Thus, Jacob’s Dream eo projector and some DVD’s. Jacob’s dream was passed to others who had “Nothing happens unless first a dream” I wrote to him a couple of times in 2002 never even met him. Still, there was no pro- - Carl Sandburg and considered going there on a sabbatical. jector and no planetarium in Ghana. Had the All of us have had experiences where the But somehow it just didn’t work out and in- dream failed? Not for Jacob. His dream contin- right people come together at the right time stead I went to Sri Lanka, where I did astro- ued and his enthusiasm did not abate. to complete a project. Some call this syn- nomical outreach with the retired director of In October 2007 the dream suddenly start- chronicity, which the 10th edition of Collins the Colombo Planetarium. Jacob’s dream of a ed to happen. With the wonderful coopera- English Dictionary defines as “an apparent- planetarium in Ghana ly meaningful coincidence in time of two or wasn’t yet realized, but more similar or identical events that are caus- it was incubating. ally unrelated.” This happened to me on a trip to Ghana in 2006 and the end result was the The Peace Corps fulfillment of a dream that Dr. Jacob Ashong Ghana was a famil- had held for over 30 years. iar place for me, as I Jacob, a medical researcher who has done had served there in the research in the UK and the U.S., had a dream. It U.S. Peace Corps. I spent was not just a dream. It was a consuming pas- two years in Liberia sion. If you ever have the opportunity to meet and two years in Gha- Jacob, you will be astonished by his energy, na, during the time pe- his enthusiasm and the multitude of projects riod of 1979-1983. The that he dreams of completing. Most of them experience taught me involve the children of Ghana. much about the rest Educated in the UK, Jacob and his family of the world and pre- left Ghana during the tough economic times pared me for meeting of the early 1980’s. While living in London, he Jacob 23 years later. had the opportunity to visit the London Plan- I learned that peo- Ghana Planetarium, Accra, Ghana etarium. Ghana, like most developing coun- ple are most important tries, struggles with science education. How and that material pros- can science be made more interesting to stu- perity really means little by comparison. It be- tion and work of people in Florida, Louisiana, dents? How can they be motivated to study came clear to me that people are basically the North Carolina, Minnesota and Sweden, with- science in secondary school and beyond? Ja- same worldwide. Of course, there are differ- in a relatively short time period of time, the cob realized that a planetarium could address ences, but our basic humanity unites us. We wheels were set in motion for Jacob’s dream these issues and that it was important to reach are more alike than we are different. to be fulfilled. young Ghanaian students and get them get Difficult economic conditions had forced In May and June of 2008 I spent 6 weeks in excited about the Universe. Jacob and his family to leave Ghana by the Ghana, helping Jacob to build his planetarium time I was living there in 1981. But still, Jacob’s and install the donated projector. In June of A vision of science dream lived on. 2008 the first public planetarium in West Af- rica saw first light! Jacob’s 30-year dream had He began to visualize a science center with In Liberia, I had lived with a family with become a reality. a planetarium at its core. First, he had the whom I became so close that they became my Today, Jacob’s dream inspires thousands dream. He didn’t have the money or the ex- family. Over the years I kept in touch with of Ghanaian students. The planetarium pertise to complete it. But that didn’t matter. them, visiting them when possible. There may cause them to dream their own person- The years passed and Jacob continued to hold was a total solar eclipse passing through Gha- al dreams. Who knows what will become of the dream in his heart. na in March of 2006. I considering going to these dreams, what wonderful things may As the internet developed, planetarians be- view the eclipse and visit some of my Liberian result in Ghana and in the world as a re- gin to communicate via email, electronic bul- family who were living in Ghana at the time. sult of Jacob’s dream? I letin boards and listserves like Dome-L. Jacob However, I felt that I couldn’t afford the trip “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. posted there and asked for help to make his so I decided not to go. Always remember, you have within you dream to reality. A number of people in the Then, in February 2006, tragedy struck my the strength, the patience, and the passion UK who had corresponded with and met Ja- Liberian family and their youngest son was to reach for the stars to change the world.” cob, became interested in the project. One do- killed in a traffic accident in Ghana. I felt the - Harriet Tubman nated a mobile dome. Another donated a vid- necessity to go back for the funeral, whether I

6 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 7 Boston

Reinventing a Planetarium

The Hayden met the technology gap with support, a good plan, and plenty of teamwork

On January 4, 2010, the Museum of Science, Boston, reduced the interior of its Charles Hayden Planetarium to rubble. For more than 50 years, this facility had been home to a re- gionally beloved program and the recipient of over 11 million visitors. Suddenly, our visitors were absent, the team felt like disaster ref- ugees, and we wondered if we would ever put David G. Rabkin, PhD this appalling mess back together. Planetarium Director On February 10, 2011, we opened our doors and Director for Current again, welcoming trustees, donors, press, and Science and Technology friends to our inaugural show, Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond our Sun, at a cele- Museum of Science, Boston bration held in the renovated facility. The en- [email protected] tire process had taken only 13 months, but the years before and the process of renovation bear lessons well worth remembering. The forces that drove us to renovate were compelling. The gap between our classic slide- tially catastrophic equipment failure. we could not go beyond the planning stage. based systems and the state-of-the-art was Another important driver was our support- As momentum for the renovation devel- wide and increasing. Maintaining our equip- ers—the Charles Hayden Foundation, which oped, we assembled a team consisting of plan- ment was a major challenge. Not only were had funded the original planetarium, and etarium staff, the facilities department, and we machining parts for our 40-year-old Zeiss several individuals—who were committed to museum administration to develop require- Mark VI, but we had become a world leader helping fund a renovation. However, in the ments ranging from new projection hardware at fabricating parts for Kodak slide projectors. face of challenging economic times and with- and software, to sound insulation, to HVAC Each passing day brought us closer to a poten- out sufficient funds to complete the project, systems. The team worked with an architect,

8 Planetarian June 2011 Juan Stoleson, to make key decisions about with the main dome and our flat-screen-based project progressed that our planning, and the the facility. While we envisioned the jump to work stations? Although the test dome was a relationships built during that process, were fulldome from the start, we faced many ques- substantial expense, we felt that without it ac- critical assets. Without them, we could never tions: cess to the main dome would constrain either have shifted so quickly into contracting and Would we have a star projector? Yes—it was our show schedule, and thus revenue, or our detailed construction planning. consistent with our aesthetic and educational production timelines. We believed that the The project had four components: the fa- goals, our use of presenter-led programs, and, test dome would be a wise investment in the cility, projection systems, production skills significantly, the Hayden Foundation’s com- long run. and systems, and the inaugural show. We di- mitment to that type of instrument. As this planning took place, mostly in 2009, vided responsibility for implementation be- Would we retain our concentric seating ar- we began learning the new technologies re- tween two overlapping teams. One focused rangement? Would we try removable seat- quired for production in a digital world. We on the details of construction and installation ing? We decided to retain the concentric ar- attended courses and, through our own exper- of the projection systems and included mem- rangement, driven by a sense of tradition, our imental efforts, began to translate our creative bers of the museum’s administration, the fa- preferences as educators for the intimacy of skills into this new-for-us world of virtual 3D cilities department, and the planetarium. The this arrangement, and that fact that our mu- dynamic modeling. second, the planetarium department, focused seum also has an OMNI theater, unidirection- This phase of the project was exciting, but on production skills, the ability to use the new al with a tilted dome, which will someday somewhat theoretical. With uncertainty presentation systems, and the creation of our move from film to digital technology. And af- about the speed with which we would raise first show. ter a harsh, and we hope realistic, assessment funds, and thus no fixed timeline, and an ag- of how much we would actually leverage the ing planetarium that kept us busy, the reno- Facilities and systems flexibility of removable seating, we chose vation felt more like an avocation than a real- The facilities department hired a project fixed seating with one removable section. ity-driven project. manager experienced with construction to How much would we invest in sound in- work closely with the construction compa- sulation and HVAC equipment? How close Suddenly, a deadline ny’s project manager. A second team mem- did our approximation of “the silence of deep Thanks to consistent fund-raising efforts, ber with substantial managerial responsibility space” need to be? We were ambitious and there came a day in October 2009 when we handled the vendors for projection equip- planned dramatic improvements, but our had the needed funds. But it still came as a sur- ment, seats, carpeting, and more. Darryl Davis, judgment was also shaped by financial real- prise. All of a sudden, our theoretical deadlines the planetarium’s technical coordinator, and I ities, honesty about the noisiness of our au- became real, and our leadership and funders attended weekly meetings of this team, along diences, and the constraints of the exterior looked to us to implement the aggressive with the museum’s facilities director and rep- structure. timelines penned far in the past. Demolition resentatives from the architect, the construc- Since we are a production organization, was set to start January 4, only three months tion company, our engineers, and other spe- would we invest in a test dome or work solely away. We learned in that instant and as the cialties as needed depending on the issues

June 2011 Planetarian 9 under consideration. With a total budget of just over $9 million, we planned with great care and a sharp pencil. Weekly meetings always featured a three week day-by-day look-ahead as well as a schedule for the entire effort. We quickly and accurate- ly documented the resolution of issues and any outstanding questions. This care, combined with great commitment from Suffolk Construction, also a donor to the project, allowed us to complete construction in about nine months, ahead of schedule and under budget. We found that our careful planning, and a closely knit and expert team that included the client, architect, and construction company, were instrumental to success. In addition, we knew that we’d encounter surprises and need The interior of the planetarium a few days into demolition. All photos courtesy the author. to solve problems together; this mindset meant that when surprises and problems came, we rallied together could not have opened on time or maintained and we began to develop them. to address them quickly. a full show schedule in the first few months Some—exoplanet models with atmospheres after opening. through which we could fly, dynamic star Projection systems models, a simulation of the formation of our While digital projection systems have be- Production skills and systems solar system from a cloud of dust and gas, and come the central component of a modern The museum’s planetarium has a single a visually satisfying model of Boston around planetarium, and thus key to ours, we were team of educators who also produce shows. which we could fly—were challenging and be- committed to continued live programs using From presentation to script-writing, from star came skill-building exercises. Similarly, we de- a star projector. The Hayden Foundation’s ini- projector programming to animation and spe- veloped a five-minute preshow that became a tial commitment to the project enabled the cial effects, we do it all. The only production test-bench for all our production systems and decision to go with both kinds of systems. area we outsource is music scoring and pro- processes, an opportunity to work out kinks Zeiss, by virtue of reputation and our long duction. well before the crunch finishing Undiscovered history with the company, and Sky-Skan, be- The initial team consisted of me and four Worlds. cause of expertise, proximity, and relation- experienced professionals: Darryl Davis, tech- Also critical to our success, in the spring of ship between our organizations, were logical nical systems coordinator, Chuck Wilcox and 2010 we hired two young animators straight choices for the instruments. Wade Sylvester on animation, and Danielle out of school to complement our veteran We thought we were being cautious when LeBlanc, our producer. team, four people with a combined 100+ years we built extra time into our installation While we had anticipated the jump to dig- of planetarium production experience. Skilled schedule and included a two-month “test ital systems for well over a year, and thus had as artists, comfortable new the production drive” with a very limited show schedule pri- already acquired considerable skills, such as technologies and the constant need to prob- or to opening. In truth, we were being realistic. 3D modeling in Maya, a much deeper level lem-solve, and familiar with workflow man- Today’s digital projection systems, and op- of knowledge is needed to use those skills in agement, these two new team members al- tical projectors too, consist of multiple piec- a production context and in service of a spe- most instantly became a valued and essential es of hardware, networked together and con- cific script. part of our team, augmenting our artistic and trolled by multiple interacting pieces of Further, workflow management becomes technical creativity, and our productivity. software. They are complex and sold in small more challenging in the digital world; not numbers. Every installation is different. They only are the tasks and intermediate mile- The inaugural show are not simple appliances, and as a result, even stones new, with some servers several hours to With over $9 million invested in the reno- the highest quality systems require a period render just one second’s worth of final frames, vation, and high expectations for our inaugu- of commissioning, during which “problems” our scheduling needed to take both human ral show, most planetarium producers would will arise. and computer capacity into account. think we were crazy to take on a full pro- During this time, in-house expertise, colle- We took one action early on that proved duction using new technologies with a small gial working relationships with vendors, and a valuable long-term. As we began to imagine team and a timeline of only 13 months. Argu- commitment from vendors to provide excel- Undiscovered Worlds, our inaugural show, we ably, we were. But we knew we had chosen a lent support are all critical. Without them, we identified digital assets that we would need rich topic, both in terms of its fascination for

10 Planetarian June 2011 Decisions about music, too, proved critical and challenging, particularly when the level of investment was high. In working with Sheldon Mirowitz, a three-time Emmy nominee who teaches film-scoring at Boston’s Berkelee College of Music, and in recording much of the music live with an orchestra, we added a lush sound-track to make vis- ceral the excitement, mystery, and wonder of the underlying science. When we explore big ideas, the music makes us feel that something important is about to emerge. Early on, we questioned the wisdom of this substantial investment. But the recording session was a moving experience for the team, and as the musicians played, we felt the emotion being breathed into the show. The expert scoring and live recording made all the difference.

The Hayden team, including our new school coordinator, Amanda Thompson, with the first two visitors to see Undis- covered Worlds. We were looking at the exhibit in our lobby when we held our first staff showing. When the staff all The challenge of the filed into the planetarium, there these two were. Given how the girl was dressed, how could we resist inviting her Future in? And her name is Aurora, no less! From left: Jason Fletcher, Heather Fairweather, Chuck Wilcox, Amanda Thomp- After a week of opening events, son, Aurora and Melissa Ljosa (visitors), Darryl Davis, David Rabkin, Danielle Leblanc, and Wade Sylvester. press interviews, and technical mad dashes, the opening of the Charles Hayden Planetarium audiences and in the range of scientific ideas it be lyrical and to make sure we communicate with Undiscovered Worlds is now a blur. While allowed us to explore. majesty and wonder. the rest of the museum imagined our post- We hoped that the opening of Undiscovered Throughout the process, we cut narration, opening lives to be more relaxed, our pace ac- Worlds would coincide closely with the re- leaving time for our audiences to simply expe- tually intensified. lease of data from the Kepler mission (we were rience the places to which we’ve taken them. Any technical issue, for example, became a surprised and overjoyed when NASA held its We selected Alan Lightman as co-author, be- high-stakes problem. With a full show sched- February press conference announcing 1,235 cause he combines the ability to write lyrical- ule, our ability to problem-solve in the theater new candidate exoplanets just one week be- ly with a commitment to accuracy and a be- was limited. Items that surfaced during pro- fore we opened our show). So, with a good lief that science, when presented well, is both duction but were not on the critical path now topic, great momentum, and a sense of adven- interesting and inspiring. popped up on our to-do lists. We now need- ture about what lay ahead, we launched into So we mixrf experiential flying, for exam- ed to re-evaluate, prioritize, and schedule this a new production regime. ple, with explanation of scientific methods. substantial inventory of tasks. We were stunned by the overwhelmingly We wove together the voices of inspiring sci- Free for more than a year of the adminis- positive response from both public and press entists, David Charbonneau and Lisa Kalte- trative load of ongoing operations, suddenly to the show. A review in the New York Times negger, both of the Harvard-Smithsonian now we also had to manage queues, coordi- invited readers with the words, “As I lean back Center for Astrophysics, who can personal- nate ticketing, and fulfill school groups’ spe- in cushioned comfort, I am gradually swept ly connect the audience to the excitement of cial needs and requests. off into the heavens,” then characterized our the science. And, of course, production was still ongo- work as “poised.” The Boston Globe described Finally, we let ourselves go as artists, free ing; we needed to address all the “good enough the show as “equal parts inspiration, science, to express the wonder of the universe, the for now” items in our show to create the final and spectacle,” a nice summary of our goals known science functioning more as catalyst version for distribution before we could begin for the show. In March 2011, planetarium at- than constraint. Each scene has visual person- thinking about a next show. tendance reached 28,892, the highest in 24 ality, and expressing input from the team and Today, our new planetarium is open. Many years. the particular vision of one team member. (Continues on Page 24) We believe that several decisions were instrumental to this response. Selecting an intriguing and timely topic was one. Another About the Author: David G. Rabkin, PhD, is director for Current Science and Technology at the Muse- was giving the show a lyrical tone. Nature and um of Science, Boston. His role includes the Charles Hayden Planetarium, which he has directed since Jan- uary 2010. Trained as an engineer and holding a doctorate in technology and innovation management the universe are wondrous. The process of sci- from MIT, he joined the museum in 2000 to help introduce technology as a topic into the museum’s science and the surprises we encounter through ence-based core. He has spearheaded strategic efforts on renewable energy, environmental sustainabil- it are miraculous. This attitude compels us to ity, and the adult audience segment.

June 2011 Planetarian 11 From Top: Circus performance on a dome made of bamboos; street artists on stilts at the planetarium garden; Junior Sam- ba School playing drums in front of the planetarium; and musicians play Bossa Nova under the dome. All photos courtesy Rio de Janeiro Planetarium.

Found: One solution to social responsibility

Irlaine de Alvarenga, Special Projects Coordinator Rio de Janeiro Planetarium Foundation Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 22451-070

Brazil is known around the globe for its ing that a significant part of this population natural beauty and cultural diversity. As won’t visit a museum or a planetarium sim- a young, developing country, it faces the ply because they can’t afford to buy a tick- challenge of improving its population’s et. The quick way around this problem is to way of life. We have a sad historical lega- stop charging an entrance fee. That, obvi- cy of poverty and economic struggle. This ously, would create a serious budget prob- scenery reflects directly in the way the Bra- lem. What should we do then? zilian population interacts with its science museums and planetariums. Looking for solutions Making science a popular subject, turn- The Rio Planetarium is the largest and ing it attractive to the general audience, is busiest planetarium in South America. It is the main goal of such institutions. But how a public institution, answering to the Rio would you do that in a country where 49% de Janeiro City Hall. We are well aware that, of the population is financially underpriv- even though we appreciate the in-flow of ileged? money, we are not in the profit business. One way is to show the people that sci- So we were willing to accommodate these ence can be a useful tool for social ascent. layers of society, regardless of the financial We are doing that as we speak (see page 14 cost. We just needed to do that without go- of the March 2011 issue of the Planetarian. ing bankrupt. Another way to that goal is understand- (Continues on Page 24)

12 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 13 Space Ship Planetarium

A New Marketing Frame for Digital Planetariums

Jim Sweitzer, PhD Science Communications Consultants Oak Park, Illinois, USA [email protected]

Speed Limits and Road Blocks: planetariums use their dream machines to run Not at all. If the planetarium community is pre-rendered videos and traditional night sky anything, it is resourceful. Most of us learned Challenges programs little different than those produced to create sky shows with little more than a of New Digital Planetariums by and for earlier technologies. That’s like us- projector, 35mm slides and a star “to steer her ing the Ferrari for a Sunday drive. by.” Given the potential of the latest digital Firing up a new digital planetarium the first One of the biggest challenges to using dig- planetariums, we are now challenged to hit few times is like continually reopening the ital planetariums to their fullest, however, is the road with a new, high-performance ve- greatest birthday present you ever received. the cost of producing fulldome productions. hicle. How can we make sure that she reach- The most fabulous “toy” planetarians are ever Fortunately, several fine shows are available es her full potential, and we get our money’s likely to own, it can display almost any scene today, but the cost of making one’s own is worth from our high stakes investment? in space or time and replay stunning fulldome prohibitively expensive for nearly all institu- I propose that the answer lies not in more productions. Happy and heady are the first tions. It is as if you were allowed to see your technology, more money, or more training. few days, weeks and months when we take Ferrari race the streets of Monaco, but driven It lies first and foremost in transforming the colleagues and audiences for a spin. by an avatar! way the public perceives the planetarium. But a new digital planetarium can also be Does that mean that we should despair of To put it plainly, it starts with “marketing” like receiving a Ferrari 458 Italia. The techni- our fabulous new toy? Should we simply rel- the planetarium in a radically new way. As an- cal capabilities of the sports car are spectac- egate it to the daily commute or taking the other enterprising techie, Steve JobsFN, put it, ular, but the gift is frustrating if we cannot neighborhood kids for a spin around the “Sell dreams, not products.” What is the dream drive it to its full potential. For the most part, block? that our new digital planetariums can evoke

14 Planetarian June 2011 Experience the Big New Digital Dome! Angeles, make the association directly, but “Hear ye, Hear ye! Now the most planetariums do the same indirectly. projection is all-digital and the •• Planetarium as Cinema-in-the-Round—This resolution is 8K. We can do all the astronomy is what planetariums become when the em- we did before and also play giant movies.” phasis is on the featured video. We all know that some visitors buy sky show tickets The “tech talk” may impress us—and a seg- without knowing or caring what the show ment of the audience—but it misses the target is about. They just come, “to see the movie.” for many. Basically, the message here is that Although many of these fulldome shows the planetarium has become a digital cine- are excellent, few of them capitalize on the ma, inviting the question, “How is it different unique geometry of the planetarium to tell than IMAX?” their stories. In fact, some would look better on a flat screen. Immerse Yourself in Real Upgrading the metaphor to suggest that the Scientific Visualization! planetarium is a technically-advanced cinema “This is the real stuff! See the latest is entering a race that will be hard to win. Digi- scientific data visualized on the dome. tal 3D cinema is fast becoming commonplace Never before could the public experience in the local Cineplex, not to mention the re- science as scientists do: hot off the satellite.” cent introduction of 3D TV in the home and on video game systems. Marketing “science visualization” is not a Curiously, in Colonel Griffith’s will for his “no-brainer.” It’s hard to get the average per- public observatory he envisioned “… a large son excited about the bits and bytes that send motion picture theatre or hall [with] a seat- scientific pulses racing. The data is often ab- ing capacity for many people.” According to stract and requires detailed explanation. Yes, Ed Krupp, the observatory’s current director, authenticity works, but it also requires work Griffith never, however, imagined a round to make it meaningful. theatre for science and astronomical films because the planetarium hadn’t been invented Discover the Secrets of the before his death in 1919. Pharaohs and the Dinosaurs! Marketing a new planetarium based on “We’re not just sky shows anymore! these two standard metaphors will not spark The planetarium is your go-to place a quantum change in public perception. Con- for digital videos on all sorts of sequently, the planetarium is not likely to see popular ‘sort-of-scientific’ subjects.” a long-term attendance gain or the accompa- nying revenues. istockphoto.com Broadening the scope of planetarium offer- The technical leap achieved by the new ings is not all bad and may, in fact, be neces- digital systems deserves something more to sary. But is it wise to allow expansion to over- show off its true inventive potential. For that, shadow the essence of what a planetarium we might want to turn to the world of psy- really is? Are we resigning ourselves to being chology and social media for a model. just a variation on IMAX without a decent at- tempt at reclaiming and redefining our iden- The Great Frame Up tity? A communications frame shapes a person’s None of the approaches above are bad in perception of a product, issue or subject by and of themselves. All of them point to help- putting it in an easy-to-grasp context. When ful new directions offered by digital plane- a politician claims to be “just a hockey mom,” better than any other visualization technol- tariums. But they do not offer the public a she is using a frame that will help voters im- ogy? Finding that answer may lead us to the radically new way to see the planetarium as mediately identify her with a lifestyle they winner’s circle of the planetarium grand prix. something unique, exciting and different know and share. When a soft drink manufac- enough to Tweet about. Basically they trade turer claims its product is “misunderstood,” it Creating Buzz on two prevailing metaphors: is framing the beverage as the choice of non- Nearly all planetariums hope that their •• Planetarium as Observatory—Observatories conformists. sizeable investment in a digital system will are hemispherical; they have a high tech Although frames can be used to manipulate increase their attendance. Yet few can afford device in the center; they are used to scan political issues and sell products, they also can protracted and expensive marketing cam- and observe the sky; they are run by astron- be used for pedagogical and inspirational pur- paigns to get the word out. This is a real chal- omers. The same could be said of planetar- poses. Here, too, they help people grasp com- lenge. Given the added costs of operations and iums. Although the planetarium is not lit- plex issues in simpler, more direct way. shows for a new digital system, effective viral erally an observatory, it is descended from For example, we use the frame of the par- marketing that grows audiences is virtually a it in the public imagination. It is the clos- ent-child relationship to communicate our necessity. est most laypeople get to looking through dependence on “Mother Earth,” or we say, “It But limited marketing strategies yield lim- a telescope. When a planetarium teaches takes a village,” to frame the complex of issues ited results. They are not bad in and of them- night sky programming and uses the pro- necessary to foster a healthy, productive fu- selves, but they are not game-changers in jector to image distant objects in space, it ture for our children. terms of public perception. Here are a few I is recreating the observatory experience. The advanced digital technologies that have observed and even participated in: Some institutions, like the Griffith in Los have transformed the planetarium world in-

June 2011 Planetarian 15 vite us to create a brand new frame: the plane- entist on staff to babysit the technology and tions than from top-down, “canned” lectures. tarium as space ship. (Coincidentally, the very click the “start” button? Theater Design: The space ship frame- technology that enables blended video pro- In this scenario, the planetarium director work could lead to different ways to design jectors in a hemispherical environment is a can be a true content expert. Surely this is role and use the theater. Most planetariums now spin-off of the flight simulator industry!) planetarians themselves would prefer and doing this type of program are doing it in To be fair, this is not a new idea. Many plan- host institutions would appreciate as a lively domes designed for the older metaphorical etarium shows have used the device of space format for inquiry-based science. frames. New theaters could be designed to bet- flight. At their best, they could be terrific. Simply promoting a new planetarium as a ter address the space ship frame. Sometimes, however, little was done to even space exploration simulator is, of course, in- make these flights of fancy seem realistic. sufficient for delivering good programs. Nev- Sports cars vs. digital space ships Now, however, we can go anywhere we ertheless, keeping this frame in mind can help Experiments within the digital space ship have the data. Furthermore, these past efforts us properly outfit ourselves for these missions. frame have been going on since the early days represented individual sky shows. What I am Here are some of the things we would want to of fulldome digital. Many have already made proposing involves a more sweeping redefini- consider: good use of the spaceflight software, includ- tion of identity. Pilot Training: No one wants to fly with ing Uniview, DigitalSky 2, Digistar 4, SkyEx- Using this frame, here is what a strategy an untrained airline pilot. The same goes for plorer, and others. Anecdotal reports suggest might look like: pilot-planetarians. All of the vendors offer that these programs are quite popular. training and some have user groups as well. But how many digital planetariums have Experience Our New Space These need careful focus and attention by made these flight programs central to their Exploration Simulator! planetarium directors and their staffs. It is pos- mission? How many have used the frame in “Even the astronauts couldn’t go as sible that new types of pilot training skills will their marketing? The promise has been there fast or see what we can see. We’re no need to be taught. a long time. Now, with so many new systems longer stuck on Earth. We can trav- Flight Planning: The flight path, along coming on line, the opportunity is peaking. el to the borders of the universe and back, with any possible side trips, needs to be care- Even during the early days of the develop- testing the limits of space and time.” fully considered. Most current live programs ment of the databases for the American Muse- head for different planets or straight for the um’s Digital Universe and long before the new Here is a message that’s exciting, new and edge of the observable universe. Many more Rose Center’s Hayden Planetarium opened, easily grasped. It is active and not passive. It can be charted and should be. “flying” the technology as a space ship was builds upon the most impressive capabilities Destination Reconnaissance: All mis- popular. All the staff working on the project of the new technologies and fulfills the nearly sions need to make sure they understand what enjoyed grabbing the joystick for a ride. Even universal dream of flying through space. they are getting into. To plan well, pilots must Neil Armstrong visited once and gave her a have the best and latest data for their destina- spin. Not surprisingly, he was a natural. From lecturers to pilots tions and an idea of where best to go. For ex- But one of my most memorable encounters By trading our old metaphorical frames ample, visits to Mars will require the highest was with the teenage son of a celebrity who for a space ship, we gain much more than resolution imagery from the most intriguing had been given a “behind the scenes” tour of just a good marketing strategy. This frame “watering holes.” the planetarium as part of his 16th birthday. has many built-in advantages. Technically Scientific Knowledge: Taking an audi- When he sat down at the simulator, he de- speaking, this capability already comes with ence on a journey into space requires an abili- posited a model of a red sports car on the con- the package. All the vendors’ software allows ty to discuss the science along the way. While sole. I asked him what it was, and he replied, their projection systems to be used as space- the experience itself is exhilarating, these are “Dad got me a real one for my birthday.” Then flight simulators. Consequently, upgrading educational expeditions, not merely joy rides. he proceeded to enjoy himself flying across to “space ship” mode requires little addition- Audience Inquiry: Because piloting plan- space and time. al expenditure. etariums in real time easily allows for audi- When the young man left, I wondered Every good space ship needs an expert pilot ence interaction, this type of programming is which was really the more impressive gift: the at the controls. This role seems a better fit for ideally suited to inquiry learning techniques. red sports car or the chance to fly to the edge most planetarians than that of projectionist. Educators confirm that audiences learn more of the universe. (I’m glad I don’t have to an- Why have a skilled astronomical educator-sci- from programs “driven” by their own ques- swer that question strapped to a lie detector!) But one thing I do know is that we have Alex Cherman PARTYcles the ability to offer that same After the Big ...the Really! The gift of space Bang, the temperature probability of flight to our au- Universe starts lowers... them meeting diences. Space to expand. and so does the grows. Ship Planetar- mean velocity of ium is ready Right... the particles! for launch and Atoms start waiting for to form! take off. Really?!? “Ladies and The volume Gentlemen, Are you increases... start your en- proposing? gines!” I

16 Planetarian June 2011 Zula_DTE_addForPrint_8.5x11_Rev03.pdf 1 2/1/2011 2:44:39 PM

CMY

FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com/fulldome_shows June 2011 Planetarian SHOW DISTRIBUTION17 Contact: Mike Bruno [email protected] T: 610.459.5200 Remembering Nobel Laureate S. Chandrasekhar during his birth centenary year

fered a position of research associate at the University of Chicago by Dr. Otto Struve and President Robert Maynard Hutchins. He joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in January 1937 and settled there. In 1952 he was named the Morton D. Hull Dis- tinguished Service Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics, and was awarded emeritus status in 1985. Although Chandraskhar eventually wanted to return to India in the early 1980s, the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physics 1983 con- vinced him to stay in the U.S.; he felt that shifting his country of res- idency at the time would look uncharitable. When asked how he felt about India, having been away for so long, he made the following statement: “I always quote a famous re- mark of Nehru which I have quoted more than once. He said ‘the roots of an Indian grow deep into the ancient soil and though the future beckons, the past holds back.’ That summarizes my feelings”. Scientific communities around the world have the highest re- From left, Ms. Raj Laxmi Iyenger, Dr. V. S. Venkatavaradan, Suhas Naik-Sa- gards for Chandrasekhar. He is known as one of the greatest astro- tam, Prof. S. Chandrasekar. Photo courtesy the author. physicists of the 20th century. His work on the origins and structures of stars has earned him an important place in the world of science. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was born in Lahore, Punjab (then In 1999 NASA sent the world’s most advanced X-ray telescope in a part of British India) on 19 October 1910. Chandra, as he was popu- space, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, named in honour of S. Chan- larly known, attended Hindu High School, Triplicane and Presiden- drasekhar. cy College in Madras (currently Chennai). He went to Cambridge in Chandra died in Chicago on August 21, 1995, at the age of 82. 1930. While on his voyage to England, he worked out the famous Throughout his life Chandra strove to acquire knowledge and un- “Chandrasekhar Limit,” which has since become a part of folklore derstanding. According to an autobiographical essay published with of astrophysics. his Nobel lecture, he was motivated “principally by a quest after per- He took his Ph.D. degree at Cambridge in the summer of 1933. In spectives.” the following October, he was elected to a Prize Fellowship at Trinity In October 1984 Prof. Chandrasekhar visited in Mumbai to receive College for the period 1933-37. During his fellowship years at Trinity, R.D.Birla Award of the Indian Physics Association. I had the privilege he formed lasting friendship with several eminent scientists, includ- of listening to Prof. Chandrasekhar and meeting him after the lec- ing Sir Arthur Eddington and Professor Edward Arthur Milne. ture. While on a short visit to Harvard University (in Cambridge, Mas- Suhas B Naik-Satam sachusetts), during the winter months (January-March) of the 1936, Nehru Planetarium at the invitation of the then Director Dr. Harlow Shapely, he was of- Worli, Mumbai, India

Your name here

The Thinktank Planetari- um at the Birmingham Sci- ence Museum, UK, recently exceeded 3,000 Facebook fans. To celebrate, the planetarium decided to thank each and every one by pro- jecting all 3,000 names onto the dome. The “Face- book Fan-dome” announcement was made at the close of the 2nd UK Fulldome Film Festival. Photo courtesy Paul Mowbray of NSC Cre- ative.

Mario Di Maggio Thinktank Planetarium Birmingham Science Museum, UK

18 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 19 The Mayborn Planetarium & Space Theater

Western Alliance Conference is “Waitin’ on you in Texas!”

Fred L. Chavez, M.Ed. Mayborn Planetarium & Space Theater P.O Box 1800, Killeen, Texas 76540-1800 +1 254-526-1671 / www.starsatnight.org

The clock is ticking down to the start of an- as economy), is the largest military installa- Having a conference in Killeen at this time other Western Alliance Conference. In case tion in the free world. Nicknamed “The Great makes sense for several reasons. First, because you haven’t heard—or read elsewhere in this Place,” Fort Hood sits on 327 square miles and this is not an IPS conference year, the WAC issue of the Planetarian—the 2011 WAC will be is home to some 92,000 soldiers, their families, will be the best chance for planetarians to get held at the beautiful Mayborn Planetarium & and civilians. together, collaborate, and see what our indus- Space Theater on the main campus of Central Because of the close proximity to surround- try vendors have to offer. Texas College, in Killeen, Texas. ing communities and the familiar “small- Secondly, Killeen is located in the center of Killeen is located between Austin and Waco. town -America” feel, many soldiers and their the country and it easy to get to. Air service Although it is a small city of 127,000 residents, families remain in the area after their tour in to the area is provided by the Killeen Regional it also is part of the 190 Corridor, which boasts the army. Airport and is supplemented by Austin-Berg- a population closer to 400,000 from the com- This regular influx of diverse people makes strom International to the south and Dallas- munities of Temple, Belton, Nolanville, Hark- the population along 190 Corridor so unique. Fort Worth to the north. er Heights, Killeen, Fort Hood, Copperas Cove, Families from all over the United States and In addition, SCISS AB will hold a users group and Lampasas. Our community is as diverse as the world call Central Texas home. This blend meeting prior to the conference, providing any large city in the United States. of small town living along side world-travel- their users a chance to discuss and actually get Fort Hood, the state’s largest employer (con- ing citizens makes the entire region a great some “hands-on” seat time with Uniview. tributing $10.9 billion annually to the Tex- place to live and work. The conference planners were able to reserve the entire Killeen Civic and Convention Center, which means all sessions, the vendor area, banquet and breaks will be held under one roof and on one level. The Mayborn Planetarium & Space Theater is a 60ft dome, with plenty of open shelf space for vendors to demo all manner of planetary- esque toys! We are honored to be this year’s Western Alliance of Planetariums Conference host and are eager to show you our community and share our home with you. I speak for the entire staff of the Mayborn and the community at large when I say we are looking forward to your visit and hope it will be the first of many. So, gear up and get on it, y’all! I

20 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 21 istockphoto.com

Editor-at-Large Steve Tidey Astronomy Educator 2 Stambridge Road Rochford, Essex, SS4 1DG, England [email protected] (The editor wishes to point out that this is not Steve Tidey)

Dome-L has me seeing green (And I wouldn’t have it any other way) Behind the scenes of our favorite listserve

S Hello, Rovy. Could you tell us a little bit Oh my diddly aunt, I don’t cotton pickin’ believe what I just read on about your background in the planetari- Dome-L. I’m so annoyed I could crush a grape. I’m Mr Angry of England. My um community, and where you currently skin’s turning green, my biceps are bulging, my shirt’s being torn apart. work?

I’m turning into the Incredible Hulk®! Aaarrggh! R Yes. I worked at Discovery Place in Char- Er, yes, quite. Honestly, folks, reading our favourite listserve doesn’t re- lotte, North Carolina, for eight years. I was ally get me going like that (life’s too short to get riled about that sort of there for the opening of the Kelly Space Voy- ager Planetarium, which was listed as the larg- stuff), but there are times when I feel like coming out with a classic John est planetarium dome in the United States in Cleese line from a particularly memorable Monty Python sketch: “Is this a the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records. five minute argument, or the full half hour?” While at Discovery Place, I was the multi- That got me wondering about the “behind the scenes” of Dome-L. I re- media programmer and an IMAX projectionist. I also ran our AVI laser shows on the week- cently caught up with Rovy Branon, who has been Dome-L’s loyal, unpaid ends. (I don’t think I have listened to Dark Side moderator for the last 13 years and counting, and we chatted about his of the Moon again after its three year run!). involvement with the planetarium industry, how he moderates the list- I also helped to design our first web page, and registered Planetarium.Net before all the serve and his general thoughts on astronomy education. domain names were snapped up. In 1997, I built Planetarium.Net for my own fun and for learning to connect with people in the field. In 1999, I left the museum to move to Bloomington, Indiana, to pursue a Ph.D. in In- structional Systems Technology. This degree choice was driven in part by the work I had done with Dome-L and Planetarium.Net, and my intent was to study emerging virtual communities. My interests shifted over the next few years to focus on distance education. I kept running Dome-L because I enjoyed the conversations,

22 Planetarian June 2011 and it allowed me to keep a pulse on the field. Finally, there are a few topics that can be- or new features, on the horizon that will en- Today, I am the associate dean for Online gin to overwhelm the list and cause passions hance Dome-L’s usefulness? Learning and Technology and the director of to run high. These are the most challenging the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning situations as a moderator. Inevitably, there is R New technologies seem to come and go, (ADL) Co-Laboratory at the University of Wis- dissent from those who feel a topic has taken but email has proven to be an especially resil- consin-Extension in Madison, Wisconsin. I over the list and is drowning out other, more ient mechanism for Dome-L. I continue to exam still running Dome-L for the same reasons, pragmatic conversations. Stopping such a periment with new technologies, like social and it is hard to believe that I have been mod- conversation also brings a spate of condemna- media, and I am sure Google will add more en- erating the list for almost 13 years! tion from those who think no posts should be hancements over time. The important thing rejected for any reason. is to adapt to the needs of the community, S How did you get the job as Dome-L’s mod- Fortunately, I think I have only had this and not try to force new technologies for their erator? type of issue arise about five times since I be- own sake. gan my Dome-L caretaker role. As an historical note, I have migrated Dome- R Tom Hocking was the moderator at the L two times since time, in 1998. He had taken over from Alan taking on the list. Gould a few years earlier. Tom had decided to When I took over move on to new endeavors, and sent out a so- the list from Tom licitation email asking for someone to run the Hocking, the list list. The main requirement was that the per- was being hosted by son not have a vested financial interest in run- University of North ning the service. Carolina-Chapel So I sent a note to Tom to volunteer to run Hill. They asked the list, sure that there would be many others that it be moved more qualified jumping at the opportunity. off their servers. (In He sent me a response saying that he was glad those days servers I had put my hat in the ring. He had a few oth- were not able to ers who wanted to run the list, but they were handle the loads primarily from the vendor community. they can today). I moved the list to S How much time in a typical week does Rovy Branon a commercial ser- compiling the digests take up for you? vice called Topica, which worked well R Fortunately, technology does the vast ma- S How do you think the service has benefit- until they began a push to insert ads. Topica jority of the work to create the digests. Once I ed the planetarium community? also began to experience some stability issues. approve each message, it is queued to be de- I moved the list to Google in about 2005. livered. A digest is automatically created each R Planetarians are scattered far and wide. After a few early hiccups, it seems to be meet- day with all of the messages. I spend a few While there are conferences to bring people ing our needs. These migrations were, by far, minutes each day approving the messages. together on a regional or international basis, the most time consuming events during my Mobile technology has made it much easier being far from others in the field can be a chal- time running the list. to keep up with this task in the last few years. lenge when you need immediate help, a place It can take a few days for me to respond to spe- to vent, want to share a funny planetarium S Are you happy to continue as moderator cial requests or email changes, depending on story, mourn the passing of a colleague, or get for the time being? whether I have to research a solution. the word out about a new show or product. Dome-L is a place where all that can hap- R I still get a kick out of seeing someone S How often, and under what circumstanc- pen, and I hope it gives a sense of community post for the first time. I love it when they ask es, do you reject a Dome-L post? to people who use it. Like all online commu- a really obscure question, and then seeing a re- nities and email lists, most on Dome-L do not sponse come back almost immediately. Even- R It is a very rare occasion, and it usually in- actively post on a regular basis but it is always tually, someone else will need to take over volves the same issues. I can almost remember there when they need it. and carry it forward but I hope that is still a each time I have had to reject a message (oth- few years down the road. er than housekeeping messages, like out-of-of- S A few times you’ve had to remind the fice responders). community to be a bit more respectful of oth- S Could you tell readers how to use the My philosophy is to keep open communi- er people’s views, but on the whole how do Dome-L archive, to search for old posts? cation for the community. Generally, person- you view the general etiquette of the plane- al attacks are not tolerated. Spam posts are also tarium community on Dome-L, compared to R All posts are archived as threaded conver- deleted. True spammers are rare but a few have other listserves across the internet? sations in Google Groups. Unfortunately, be- gotten on the list, so they are banned immedi- cause Dome-L is not a public group, you must ately. There have been just three in 13 years. R There is no comparison. Dome-L is by far have a Google account (or Gmail) to access Spam also includes posts from people who are one of the most respectful lists I have ever the archives. That Google account must also legitimately on the list who send non-astron- seen. People tend to self-regulate and respect be subscribed to Dome-L. A number of peo- omy political messages, or advertisements for the intent of Dome-L. A little passion now and ple have added a Gmail account to Dome-L, personal items for sale (e.g., I have a lawn mow- then is to be expected! and they turn off all email messages so they er on eBay). Those people are not banned, but can access the archives. If you are already sub- their posts are deleted. S Are there any technical improvements, scribed to Dome-L using a Google email ad-

June 2011 Planetarian 23 dress, go to groups.google.com and log in. You should see Dome-L as a group in your list.

S How do you view the direction in which the planetarium field has gone in the time since you left the profession, especially in re- gards to the educational benefits of full dome technology?

Planetariums have so many more options nowR than was the case a decade ago. Those options are likely to increase as digital technology takes new forms. People are always going to want to learn about astronomy and I still believe that there is no better way to learn about the wonders of the universe than sitting under a dome full of stars. One thing is for sure, all of these new technologies will mean that there is always room for more discussion on Dome-L!

Rory, I’d like to thank you, on behalf of allS planetarians, for the good work you’ve put in as Dome-L’s Moderator for the last 13 years.

I appreciate being able to contribute in someR small way to a profession that is a cor- Women's Rights group, visiting the Rio de Janeiro Planetarium's exhibits. nerstone in helping excite people about science education. People in this field are often the first to experiment with new technolo- (Social responsibility, continued from Page 12) gies, and I enjoy learning something new from Not making money is one thing. Spending the denser areas of the city (the South Zone, this community every day. money is a different thing all together. In or- where the planetarium is located, could be One final note, I hope more people see der to have people in our facilities, we need a said to be “Rio’s Manhattan”; the South Zone Dome-L as a resource they can turn to and large staff (the Rio Planetarium has two domes also hosts Rocinha, the largest favela in the jump in to the conversation to participate. We in its main location, plus a 3-story high build- city). have just over 1150 members, but there is al- ing that hosts the Museum of the Universe) These underprivileged communities were ways room for more! I and to pay for air conditioning, electricity, our main target on this project because most water and so on. of their inhabitants had never been to the The Porto Alegre Planetarium, run by Dr. planetarium. Maria Helena Stefanni, president of the Associ- We didn’t want to lose money (or, at least, (Hayden, continued from Page 11) ation of Brazilian Planetariums, faced a similar we didn’t want to lose a lot of money!) and decisions before and during the renova- situation and solved it in a clever way. Some we didn’t want to built a top-down relation- tion proved essential to success. Even today, weekends they open their doors exclusively ship with these communities, as if we were on though, we still identify new problems. But for the lower income population. They focus the top, handing down pennies and crumbs to we’re steadily working through them and ev- their actions on a specific neighborhood. them. We were ready to have them here. But ery day our operation becomes smoother. They plan ahead, coordinating with local they would have to earn their tickets. We produced Undiscovered Worlds when authorities and the neighborhood’s represen- All these underprivileged communities we had no operational load. Now we have to tatives. And thus they have volunteers from have their own social organization, most- maintain our educational vision, creative spir- that neighborhood to staff the planetarium ly Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) it, and productivity as we also run a facility. (not the dome itself, of course), drastically re- that are presided by local leaderships or by Each planetarium has its own approach to ducing their costs of operation for that day. former inhabitants that, through hard work, this challenge, and many can work. For us, we It is a very clever solution, but it would not have moved out of the favelas. hope that a single team educating and produc- work for us. The Porto Alegre Planetarium is a We created a barter system with these ing, connecting artistic and technical produc- much smaller institution (one dome, no mu- NGOs. We open our institution for them and, tion with day-to-day audience contact, will seum or exhibits), inside a Federal University in exchange, they give some sort of perfor- allow us to maintain our balance between in- Campus, in a city that is one fourth the pop- mance for us. Their performance is presented spiration, science, and spectacle. ulation of Rio. for the general audience, the public that usu- But they showed us the right direction. En- ally comes to the planetarium, free of charge. More about Undiscovered Worlds ter Special Projects Coordination and their It is usually done in the gardens of the muse- We will distributing Undiscovered Worlds, “Social Planetarium.” um. starting this summer, via Sky-Skan. Any- The kids from these communities are hap- one interested should feel free to con- Social responsibility py, because they get to see the stars inside the tact Sky-Skan or me directly, if they have The favelas are a reality in Rio. They con- dome and visit the museum for the first time. particular questions. I centrate the lower income population near Their parents are happy as well, since they

24 Planetarian June 2011 recognize how important this is to stimulate their kids. Local leaderships are happy because they are giving something different and fun that is very important to their constituents. Our general audience is happy, because they get to see all kinds of folkloric presentations, dance performances, music concerts, things they did not expect to get in a visit to the planetarium. And, last but not least, we are happy, because we get a full house, we are giving back to society, we are not patronizing this segment of the population, we are showing some cool, unexpected stuff to our regular audience, and we are not losing a lot of money in the process.

Final considerations We call this project the Social Planetari- um. It began in July 2009 and as of March 2011 we have had over 30,000 people coming to the planetarium as part of this project. These people would not have come to us if it wasn’t for the Social Planetarium. They either could not afford or didn’t have enough inter- What an audience! est to come. With the Social Planetarium, they With Darth Vader, a Tusken Raider, storm troopers and a couple of bounty hunters in the audience, the staff at the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City, Utah, had better present a super program—or else. show their crafts and talents and, in return, The Star Wars characters are members of the Alpine Garrison, a regional chapter of the 501st Legion, they visit the museum and the dome. It is def- a Star Wars costuming group. They visited the planetarium for Legoland California’s announcement of initely a win-win situation! I the opening of a Star Wars Miniland at the theme park. Photo by Seth Jarvis, Clark Planetarium director.

June 2011 Planetarian 25 Educational Horizons Jack L. Northrup Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planetarium King Science and Technology Magnet Center 3720 Florence Blvd., Omaha, Nebraska 68110 USA +1 402-557-4494 [email protected]

It is that time of the year again. The semes- •• Instruction for All Students by Paula Ruth- ters are changing, the solstice is nearing, and erford, Just ASK Publications, 2nd edition, the Education Column’s professional reading January 1, 2008 list is appearing. You’ll notice that several of these books are You may notice that several of the books from the Association for Supervision & Cur- have looped over from last year’s list. I wanted riculum Development. You can learn more to stay with the focus of engaging students in about the ASCD at www.ascd.org. education and found some of the books were If you are creating a professional learning still quite fitting. community (PLC) at your facility or school, •• Activating the Desire to Learn by Bob Sullo, remember a couple of keep items in mind: Association for Supervision & Curriculum, •• Don’t read the books in one sitting and try January 30, 2007 to debrief them in one chunk. Instead, read- •• The Motivated Student: Unlocking the En- ing two to three chapters per month is a thusiasm for Learning by Bob Sullo, Associ- good pace. ation for Supervision & Curriculum Devel- •• Don’t have one leader for the entire pro- opment, June 30, 2009 cess; divide the leadership time between •• Inviting Students to Learn: 100 Tips for Talk- the members. ing Effectively with Your Students by Jen- •• Sidebars, zoo walks, and off topic conver- ny Edwards, Association for Supervision & sations need to be kept to a minimum, as Curriculum Development, January 11, 2010 you want the meeting to be brief and to the •• A Framework for Understanding Pover- point. ty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D., aha Process, Inc., •• Snacks can be useful to keep the spirits up 4th edition, May 15, 2005 but should not be so messy that they pre- Two views of the formation of pulsars from •• Meeting Students Where They Live: Motiva- clude the using of the books in the meeting. (top) Derick and Devron. Photos courtesy of the author. tion in Urban Schools by Richard J. Curwin, •• The meetings are dreadfully boring if only Association for Supervision & Curriculum one person has read the book, so send a re- Development, April 15, 2010 minder of the meeting a few days prior to summer reading programs and are looking for •• Rethinking Homework: Best Practices that assist the others in the group. readers for story times. See about volunteering Support Diverse Needs by Cathy Vatterott, If you want some help or advice on PLC’s, your time to get children interested in read- Association for Supervision & Curriculum please send me an email. ing. Development, July 2, 2009 I talked to my local librarian and will get Volunteer to read to kids to read How Much is a Million (by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Steven Kellogg, published by William Morrow) to my group. Here are a few more children’s books that may catch a child’s interest in science and math. •• Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masa- ichiro Anno and Mitsumasa Anno, Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1999 •• How Big is a Million by Anna Milbourne and Serena Riglietti, Usborne Publishing, Janu- ary 2008 •• Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, Viking Juvenile, 1995 •• On the Moon by Anna Milbourne, Laura Well, that Fearn, and Benji Davies, Usborne Publish- should keep the ing, 2004 grown-ups oc- •• Science Verse by Jon Scieszka and Lane cupied for a Smith, Viking Juvenile, 2004 while; now let us change our focus to a lit- Taking the lesson to the next level tle younger This edition’s lesson ties into the reading crowd. Many theme, and is geared for first or second year of public libraries sponsor (Continues on Page 32)

26 Planetarian June 2011 Sky-Skan Exclusive

LAUNCHING FALL 2011! Go on a futuristic journey through our Solar System. With Earth’s resources being rapidly depleted, a tycoon sends our hero, Jack Larson, on a mission to discover a new home to colonize. This character-driven show is perfect for middle-school fi eld trip groups and aligns with science curriculum objectives! Audiences age 10 and up. Coyote has a razor- Running time: 27 minutes. sharp wit, but he’s a little confused about An original production of UNC Morehead what he sees in the sky. Planetarium and Science Center. Join this amusing character (adapted from Written American Indian oral traditions) in a fast-paced by Will and fun fulldome show that explores lunar Osborne. phases, eclipses and other puzzles.

Engaging and immersive, Earth, Moon & Sun™ also examines how humans learn through space exploration. Audiences age 5-11.

Running time: 26 minutes. An original production of UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.

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June 2011 Enjoy these shows distributedPlanetarian by Visit us on the web at SkySkan.com/shows 27 28 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 29 National Geographic Films

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

SkySkan.com | Americas/Pacific tel +1 603-880-8500, [email protected] | Europe tel +49 89-6428-9231, [email protected] | Australia/Asia tel +61 3-9372-6444, [email protected] 30 S11-a08-01 Planetarian June 2011 IMERSA News Best of IFF ‘11 Full Show: We Are Astronomers

Judith Rubin Communications Director, IMERSA.org [email protected]

IMERSA’s Global Ambassadors: Fulldome and transmedia projects: A report from the field X Media Lab In order to help grow the fulldome market “Storytelling in a Digital Age” was the title and help realize the potential of immersive of a gathering hosted by X Media Lab in Perth, media, IMERSA’s core members are actively Australia 15-17 April 2011. Billed as “a unique spreading the word on multiple global fronts concentration of world-class knowledge and IFF ‘11 winners in a variety of ways: through coverage in the talent in digital media, and gateway between Navegar Foundation announced the awarded New York Times and Curator; addressing a Western and Eastern cultures, markets and works for IFF ’11, which were judged by Fran- gathering of the Academy of Motion Picture business practices,” it was attended by some cisco Costa, a Portuguese movie director; Bar- Arts & Sciences, presenting at Fulldome UK 300 people. bara Cleto, a Portuguese computer science 2011, organizing a panel for the Themed En- Lantz, along with transmedia producer, teacher; Yaroslav Gubchenko, executive director of the Russian fulldome society; and Luis tertainment Association’s SATE conference in writer, artist and musician Kate McCallum, Velasco, general representative of Ilusamedia Orlando, planning the next IMERSA Fulldome took part in the event, which included pre- from Spain: Summit in Denver, and more. senting at the one-day conference followed Full length Shows: Read on for details: by two days of advising entrepreneurs about Best of IFF ‘11: We Are Astronomers, NSC Cre- ative, UK developing transmedia for their projects. Best Immersion: All We Are, Norrkoping Visual- Fulldome and themed “We piqued interest in fulldome,” said ization Center C, Sweden entertainment: SATE Orlando Lantz. “People who came to the conference Best Soundtrack: Realm of Light, Softmachine IMERSA will present a panel discussion on knowing little or nothing about the digital gmbH, Germany dome format learned how this option might Best Visuals: Journey to the Stars, American Mu- “Storytelling and the Digital Dome” at the seum of Natural History, New York in collabo- annual SATE conference on Experience De- enhance their current projects—helping dis- ration with the California Academy of Scienc- sign, Sept 22-23 in Orlando. The SATE confer- tribute and monetize their story and property es, San Francisco; GOTO INC, Tokyo, Japan; ence affords a valuable opportunity to discuss, over multiple media channels. That is trans- Papalote Museo del Niño, Mexico City, Mexico; and Smithsonian National Air and Space Muse- within the themed entertainment communi- media, and it is going to become standard um, Washington, DC practice.” ty, the unique qualities of fulldome for im- Best Script: We Are Astronomers mersive storytelling and media-based experi- During the workshop, Lantz advised three ences, and how the fulldome platform can be different groups, each with a unique proj- Short Pieces: applied to projects for education, entertain- ect. “One group is digging up shipwrecks and Best of IFF ’11: Continuum, Paul Grimmer, UK looking for ways to translate that into exhib- Best Immersion: Charting Course for the Un- ment and corporate markets. SATE (Story+A known, excerpts, David Colagiovanni and rchitecture+Technology=Experience) is host- its and guest experiences; another wants to Thom Canova, USA ed by the Themed Entertainment Association. produce space science content jointly for the Best Soundtrack: Jeepers Creepers, Morehead giant screen and fulldome; the third is a cul- Planetarium and Science Center, USA tural preservation venture.” Best Visuals: Tale of the Stars, KAGAYA Studio/ Fulldome and the filmmaking GOTO INC, Japan mainstream: AMPAS Audience Award: DYNAMIC EARTH—MARINE BIO- “Many producers and filmmakers have yet Fulldome and the travels SPHERE, Spitz Creative Media, National Center to be exposed to the emerging format of the of Dan Neafus for Supercomputing Applications, NASA’s Sci- “The Language of Immersive Cinema” was entific Visualization Studio, Thomas Lucas Pro- digital dome,” said IMERSA founding board ductions, Inc., and Denver Museum of Nature member Ed Lantz. Since relocating to the west the topic of demonstration/discussions led by & Science, USA I coast, Lantz has been an energetic evangelist IMERSA founding board member Dan Nea- for fulldome in tech and creative communi- fus at Fulldome UK 2011 (at the Thinktank Best of IFF’11 Short Piece: Continuum ties there. Science Museum, Birmingham) and Cyprus His company, Vortex Immersion, main- Domefestival (at the American Academy of tains a portable dome in downtown Los Ange- Larnaca, Cyprus), both held in March 2011. les for demonstrations and special events, and Neafus, who is director of the Gates Plan- Lantz makes frequent formal and informal etarium at the Denver Museum of Nature & presentations, including a talk to members Science, wants to motivate producers to dis- of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and tinguish fulldome as a unique storytelling me- Sciences in December 2010. Lantz was part dium with a language of its own: “Production of “Where Do We Go from Here?” present- capabilities for this challenging format have ed by the Academy’s Science and Technolo- improved dramatically in the past decade, at- gy Council to a packed house at the Samuel tracting new creative talent into the dome. Goldwyn Theater, and hosted by writer-direc- Lacking, however, is a cinematic language tor-producer Jerry Zucker. that adequately describes producing for the

June 2011 Planetarian 31 The April 25, 2011 article states “The (A pioneering example of integrating 3D physical technology of scientific re- projection into a dome setting was imple- search is still here—the new electron mented in the “Marvel Superheroes 3D” at- microscopes, the telescopes, the particle traction at Madame Tussauds London, which colliders—but they are now inseparable repurposed an existing planetarium. It com- from computing power, and it is the bines 2D projection onto the dome screen computers that let scientists find order with simultaneous 3D projection onto a sep- and patterns in the raw information arate, flat screen, and was produced by Kraft- that the physical tools gather.” Mor- werk Living Technologies.) rison Planetarium’s fulldome productions Life: A Cosmic Journey and Fragile Mark your calendars Planet are cited as examples. David Beining’s pioneering celebration of My own article on recent digital the- the digital dome medium, DomeFest ’11, is ater installations at museums, writ- forecast to take place in mid-October in Albu- ten for the Sept 2010 issue of Sound & querque, New Mexico, USA. For details, email Communications magazine, includes [email protected]. a profile of Morehead Planetarium’s The Giant Screen Cinema Association is new GlaxoSmithKline Fulldome The- working with IMERSA to address the digital ater. The article has since been reprint- Nanocam—a Trip into Biodiversity by El Exilio, Spain, convergence as it is now manifesting in spe- featured electron microsope images. This program and ed by five different publications, most cial venue dome theaters. Between the giant All We Are were the talk of IFF ‘11 in Portugal. Image recently the May edition of Informal screen cinema community and the fulldome courtesy Spitz, Inc. Learning Review newsletter. community there are many common con- Curator magazine is about to run its first cerns and overlapping markets; both sectors viewer-centric experience in the dome.” His article about fulldome and immersive appli- stand to benefit from this continuing dialog. presentations featured examples and sugges- cations of digital technology, written by Ed GSCA’s annual international conference tions of ways to release this creative potential. Lantz. It will appear in June or July. and trade show takes place 20-22 Sept at the At the time of this writing, Neafus was trav- In his article “Domes and 3D Envy,” pub- Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in eling in Europe and reported he had just visit- lished in the March 2011 issue of LF Examin- Austin, followed by Dome Day on 23 Sept at ed Planetarium Hamburg, where he met with er, a newsletter geared to the special-venue the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History. Director Thomas Kraupe (who also is IPS pres- cinema industry, Paul Fraser of Blaze Digi- Visit giantscreencinema.com for more details. ident-elect), and was on his way to the ADP tal Cinema Works explored the use of digital For IPS 2012 next July at the Irene W. Pen- German Planetarium meeting in Vienna, and projection systems that float a rectilinear, ste- nington Planetarium in Baton Rouge, Loui- then to Jena, Germany, for a fulldome stan- reoscopic 3D image on a portion of the dome siana, IMERSA is in discussions with the or- dards discussions during the annual Fulldome screen, enabling dome theaters to compete in ganizers and hosts about a special series of Film Festival there. the arena of 3D movie exhibition. fulldome/immersive cinema presentations. Prior to that, Neafus attended Navegar Fraser, a past member of the IMERSA Board, The details are yet to be determined. Foundation’s Immersive Film Festival at Cen- interviewed representatives of five theaters in Also coming in 2012 is the next IMERSA Full- tro Multimeios in Espinho, Portugal (29th the US and Europe that had installed the “In- dome Summit, to be held early in the year at April to 1st May), and provided an account: sert 3D” systems. All declared successful re- the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Exact “The world came to Espinho: IFF ‘11 was sults. dates and details are to be determined. I filled with professionals from Finland, Italy, Russia, Japan, Germany, France and America. Nanocam—a Trip into Biodiversity (El Exilio) and All We Are (the first fulldome production (Education, continued from Page 26) by the Norrkoping Visualization Center) were high school. stretched across the front of the planetarium. the talk of the show. The students read a brief summary of the Some of the student projects crossed into Global Immersion provided a colorful, four life cycle of stars (imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ other disciplines, such as an autobiography of channel LED projection system for IFF ’11. teachers/lifecycles/LC_main_p1.html). The a low-mass star at the end of its life cycle be- SCISS introduced new video player software students are given a sheet of paper and told to moaning the loss of all its high-mass friends, and prepared 40 shows for the festival.” divide it into four sections titled Formation, and a public service announcement on the On a melancholy note, Neafus also reported Main Sequence, Small Mass Death, and Large dangers of living in orbit of a high mass star. that “Images of smashed SONY SXRD projec- Mass Death, which provides the outline for It was very interesting to see that the stu- tors, following the earthquake in Japan, have the students to write their notes on the life a dents were more interested in the end of life sent shudders through the fulldome commu- star. phases of a star’s development than the main nity. Future availability of the specialized ver- At this point this is what would be called a sequence; an example of this is two students sions required for fulldome playback is in level 3/5 activity (in my planetarium) and it is working independently on computer-gen- question.” now up to the students to decide how to take erated imagery of the life cycle of stars spent it to level 5/5. two-thirds of the time looking at formation Digital domes in the press When given the opportunity to guide their of pulsars. However, as you can see, they pro- The New York Times quotes and pictures own upper level assignment, the students cre- duced two very different products, both hav- IMERSA founding board member Ryan Wy- ate a wide variety of outcomes. Some students ing strengths and weaknesses in the accuracy att, director of the Morrison Planetarium at cut the sections apart to make flash cards with of the portrayal of the information. the California Academy of Sciences, in the ar- a picture on one side and facts on the other. Remember that adding a little indepen- ticle “Digging Deeper, Seeing Farther: Super- There was a timeline of a life cycle of a star on dence to an activity can sometimes be the hook computers Alter Science” by John Markoff. receipt paper scaled to 1 mm = 1 million years, to have them stay interested in a topic. I

32 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 33 Don’t let your class fall through the cracks

Dr. Larry Krumenaker didn’t fall through the cracks, but his online publication did. Larry shared news of the start of his e-zine The Classroom Astronomer with us a while back and we’re late sharing it with you. Designed for the classroom teachers of astronomy, The Classroom Astronomer “is a quarterly PDF and printed publication designed as a practitioner journal…while centered at the high school level, it also provides tips, techniques and informative how-to articles for teachers of grades K-8 and undergraduate college “Astro 101” courses.” Krumenaker’s goal is to “increase the amount of astronomy in school systems and improve the skills of teachers.” Larry recently received his doctorate in science education; his dis- sertation, “The Status and Makeup of the Modern US High School Astronomy Course in the Era of No Child Left Behind,” included an extensive survey of high school principals and science teachers. His “High School Planetariums: Results of a Survey” appeared in the De- cember 2008 issue of the Planetarian. You can check out past and current issues at classroomastrono- mer.toteachthestars.net. A sample issue is available for download; otherwise the subscription price is US $15.00 per year for the PDF editions. Other rates are available for the print edition and com- bination PDF/print. I

Join us for a Texas-sized conference! We have a fabulous conference in store for this non-IPS conference year.

To learn more about WAC2011 or the Mayborn Planetarium, visit the new Western Alliance Conference website at www.wacdomes.org and register today!

WAC 2011 Register Online: CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE-KILLEEN www.wacdomes.org Uniview User Group July 25-26 Western Alliance Conference July 26-30

34 Planetarian June 2011 al background, in harmony with their music. International News The Cité de l’Espace from Toulouse performed a 3D film, realized by Olivier Gadal, animator Lars Broman of the planetarium. Teknoland and Strömstad Academy Synthetic images were constructed from Stångtjärnsv 132 real photos taken by the most recent space SE 791 74 Falun, Sweden probes sent by different countries. The film +46 2310 177 was projected on a big screen behind the or- [email protected], [email protected] chestra. The viewer, sitting comfortably in www.teknoland.se, www.stromstadakademi.se his seat, experienced the feeling of flying in a spaceship between the planets and their satel- My Canadian contributor, Scott Young, course on astronomy and the use of Digital lites. It was an effective way to discover classic sent me a nice conclusion after some email ex- planetariums for the teachers of Cabo. This music and make everyone understand that it change between us: “I can now relate to some course was taught by professors from the Frei is, as the conquest of space, the realm of won- of your difficulties tracking down submis- Rosário Observatory, from the Federal Univer- der and dream. sions…it’s like herding cats!” How right you sity of Minas Gerais. Didier Schreiner (didier.schreiner@laposte. are—but after all, I like the herding and appre- On a similar note, the Santa Maria Plane- net) organized the annual APLF event The ciate the work of all my sub- Spring of Planétariums on 19-27 March. Deep mitters. Forest1 was invited to give a concert inside The International News the Palais de l’Univers et des Sciences (PLUS) column is dependent on con- of Cappelle-la-Grande near Dunkerque in the tributions from IPS Affili- north of France. ate Associations all over the Eric Mouquet, the leader of Deep Forest, is world. Many thanks this time also a very famous astronomy photographer. to Agnès Acker, Vadim Belov, He reinterpreted his repertory in an excep- Bart Benjamin, Gail Chaid, Al- tional series of short live concerts while the exandre Cherman, Alex De- spectators were experiencing a video fuldome livorias, Jack Dunn, John trip from our nearby solar suburb to distant Hare, Shaaron Leverment, Lo- galaxies. It was a great moment, some sort of ris Ramponi, Mike Smith, and osmosis between his music and the sky. Eric is Scott Young for your con- very interested in collaborations with plane- tributions. Upcoming dead- tariums around the world. lines are 1 July for Planetari- an 3/2011 and 1 October for ABP: The teachers from Cabo, just about to start their training in a Association of Italian Planetaria 4/2011. Anyone who wants to planetarium. Courtesy of Frei Rosário Observatory. The sky has told humanity’s history since contribute news from parts of ancient times. Every culture of the past has the world where IPS has no told myths and legends about naked-eye stars. Association (see page 3) is wel- For this reason, most stars have a name that come to send them to Martin recalls their most important characteristics George, martingeorge3@hot- through time. mail.com. Dedicating a star is a way to reclaim the sky, which we don’t see any more with wonder be- Association of cause much of it is hidden by light pollution Brazilian and the pace of modern life leaves little time Planetariums to the quiet and calm necessary to contem- Planetariums abound in plate the sky and recognize regularities and Brazil! The city of Cabo de variations. Santo Agostinho (Cape of St. Aware of this, the Starlab group of the A. Augustine), part of the Great- Volta Technical High School and the I. Danti er Recife (capital of the state Planetarium in Perugia has devised the initia- tive “Dedicate a Star to Someone.” It is a pres- of Pernambuco), has just AFP: Eric Mouquet of Deep Forest in the PLUS Planetarium. Cour- bought eight digital planetar- tesy of Didier Garnier. ent for special moments to remember, a small iums. Cabo has a little under piece of the sky history. It consists of: 200,000 inhabitants, but the whole metropol- tarium is retiring its Zeiss Spacemaster optical itan area it is part of has over 3.5 million peo- projector and installing a Digistar 4 system in 1 Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. ple. its 12.5-m (42-ft.) dome. Good luck to them! They compose a new kind of world music, some- The equipment was bought from Hiper- times called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with Lab, the Brazilian representative for Digitalis. Association of French-Speaking electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats. They will be used in 6-m inflatable domes that Planetariums Their sound has been described as an “ethno-intro- will be semi-permanently installed in schools On 31 March and 1 April, the orchestral spective ambient world music.” They were nominat- ed for a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best World Mu- suite The Planets by Gustav Holst was inter- throughout the city. Cabo City Hall plans to sic Album, and in 1995 they won the Award for the keep them fixed for around a year and then preted by the Philharmonic Orchestra of album Boheme. The group also became World Music change their location. Strasbourgn in the Palais des Congrès from Awards Winner-French group with the highest 1995 As part of the deal, HiperLab sponsored a Strasbourg. The Orchestra asked for a visu- world sales. Their albums have sold over 10 million copies. Source: Wikipedia

June 2011 Planetarian 35 •• A certificate that lists the most important also messages, presentations, and a short talk scientific data and observation of the star, using Skype. To devote a small space of a con- the history about the star, and a short ex- ference to a virtual discussion could be useful cerpt from a classic text or other text to be to involve colleagues from abroad during a re- dedicated. gional planetarium meeting. •• A projection in the planetarium to identify As usual, the International Day of Planetar- the points of reference to get bearings in the ia is not only an opportunity to meet directly night sky and then the recognition of the with the public, it also gives us the chance to dedicated star in the celestial sphere and in experiment with new ways to popularize as- the real sky (weather permitting). tronomy. At Ravenna’s Planetarium, this year During the 26th national Conference of the story of the moon was featured with an Planit, the Italian Association of Planetaria, in educational workshop divided into four sec- Padua and Crespano del Grappa, there was a tions, from the discovery of the true shape of large participation of planetarium manufac- the moon (demonstrated by ancient Greek Astrophysicist Roland Bacon in “13 hours and turers. In particular some of participants pre- Philosopher Parmenides) to the discovery and dust.” Image courtesy Company Hallet Eghayan. sented new planetarium shows. observation of moon craters. One of the initiatives of the meeting was A section of the workshop was quite differ- The Cosmological Dance the first Italian fulldome festival, which is ex- ent from the traditional approach: if featured Planetariums are familiar with the pected to continue in future years. the life of Galileo Galilei using a small theater blending of science and art through beau- In fact, the production of planetarium called Kamishibai. tiful images and music. In France, Michel shows in the Italian language continues to in- Traditional Kamishibai developed in Japan Hallet Eghayan has taken the fusion a crease in relation with the new facilities being during the period between the two World step farther and brought dance under the installed in Italy. The latest planetarium with Wars as a result of three factors: the wide- dome. a dome of more than 20 meters, which makes spread use of the bicycle, the economic crisis “13 hours and dust” is a dance confer- it the biggest in Italy, started its activities in an that hit the country between the 1920s and ence on the origin of the universe featur- amusement park not so far from Rome. 1930s, and the appearance of sound movies. ing astrophysicist Roland Bacon from the The first Ka- National Centre for Scientific Research, mishibai artists, in Paris, and two dancers of the Company fact, were for the Hallet Eghayan. most part narra- The production, initiated in 2009, is tors of Benshi, a supported by the Confluence Museum of discipline of com- Lyon in collaboration with the Planetari- mentators of silent um of Vaulx-en-Velin. movies with good The Company Hallet Eghayan (www. dramatic intensi- ciehalleteghayan.org) was founded in ty. The introduc- Lyon in 1977 by Eghayan, co-founder of tion of sound film the Maison de la Danse. “13 hours” is not made the work of his only science-based work; he also has thousands of Ben- arranged “Dancing with the evolution” shi narrators obso- and will finish the artistic science trilogy lete, and they con- with “Tree.” verted themselves “13 hours” presents cosmology on a to the activity of scale of a billion years to an hour, so the street storytell- history of the universe becomes a matter ing. These story- of a half-day, or “13 hours and dust.” tellers were named The dance is presented in three acts. Act Kamishibaiya I, or The Beginning, is the “dance of the AIP: Planetarium of Specola Don P. Chiavacci, 6-meter dome with semiautomat- and they moved ic projector from Columbia Optics. Courtesy of Centro di Spiritualita’ e Cultura first second,” a dance of separation show- “Don Paolo Chiavacci” di Crespano del Grappa, site of the National Planetarium around the coun- ing how the universe evolved from a state Conference this past April. try by bike. of energy and exotic particles to the state The beginning when matter dominated. Among the speakers at the latest national of the Second World War (for Japan in 1941) Act II is The Domination of Matter, conference was Professor Joseph Ciotti from gave the first blow to the Kamishibai, since or “from the first second and now,” is a Hawaii, American winner of the “2011 Week many artists had left for the army, and the dance of the dominance of matter over in Italy” that has been organized since 1996 in economic crisis did not leave much money to radiation. Stars are born and die; galaxies collaboration with the IPS Mobile Planetari- pay for any entertainment. In the 1950s, the are formed and the structure of the uni- um Committee. advent of TV almost buried the Kamishibai verse takes shape; elements, atoms, and Ciotti met Italian students in the planetar- street storytellers, but the Kamishibai was so complex molecules appear. iums of Perugia, Brescia and Farra d’Isonzo popular that the first name given to the TV Life appears on Earth in the final sec- (Gorizia). The planetarium lessons were in was Denki-Kamishibai, or electric Kamishibai. onds of this act, at “13 hours and dust.” English, making it an original way to learn a And where is astronomy? On 20 March, Act III is The Fate of the Universe, a foreign language and to know more about as- the planetarium hosted Mattia Guberti, a Ka- dance of science to evoke the possible sce- tronomy at the same time. mishibaiya who lives in Ravenna. With his narios of infinite expansion, slow expan- During the Italian conference there were Kamishibai he told us about the life and dis- sion, or contraction. I

36 Planetarian June 2011 coveries of Galileo Galilei. It was a terrific suc- and informed about the subject matter plus a new TELUS World of Science is proceeding cess, both for children and their parents, so chance to see what is on offer in the planetari- apace with staff expecting to move into the other astronomy-Kamishibai stories will cer- um world for schools children. new facility in late summer in preparation for tainly be presented in the planetarium in the BAP would also like to extend an invita- a grand opening in late 2011. See www.imagin- future. tion to the conference to all IPS members. In- eaction.ca for details. ternational planetarium professionals who The existing science center, which opened British Association of would like to join us as speakers or visitors in in 1967 as the Calgary Centennial Planetar- Planetariums September are more than welcome. Please get ium, will close 27 June with the close of the The British Association of Planetaria con- in touch with Shaaron Leverment on presi- current blockbuster Titanic the Artifacts Ex- ference has moved to 9-10 September 2011. As [email protected] and she hopes to see hibition. The facility will then be empty of the usual dates in early May now clash with so you there. all exhibits and the existing Discovery Dome many other conferences and events, the BAP will be decommissioned, with only some the- council thought they would give the hard- Canadian Association of Science ater equipment moving to the new facility. working vendors a bit of a break and resched- Centres Most of the equipment is 15 years old. ule for a later conference. The Canadian Association of Science Cen- The vendors for the new tilt-dome Discov- The venue is the World Museum in Liver- tres, the umbrella organization for planetari- ery Dome II Theatre have been selected: Evans pool, an amazing site right in the heart of the ums, science centers and science museums in & Sutherland will supply a Digistar 4 system, city that is right at the heart of the UK. Liver- Canada, hosted its annual conference in Sud- using projectors and a configuration to be de- pool itself overflows with history, music and bury this June. One of the panel presentations termined in consultation with E&S. Bowen culture. There are more museums and galler- involved planetarians from several Canadian Technovation will supply the audio, lighting ies here than anywhere in the UK outside of facilities who examined novel ways to use the and automation package. Spitz Space Systems London, so the conference provides a great planetarium format for education and enter- is supplying the new dome. Contact and in- opportunity to take a trip to this friendly and tainment. formation is available from Alan Dyer at alan. vibrant city. The final conference meal will be Several Canadian planetariums contributed [email protected]. at the stunning Anglican cathedral, complete to the outreach section of the Canadian Astro- Manitoba: The Manitoba Planetarium is with tours of the towers. nomical Society’s Long-Range Plan for astron- getting back into in-house show production This year it will again be a joint event with omy in Canada, emphasizing the usefulness of after several years of running pre-produced the Association of Astronomy Education planetariums as an outreach hub for dissem- content. Two shows are in pre-development: a (AAE) and therefore will include a teachers’ af- inating Canadian research and discoveries to general audience feature show on the sun and ternoon focusing on hands-on astronomy ed- the general public. northern lights, and a children’s show with a ucation with the hope to get teachers inspired Calgary: In Calgary, construction of the yet-to-be-named children’s entertainer.

allsky.de - t. kwasnitschka, w. ermgassen u. ges. gbr am doerpsdiek 37 phone: +49 700 allskyde wherever 24109 melsdorf / kiel fax: +49 4340 4192945 germany www.allsky.de / [email protected]

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June 2011 Planetarian 37 In addition, research has begun on the pur- sociate minister of Culture Tilemachos Chiti- The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at chase of a small all-dome video system as a ris and distinguished guests, paid tribute to a Parkland College in Champaign opened the transitional system from the 35mm slide all- living legend, whose music and fight for free- spring season with their own Spring Prairie sky projectors. This new system will supple- dom continues to inspire. Skies, as well as Secrets of the Sun and Solar Sys- ment the Zeiss and other video systems, and The Eugenides Planetarium premiered on 3 tem Safari. The planetarium once again of- will provide valuable experience in using and March its latest digital production, Windows fered merit badge workshops in the spring, producing for the all-dome environment. For to the Universe, a planetarium show focusing with two Girl Scout Sky Search Badge sessions more information, contact Scott Young, scy- on the main tools used by astronomers to un- in April and two Boy Scout Astronomy ses- [email protected]. ravel the secrets of the cosmos. sions in May. Vancouver: The HR Macmillan Space Cen- The show is an audiovisual tour de force The Cernan Earth & Space Center of Triton tre in Vancouver celebrated Yuri’s night for from Galileo’s first observations to the ground- College premiered its first three-screen vid- the first time in April 2011. The event marked based telescopes of the future and from the eo presentation in January, and is now work- the move of the center into adult-focused Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful par- ing to convert two additional slide-based pro- events and programming to expand the mar- ticle accelerator, to ket. Rob Appleton will be attending the IPS our state-of-the-art Council meeting this summer to make one space observatories, last pitch for the Vancouver IPS 2014 bid. Con- highlighting human- tact Rob Appleton, [email protected], kind’s continuing ef- for more information. forts to comprehend Edmonton: The TELUS World of Science the inner workings in Edmonton has upgraded its computer com- of the universe. ponents for the Sky-Skan Digital Sky 2 sys- On the same eve- tem in the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre in ning, the temporary order to run the newer version of the soft- art exhibition Win- ware, which has many new additions and dows to the Universe which really makes a difference in their live by Vasiliki Sargolo- sky shows. With this upgrade they have pur- gou was also inaugu- chased enough computers to give a complete- rated. ly redundant system to switch over to, should On 2 February, the the main system encounter problems. Eugenides Founda- The show One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Ad- tion hosted another venture started running to sold out audiences impressive astropho- GLPA: An interior view of the new planetarium at Eastern Michigan Univer- sity in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Pictured are (from left) Professor Norbert Vance, in February 2011. This show has really been a tography exhibition, observatory director, and Department Head of Physics and Astronomy and success and really shows that the planetarium this time by Greek Planetarium Director Dr. James Carroll. Photo courtesy of Eastern Michigan needs better stroller parking! photographer Lou- University. The current line up of fulldome shows for kas Hapsis. With his public programs include Molecularium, The Observers of Time collection, Hapsis invited grams to this new digital format. Most of its Dawn of the Space Age, Tales of the Maya Skies, the audience to participate in a stellar journey slide-based programs will similarly be con- One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure, Se- to the “land of the Moai,” the monolithic hu- verted in the months ahead. cret of the Cardboard Rocket and the live sky man figures carved from rock on the Polyne- Indiana. Dr. Ron Kaitchuck of the Ball State show just called The Digital Universe. School sian Easter Island. All the exhibition photos University Planetarium reports that fund rais- programs continue to offer these in addition were taken in July 2010, before, during and af- ing for a major expansion of the planetarium to Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Tele- ter the total solar eclipse of 11 July. continues to go well. The new facility will scope and The Planets. Contact Frank Flori- On Tuesday 22 March, the Eugenides Plane- have a 40-foot diameter dome and a fully-in- an, FFlorian@telusworldofscienceedmonton. tarium organized a special event dedicated to tegrated digital/analog hybrid star projector. com, for further information. The Science and Art of Fractals. During that Art Klinger, director of the P-H-M Planetar- evening capacity crowds had the opportuni- ium in Mishawaka, has announced that the European/Mediterranean ty to enjoy a planetarium show of the same P-H-M Planetarium will soon be converting Planetarium Association name produced by Jonathan Wolfe and the to fulldome digital video. The vendor was to In Athens, Professor Dimitri Nanopoulos, Fractals Foundation, and introduced by Tasos have been decided in early May. They hope to the eminent particle physicist from Texas Boundis, professor of mathematics at the Uni- open the P-H-M Digital Video Theater in early A&M University and national representative versity of Patras. September of 2011. of Greece in CERN, gave on 18 October 2010 a Alan Pareis, director of the Edwin Clark popular lecture on dark matter that attracted Great Lakes Planetarium Schouweiler Memorial Planetarium, Univer- such a large crowd that it filled the Eugenides Association sity of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, reports that Foundation’s large auditorium and two adja- Illinois. Lakeview Museum continued to WinterFest II was held in late February and cent lecture halls. offer its “Wine & Cheese Under the Stars” se- early March. The first weekend offered Sky- On Monday 20 December 2010, the Eugen- ries through April. The twelfth running of Lase laser shows. The second weekend saw ides Foundation had the honor of celebrating their Interplanetary 5K was held on 9 April. the premiere of their first new public show the 85th birthday of the Greek national com- The parking structure for the new Peoria Riv- in three years, which is an adaptation of the poser Mikis Theodorakis, screening the ten- erfront Museum has been completed, and the Bishop Planetarium’s The Explorers of Polyne- minute audiovisual show The Earth Song, in- construction for the museum is now under sia. spired by the composer’s symphony of the way. The scheduled opening date is 20 Octo- Michigan. Southfield’s Vollbrecht Plane- same name. Various speakers, including the as- ber 2012. tarium will present eight Friday night spring

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FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com/fulldome_shows June 2011 Planetarian SHOW DISTRIBUTION39 Contact: Mike Bruno [email protected] T: 610.459.5200 public shows. Door prizes will be given out astronomy and ev- each night, as well as a grand prize on the fi- eryday life. nal night. Except for private shows, the dome Wisconsin/ will remain dark until the fall series starts up Minnesota. As the on 23 September. 50th anniversa- After the very successful Intergalactic ry of the first wom- Grand Opening of their original production an’s flight in space Skeeter Scarecrow’s Starry Sky in January, the approaches, the Longway Planetarium in Flint continued the University of Wis- program until the beginning of May. Skeeter consin-Milwau- is a program for grades 3-5 and covers Moon kee Manfred Olson phases, seasonal constellations, and the plan- Planetarium is cele- ets. brating the signifi- The Shiras Planetarium in Marquette con- cant contributions tinues to support the local astronomy club by of ground-based hosting their quarterly meetings, participat- female astrono- ing in public observing sessions, and being a mers. These mod- member of the Night Sky Network. In addi- ern women include tion, they helped form a student astronomy Margaret Burbidge club at the local area high school and hosted (nucleosynthesis), a telescope workshop for astronomy students. Wendy Freedman The Department of Physics and Astronomy (age of the universe), at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) proud- Jane Luu (Kuiper ly debuted the new EMU Planetarium to the Belt objects), Vera university community at the New Science Rubin (dark matter), GPPA: (Top) Rick Building Open House on 26 January. The new and Jill Tarter (SETI). Henderson (left) and EMU Planetarium is a 37-seat facility with am The Charles Hor- Bentley Ousley with the BRT-110; (Bot- 8.4 m (28 ft.) domed ceiling, a Digitalis Epsilon witz Planetarium in tom) Ousley and planetarium projector, a high-definition pre- Waukesha, Wiscon- Rick Henderson out- sentation projector, 7.1 Dolby surround sound, sin is presenting a side the Gottlieb LED lighting and a SMART board. new seasonal show, Planetarium. Photos The Kalamazoo Valley Museum Planetari- produced in-house, by Jack Dunn. um is currently producing two new planetar- called Spring Sky Leg- ium shows: one about the year 2012 and the ends. supposed end of the world and the other titled Hundreds of float- Treasures of the Great Lakes, which is a night ing hearts and stars sky program for summer vacation months. filled the Milwau- The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium in Grand kee Public Muse- Rapids recently presented Our Bodies in Space um’s Daniel M. Soref in coordination with the Grand Rapids Public Planetarium sky for their original production consin-La Crosse Planetarium presented Astro- Museum’s preserved human specimen exhib- of Romancing the Stars Valentine show. nomically Correct (produced by the Minneap- it Bodies Revealed. In March, the planetarium Every winter, Minnesota State University- olis Planetarium) for Earth Week/Earth Day. presented its 4th annual Vernal Equinox Light Moorhead features a planetarium show espe- Show Festival. cially for children. This year, that show is The Great Plains Planetarium The Detroit Science Center’s Dassault Sys- Case of the Disappearing Planet from the Bays Association témes Planetarium opened its latest presenta- Mountain Planetarium in Kingsport, Tennes- “Bad Astronomer” Phil Plait spoke in Feb- tion Dinosaur Planet, based on the E-Planetar- see. ruary at University of Nebraska-Kearney’s ium show about four dinosaur communities “The Minnesota Planetarium Society Planetarium, giving presentations on both and how climate change doomed these in- changed your astrological sign!”—or at least, his books and, despite an impending ice and credible creatures. Production continues to that’s what most news sources reported in the snow storm, spreading the word about ratio- move forward on SunStruck-Fury of the Day- story that went viral in January. The “villain” nal thinking. Star, a show exploring the sun and NASA’s So- was Parke Kunkle, an astronomy professor Mueller Planetarium at University of Ne- lar Dynamics Observatory. and a member of the MPS board. He innocent- braska-Lincoln had another marriage propos- Ohio. Matt Young’s astronomy class at ly responded to the local paper’s inquiry to ex- al take place in its theater. They again recruit- the Euclid High School Planetarium was fea- pand on a December 2010 online post about ed a fake audience for a show arranged by the tured in the Willoughby News-Herald last the long-known discrepancy. prospective groom. And she did say “yes.” November. This regional newspaper, which The media took hold of it and many wrong- At King Planetarium in Omaha, Jack North- serves communities east of Cleveland, visited ly reported that a “Minnesota astronomer dis- up’s grant has resulted in a new render farm Young’s junior-senior class and interviewed covered that the zodiac is off!” The MPS offic- of high-powered Mac Pro computers com- several enthusiastic students. es were overwhelmed with the response to plete with 68-cm (27-inch) monitors. These At the Bowling Green State University Plan- this story. As a small organization trying to are already in use by middle school students etarium, Dale Smith has been running BG Fest raise millions to build a new planetarium, all in their Blender projects for fulldome. 2011, featuring programs he has created over press is good press! Jack Dunn is most happy to report that he the years that show the connection between On Saturday 16 April the University of Wis- spoke in March to the Astronomical Society

40 Planetarian June 2011 of Kansas City at their club meeting in Gott- by John Scala, MAPS Education Committee lieb Planetarium at Science City in Union Sta- chairperson, was cited by NASA’s Space Place tion. He felt certain that if not for the volun- program office for its efforts in community teer efforts of the ASKC, the Gottlieb would outreach. The certificate of appreciation rec- have closed. ognizes the efforts made in the areas of tech- The planetarium has an 18-m (60-ft.) dome. nology, science, education, and inspiration. This created even more of a challenge as the During his 24-year tenure as director, John has main star projector was completely inoper- hosted nearly 59,000 visitors inside his 53-seat ative. The costs of any of the main fulldome Spitz 512 theater. systems for a dome that size was far beyond Spitz is working with Don Knapp, director the resources of Science City, at least for the of Multimedia Experiences, with the reloca- foreseeable future. ASKC members, as volun- tion of Centennial School District’s planetar- teers, had produced some programs for the ium, the Special Experience Room, located planetarium using standard video and then in Warminster, Pennsylvania. The planetari- tackled fulldome using Paul Bourke’s mir- um will be receiving a new 12-m (40-ft.) dome, ror technique. They built their own system, new console for their existing SciDome, and now dubbed the BRT-110 (so named for Bent- new lighting and sound systems by August. ley Ousley, Rick Henderson and Tom Deffet, the members who helped create the projec- Nordic Planetarium Association tion setup). The NPA’11 Conference will take place The planetarium is now giving regular 2-4 September at Children’s Science Centre shows and the day Dunn was there the late Tehnoannas pagrabi (Cellars of the Techno- show of the afternoon was full. Science City Ann) in Riga, the capital of Latvia (www.pa- seems pleased and supportive, but Dunn gives grabi.lv). the tribute to Ousley, Henderson and Deffet, Saturday highlights include a trip to Old who, as non-paid volunteers, felt strongly that Riga and Art Nouveau streets of Riga. A session the planetarium should not be allowed to in CSC Tehnoannas Pagrabi is included in the NPA: Shoes left outside the planetarium of close. schedule. Tehnoannas pagrabi, Riga, Latvia. Courtesy of Technoannas pagrabi. In the future, perhaps some source of fund- On Sunday, the sessions will be devoted to ing will allow the planetarium to move for- participants’ presentations and a membership ward with a full renovation. Thanks to their meeting. There will be some demonstrations remodel for his own planetarium at West Val- work, the citizens of Kansas City can still by vendors as well. ley College in Saratoga, California. The vast reach for the stars. Participants need to register and pay the fee project includes help from Ash Enterprises, Dunn finally hopes that everyone in the before 10 August. Register by sending an email Bowen Technovation and Phil Groce from western U.S. knows of the Western Alliance to Conference Host Dace Balodi, dace@pagra- Helping Planetariums Succeed. The Spitz A4 Conference to be held in Killeen, Texas 26- bi.lv, giving your name, affiliation, email ad- will continue to be used for a while at least 30 July. For details, see the website. www.wac- dress, and, if you want to give a presentation, and astronomy classes continue to be taught domes.org and page X. the title of your talk. using Voyager Skygazer software while the The conferences fee is 85€, which includes new dome and planetarium are remodeled. Middle Atlantic Planetarium dinners, lunches, breaks, and the Saturday ex- Alan Gould ([email protected]) from Society cursion. the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, Cali- Mark Percy, Director of the Williamsville A post-conference tour to Ventspils is in fornia says the latest news from their planetar- Space Lab Planetarium in Williamsville, New the planning; information about this is avail- ium is about a split-screen moon phase movie York has established a high school work study able from Dace, [email protected], phone +371 now available with the Moons of the Solar Sys- program. Instead of having a study hall, stu- 26333182. Additional information about the tem planetarium show. It is a free download. dents can work in the planetarium editing schedule, meals, transportation, accommoda- More information is available at lawrence- graphics, writing scripts, and testing programs tions and other details also is available by con- hallofscience.org/pass/AST207&307.html. on a fisheye view renderer. tacting the conference host. It was originally part of the Planetarium Ac- Percy and two students recently finished tivities for Student Success (PASS) Series. Sky- converting the planetarium programs Fol- Pacific Planetarium Association Skan distributes the entire series of planetari- low the Drinking Gourd and Hotter Than Blue. PPA President Benjamin Mendelsohn en- um shows from Lawrence Hall of Science on Dome masters of both programs were offered courages PPA members to attend the 2011 DVDs as Interact! PASS Classic. For informa- during the MAPS conference in May and are Western Alliance Conference (WAC) in Ki- tion, see www.skyskan.com/products/classi- available to interested individuals. Contact leen, Texas, 26-30 July. It will be held at the cal/interact. Percy at [email protected] for Killeen Conference and Civic Center and the The California economy is down, so inno- more information. Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater on vative planetarians find ways to market and Conversions of other classic programs are the campus of Central Texas College. The raise attendance in their communities. in progress, along with a project involving theme is “Evolution or Extinction: Thriv- Nick Stobel (nstrobel@bakersfieldcollege. Thinktank Planetarium in Leicester, UK to ing in a Climate of Change, Technology and edu) at William M. Thomas Planetarium, Ba- convert their Digistar show titled Written in Funding Possibilities.” More information is at kersfield College, says he gives evening pro- the Stars: Chinese Astronomy, slated to be fin- www.wacdomes.org or from Chuck Rau, May- grams and works on marketing for field trips. ished during the summer. born Planetarium, [email protected]. General public programs consistently sell The Lenape Valley Regional High School Mendelsohn himself (benjamin_men- out. He writes a column for the local newspa- Planetarium, Stanhope, New Jersey, directed [email protected] is in the middle of a per about the night sky and other astronomy

June 2011 Planetarian 41 news. The column appears the first sian Army in Moscow. Konstantin and third Saturday of the month. He Portsevsky, former director of the does this for free and it is free adver- Big Moscow Planetarium, died on 28 tising for the planetarium programs. March. The whole epoch in the his- The website also helps with market- tory of this planetarium is related to ing. He keeps the presentations fresh him. The reconstructed Big Moscow and updated by offering a tour of the Planetarium will open its doors for night sky using the GOTO Chronos. the first visitors on 12 June, the Rus- Karl von Ahnen (vonahnenKarl@ sian Independence Day. fhda.edu) of Fijitsu Planetarium, Nizhny Novgorod. A new syn- DeAnza College in Cupertino, Cali- thetic fulldome/live-music concert fornia, says their field trip numbers program Harmony Gardens was de- are going up. They sell tickets online livered for the first time on 7 March and it helps attendance. They also under the big dome of the Nizhny have a fund for low income students Novgorod Planetarium. Fulldome and schools. Corporations and indi- installations and laser shows on the viduals can donate for one student, a 16-meter dome and unusual acoustics class, or a full planetarium. There is a immerse visitors into a fairy atmo- good reserve for schools who want to sphere of virtual images decorated by take advantage of the donations. live music and a wonderful soprano. The College of Southern Nevada A special Gagarin Lesson was deliv- (CSN) Planetarium and the NASA/ ered in Nizhny Novgorod Planetari- Nevada Regional Educator Resource um on 9 March, Yuri Gagarin’s birth- Center are working with the CSN De- day. School children saw films on the partment of Education on a grant to first cosmonaut and met veterans of provide STEM experiences for pre-ser- cosmonautics and journalists. Svetla- vice teachers. Co-PIs are Dr. Dale Eth- na Seyfi, a teacher from school No. 66 ridge ([email protected]), plane- named after Gagarin, demonstrated a tarium director, and Dr. Dale Warby, school flag sent to the International Education Department chair. Space Station and returned back. The lessons are 20-30 minutes. Les- On 22 March, Russian cosmonaut sons/activities are conducted imme- Fedor Yurchikhin opened his person- diately following the planetarium al photo exhibition Our Home: Earth presentations. CSN students receive a composed of over 60 large-scale col- $100 stipend upon completion of the ored photos of various areas on our activity and up to $100 to cover the planet shot from the International cost of materials. The pilot program Space Station. is funded by a $10,000 grant from The title list, among others, in- NASA Nevada Space Grant Consor- cludes Atlantic Typhoon, Wildfires tium. in Greece, The Grand Canyon, As- Gail Chaid is the current IPS repre- wan Reservoir, Sahara and Barkhans, sentative and contributes news from Nighttime Italy, Gletcher in Patago- PPA. She retired from the planetari- nia, Pyramids of Giza, Victoria Falls, um business in 2008 and she would Midnight Moscow, Delta of Volga, like to move on to researching the ge- New York, London, Paris, and, last nealogy for the many branches of her but not the least, Nizhny Novgorod. family. If anyone would like to take Kirov. Marina Kislitsyna, head of over this PPA-IPS representative vol- the planetarium, participated in the unteer position, please write to her at International Educational Forum [email protected]. Job description: Our New School on 23 March. The write the PPA news for the Interna- RPA: (Top) Left to right: Kirov figure skater O. Domnina and Russian meeting was dedicated to discussions tional News column of the Plane- cosmonauts A. Serebrov, V. Savinykh, V.Kovalenok, and A. Volkov. of ways to implement the nation- Photo by Marina Kislitsyna. (Center) Cosmonaut Fedor Yurchikhin tarian four times a year, attend IPS al education program. She present- shows docking to the ISS at the “Soyuz-TMA” spacecraft flight sim- council meetings each summer, and ulator at the “Cosmonautics” hall of the Nizhny Novgorod Planetari- ed the project “Stars for Everyone, or represent PPA at the council meet- um. Photo by Vadim Belov. (Bottom) Yurchikhin also spoke with the School Planetarium as a Center for ings. It is hoped you will consider do- children and answered questions. Photo by Nikolai Lapin. Natural-Science Education.” ing this volunteer position. The city research and practice conference Russian Cosmonautics and Russian Planetarium Association ny Novgorod, Podolsk (Moscow region), and School Education: Ways of Integration was at- Recently a few Russian popular-science Yaroslavl, as well as a review analytical article tended by planetarians Tatyana Zhbanniko- journals, including Zemlia i vselennaya (The Planetariums in Russia. va and Elena Gorshkova. They delivered the Earth and the Universe) by the Russian Acad- Moscow. The latest School of Planetari- talks “Contemporary Research Program for emy of Sciences, published a number of arti- um Educators was held 1-3 March at the Plan- Space Exploration” and “Issues of Cosmonau- cles on Russian planetariums in Barnaul, Nizh- etarium of the Cultural Center of the Rus- tics in Planetarium Activities,” respective-

42 Planetarian June 2011 SATURN: JEWEL OF THE HEAVENS

BLACK HOLES

EXTREME PLANETS

HUBBLE HAS NOTHING ON US.

SECRET OF THE CARBOARD ROCKET

The imagination and creativity of our original digital dome productions are so fantastic, you’ll think our animators actually live in space. Or at least get to borrow the keys to the Hubble on the weekends. Talk to us about what these productions will do for your planetarium. Contact Mike Murray at [email protected] • 801-456-4949 • clarkplanetarium.org/distribution June 2011 Planetarian 43

3429-1_HubbleHasNothing_Planetarium_8.5x11_F.indd 1 1/13/11 11:09:50 AM ly. Special guests of the planetarium and the tures from outstanding scientists and speak- astrology, 2012 end of the world, whatev- museum of cosmonautics were Russian cos- ers, homework to read, and each participant er), and that it’s all right to have people leave monauts A. Serebrov, V. Savinykh, V. Kovale- was required to come up with an action plan thinking and wondering, rather than with all nok, and A. Volkov. The idea of establishing that would use NASA resources and what we questions answered. an Aerospace Center comprising a new plane- learned in the webinar to create an exhib- “I found the ‘Six Americas’ segment par- tarium was discussed. it, write a brochure, and develop a poster or a ticularly interesting. The Yale Project on Cli- Novosibirsk. A popular astronomy activi- workshop or something. mate Change Communication surveyed sev- ty is very high in this region. Astronomy Days “The theme was communicating about cli- eral thousand people to determine what they are delivered four times a year at a number of mate change. Many of the interpreters par- know or believe about climate change. Some sites in the city. People can observe stellar ob- ticipating face the same challenges we plane- of those most doubtful that it exists had more jects using high-quality optical instruments as tarium folk have: educating the public about correct information on some points than well as take photos with personal photo and fairly complex issues while battling doubtful- those in the ‘alarmed’ category. I would be in- video cameras. to-really-incorrect input from the media. terested to hear if other countries have con- Such events attract new visitors to the “There’s an excellent web site about the ducted similar surveys, and what results they planetarium and, no less important, future webinar at www.earthtosky.org/etse.html. found. Just what do people around the world students to the Siberian Geodesic Academy The speakers and course contributors are list- know about climate change? where the planetarium is operated. ed there, along with some of the action plans “One of my colleagues here found an excel- The 5th Siberian Astronomical Forum SI- people in previous courses have developed. lent climate change resource at www.with- BASTRO was organized in Novosibirsk in Sep- “One of the points made was that, as inter- outhotair.com. Professor MacKay, from Cam- tember 2010. It welcomed over 450 attendees preters, we’re used to being the answer source. bridge University, has written a terrific book: from Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Taganrog, Tomsk, Come ask your question and we’ll give you Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air, Moscow, and other Russian cities, as well as the answer. which can be downloaded for free from this from Kazakhstan and Ukraine. “This course challenged us to really listen site. It’s about numbers, not adjectives, and Up to 500 people joined an astronomical to what people are saying (particularly if they contains easy-to-follow information.” festive event in the district center Krasnozer- disagree with us), to engage them in thinking Further information regarding SEPA is skoe on the evening of 15 October. The num- about the issue (whatever it is: climate change, available at sepadomes.org. I ber of people present at the site increased up to 1000 later on that night. They observed the moon, Jupiter and its Galilean moons, stellar New resources from the ASP heaven, and the surroundings of Krasnozer- skoe when the sky was cloudy. Andrew Fraknoi from the nonprofit Astro- communicative life in the universe at www. Tomsk. Various popular science, educa- nomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) shares astrosociety.org/education/publications/ tional, and cultural institutions of Tomsk re- three new resources for educators, outreach tnl/77/77.html. gion are involved in fulfillment of a very rich professionals, journalists, and astronomy en- In addition to a nice historical summary of regional program of events dedicated to the thusiasts: the equation and how it is used, the issues in- Russian Cosmonautics Year RCY-2011. Tomsk Prof. Michael Brown (Caltech) explains clude resources and classroom activities on Planetarium issued a few multimedia shows, “How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Com- this topic. (All 77 issues of the newsletter are such as Interesting Facts from the History of Cos- ing” in a free podcast in the Silicon Valley As- available free of charge on the web site; they monautics, Our Gagarin, and Dogs in Space. tronomy Lecture Series from Jan. 19th, 2011. cover many topics in astronomy of interest to Find it at www.astrosociety.org/education/ those teaching astronomy in our schools and Southeastern Planetarium podcast/index.html. museums.) Association In this wonderfully personal and humor- In light of the recent media interest in prob- SEPA President April Whitt assumed office ous talk, Dr. Brown explains exactly what hap- lems with astrology (such as the fact that the on the first of January 2011. SEPA is privileged pened and didn’t happen when astronomers astrological signs and the astronomical con- to have her leadership qualities for the next reached the controversial new definition of a stellations are no longer lined up), the ASP is two years as is evi- planet. pleased to present a revised and updated ver- denced by the fol- “The Universe in the Classroom” Newslet- sion of its long-popular article examining lowing report she ter on teaching astronomy celebrates the 50th astronomy from an astronomical perspec- furnished from an anniversary of the Drake Equation—the for- tive and suggesting some embarrassing ques- on-line activity in mula proposed by Frank Drake that helps sci- tions that help put astrology into perspective: which she partic- entists estimate the likelihood of intelligent, www.astrosociety.org/astrology.pdf. I ipated. Her report contains information that is benefi- Hamilton Scholarship website up and running cial to all planetari- The Hamilton Planetarium Scholarship zens or legal residents attending accredited ed- um educators. In her Fund, Inc. now has a website: planetarium- ucational institutions in the United States or own words: scholars.webs.com. possessions.

SEPA: SEPA President “I did just finish While it is still under construction, there The goal of the Fund is to increase profes- April Whitt. Photo an excellent webi- is already information posted, including the sional preparation for those entering the plan- by John Hare. nar about climate scholarship application form. The purpose etarium field, to enhance its status with the change. It was spon- of the fund is to provide scholarships to stu- general public, and to increase respect among sored by Earth to Sky, a consortium among dents interested in gaining employment in all those working anywhere in astronomy. NASA, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the planetarium field as professionals. These (See more in the December 2010 Planetari- the National Park Service. There were lec- scholarships are open to all United States citi- an, page 24). I

44 Planetarian June 2011 came out around 1980, as I just looked at the Mobile News original four-page brochure that I still have. I actually previewed it at a mini planetarium meeting when I was an intern at the Vander- bilt in 1981. It was marketed by Viewlex Audio Susan Reynolds Button Visual International in Holbrook, New York, Quarks to Clusters on Long Island. 8793 Horseshoe Lane “The system consisted of a 16-foot inflat- Chittenango, New York 13037 USA able dome with carrying case, an electrical- ly powered blower (fan), a complete plane- +1 315-687-5371 tarium sky projection system, arrow pointer, [email protected], [email protected] constellation outline projector and curriculum manual. The star machine projected 950 Who was first? 100,000 youngsters (we once had 70 kids in stars and had a separate Milky Way projector, Although there is still some debate about the dome!). Many of these kids are now teach- also, the five naked eye planets, sun, moon, who was behind the first traveling planetari- ers and now and then I meet one of them, or and equator/ecliptic projector, motorized dai- um, I really appreciated reading about the ex- they send me an e-mail. Great to hear how ly motion, manual latitude and precession. periences of the “old-timers.” A recent posting they can still remember their first visit to a “Now at about the same time, MMI Corpo- on Dome-L elicited a flurry of responses and planetarium, and their first steps into astron- ration came out with their Model 7700 por- since not all of you subscribe to this very ac- omy. table planetarium system. According to their tive listserve, for your reading pleasure, I am “On all those years I have never found that manual (which I also have from September of providing some of the comments that were someone worked a ‘traveling’ planetarium be- 1980), the dome was 10 feet, and the star pro- posted. fore we did. I have put the question on Dome- jector projected 450stars. Only four planets Rob Walrecht (The Netherlands), the famed L in the past, but I can- planisphere manufacturer, posted the first not believe no one message. “I was called by a national radio sta- thought of this be- tion yesterday. One of their programmes has fore… (although I have an item about what was in the news 25 years a few other ‘firsts’). So ago. And in the newspapers of 8 February 1986 to everyone on Dome- was the presentation of… my Apollo ‘travel- L: was my traveling ing’ planetarium. I hadn’t thought of this an- planetarium the first niversary at all! in the world?” “I got the idea in 1984 from Sky and Tele- scope that featured an ad by a planetarium Was it Georgia? manufacturing company called Apollo. We Bob Hayward re- used Apollo equipment and dome. A friend sponded: “Dave and myself had had plans for a larger planetar- Dundee and I used ium for a few years, having both started in the a STARLAB porta- Zeiss Planetarium Amsterdam. I myself had ble planetarium in always been very keen on bringing astrono- schools in DeKalb my into the classroom. Putting two and two County, Georgia in together… I planned a company around this the late ‘70’s. (Sorry to mobile equipment, a planetarium that would date you, Dave!) We visit the pupils instead of the pupils visiting a were at Fernbank Sci- A retired Spitz A1 now resides with its peers at the Planetarium Projector planetarium. ence Center and pur- and Science Museum operated by Owen Phairis, Big Bear Lake, California. “When I talked to my friend a week later chased the STARLAB, This projector was originally sold to and used at the University of Michigan. Photo courtesy Owen Phairis. I had a business plan, a name, a logo… But he in 1977 I believe it was. was completely unaware of my plans and re- I think it was STAR- acted lukewarm. That is, until he realised the LAB No. 2, which means there must have been were projected, no Mercury. The moon and potential of the plan. a STARLAB No. 1 somewhere before us.” sun were ‘projected’ and separate accessories “Unfortunately we didn’t manage to sur- Steve Russo (Schenectady, New York) add- were a constellation projector and a Milky vive, in times of education budget cuts by the ed, “The first ‘traveling planetarium’ that I am Way projector. The whole system was listed government (who thought that was new…?) aware of was operated by Fred Ream from up at $2,495. and with no subsidies or sponsoring at all. It in either New Hampshire or Massachusetts. “And, of course, at about the same time the took a few years and then we decided that He traveled around the New England area STARLAB was born.” one of us should continue alone, so at least with it. At the MAPS Conference in Ithaca in Steve says he has brochures from all of one could make a living with it, and the plan- 1979, he brought it with him, and set it up in these machines, and dozens of others that etarium could remain. Since I had my oth- the atrium of the hotel. During the banquet, some folks might like to see for historical rea- er company (producing planispheres), we de- something happened and it almost ended up sons. cided that my friend should continue. He had in the pool! The planetarium was an old Spitz Jim Smith wrote, “In 1960 I became a cer- to stop during the nineties, unfortunately, as A1 or A2, with a dome that didn’t go down to tified teacher and taught astronomy, biol- things were going badly for him. the floor, but about 4 feet above it. From the ogy and physics at Rossville High School “Still I managed to give an estimated 2,500 floor up to the dome, were curtains. (Rossville, Georgia). In 1962 I was presenting lessons with the planetarium, to perhaps a “The Viewlex Apollo Portable Planetarium planetarium programs at Jones Observatory

June 2011 Planetarian 45 Planetarium. In 1966-67 I started the Walker a lousy pointer (I bought a laser), and an eclip- County Schools Planetarium. We started with tic/equator projector. I once had 82 first grad- a Mercury Goto projector in an AstroDome ers, four teachers and two parents in all at the dome purchased from Viewlex. same time. “Then, in 1980, I started Kensington House “The first person with a portable so far as I Ltd. Planetarium. It was incorporated as a ‘for know was Fred Ream in upper New England, profit’ traveling planetarium business. We who had a Spitz A1, and a homemade dome had two STARLABs with two domes and two that was rigid (not inflatable) that he had pre- planetarium educators. We gave programs fab so he could put it up in a couple hours. mostly in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee in There was also a portable operating in one of public, private and religious schools. Our bro- the Canadian prairie provinces. chure was the first to use the slogan: ‘We Bring “One summer I took my portable on tour in the Universe to You.’ upstate New York, New Hampshire and Ver- “At the same time, I was also the director of mont to summer camps. A lot of fun, and a the Walker County Schools Planetarium. In couple of the camps even let me swim in their 1981 my wife and I became dealers for STAR- lakes. LAB at Learning Technologies, Inc. We con- More about the Smiths “Many years ago there was a ‘scholastic’ tinued to provide programs in schools until model planetarium which could have been Jim and Shirley retired in 2010 and closed the around 1990 while also selling STARLABs. In doors to Kensington House Ltd. Planetarium. portable. It came with a cloth dome.” 1991 we retired from Walker County and con- Don’t think they’re finished with planetariums, And so there are a few stories for you; this tinued fulltime with Learning Technologies however. is great history! If there are any more people until 2008. The first Walker County Schools Planetari- willing to share their early experiences, please um was opened in 1966, the result of a feder- “Rob, you and I were definitely early free- email me at the address at the top of this col- al grant that Jim wrote while a teacher at Ross- lance planetarium educators. John Meader in ville High School. It was closed in 1993 to build umn. Maine, Bob Moheit and Larry Harrison, both a new school on the site. Contact information: in California, Steve Tomecek in New York and Jim was elected to the school board in 2004 •• Rob Walrecht, [email protected]; website: John Lang in Oregon were also early freelance and was instrumental in building a new building www.walrecht.nl to house the 40-ft dome and their Spitz A3P. planetarium operators but I’m not sure when The Spitz has now come back to life. The “new” •• Bob Hayward, [email protected]; website: they started. I still have a fiberarc STARLAB planetarium was dedicated on May 4, and the www.pari.edu and even though I’m in my 70s it is hard to re- first scheduled group, appropriately the Walk- •• Steven LJ Russo, [email protected]; web- sist going back on the road.” er County Retired Teachers, visited on May 17. site: www.schenectadymuseum.org Regular programming is hoped to begin in Sep- Larry Krumenaker added, “I, too, had one of •• Jim Smith, [email protected] or tember. the Apollo portable units (technically, View- [email protected] lex Apollo). I was going around the Austin •• Larry Krumenaker, [email protected] (Texas) area as the Austin Traveling the USA. The initial Apollo model was invent- •• Thomas Wm. Hamilton, tham153@hot- Planetarium, from mid-1981 until 1985, ed by Phillip Stern, formerly of New York’s mail.com when I took it up north to New Jersey. I ran Hayden Planetarium and the planetarium in that thing for 13 years, mostly at schools but Bridgeport, Connecticut. Phil did not have the Mobile domes in business: in Texas at a lot of shopping malls, nature cen- capital to make and market on his own, and best practices ters and festivals, including Austin’s late and wound up as head of the Planetariums Unlim- As you read in the above testimonials, one lamented SunFest. ited division of Viewlex, which was an audio- way an itinerant planetarium is frequent- “The last time I used it for schools was visual firm. ly used is by having a planetarium specialist somewhere around 2000, after a long gap, but “The Apollo 1 was programmable, with travel with it to a variety of venues and make I suppose that would make it a 19-year opera- Viewlex providing (selling) the canned pro- presentations. An increasing number of peo- tion. I still have the equipment and dome and grams, which I wrote. Two free shows came ple have bought their own mobile planetari- from time to time think about doing teacher with the purchase of an Apollo. In addition to um and have started their own business. professional development programs with it. programs on individual constellations, they Over the years I have spoken to a large Of course, right now it is in Georgia in storage had titles like ‘Stars That Never Set, Part 1’ and number of these people and evidence I have while I am residing in South Korea. ‘Craters of the Moon.’ gathered from past and current business own- “At the time Viewlex Apollo and STARLAB “The Apollo 3 came with a device so people ers dictates that one can be most successful by were fierce competitors; we know who won could make their own canned shows. Shortly following this protocol: that war. I can only recall one other private, after STARLAB started up, Viewlex tried mak- 1. Do your research. Learn what planetar- individual operation and that was some guy ing a portable. I bought one in 1983 (at a dis- iums are already operating in the territory up in Maine with an old A1 or A2 unit, though count as a former employee); the dome has you are interested in. This research can pro- from time to time I heard rumors of others, or #26 written in hand on it near the fan intake. vide you with critical information about your had people visit me to see how it was done.” There is a 16-foot dome inflated by a fan that competition as well as valuable resources and I contacted Thomas Wm. Hamilton (New has three settings. avenues for possible collaboration. It is unpro- York) after reading all of these comments be- “The projector has a star ball identical to fessional and can be financially unsound to ig- cause I knew he was one of the first owners the other Apollo models except for sun, moon nore them. of a portable and is quite a historian. I was de- and planets coming from mounts on the star You also need to assess the number of ven- lighted that he responded with some more in- ball. They are directed by a mirror to wherev- ues, and their locations, for your presenta- teresting tidbits. er you want. There is a gadget to make lunar tions. Regional, national and even interna- He related, “I worked for Viewlex when phases. The only machine motion is daily, but tional planetarium organizations can help they made the Apollo and marketed GOTO in latitude can be adjusted by hand. Comes with you in this kind of research.

46 Planetarian June 2011 2. If you determine that you can begin a via- etariums and events that are significant to transferring the file from one place to anoth- ble business, develop a business plan and then them. er. Also, PowerPoint doesn’t embed certain research which model of planetarium will be •• Assist them in understanding “best business types of files.” best for you. Check the references at www. practices” (see above) and provide some ex- Eric Loberg uses orbit downloader, www.or- ips-planetarium.org/or/comms/portablecom. amples of collaborations that have a histo- bitdownloader.com/download.htm; he says it html. ry of success. works for most browsers and he reports, “It de- 3. Introduce yourself to the staff of existing •• Show support for their enthusiasm and in- tects media playing within the browser and planetariums and science centers and discuss vite them to collaborate on some specific can grab it from the source. This has been real- possible collaborations with them. Take ad- projects or events (to present at your annu- ly handy for both YouTube and other media, vantage of resources they are willing to pro- al meeting?). allowing you to grab the source of most types vide and find out about events and venues •• Invite them to be listed (sign a pledge) as of embedded media that are ‘hidden’ from the where you can coordinate advertising and someone who is interested in joining the viewer. It grabs video in their native format, presentations that are mutually beneficial. community of professional colleagues ded- so you may need a converter to plug them 4. Market your business and schedule book- icated to collaborating with each other. into Power Point…” ings. •• Ask what support they need to make their Also, of course, be aware of possible copy- 5. Keep detailed records of everything. work most productive…do they have ques- right concerns for use of your downloaded 6. Send thank you notes. tions or problems? video. 7. Plan further collaborations that take ad- •• Ask what they can contribute to make ev- Contact Information: vantage of relationships with your newfound eryone’s services to clients most effective •• Russell Waugh, [email protected] colleagues and institutions. and professional. •• John Young, [email protected] 8. Do not operate in a vacuum nor reinvent •• Shefali Mehta, [email protected] the wheel! How can the International Plan- Download videos for PowerPoint •• Eric Loberg, [email protected] etarium Society (IPS), national, and region- Many mobile dome planetarians are still us- al organizations support your responsibili- ing analog projectors and sometimes augment The new STARLAB® LED projector ty to be a professional? These organizations their presentations by using a slide projector. Production is now underway for newly can be a vital resource for you and provide the Currently some are trading in their slide pro- transformed STARLAB projectors and the fin- means of ongoing networking and collaborat- jectors for a small computer and a video pro- ished products will be available sometime ing. They are very good at linking institutions jector. They can show slides in the form of around June 2011. Currently Science First has that are successful with those in need of sup- PowerPoint instead. scheduled to demonstrate this new equip- port. Recently Russell Waugh asked if anyone ment, beginning in October, only at science They can also provide the time and place, at could recommend a procedure to download teachers’ conferences. They said that they conferences, for modeling programs that work YouTube videos (and other online videos) to would try to appear at the IPS 2012 conference and provide education about how to develop use in PowerPoint without needing a live in- in Baton Rouge. (I hope so!) measurable outcomes and effective evalua- ternet connection to run the video. He found All future analog STARLAB projectors will tive tools. They can also develop, support, and a web site with such a procedure but didn’t sport the LED system, which combines some run in-service programs and give participants know if he was safe to download and install features of the standard STARLAB and some a document certifying completion of a work- the recommended two “free” programs (You- of the Fiberarc features. They will all have a shop or class. Members of these organizations Tube Download and Video to Flash Convert- lensed LED-housing unit and when the LED can share ideas about the “hooks” they use to er). He asked for some guidance on Dome-L. lamp wears out you need to order a ready- bring the customer back to the planetarium John Young reported that he has success- made housing with wires and lenses pre-as- for repeat visits. fully used methods described on this Osx- sembled, which Science First claims “installs Basically it still all comes down to the indi- daily page: osxdaily.com/2010/05/14/down- in less time than it takes to change a bulb.” vidual’s responsibility to be a professional and load-youtube-videos-to-your-mac-with-safari The STARLAB website states, “Light output to take advantage of every opportunity to be and he also recommends Perian, which is is comparable to the Fiberarc projector, with professional in dealing with your clients, col- a free, open source QuickTime component the simplicity of the standard. Like the Fiber- leagues and community. Your reputation and that adds native support for many popular arc, our new LED projector also includes me- long-term success depend on it! video formats. You can find Perian at perian. ridian and cardinal points projectors. A blue org/#download. LED illuminates the cardinal points, while a Ambassadors for professional Shefali Mehta reports that you could also red LED lights the meridian. The side goose- collaboration use www.kissyoutube.com. He says that all neck LED lamps have a selectable white or red One of my passions has been to encourage you have to do is type or copy in the link light output (white for illumination, red for regional organizations to bring mobile plan- for the youtube video and possible file for- reading). A quiet, variable speed motor oper- etariums into their fold. Planetarians who mats will be automatically generated. He also ates in either direction to show Northern or work with portables are usually isolated and pointed out that some videos are more versa- Southern hemisphere motion. Each lighting tend to reinvent the wheel. What a waste of tile and will allow more options for formats; control is dimmable…” their time and energy! We can all be ambassa- some are more limited. The Fiberarc projector and the old stan- dors for professional collaboration. He warns, “Just be aware that generally, dard STARLAB projectors will be discontin- Please consider the benefits to all if you: PowerPoint doesn’t embed video; it just cre- ued. Parts for older systems will still be avail- •• Find itinerant planetaria in your associa- ates a link to where the video stored on the able and current analog STARLAB owners can tion’s region; don’t wait for them to come computer. So if you transfer the PowerPoint, trade in their projectors and will be given a to you. you also need to transfer the video and make $1000 discount off the LED projector. •• Make them aware of what you have to offer sure that the link still works afterwards. Em- Check the website for more details and as an organization. bedding videos into the presentation is a lit- a photo of the new projector: www.starlab. •• Inform them of existing institutions, plan- tle more involved, but makes it easier when com/starlab_projectors.html. I

June 2011 Planetarian 47 scripts, researching star stories, and making Book Reviews presentations at conferences. Several grants in the 1980s provided funding for production and distribution of the “Humanities and the Stars” planetarium series, programs that were shown all over the U.S. April S. Whitt The information from those programs has Fernbank Science Center been collected in this book. Sky stories from 156 Heaton Park Drive NE the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pa- cific Islands tell of heroes and battles, lovers Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA and liars, the zodiac, the sun and the moon. [email protected] It’s all here: a Mayan creation tale, Egyptian constellations, Chinese seasons, and Coyote Exoplanet Atmospheres: 10 deal with the specifics of vertical thermal stories. structure and circulation in planetary atmo- This is an excellent resource. I grew up with Physical Processes spheres. Finally, Chapter 11 briefly discusses the Greek mythology, but have learned so Sara Seager, Princeton University Press, 41 some gases that would be expected as biosig- much by reading through these other cul- William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, natures. tures’ histories and stories. The author’s clear 2010, ISBN 978-0-691-11914-4, US $90.00 As Seagar points out, current data comes explanations are easy to follow. Translations Reviewed by Christopher G. De Pree, Brad- from two sources: emission from large, rel- from the writings of various cultures augment ley Observatory, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, atively bright planets orbiting close to host the text. Black and white diagrams and star Georgia, USA. stars, and absorption spectra from transiting maps illustrate each section. planets. With current technology, all known One caveat: There are a number of typo- It says a lot about the state of exoplanetary exoplanetary sources are unresolved, and as graphical errors in the text. When I men- research in 2010 that this excellent text has a result, the techniques in the text typically tioned them, she said that all the scripts had been published to give an introduction to the deal with the interpretation and modeling of to be re-typed for the book, as computers had analysis of atmo- integrated flux and spectra. changed between 1982 and the present. The spheric data from Each chapter opens with an introduc- typographical errors do not diminish the val- planets outside the tory paragraph that motivates the discus- ue of the book. solar system. sion. Chapter Three, for example, opens with Dr. Starr has designated all proceeds from As of Decem- the following reflection: “While only a sin- the sale of this book to the Valley City State ber 13, 2010, there gle flux may be measured, real planets rare- University planetarium, so you can do good were 509 con- ly have a single temperature throughout. for yourself and the profession at large! The firmed exoplanets, Which temperature should represent the book can be purchased from Dr. Starr (estarr@ a staggering num- planet? Which temperature should represent sisna.com) or from the planetarium at Valley ber considering the flux? In this chapter, we explore the re- City State. You can reach director Wes Ander- that the first plan- lationships among the planet flux, tempera- son there at [email protected]. et orbiting an ordi- ture, and albedo.” nary star was dis- Each chapter also closes with a list of ref- covered around 51 erences, further reading, and a num- Pegasus by Mayor ber of exercises. The exercises include and Queloz in 1995. The science of exoplane- a good balance of derivations, expla- tary research has moved, in recent years, be- nations, and plotting. The book is black yond the discovery and cataloguing of sourc- and white, and, as a result, a few of the es and into the more difficult, involved and figures are more difficult to interpret fascinating analysis of the light from exoplan- than they would have been in color. etary atmospheres. The text is clear and well-written, with The author, an acknowledged leader in the a conversational tone balanced by plenty field, has written a text intended for advanced of detail in derivations of theoretical for- undergraduates, graduate students, and pro- mulae. We are fortunate that Seagar has tak- fessional astronomers. The book is organized en time from her active research in this new topically, and could easily be used alone or as and rapidly expanding field to write a fine in- part of a more general course in thermody- troduction to the subject. namics or radiation astrophysics. Everyone’s Universe: A Guide to The first two chapters introduce exoplan- Accessible Astronomy Places etary observations and review intensity and Star Myths of Northern Cultures Noreen Grice, You Can Do Astronomy, New flux basics. Chapters 3 and 4 cover planetary Eileen M. Starr, Gray Dog Press, 2727 South Mt. Britain, Connecticut, www.youcandoastrono- characteristics like albedo and atmospheric Vernon, Spokane, Washington, 99223, www. my.com, ISBN 978-0-9833567-0-7, US $19.95 evolution. Chapters 5 and 6 serve as an excel- GrayDogPress.com, ISBN 978-1-936178-83-4, US Reviewed by April Whitt, Fernbank Science lent introduction to radiative transfer, cover- $16.95 Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. ing such fundamental topics as opacity, local Reviewed by April Whitt, Fernbank Science thermodynamic equilibrium, the equation of Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In the preface to her latest book, the author radiative transfer and line formation. describes a group of blind students who vis- Chapters 7 and 8 give an introduction to Dr. Eileen Starr has been contributing to the ited her planetarium. At the end of the pro- polarization and opacity, and Chapters 9 and planetarium profession for 50 years, writing gram, when she asked them how they liked

48 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 49 it, their reaction was clear: “It stunk.” If one ics from nanometer physics, magnetism, and widely-used graduate texts on quantum me- cannot see the night sky, a planetarium pro- superconductivity, which together form the chanics and many-particle physics. gram brings special challenges. That began her foundation for the high-tech devices which Don’t skip the introduction. It will not only search for ways to bring astronomy to every- we depend on daily, to the inner mysteries re-energize those synapses which remember one, no matter their (dis)ability. of energy bands, electron-electron Interac- the history of chemistry, geology, and crys- The copy of the book I received is a pre-re- tions and phonons. This graduate level text tal growth, but it also poses some apparently lease large print edition. Divided into two sec- is aimed at students who thoroughly under- simple questions which reveal the thrust of tions, the first provides resources and ideas on stand quantum mechanics and electro- mag- modern material research—all in eight pages. “How to Make the Universe Accessible.” From netic theory. Throughout the text there are well-phrased extended eyepieces to tactile images and how Gerald Mahan is distinguished professor homework questions, helpful reminders and to create them and communication boards, of Physics at Pennsylvania State University, great interactive tutorials. A scan of the 21- there is a wealth of information here. working at the Materials Research Institute. page index will invite some additional person- Section two is the “Guide to Accessible As- He has had long involvement with the deal research as one divagates into this small, but tronomy Places,” mostly in the United States, sign of new materials and is the author of two absolutely fascinating part of the universe. I but includes the Thinktank Science Museum in Birmingham, England. I know that many of us all over the world serve visitors of varying abilities. The author is planning a reprint of Books for the Kids this volume, and would be happy to list your facility. You can contact her at the web site Sharon Shanks listed above. You can also get bulk pricing for Planetarian Editor your gift shop or book store. The Planetarian receives review copies of a wide variety of books, This is one helpful volume on a subject for including books for children. Book Review Editor April Whitt knows which I received no training when I was new that children’s literature is near to my heart and sends them along to to the planetarium profession. If you have stu- me. Instead of mixing the children’s books in with regular reviews, dent helpers or interns, they need to read this. we’ve decided to put them in their own category. (Hmm, sounds a lot If you’re planning a new facility or refurbish- like what happened to Pluto.) ing an existing one, consider the information As a result, reviews of kids’ books will appear as needed and my here. If you work with a local astronomy club heart will be happy. interested in widening their accessibility, give Sylvan Dell Publishing, which provided three books for review, them a copy. And if you’re planning a visit is a relatively young company that focuses on “science and math somewhere, check out the venues listed. Fa- through literature.” We should thank them for this philosophy be- cilities that are accessible to all make anyone’s cause we—as educators and parents—need all the help we can get. visit a better experience. They also deserve “kudos” for including an educational section at the end of each book that offers additional facts and hands-on activities. Condensed Matter in a Nutshell In addition to allowing these pages to be duplicated, the publisher Gerald D. Mahan, Princeton University Press, also offers even more supplemental material on its website (www.Syl- 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey, vanDellPublishing.com). 08540, 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14016-2, US $75.00 Pieces of Another World by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Salima Reviewed by Bruce L. Dietrich, Wyomiss- Alikhan, Sylvan Dell, 2005. ing, Pennsylvania, USA. This vibrant and beautifully-illustrated book recounts a familiar “introduction to astronomy” theme, of a young girl sharing a sky More than two thousand years ago Con- event with her father. There are plenty of memorable events through- fucius advised out that relate to everyday things made special that help build antic- that “To keep ipation for the main event of the evening, watching a meteor shower old knowl- that is bringing “pieces of another world.” edge warm and Pieces of Another World reminded me instantly of another of my get new makes favorite books, Lenny Hort’s How Many Stars in the Sky? (Illustrat- the teacher.” ed by James E. Ransome, originally published in hardcover in 1997 by While astrono- HarperCollins, now available in paperback by Mulberry Books.) This my and physics book, too, is an “introduction” theme, this time a son and father trav- are broadly and eling away from light pollution to see a truly dark sky and the son’s deeply multi- first look at the Milky Way. disciplinary, few Both of these books speak to children and, hopefully, to their par- of us are very ents, suggesting that something as simple as sharing a meteor shower knowledgeable or a dark sky is an appropriate activity. Many people who make stars about materials part of their lives remember being introduced to them as a child by science. Occa- a parent or other relative. The fact that they remember the event so sionally a great miniseries like Nova’s Making specifically speaks volumes about the ability of the stars to create a Stuff provides us with a first level perspective. sense of wonder, a “wow” moment that helps to shape lives. This book gives us an opportunity to study Both books are geared for ages 4-8 and are excellent read aloud books condensed matter in a more comprehensive for younger children; self readers need to have a good vocabulary. way. Saturn for My Birthday by John McGranaghan, illustrated by Dr. Mahan covers the broad range of top- Wendy Edelson, Sylvan Dell, 2008. (Continues on Page 52)

50 Planetarian June 2011 Waxing New An eclectic collection of news about planetariums and people

Warsaw’s new planetarium sound system (what was left of it as most of We hope to have more details in the future it was already stolen) the Zeiss projector and about the new planetarium in Warsaw, locat- Anstell container, and a few bits of cabling. A ed at the Copernicus Science Center. It looks horror time for all of us.” like they’re excited about their new “cosmic We’re all keeping you in our thoughts, Pe- egg,” a Megastar projector from Takayuki Ohi- ter. ra’s Ohira Tech, Ltd. in Japan. The planetarium has 140 seats. The first module of the center Congratulations opened in November 2010 with five galleries; Speaking of Steve Tidey, who wrote the ar- the second module containing the planetari- ticle about the damage to the Canberra Plan- um was set to open this month. etarium, we need to pass along our congratulations for his upcoming wedding to Kirsten Ilsley, set for July 15. In true planetarian fash- An update from Canberra Jiří Holuša (1964 – 2011) The planetarium community moaned in ion, Steve proposed under the stars in his Our dear colleague Jiří Holuša of empathy when we learned through Dome- hometown Southend (UK) Planetarium. “The L and an article in the September 2010 issue curator let me in to the dome between shows, Ostrava, Czech Republic, passed away (“Destruction Down Under,” page 17) about turned on the stars and let me give Kirsten on February 24, 2011 in St. Lucas Hos- the damage done to the Canberra Planetari- a short star tour with a pointer before I got pice after a long fight against cancer. um by vandals. We also found out about the down on one knee to pop the question!” Born in Ostrava, February 23, 1964, insult to injury done there by fire. Peter Wil- Steve and Kirsten will make their home he lost his mother and father before liamson checked in with an update and more in Essex after the wedding, “although we’re graduating from high school. He re- details about the fire: both keen on a move back to the States in a ceived his master of science educa- “Just to keep everybody in the planetarium few years. She affectionately calls me, ‘Space tion in 1987 from Charles University freak’!” Congratulations to you both, and a field up to date, vandals have once again en- in Prague. After finishing military ser- fond “good luck” to Kirsten. tered the Canberra Planetarium and set fire to vice, he became a science educator at it. It started in the club area and quickly ad- VŠB-Technical University of Ostra- vanced to the planetarium and totally gut- An everyday guide ted it. The fire was so hot that the outer dome Thomas L. Konvolinka, retired from the va. There he joined the team of Johann of aluminum melted in parts. Seneca Valley High School Planetarium in Palisa Observatory and Planetarium. “We lost the dome screen, chairs and all the Harmony, Pennsylvania, announces a new Jiří was a passionate astronomy ed- AV equipment that was left in the facility. textbook on CD. Titled A Guide to Everyday As- ucator, biker, and traveler, with a deep We are now trying to regroup and will have tronomy, Tom has designed the book to work interest in history, philosophy, spiritu- to start from scratch. Hopefully we will get in conjunction with the Peterson Field Guide ality and environment. He was known funding from some- Stars and Planets (written by for his sense of detail when working on where. We have a site, Jay M. Pasachoff and illustrat- new planetarium shows and lectures. and the planetarium ed by Wil Tirion). It is geared His unforgettable speeches made lot of for high school through intro- will be shared with an- people both laugh and think. other facility which ductory college astronomy. Jiří became a member of the IPS is much more secure Tom spent 33 years teaching, than where we were. 30 of those at the Seneca Valley Education Committee and in 2008 he “I was in the plane- High School Planetarium. He participated in the IPS/Eugenedies tarium the day before also served as adjunct professor Script Contest. He was awarded a sec- the fire. We did get the of astronomy, geology and me- ond place for his script Sky Journey (it most important piec- teorology for the Butler Coun- was published in full in the Decem- es out and into storage. ty Community College in But- ber 2008 issue of the Planetarian). We have a meeting ler, Pennsylvania for 20 years. Czech-speaking audiences can now en- coming up to try and The book can be ordered joy Jiří’s translation of The Redesigned organise funds to build a new planetarium, as from his website at www.konvolinkamedia. Forest by Chris Maser and Thinking com. eBook versions for Kindle and the Nook there is nothing left of the old one. Have been Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of getting quotes for dome screen, chairs, build- are available from Amazon.com and barne- All Being by J. Seed, J. Macy, P. Flem- ing etc. We have a site approved and ready sandnoble.com respectively. to go, we just need someone with money to ming and A. Naess. spend. Mark’s true love Above all he was a good-hearted guy, “My studio is stacked with some of the old It’s hard to tell what Mark Petersen from a wonderful individual and a gentle soul Spice gear, though so much was lost. I think Loch Ness Productions is more passionate who will stay in our hearts forever. I we saved 7 out of 35 Ektapros, we lost all the about: planetariums or music. It doesn’t mat- - Tomas Graf special effect projectors, video projector, ter to us, however, because he benefits both.

June 2011 Planetarian 51 Intro Blender Production: June 21-25 Erie Nature and Science Center’s Schuele Plan- The intro class will collaborate on an open etarium. movie similar to productions in previous He was one of the early members of CRAP years (Clockwork Skies and Sizing Up Space are (the Cleveland Regional Association of Plan- examples). On the syllabus: the Blender in- etariums) and remained very active in the terface, modeling, animation, materials, tex- group until some years ago when his health tures, modifiers, animation curves, the video began to fail, preventing him from attending sequence editor and more. In the end, you will our meetings with his enthusiastic regularity. receive a copy of the movie, along with its All of us who were fortunate to know him source files. No prerequisites; cost is US $600 will miss not only his warm friendship, but per student. also his strong dedication to good science Advanced Blender: June 26-30 teaching, and particularly his creative pro- The first half of advanced class will cov- grams for the planetarium as a teaching envi- er Blender’s advanced tools: particle systems, ronment which he so willingly shared with compositing, fluid dynamics simulation, his fellow planetarians. physics simulation, and game engine logic. -Jon Marshall The second half will help participants tack- He has just added another title to his Geode- le their own special effects projects. Prerequi- Claire Carr sium discography. Titled Stella Novus, I per- sites: intro class or equivalent experience; cost Claire “Claire Jo” J. Carr, 88, of Frankford, sonally feel it is his best to date. My favorite is US $800 per student. New York, passed away on September 12, 2010. is “Carolyn’s Galaxy.” It is hard to describe the A discount rate of $1200 is available for stu- She was a teacher at Mount Markham sense of soaring amazement it makes me feel. dents taking both classes. School in West Winfield. Later, she assisted her In truth, I think it’s the answer to the question The registration deadline is June 13; for husband Quentin at Herkimer BOCES Plane- of Mark’s true love. more information go to weber.edu/planetar- tarium with program development. Most re- About half of the music comes from a ium/training. cently, she was a docent coordinator at Mun- “composer’s mix” of the score for Loch Ness’ son Williams Proctor Institute in Utica. HUBBLE Vision; the rest are new tracks. In sympathy: Bill Kobel Mark has a couple of gifts for his Geodesium Bill D. Kobel, 84, passed away at his home in Stanley Repine fans: a free MP3 download of “Light Echoes,” North Ridgeville, Ohio on April 15, 2011 after Stanley B. Repine, 78, of Upper Chichester, available through the Stella Novus page on a long illness. He was retired from the science Pennsylvania, died March 14, 2011. He was a Loch Ness’ site: www.lochnessproductions. department at Fairview High School in Fair- longtime resident of Upper Chichester and com/geo/gsn/gsn.html. There you can also view Park, where he had served as head of the worked for many years as a computer engi- watch the music video to “Light Echoes,” and department, planetarium director, and chem- neer at Spitz Space Systems in Chadds Ford be- a fulldome version of the video also is avail- istry teacher. He had also worked at the Lake fore retiring in 2003. I able at no charge. You can order the cd from Loch Ness, Ama- zon.com, and other usual music sites. (Kids books, continued from Page 50) It’s not your kid’s XBOX anymore Here’s another vividly-illustrated book the moon seems to get larger and smaller and Evans & Sutherland had to convince read- that’s full of whimsy and surprise for those change its shape. ers of Dome-L and fulldome, among other looking at the pictures and full of good sci- But when put to the kid test, I think Sat- sites, that they weren’t kidding when they an- ence about Saturn for those reading and lis- urn for My Birthday is a better choice that nounced that they had integrated Microsoft’s tening. The framework (that Jeffrey wants Papa, please get the moon for me. By the kid XBOX 360 Kinect Controller into Digistar 4. Saturn for his birthday and cannot have it, test, I mean the fact that small children love Just like with the games, the controller uses of course) works well to introduce the planet it when you suggest something outrageous to motion sensors to capture movements and and share a lot of facts in a non-boring way. them and they know it can’t be done. I have translate them into commands. Imagine hav- I appreciated some of the more obscure ref- asked young audiences “can teddy bears fly” ing an audience member point to a star and erences. Jeffrey’s teacher is “Mrs. Cassini.” He many times, and always get a resounding “no” having it identified or using your hands to wants all of the “accessories,” of course, so Jef- full of giggles. start and stop diurnal motion (and having us frey wants all the moons and rings. He plans to So, when Saturn for My Birthday is read to slip even more into hubris at the same time). put “Pandora next to my toy box, Calypso by them, they know that the planet cannot be E&S has already used existing techno-toy my radio, and Janus above the doorway. Atlas obtained and that knowledge is validated devices, specifically the iPod and iPad, to al- will go right next to my globe, Tethys by my when Jeffrey slyly gives up Saturn for a pup- low wireless touch screen control of its Digi- fish tank, and I’ll put Mimas next to my rock py. When Papa, please get the moon for me is star 4 system. The Kinect device goes even fur- collection.” read, they know the moon cannot be ob- ther and eliminates the need for touch. Learn I have a similar book on my shelves called tained at first, but then papa comes through more at the E&S website at www.es.com. Papa, please get the moon for me (by the and “gets” it for his daughter. I’m not sure I incomparable Eric Carle, Simon & Schus- like this message. Blender workshops coming up ter, 1991). Again a parent is asked to get some- Both books are good read alouds. I would es- Ron Proctor is again offering workshops on thing unobtainable for a child, but this time timate ages 4-8 for Saturn for My Birthday and the use of Blender, the free, open-source 3D papa fulfills the request when the moon “gets a younger group, maybe ages 2-6, for Papa, software that he’s used so successfully in pro- smaller.” please get the moon for me. ducing programs for the Ott Planetarium at The Carle book is a pop-up, something that Next time I’ll tackle Sylvan Dell’s third Weber State University in Utah. kids love, and it does introduce the fact that book and cultural mythology. I

52 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 53 Planetarians’ Calendar of Events

2011 19-22 October. Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA), An- 2-5 June. Association of French Speaking Planetariums (APLF), nual conference, Holiday Inn 1001 Killarney street urbana, Il- Yearly Meeting, Communauté Urbaine de Dunkerque (Nord), linois, hosted by the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Park- Palais de l’Univers et des Sciences (Le PLUS),-Cappelle-la- land College, Champaign, Illinois, USA. Contact: David C. Grande, France. www.aplf-planetariums.org. Leake, Planetarium Coordinator, Phone (217) 351-2567, fax 9-11 June. Canadian Association of Science Centres (CASC/ (217) 351-2581 [email protected] www.glpaweb.org ACCS), annual conference, including planetarium-related 2-4 November. Annual Digistar Users Group meeting at Stardo- workshops, at Science North in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. me Observatory, Auckland, New Zealand. www.digistardo- Contact Ian McLennan, [email protected] mes.org 21-25 June. Southeastern Planetarium Association 2011 confer- 31 December. Deadline for IPS Eugenides Foundation Script con- ence, Rollins Planetarium, Young Harris, Georgia. www.sepa- test. www.ips-planetarium.org domes.org 27-29 June. World Conference of Science Journalists, Cairo, 2012 Egypt. www.wcsj2011.org 8 March. International Day of Planetaria. www.dayofplanetar- 1-2 July. International Planetarium Society Council Meeting, Ni- ia.org zhny Novgorod Planetarium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. 31 March. Deadline for application for scholarship funds (IPS 18-22 July. Spitz Summer Institute, Spitz, Inc. Chadds Ford, Penn- support Baton Rouge Conference attendance by individuals). sylvania, annual event focusing on planetarium education. www.ips-planetarium.org Includes beginner and advanced Starry Night instruction, 14-15 April. Italian Association of Planetaria (PLANIT), XXVII planetarium curriculum discussion, presentation exercises/ National Conference, Italy, and 2nd Full-Dome Italian Fes- activities, digital media workshops. www.spitzinc.com/insti- tival. During the conference Skype session for planetarians tute from other countries. www.planetaritaliani.it. Contact: osser- 26-30 July. Western Alliance Conference of Planetariums, [email protected] Killeen, Texas (USA), www.wacdomes.org (see Page 20 for full 18-20 April, “Quality, Honesty and Beauty in science and tech- details) nology communication,” PCST – International Public Com- 30 July-3 August. Astronomical Society of the Pacific Outreach munication of Science and Technology Conference, XII issue, Conference “Connecting People to Science,” in Baltimore, Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence, Italy. Maryland. www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html 20-21 July. International Planetarium Society Council Meeting, 9-11 August. Live Interactive Planetarium Symposium (LIPS), Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bremerton, Washington (USA), lipsymposium.org. Digitalis 22-26 July. 21st International Planetarium Society Confer- is hosting the conference, but it is open to anyone who does ence, Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, Louisiana Art & live, interactive planetarium programs, no matter what type Science Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, jelvert@ of system they use. E&S is co-sponsoring. Contact: Karrie Ber- lasm.org glund, [email protected] 13-16 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers 2-4 September. Nordic Planetarium Association Biennial Con- (ASTC) Annual Conference, COSI (Center of Science and In- ference in Riga, Latvia. Conference host Dace Balode, dace@ dustry), Columbus, Ohio. www.astc.org pagrabi.lv 4-8 September. 6th Science Centre World Congress, Cape Town, Yearly Deadlines for “A Week in Italy” South Africa. www.astc.org 31 August. Deadline for the applicants of “An experience in Ita- 9-10 September. British Association of Planetaria (BAP), AGM and ly for a French Speaking Planetarium Operator,” in collabo- conference, World Museum Planetarium, Liverpool, United ration with APLF. Kigdom. Shaaron Leverment, [email protected] 15 September. Deadline for the applicants of “A Week in Italy for 16-18 September. Planetaria 2011: Meeting of German small an American Planetarium Operator,” in collaboration with domes and school planetariums, Sternwarte und Planetarium IPS Portable Planetarium Committee. Adolph Diesterweb, Radebeul, German. Contact Ulf Peschel, 30 September. Deadline for the applicants of “An experience [email protected], www.sternwarte-radebeul.de in Italy for a British Planetarium Operator,” in collaboration 3-7 October. OA3: Planetaria-the public gate to modern space sci- with BAP. ence, European Planetary Science Congress and DPS Meeting For more information on the “Week in Italy,” go to: www.as- 2011, Cité Internationale des Congrès, Nantes, France; meet- trofilibresciani.it/Planetari/Week_in_Italy/-Week_Italy.htm ings.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011 10-14 October. The 4th conference in the series “Communicat- For corrections and new information for the Calendar of Events, ing Astronomy with the Public” at Xiyuan Hotel, Beijing, please send a message to Loris Ramponi at osservatorio@serafino- China. www.communicatingastronomy.org/cap2011/index. zani.it. html 15-18 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers More details about several of these upcoming events are in- (ASTC) Annual Conference, Maryland Science Center, Balti- cluded in the International News column and elsewhere in the more, USA. www.astc.org Planetarian. I

54 Planetarian June 2011 June 2011 Planetarian 55 like a cat in a box. Maybe. Last Light Hail to the Sun god—He’s the fun god —RA RA RA I keep hitting the escape key, but I’m still here April S. Whitt Fernbank Science Center New planet names? 156 Heaton Park Drive NE Thomas Wm. Hamilton shares his observa- Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA tions: With the discovery of over 50 somewhat [email protected] Earth-like planets in the life zones of their stars, we now have new revised designations for planets: Our thoughts and good wishes go out to T-shirts as social commentary •• Goldilocks: inhabited by bears all our colleagues in Japan and Egypt as they Great T-shirt slogans collected from the in- •• Rapunzel: inhabited by hairy beings work through the political and environmen- ternet: •• Snow White: inhabited by dwarves tal changes that have rocked their countries. When I was young, there were 12 zodiac •• Cinderella: inhabited by transmogrifying signs and nine planets @Rosa pumpkins History? When I was in school, Pluto was planet. •• Tinker Bell: inhabited by pirates It all started with a Dome-L post from Scott When I was in school, Pluto was a god. •• Alice: inhabited by shoes, ships, sealing wax Oldfield, looking for a constellation overlay If it weren’t for physics and law enforce- and walruses for Auriga, and a reply from Marty Crandell- ment, I’d be unstoppable. (All fine female names for planets perhaps Grela. Save the Earth! It’s the only planet with nurturing life, don’t you think?) “In a pinch I could sketch you one in black chocolate! and white for you to Kodalith. Drew Androm- Stop Global Whining eda and Leo a few years ago for the C.C.S.U. Galileo Galilei “Don’t planetarium that they still use on occasion.” Tell the Pope” Heretical Tour 1632 Feb 07 03:23PM Some days you feel Marty, like a red shirt in the Star “Thanks so much for the offer! Seeing as Trek episode of life how no one else stepped up, I’d like to take Soylent Green: Food you up on it. But, I must confess that I’m quite for the people by the the newbie and am not sure exactly what Ko- people dalith is (assuming it’s a film variant). Please Soylent Green: The let me know what I can do to help/compen- taste differs from person sate you. Thanks again!!!” to person Resistance is not fu- Topic: Stargeezer re Kodalith.... tile—it’s voltage divided “Kodalith... Kodalith ??? He doesn’t know by current what Kodalith is ??? OMG I now feel totally Gravity—What Last light from the moon. The lunar eclipse of 21 December 2010. Pho- ancient.... It’s an art form I dearly loved and a downer to by George Fleenor. now miss...” When you think Stargeezer about it, all galaxies are far, far away What goes around comes around Glen Moore: Catching a falling star would actually be In a recent radio interview, Brother Guy “Reminds me of the investment we made pretty unlucky Consolmagno SJ, curator of meteorites at the with all of those slide projectors, slides, con- Rocket Science: Making everything else Vatican Observatory, gave some highlights of trollers, production equipment :( “ look simple since 1958 its history. May the Mass times Acceleration Be With The Vatican Observatory is located in Cas- 2/8/11 4:02 PM You tel Gondolfo, Italy, in what was a pope’s sum- “Don’t feel bad. Not knowing what Koda- A day without fusion is like a day without mer home. In the first century CE, Emperor lith is in this day and age is a little like not sunshine Domitian built a palace on that site, and was knowing what trepanning is.” Dark matter made me do it the first Roman emperor to persecute Chris- Matt Linke It’s OK Pluto. I’m not a planet either. tians. Exhibit Museum Planetarium I’m only here until I achieve escape veloc- Maffeo Barberini acquired the palace and ity gardens, and built a summer home there ear- Feb 09 01:23PM If you’re interested in Time Travel, meet me ly in the 17th century. He was elected Pope “Oh come on! It wasn’t THAT long ago...was last Thursday Urban VIII, and it was he who summoned it?” WARNING: Rays sent from this shirt travel Galileo to account. A plaque in the Castel Derrick Pitts, Fels at over 670,000,000 MPH honors Pope Clement XIV, who had the Jesu- Living on Earth is expensive, but it does in- it order outlawed for 46 years. The plaque is Kind of reminds one of our editor’s “cave clude an annual free trip around the Sun right next to a Jesuit school where scholars with a fire in a log” planetarium… Warning: Erwin Schröedinger will kill you taught for 75 years. I

56 Planetarian June 2011 www.es.com [email protected]