Vol. 42, No. 3 September 2013 Journal of the International

Vol. 42, No. 3 September 2013

Journal of the International Planetarium Society

Ten years of digital in Athens Page 10

Articles September 2013 Vol. 42 No. 3 6 Beautifully Undaunted: Story of people behind the Allegheny Obervatory is beautifully done Executive Editor Sharon Shanks Sharon Shanks 10 10 years for Athens’ New Digital Planetarium Ward Beecher Planetarium Youngstown State University Manos Kitsonas, Alex Delivorias One University Plaza 14 When ingenuity was king: Seymour Planetarium Youngstown, Ohio 44555 USA celebrates 75th anniversary Richard Sanderson +1 330-941-3619 16 A portable planetarium for Kenya Kyle Doane [email protected] 20 How we do it: Comet tales with a comet nucleus Adam Thanz Webmaster Alan Gould 39 Under One Dome: Hoover-Price Planetarium, Canton, Holt Planetarium Ohio Dave Richards Lawrence Hall of Science 59 Italia: it was divertentissimo! Patty Thoth Seaton University of California 70 Alton Yarian Berkeley, California 94720-5200 USA +1 510-643-5082 +1 510-642-1055 fax Columns [email protected] 63 Book Reviews...... April S. Whitt 71 Calendar of Events...... Loris Ramponi Advertising Coordinator 41 Educational Horizons ...... Jack L. Northrup Dr. Dale Smith, Interim Coordinator 4 In Front of the Console ...... Sharon Shanks (See Publications Committee on page 3) 26 IMERSA News ...... Judith Rubin 44 International News...... Lars Broman Membership 72 Last Light...... April S. Whitt Individual: $65 one year; $100 two years 6 Letter to the Editor...... Institutional: $250 first year; $125 annual renewal 56 Mobile News...... Susan Reynolds Button Library Subscriptions: $50 one year; $90 two years 34 Partycles...... Alex Cherman All amounts in US currency 8 President’s Message ...... Thomas W. Kraupe Direct membership requests and changes of 66 Waxing New...... Sharon Shanks address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman

Printed Back Issues of the Planetarian Index of Advertisers IPS Back Publications Repository allsky.de...... 31 maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair; contact information is on next page Astro-Tec...... 25 Albedo Fulldome...... 7 Index Audio Visual Imagineering ...... 23 Bays Mountain...... 64 A cumulative index of major articles is available online at www.ips-planetarium.org/?page=plntrn California Academy of Sciences...... 53 Clark Planetarium/Hansen Dome ...... 19 Final Deadlines Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc...... 33, 67 Evans & Sutherland ...... inside back cover March: January 21 June: April 21 Global Immersion...... 5 September: July 21 Google Lunar XPrize...... 42 December: October 21 GOTO INC ...... inside front cover Konica Minolta Planetarium Co. Ltd ...... 45 Museum of Science, Boston...... 69 Associate Editors Navitar...... 21 NSC creative ...... 9, 57 Book Reviews Education Last Light April S. Whitt Jack Northrup April S. Whitt R.S.A. Cosmos ...... outside back cover Sky-Skan, Inc ...... 35-38 Calendar IMERSANews Mobile News Loris Ramponi Judith Rubin Susan Button Softmachine...... 13 Spitz, Inc...... 40, 65 Cartoons International Alexandre Lars Broman Spitz Creative Media...... 17, 27, 43, 49 Cherman You Can Do Astronomy...... 30 Zeiss, Inc...... 29

On the Cover: International Planetarium Society home page: A beautiful view behind the dome of the New Digital Plane- www.ips-planetarium.org tarium in Athens. For the story of its first 10 years, see page 10. Courtesy Eugenides Foundation. Planetarian home page: www.ips-planetarium.org/?page=plntrn

September 2013 Planetarian 1 Affiliate Representatives

Association of Brazilian British Association Italian Association Russian Planetariums Planetariums of Planetaria of Planetaria Association Officers Alexandre Cherman Jenny Shipway Loris Ramponi Zinaida P. Sitkova Planetário do Rio de Janeiro Planetarium Manager National Archive of Planetaria Nizhny Novgorod President R. Vice-Governador INTECH Science Centre & c/o Centro Studi e Ricerche Planetarium Thomas W. Kraupe Rubens Berardo, 100 Planetarium Serafino Zani Revolutsionnja Street 20 Planetarium Hamburg Rio de Janeiro RJ Telegraph Way, Morn Hill via Bosca 24, C.P. 104 603002 Nizhny Hindenburgstraße 1 b Brazil 22451-070 Winchester, SO2 11H I 25066 Lumezzane Novgorod, Russia D-22303 Hamburg +55 (21) 2274-0046 ext. 264 United Kingdom (Brescia) Italy +7 831 246-78-80 Deutschland +55 (21) 2529-2149 fax +44 1 962 891916 +39 30 872 164 +7 831 246-77-89 fax +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 alexandre.cherman@ +44 1 962 868524 fax +39 30 872 545 fax [email protected] +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax planetario.rio.rj.gov.br JennyShipway@ [email protected] www.apr.planetariums.ru +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax planetarios.org.br intech-uk.com [email protected] +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell www.planetariodorio. www.intech-uk.com www.planetari.org Society of the German- thomas.kraupe@ com.br www.planetarium.org.uk Speaking Planetariums planetarium-hamburg.de Japan Christian Theis www.gdp-planetarium.org Association of Canadian Association Planetarium Society Planetarium Mannheim Dutch-Speaking of Science Centres Kaoru Kimura Wilhelm-Varnholt-Allee 1 Past-President Planetariums/PLANed Ian C. McLennan Japan Science Foundation D-68165 Mannheim Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda-ku Dave Weinrich Andre Milis #404 - 1275 Haro Street Germany Tokyo, 102-0091 Japan Planetarium Planetarium, Royal Vancouver, British Columbia +49 621 419 4220 (phone); [email protected] Minnesota State Observatory of Belgium V6E 1G1 Canada +49 621 412 411 (fax); www.shin-pla.info University-Moorhead Boechoutlaan 10 +1 604-681-4790 ct@planetarium- 1104 7th Avenue South 1020 Brussels, Belgium phone + fax mannheim.de Middle Atlantic Moorhead +324747030 [email protected] www.gdp-planetarium.org Planetarium Minnesota 56563 USA +324783026 fax [email protected] Society Southeastern +1 218-477-2969 [email protected] www.ianmclennan.com Patty Seaton Planetarium +1 218-477-5864 fax Association of French- Chinese Planetarium H.B. Owens Science Center Association [email protected] Speaking Planetariums Society 9601 Greenbelt Road John Hare President-Elect Marc Moutin Jin Zhu Lanham-Seabrook, Ash Enterprises Maryland 20706 USA Paul H. Knappenberger, Jr. Cité de l’espace Beijing Planetarium 3602 23rd Avenue West +1 301-918 8750 P.O. Box 532 Avenue Jean Gonord No. 138 Xizhimenwait Street Bradenton, Florida +1 301-918 8753 fax Edinburg, Virginia BP 25855 Beijing, 1000044 34205 USA [email protected] USA 22824 31506 Toulouse Cedex 5 P.R. China +1 941-746-3522 [email protected] +33 (0)5 62 71 56 03 +86 10-5158-3311 [email protected] +33 (0)5 62 71 56 29 fax +86 10-5158-3312 fax Nordic Planetarium www.sepadomes.org [email protected] [email protected] Association Executive Secretary www.cite-espace.com Aase Roland Jacobsen Southwestern Lee Ann Hennig www.aplf-planetariums.org European/ The Steno Museum Association of Planetarium, Thomas Mediterranean Planetarium Planetariums Jefferson High School Association of Mexican Planetarium C.F. Moellers Alle 2 Rachel Thompson for Science and Technology Planetariums Association University of Aarhus Portable Universe Man- 6560 Braddock Road Ignacio Castro Pinal Manos Kitsonas DK-8000 Aarhus C ager & Presenter Alexandria, Virginia 22312 USA Torres de Mixcoac, A6-702 Eugenides Planetarium Denmark Perot Museum of Na- +1 703-750-8380 C.P. 01490, México City 387 Syngrou Avenue +45 89423975 ture and Science +1 703-750-5010 fax D.F. México 17564 P. Faliro [email protected] 2201 North Field Street [email protected] +52 (55) 5500 0562 Athens, Greece www.stenomuseet.dk Dallas, Texas 75202 USA +52 (55) 5500 0583 fax +30 210 946 9674 +1 214-756-5830 Treasurer and [email protected] +30 210 941 7372 fax Pacific Planetarium rachel.thompson@ Membership Chair cosmos.astro.uson.mx/ [email protected] Association perotmuseum.org Shawn Laatsch AMPAC/AMPACintro.htm sites.csn.edu/ www.swapskies.org Great Lakes Planetarium planetarium/PPA All fiscal matters: Association of Spanish Association P.O. Box 4451 Planetariums Jeanne Bishop Rocky Mountain Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Javier Armentia Westlake Schools Planetarium Planetario de Pamplona Planetarium Association All other correspondence: Sancho Ramirez, 2 Parkside Intermediate School Mike George ‘Imiloa Astronomy E-31008 Pamplona 24525 Hilliard Road 600 East Washington Street Center of Hawai’i Navarra Spain Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA Phoenix, Arizona 85004 USA 600 ‘Imiloa Place +34 948 260 004 +1 440-899-3075 x2058 +1 602-716-2079 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA +34 948 260 056 +1 440-835-5572 fax +1 602-716-2099 fax +34 948 261 919 fax jeanneebishop@ [email protected] +1 808-969-9735 [email protected] wowway.com +1 808-969-9748 fax gestion@pamplonetario. www.glpaweb.org [email protected] infonego-cio.com Great Plains Planetarium Australasian Planetarium Association Society Jack Dunn Warik Lawrance Ralph Mueller Planetarium Melbourne Planetarium University of Nebraska-Lincoln Scienceworks/Museum 210 Morrill Hall Victoria Lincoln, Nebraska 2 Booker Street 68588-0375 USA Spotswood (Melbourne) +1 402-472-2641 Victoria +1 402-475-8899 fax 3015 Australia [email protected] +61 3 9392 4503 www.spacelaser.com/gppa +61 3 9391 0100 fax wlawrance@museum. vic.gov.au www.aps-planetarium.org

2 Planetarian September 2013 Standing Committees IPS Permanent Awards Committee Conference Host- 2014 Membership Committee Prof. Lars Broman, Chair Dr. Jin Zhu, Director Shawn Laatsch, Chair Mailing Address Teknoland Beijing Planetarium ‘Imiloa Astronomy Cen- Stångtjärnsv 132 138 Xizhimenwai Street ter of Hawaii International Planetarium Society SE-791 74 Falun Beijing 100044 China 600 ‘Imiloa Place Sweden +86 10-5158-3007 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA c/o Shawn Laatsch +46 2310177 +86 10-5158-3312 fax +1 808-969-9735 Treasurer/Membership Chair [email protected] [email protected] +1 808-969-9748 fax www.teknoland.se [email protected] All fiscal business: Elections Committee P.O. Box 4451 Conference Committee Martin George, Chair Publications Committee Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA Thomas W. Kraupe Launceston Planetarium Dr. Dale W. Smith, Chair Planetarium Hamburg Queen Victoria Museum BGSU Planetarium All other correspondence: Hindenburgstraße 1 b Wellington Street 104 Overman Hall ‘Imiloa Astronomy D-22303 Hamburg Launceston Tasmania 7250 Physics &Astronomy Department Center of Hawai’i Deutschland Australia Bowling Green State University +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 +61 3 6323 3777 Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA 600 ‘Imiloa Place +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax +61 3 6323 3776 fax +1 419-372-8666 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax [email protected] +1 419-372-9938 fax +1 808-969-9735 +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell [email protected] thomas.kraupe@ Finance Committee +1 808-969-9748 fax planetarium-hamburg.de President, Past President, Presi- [email protected] www.gdp-planetarium.org dent Elect, Treasurer, Secretary IPS Web Site: Ad Hoc Committees www.ips-planetarium.org Armand Spitz Planetar- International Science & Data Visual- Please notify the Editor of any ium Education Fund Relations Committee ization Task Force changes on these two pages. Finance Committee Martin George, Chair Dr. Mark SubbaRao Launceston Planetarium Adler Planetarium Education Committee Queen Victoria Museum 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive Contact the Treasurer/Membership Jack L. Northrup Wellington Street Chicago, Illinois 60091 USA Chair for individual member address Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Launceston, Tasma- +1 312-294-0348 Planetarium nia 7250 Australia msubbarao@addler- changes and general circulation and King Science and Technology +61 3 6323 3777 planetarium.org billing questions. Magnet Center +61 3 6323 3776 fax 3720 Florence Blvd. [email protected] Omaha, NE 68110 USA +1 402-557-4494 Portable [email protected] Planetarium Committee webmail.ops.org/~jack.northrup Susan Reynolds Button, Chair Quarks to Clusters History Committee 8793 Horseshoe Lane John Hare, IPS Historian Chittenango, NY 13037 Ash Enterprises +1 315-687-5371 3602 23rd Avenue West [email protected] Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA [email protected] +1 941-746-3522 [email protected]

•• Planetarian welcomes submissions of interest to the planetarium community. Preference is given to articles that closely reserved. Opinions expressed by authors late to the philosophy, management, technical aspects, educational aspects, or history of planetariums, and to ideas that are personal opinions and are not neces- can readily be incorporated into planetarium shows. Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary copyright clearanc- sarily the opinions of the International es, especially for illustrations and photographs. •• Research articles dealing with educational aspects of the planetarium and other topics are highly desirable and will be ref- Planetarium Society, its officers, or ereed if applicable and requested. agents. Acceptance of advertisements, •• Contributors agree that their submission is their own original work and has not appeared elsewhere in print or electronically, nor is not being submitted simultaneously elsewhere in print or electronically. If the submission has appeared else- announcements, or other material does where in print or electronically, permission to re-print must be obtained and a copy of this permission emailed to the Edi- not imply endorsement by the Interna- tor with the article. tional Planetarium Society, its officers •• Once accepted for publication, the contributor also agrees that the copyright for original works not appearing elsewhere is held by the International Planetarium Society. Once a submission has appeared in Planetarian (but not before the printed or agents. The editor welcomes Letters version has been received by members), contributors may post the submission on a personal website, blog, or a website of to the Editor and items for consideration general interest as long as the following appears: Copyright 2013 (or appropriate year) International Planetarium Society; for publication.The Editor reserves the used with permission and provide a link to the IPS. If in doubt, contact the editor with questions. •• The Guidelines for Contributors on the IPS website should be consulted before submitting an article. right to edit any manuscript to suit this •• Potential advertisers are invited to check the Advertising Guidelines and Rate Sheet on the IPS website. publication’s needs. www.ips-planetarium.org/?page=plntrn

September 2013 Planetarian 3 But I cannot do that, because I simply cannot think of something positive at the mo- In Front of the Console ment. I cannot bring myself to be enthusiastic when hearing about two school district plan- Sharon Shanks etariums in the Southwestern Association of Ward Beecher Planetarium Planetariums area have closed (Internation- Youngstown State University al News, page 70), and especially not with the Youngstown, OH 44555 USA news that the only planetarium in Guam has closed (see page 66.) [email protected] It is wonderful to celebrate in the pages of this journal the upgrades and renovations to facilities being made. I have to wonder, how- I had a couple of interesting respons- eo projectors. The teaching tools he uses came ever, how many small planetariums are closes from my column in the June issue, when from cash from his wallet. ing at the same time that we never learn I basically wondered about the cost of full- Those are the immediate contrasts. But about. dome programs for planetariums with little the two facilities share the all-important pas- I refuse to think in terms of impersonal cos- or no money and how the fiscal gulf between sion for teaching astronomy the infuses us all, mic time, because this is our time. We’re living big production and small budgets could be and the value of this passion defies a price tag. this and struggling with this right here and bridged. In my eyes, this commonality makes them right now. It’s the only time that matters to us. Before sharing those, however, I promised equally valuable and important. The only dif- And, in the past 25-30 years, many of us the other end of the time “bookend” that had ference between the two, of course, is money. have personally observed the first slow, and attendance at IMERSA in February as one end Oh, for a future envisioned by Gene Rod- then rapid, decline in what we consider to be and the Ohio planetariums denberry and Star quality standards in learning, funding, work meeting at the other. Trek, when the ethics, common sense, and, simply, kindness In April, Ohio planetari- search for knowl- to each other as humans. ums visited two planetariums edge, and not I know, and I think everyone else does as in the Dayton area: the Boon- money, is para- well, that there is no easy solution to the fund- shoft Museum of Discovery in mount. In that ing problems we’re facing, or even if a solu- the city and the Smith Middle world, Scott Old- tion is possible. School Planetarium in Vanda- field would have I do know that we will carry on as we al- lia nearby. On the surface, the all the latest tech- ways have: doing the best that we can with two were a study in contrasts. nological tools at the tools that we have. Our bright moments The Boonshoft, home of his fingertips to always will be the spark of enthusiasm in the Caryl D. Philips Space The- teach astronomy young eyes, or the “thanks for a great show” ater’s 50-ft dome and Digis- and inspire future from an audience member, or maybe a hug tar 4, is a medium sized well- generations. I wish from a first grader. maintained, well-run, and this for him. So, while I’m trying to stay upbeat, I’m hop- well-loved facility that knows We don’t have ing that improved communication with each its audience: children of all that world, so we other, one of founding tenants of IPS, will ages and their parents. do the best we can help find some answers for us. They also have a muse- From Scott Oldfield’s presentation at with the tools we um director that supports the Smith Middle School in Vandalia, Ohio. have and carry on. Communication from down under planetarium, which I could Note goal #2, a goal for many school dis- And, as I wres- One of the first responses to my June col- tell as soon as I walked in and trict planetariums. Apologies for the poor tle with writ- umn and its plea for, well, communication, quality image from my cell phone. noticed they were running ing about today’s came from Australia and Jerry Grayson, a One World, One Sky, a program world, it seems all newcomer to the fulldome field. that I would give my eye teeth to show in my too possible that 99 percent of us, the plane- From the viewpoint of a producer (who just dome but cannot afford. tariums who have a harder time every year made a first film for IMAX called The Earth The planetarium is directed by Cheri Ad- finding funding, will all be Vandalia one day: Wins that you can check out at theearthwins. ams, with staff Jason Heaton, Joe Childers, operating by passion and duct tape alone, un- com/trailer), he’s daunted by the complexity and Kevin Schieman. They produce their own til the passion is beaten out of us or our equip- and lack of standards in the fulldome plane- programs, interspersed with purchased pro- ment fails. trium community. grams that are pure astronomy or relevant to Yes, that’s pessimism at its finest. Also, as someone who geared the film for exhibits at the museum. the educational market, he also is puzzled by Then we moved to Vandalia, a cash- Can we get some optimism here? the hurdles that we, the planetariums, throw strapped rustbelt town and the equally cash- At this point in my column I would love up for him in terms of length, format, and strapped middle school planetarium. Here, to offer something optimistic to counter all content. Scott Oldfield works in a typical school facili- those dark thoughts. Something comforting, His film cost approximately $4 million to ty of 30 years ago: a 30-foot dome, a Viewlex/ at least, would be appropriate: “this, too, will make. At my suggested $3,000 as a comfort- Goto Venus, 60 seats, and a non-existent bud- pass.” Or maybe something astronomical: “in able budget amount, that means he’d have to get. He relies on his own ingenuity and luck to terms of cosmic time, our lives are simply a sell it to 1,333 venues to break even. keep the equipment running, and most of his blink of an eye.” Or maybe something funny, It’s pretty easy to see how impossible that is non-starfield content is provided by two vid- so at least I could make you laugh. (Continues on Page 68)

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42522 GLO] Electrosonic Projector Bulb ad_AW.indd 1 19/04/2013 16:33 Letter to the Editor

To the Editor: of magnitude smaller in size than fulldome you need to give your scripts away for free, I want to correct a few factual errors in video, making them extremely easy to dis- but most do since production costs are so low.) the recent article “Stratoscript Compendium tribute. With free authoring tools, there is no To my knowledge StratoScript is the only Rings” [June 2013, page 26] and expand a little direct monetary cost to start creating scripts, planetarium scripting language with either on some of Lionel’s thoughts. and the learning curve is not large. For exam- an openly-published definition or a free im- To begin with, StratoScript is the prop- ple, I intentionally designed StratoScript for plementation. But given that each system will er capitalization. This is a trademark of Digi- non-programmers. have different features or different implemen- talis Education Solutions, Inc. Secondly, con- Another huge benefit is that you can eas- tations of similar features, we can never ex- trary to the article, I personally designed and ily customize a script for your needs now or pect to have perfectly consistent results across implemented the StratoScript language and in the future. Just try doing that with full- varied systems. Obviously I’m biased, but scripting engine in Stellarium and later Night- dome video. As real-time software and hard- could StratoScript be the common denomina- shade. While I consulted with Stellarium proj- ware continues to improve, your scripts can tor scripting language we need? ect lead Fabien Chereau on integration ques- even look better and better over time! Plus, Rob Spearman tions, his role was minimal. you can run with your own sky settings rath- President, Digitalis Edu- Thirdly, we officially split Nightshade from er than the generally poor starfields from full- cation Solutions, Inc. Stellarium in December, 2009 (not 2008). Af- dome video. I was just remarking the other Bremerton, Washington, USA ter Fabien unilaterally removed the Strato- day that a number of real-time systems pro- Script engine from Stellarium, it was clear our duce a dramatically more realistic Earth than Lion Ruiz responds: Great explanation you priorities were not in alignment. To make it many fulldome shows. gave. Nothing to add. simpler to follow the many changes to the The main disadvantage to scripts is the in- You could also raise the fact that regional- Nightshade project, we just published an easy ability to share with ANY planetarium. There ization (changing language) is easy with this to read timeline: nightshadesoftware.org/proj- is no standard scripting language supported kind of process and don’t need to recalculate ects/nightshade/wiki/Project_History. by every projection system. That means you many things. That’s also why the compendi- Lastly, I wanted to expand a bit on script have only a subset of all planetaria you can um works fine as an international contest. I sharing. As Lionel mentioned, these are orders share your script with. (Sharing does not mean

Undaunted Story of people behind the Allegheny Observatory is wonderfully done

Sharon Shanks Handley’s first nail is the title: the show is about the observatory, Planetarian Editor yes, but it’s also about the giants who worked in its halls and with There’s an adage along the lines that we don’t value things close its telescopes. It’s about their commitment to their science and their to home as much as those at a distance; that we have to travel to passion for astronomy. some distant city for the newest and best. The program starts with a solid introduction to spectroscopy, giv- I am ashamed to say that for me, the Allegheny Observatory in en by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson’s appearances are balanced Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (basically next door), fell into the adage and deliberate: when you see him, you know that the hard science category. Yes, I’ve visited it numer- is coming and it will be explained clearly and with Neil’s trademark ous times, both for work and con- comfortable conversational style. Nicely done. Tyson’s celebrity is ferences. Yes, I thought I knew its not overworked and is used as a production benefit. history, and I appreciate the gran- Spectroscopy leads us to the observatory’s first director. Samuel deur of its marble halls and hand- Pierpont Langley (yes, that Langley, whose name is now eponymous crafted woodwork—not to men- with science and advanced aeronautics in this country) started with tion the jaw-droppingly-beautiful a table and three chairs and no budget. To raise funds to operate the stained glass Urania in the lobby. observatory, he used a maritime idea he saw at the Greenwich Ob- But, until I saw Undaunted: The servatory and “sold time” to the growing US railway system that Forgotten Giants of the Allegheny eventually led to railroad standard time and the five time zones Observatory, it hadn’t sunk in that now used in the US. this observatory and its history Langley’s early spectroscopy work at the Allegheny led directly to played such a vital role in the his- our understanding of atmospheric warming by the sun, the green- tory of astronomy. house effect, and today’s climate studies. Thank you, Dan Handley, for Intrigued by powered flight, Langley did his early research in taking the observatory’s story off the shelf, shaking off its dust, and aerodynamics in the observatory’s back yard, and was barely beaten setting it out for all to see its true worth. in the race to the skies by the Wright Brothers, who themselves were As anyone who deals with planetarium shows knows, there are indebted to Langley’s research for their success. good shows and there are great shows, and then there are the rare A young John Brashear brought his early engineering genius to shows that are superb: the ones who hit every aspect of production Langley to discuss optics and telescopes, and was set along a path square on the head and nail it. (Continues on Page 24)

6 Planetarian September 2013 Extrasolar Planets discovering new worlds Available in Duration: 30 min. Audience: general audience, families & school programs Available now in: English, Spanish, Catalan, French, German Resolution up to: 4K

We live on a small planet that revolves around a star that is no different in size, luminosity, or location, than any other. It is just one among many. Are the planets that orbit our star what distinguishes it from the others? Are there also extra solar planets that revolve around other stars? If that was the case, could it be that there are inhabitable worlds like Earth? Co-produced by:

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Duration: 25 min. Audience: general audience, families & school programs. Available now in: English, Spanish, Catalan, Korean. Resolution up to: 4K.

Earth is the only world in the solar system where we know life exists. Countless species of plants and animals thrive on its surface and in its oceans. CONTACT Alexander Zaragoza Earth is changing. The atmosphere is losing its [email protected] ability to regulate the comfortable temperatures that Albedo Fulldome help life thrive. Things are warming up. Sepúlveda 143, sa E-08011 Barcelona Tel. (+34) 931 630 694 Spain September 2013 Planetarian 7 www.albedo-fulldome.com spective and understand our world in a bigger President’s Message context. Let us use them wisely. and especially in connection with real sky and space events. Thomas W. Kraupe Planetarium Hamburg IPS Council in South Tyrol Hindenburgstraße 1 b Speaking of South Tyrol and education: D-22303 Hamburg, Deutschland the brand new South Tyrol Planetarium is +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 the location where IPS Council gathered Au- +49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax; +49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax gust 9-10. This site is a very interesting model +49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell for science education, because it is a vital part [email protected], www.gdp-planetarium.org of the so-called “planet school” which serves people of all ages in the valley near Bolzano. It combines kindergarten and elementary bit of Neptune on January 14, 1990. Dear Fellow Planetarians: school with library and planetarium. For me, that evening in July, “The Day the On July 19 at 21:30 GMT, I gazed up to Sat- Its “planet academy” will also excel as a Earth Smiled,” had yet another impressive as- urn and our moon and was overwhelmed. “summer school for planetarians,” where pect. I was in South Tyrol/Northern Italy that This was the moment when NASA’s Cassini planetarians from different countries will be day and it was the night before the opening of spacecraft imaged Saturn and its entire ring allowed to apply to learn how to operate a a new planetarium. system during a total eclipse of the sun, cap- planetarium and create educational planetari- Just an hour before the picture was taken, I turing, in natural color, a glimpse of our own um content. This European site for profession- was sitting under the 8-m dome of that plan- planet. It was the first time Earthlings knew al development will benefit from the exper- etarium, looking back to Earth in stereoscop- in advance that their picture would be taken tise and support of IPS. ic 3D through the magnificent ring system of from a billion miles away. More about this interesting project and Saturn. Breathtaking! Yes, I had both perspec- It was an opportunity for everyone around plenty of other results from our IPS Council tives. the globe, at the same time, to savor the meeting will be published in my December uniqueness of our beautiful blue-ocean planet Using our wonderful tools message. and the preciousness of the life on it. By then, you will know who will be the This was a special example as to what we as While Earth is only about a pixel in size host for the IPS 2016 conference. It was a planetarians can do with our great tools. In- from Cassini’s vantage point 1.44 billion ki- tough choice again. There were three excel- dependent of dome size, we can put discov- lometers away, this picture unites us all on lent bids: Telus World of Science (Edmonton/ eries and events in perspective and offer new Earth. “Consider again that dot. That’s here, Canada), Cite Espace (Toulouse/France) and perspectives on our world. Just imagine what that’s home, that’s us. ...on a mote of dust sus- Kopernikus Science Center (Warsaw/Poland). wonderful stories you are able to tell around pended in a sunbeam,” as the unforgotten Carl I urge the two bidders who did not succeed to that image alone to people of all ages. Sagan once put it. consider presenting a new bid at IPS 2014 for Yes, I am also a big fan of a beautiful night hosting IPS in 2018 Connecting the Pale Blue Dot sky and analog star projectors, but in the interest of our mission to educate people about It is interesting to know that Cassini Imag- IPS 2014 in China who and where we are in this ever-more ex- ing team leader Carolyn Porco was involved, The next IPS conference is less than a year citing cosmic landscape, real-time simulations along with Sagan, in initiating and executing away. On June 23-27, 2014 we will convene in the famous “Pale Blue Dot” image of Earth tak- in a digital planetarium offer us breathtaking en by NASA’s Voyager 1 from beyond the or- and boundless opportunities to change per- (Continues on Page 34)

The IPS Council at its off-conference year meeting in South Tyrol, Italy. Photo by F.M.Arndt

8 Planetarian September 2013 TRY SOMETHING NEW IN YOUR DIGITAL DOME

THE EX-CELL-ENT ADVENTURES OF RAJ AND SOOKI! NEW 360° BIOLOGY 2D DIGITAL FULLDOME FILM

FULL-LENGTHSeptember 2013 PREVIEW: WWW.CELL-CELL-CELL.COM/PREVIEWPlanetarian 9 10 years for Athens’ New Digital Planetarium

Dr. Manos Kitsonas, Technical Director Dr. Alex Delivorias, Science Advisor Eugenides Planetarium Athens, Greece

On 3 November 2013, the New Digital Plan- lic, to inspire its visitors by demonstrating the To attain this objective and, at the same etarium of the Eugenides Foundation in Ath- nature of scientific inquiry, and to cultivate time, to ensure its long-term financial inde- ens, Greece, celebrates its 10th Anniversary. their sense of curiosity and wonder about the pendence, Eugenides bequeathed a large part Having already produced 21 digital plane- natural world. of his fortune to the foundation. Indeed, from tarium shows and an equal number of study Today, Dionysios Simopoulos, the planetar- its inception to the present day, the Eugenides guides, having organized numerous public ium’s director, and Manos Kitsonas, its techni- Foundation has operated and continues to do lectures, conferences and astrophotography cal director, collaborate fully with its scientif- so without any state or other financial assis- exhibitions, and having, so far, attracted an ic and technical staff, using all the impressive tance whatsoever. estimated 3,500,000 visitors, the New Digital creative and technical capabilities of modern Eugenides entrusted the administration of Planetarium continues to honor the last will audiovisual media and technology to “nar- his estate and the execution of the terms of his and testament of our national benefactor Eu- rate” the history of science in this most fasci- will to his sister, Marianthi Simou, who made gene Eugenides (1882-1954). nating and enjoyable way. the fulfilment of her brother’s wishes her own Eugene Eugenides, the shrewd businessman life’s work, and did so with great success. and ship owner, who established the educa- The background Eugenides, however, did not specifically de- tional public benefit institution which bears Since its establishment in 1954, the key mis- fine the directions that the foundation should his name, would never have dreamt the ex- sion of the Eugenides Foundation has always follow. He left that to the discretion of the tent to which it has developed since it was es- been to implement the wishes expressed in foundation directors. As such, his sister and tablished in 1954. the last testament of Eugene Eugenides, name- first governor of the foundation decided to The main mission of the New Digital Plan- ly “to contribute to the education of the add a planetarium to the foundation’s com- etarium is to communicate the achievements Greek youth in the fields of science and tech- plex, following the recommendations of her in science and technology to the wider pub- nology.” advisers.

10 Planetarian September 2013 Thus, the original Eugenides Foundation etarium association affiliated with IPS. This vices to the public and face the challenges building on Syngrou Avenue was inaugurat- was a very important step in making the In- of the 21st century with a totally renovated ed on 7 June 1966, and on the same day the ternational Planetarium Society truly inter- structure and services. first planetarium in Greece began its opera- national and resulted in the establishment of In 1996 Vernikos-Eugenides decided to do- tion, equipped with a Zeiss Mark IV planetar- many regional and national IPS affiliates in nate a particularly sizeable grant to expand ium projector donated by Nikos Vernikos-Eu- the following years. the facilities and activities of the foundation, genides, later to become the next president of The Eugenides Foundation also has spon- which, according to his vision, would consist the foundation. sored the IPS-Eugenides Script Contest Awards of a new state-of-the-art digital planetarium as In the summer of 1972, the Hellenic Astro- since its establishment in 1984, and continu- well as a permanent Interactive Science and nomical Society invited Dionysios Simopou- ously cooperates with the IPS Council in find- Technology Exhibits area. los as a keynote speaker at a symposium, and ing the best way to continue implementing In the exact same year, the IPS recognised he, thus, was given the opportunity to meet an awards scheme for the future. Dionysios Simopoulos’s lifetime dedication in with Marianthi Simou. When Marianthi Simou died in 1981, she, science education and in the dissemination of That meeting proved decisive and in the too, left virtually all of her estate to the foun- science to the general public by awarding him spring of 1973 Simopoulos assumed his respon- dation. The administration was taken over by the 1996 IPS Service Award. sibilities as director of the Eugenides Planetari- her associate and Eugenides’ godson, Nikolaos Vernikos-Eugenides, meanwhile, for the um, a position that he holds to this day. Vernikos-Eugenides, who, as president of the four years preceding his unexpected death in Influenced by his five-year experience as foundation, continued the work of his prede- November of 2000, participated decisively in curator and later as director of the Zeiss Plane- cessors with undiminished enthusiasm. the efforts that would turn his vision into re- tarium at the Louisiana Arts and Science Cen- ality, in close collaboration with Simopoulos ter (now LASM) in Baton Rouge, Simopoulos The mission expands and the planetarium’s scientific and techni- introduced several artistic and directional in- During the next 20 years Vernikos-Eugen- cal staff and through extensive consultations novations in the planetarium’s shows, in- ides went on to expand the foundation’s ac- with experts in the field from abroad. sisting at the same time that all audiovisual tivities into new areas, realising early on that This vision continues, now carried on to- equipment must always be upgraded to the if the original mission of the foundation was day by his successor and new foundation Pres- latest developments in planetarium technol- to continue, it was necessary to update its ser- ident Leonidas Demetriades-Eugenides. ogy, an “attitude” which resulted in quadrupling its audience. Today’s building and equipment A new era begins Construction for the New Digital In 1978, the Eugenides Planetarium, Planetarium began in the spring of in cooperation with the Armagh Plan- 2000, concurrently with the “digital etarium in Northern Ireland and revolution” that had already started the Hamburg Planetarium in Ger- spreading across the planetarium many, established the Europe- world. After three years of ex- an Mediterranean Planetari- tensive reconstruction and ad- um Association, the first ever ditions to the original build- non-North American plan- ing complex and almost

From top, clockwise: The Eugenides Foundation building, with the new dome on the Facing page: Viewers left next to the old one in the cen- enjoying a show in the ter. Next, the impressive projec- New Digital Planetari- tion booth with the on-line digital um’s 25-meter dome. systems on the left and the 1570 All images courtesy Eu- film system on the right. Bottom: genides Foundation. a fish-eye view of the theater, and the theater console. Center: A poster of the show The Day Star, a Eugenides Foundation production.

September 2013 Planetarian 11 Right: Viewers queuing well outside the planetarium entrance. Below: The New Digital Plan- etarium organizes many astrophotography exhibitions.

40 years since the creation of the first Eugen- ides Planetarium, its state-of-the-art successor opened its doors to the public on November 3, 2003. The venerable Zeiss Mark IV projector that lit the skies of its 15-m dome from 1966 to 1999, is still in its place, but the old planetarium chamber has become the exit lobby of the New Digital Planetarium. The New Digital Planetarium is a large amphitheatre with a 23.5 degree tilt under a 25-meter dome by Astro-Tec. Even though the projection surface of the dome screen has tri- pled to almost 1,000 m2, the number of seats was limited to 278, opting for a very comfortable seat size and leaving plenty of space between rows, a luxury rarely seen in planetar- eted science and technolo- iums. gy dissemination activities, Each seat offers complete support of the the New Digital Planetari- viewer’s head and is angled according to its lo- um deservedly belongs to cation in the amphitheatre. the Ivy League of planetari- The New Digital Planetarium is equipped ums worldwide. with two advanced fulldome digital theatre systems: Sky-Skan’s DigitalSky2 and Ev- Show production ans and Sutherland’s Digistar3. Furthermore, In order to have as much thanks to the 15/70 film projection system in- control as possible on the stalled by SimEx-Iwerks and Cinema Develop- outcome of each planetari- ment Company, the New Digital Planetarium um production and, at the projects large format films on its dome and same time, to keep costs at thus offers to its audience an even wider range an absolute minimum, new of scientific and educational content. productions are made ac- Sky-Skan’s SPICE automation system con- cording to in-house devel- trols an extensive set of additional digital vid- oped scripts and music com- eo, slide and DVD projection systems, a Laser bined with ready-made Projection System by Laser Fantasy Interna- scenes leased from existing international ates in a specially equipped electronics lab tional, Sky-Skan’s interactive control units, planetarium productions. that serves as the basis for all hardware re- many special effects projectors, as well as the It is mostly due to this strategy that the pairs, modifications and improvements need- 40,000-watt 6.1 Digital Surround Sound Sys- New Digital Planetarium succeeds in produced for the planetarium’s smooth operation. tem, which transmits the soundtrack of the ing two 40-minutes shows per year. Lately, The state-of-the-art sound studio, complete shows through 44 special speakers. however, the New Digital Planetarium started with a soundproof recording booth, is a fully- Digital projection on the dome is achieved pursuing the development of some scenes by equipped recording studio in which all plane- now through 12 Projection Design F32 projec- collaborating with independent Greek anima- tarium soundtracks are recorded. tors, arranged in two sets of six, installed and tors, a trend that hopefully will increase in the Finally, an impressive storage farm with 50 integrated by Sky-Skan in July 2009 in place future. To this end, various production and TB of storage disk space, which is continuous- of the 12 Barco 909 CRT video projectors that organisational teams have been established, ly expanded, is used for the safe keeping of all were originally installed in 2003 and had suc- which collaborate in creating the shows. the data (images, videos etc.) used for the plan- cessfully served the theater for six seasons. The educational team selects the main etarium shows. Also, all the digital systems’ computers theme of each show and is responsible for all In light of the financial dire straits Greece have already been replaced twice since the educational aspects of the production as well faces right now, and indeed of the financial initial installation in order to comply with as its overall planning and implementation. crisis worldwide, education itself has not been the continuing developments and rising re- The creative team directs and edits all left unscathed. quirements of the digital content. shows with the help of a fully-equipped dig- Nevertheless, the New Digital Planetarium, Indeed, thanks to its annual upgrade of nec- ital production studio that processes the full- in close collaboration with the other depart- essary software and hardware and to the pro- dome animation, programs the real-time ments of the Eugenides Foundation, namely duction of two 40-minute digital shows per scenes and creates the fulldome videos with Interactive Exhibits, the Publishing Depart- year, each complemented by fully-illustrat- the help of a powerful computer rendering ment, the Conference Center and the Library, ed guidebooks that expand the main theme and slicing farm. continues in these difficult times to hon- of each show, and due to all of its multifac- The electronics-automation team oper- or the Foundation’s mission. I

12 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 13 When ingenuity was king: Seymour Planetarium celebrates 75th anniversary

Richard Sanderson Curator of Physical Science Seymour Planetarium Springfield Science Museum Springfield, Massachusetts [email protected] Frank Korkosz stands behind the Seymour Planetarium’s original control console, made from a roll-top desk, in this 1937 photograph. All photos courtesy Springfield Science Museum. Korkosz brothers defy the Great Depression to build a star projector

The Seymour Planetarium, located at the it drift across the ceiling of his Pennsylvania at the museum, he took astronomy courses at Springfield Science Museum in Massachu- home. Harvard University and Amherst College, but setts, recently celebrated its 75th anniversa- The Korkosz family moved to Chicopee, never graduated from college. ry. Highlighting this milestone was the mu- Massachusetts in 1915 to work in the textile John Korkosz, Frank’s younger brother, was seum’s announcement that an asteroid has industry. Frank quickly discovered the Muse- an electrician employed by the Chicopee City officially been named in honor of Frank and um of Natural History in nearby Springfield, Engineer. John’s technical skills would soon John Korkosz, the two brothers who designed which today is called the Springfield Science be combined with Frank’s knowledge of the and built the planetarium during the Great Museum. What drew his attention to the mu- heavens for an important project that would Depression. seum? In his words, “It was my mother’s kitch- become their enduring legacy. Asteroid 243262 Korkosz was discovered by en stove!” astronomer Luca Buzzi at the Schiaparelli Ob- In an early display of inventive imagina- The legacy of the mechanical servatory in Italy and now immortalizes the tion, Korkosz collected clay from the bank For thousands of years, people have con- achievements of these two planetarium pio- of the Chicopee River to repair a hole in the structed models and mechanical devices to re- neers. stove and used leftover clay to make some produce the night sky and display its move- animal figures. Noticing his artistic talent, a ments.1 On the tail of a comet teacher brought him to the museum, where A remarkable celestial computer known As an 8-year-old boy, Frank Korkosz fol- director Grace Pettis Johnson admired his as the Antikythera Mechanism, built around lowed the 1910 visit of Halley’s Comet with work and offered encouragement. 100 BC, was discovered by sponge divers off great excitement. A couple years later, he con- Johnson eventually hired Korkosz in 1930 the coast of Greece in 1900. This sophisticat- structed a comet projector from a wooden to work as a museum technician. During that ed, geared instrument could calculate past and box, carbide lamp, and lens. Korkosz charged decade, a new second floor was added and 1 For more about this history, see the June 2013 Plan- neighborhood youngsters a penny apiece he demonstrated his mechanical ability by etarian and The magic of the Atwood Sphere start- to learn about the famous comet and watch building a 15-tank aquarium. While working ing on page 10.

14 Planetarian September 2013 future information about the positions of the stars, moon and five known planets. Beautiful mechanical models of the solar system known as orreries appeared in the 18th century and could demonstrate the move- ments of the planets around the sun. They were named after the Earl of Orrery, who commissioned one in 1704. Chicago’s Atwood Sphere, built in 1913, reflected a movement toward greater realism in museums during the early 20th century. This rotating, 17-foot-diameter metallic sphere is perforated with 692 holes. Light shines in through these holes to create a simulated starry sky for those who venture inside. The modern projection planetarium, introduced in 1923 by the Zeiss optical firm in Ger- many, represented a giant leap forward in ver- satility and realism.

Can’t afford it? Then we’ll build it Frank read about the Zeiss planetariums that were appearing in a few of the largest American cities and he appreciated their importance as teaching tools. Of course, a mid- sized museum could not afford one of these mechanical marvels, especially during the Top: A group of visitors enjoys a show at the Great Depression, so his only option was to Seymour Planetarium, circa 1940. Right: Plane- build a planetarium. tarium pioneers Frank (left) and John Korkosz The newly-added second floor of the mu- visit the Seymour Planetarium in this 1984 pho- seum included a windowless gallery which to taken by former planetarium educator Pat- rick Rowan. Today, this is the oldest operating staff members had nicknamed, “The Depart- projection planetarium in the United States. ment of Mystery.” In those days, museums used windows and skylights to provide natural lighting for exhibits. This windowless gallery therefore seemed a lot more puzzling during the 1930s than it By early 1935, Frank and John had designed would today, as museums now cover up their the star projector and fabrication of its com- windows and use controlled artificial illumi- ponents had begun. Local machinists and stu- nation to avoid the bleaching effect of bright dents at Chicopee Trade School provided as- natural light. sistance. Frank proposed using this dark gallery as a Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the planetarium theater and his boss, Grace Pet- country, the largest telescope in the world tis Johnson, liked the idea. Frank enlisted the was being built at Mount Palomar Observa- help of his brother and they soon began mak- tory in California. During those terrible years, ing sketches. the seeds were planted for the greatest period An early idea was to perforate the gallery’s of astronomical discovery and space explora- flat ceiling with holes depicting the familiar tion the world has ever known. ter-tall planetarium projector with motors to constellation patterns, which would be illu- Springfield’s planetarium was nearing com- simulate the Earth’s rotation and revolution, minated by lamps located above the ceiling, pletion in 1937. A 500-watt bulb at the center precession and the shift in the celestial sphere similar to the Atwood Sphere. of a single 1-meter-diameter “star-ball” pro- caused by changing latitude. Then came a communication from John- vides light for over 7,000 star images. The stars The finishing touch: the planetarium was son’s superior, City Library Association Presi- are created when this light passes through 41 named for museum benefactor Stephen Sey- dent Nathan D. Bill, who wrote, “…in carrying cylindrical projection units mounted in holes mour. out the plan, do not carry it out in an ama- that cover the star-ball. teurish way, make whatever you do first class Each projection unit contains condenser The public approves even though it does cost a little more.” lenses, a gravity-controlled shutter to extin- Prior to the planetarium’s public opening In response to Bill’s encouraging instruc- guish the stars at the horizon, and a thin alu- on November 2, 1937, the teachers of Spring- tions, the original concept of a static simula- minum disc punched with scores of holes to field and Mayor Martens and members of the tion of the night sky was replaced in 1933 by represent the star-field in a small section of the City Council received special previews. The the dynamic universe of a projection plane- night sky. A lens then focuses the star images Seymour Planetarium quickly became a pop- tarium and a sky filled with moving stars. The onto the 10.2-meter-diameter dome to create a ular destination for visitors and school class- museum’s roof would be raised to accommo- strikingly realistic depiction of the night sky. date a domed ceiling. The Korkosz brothers equipped the 2.1-me- (Continues on Page 24)

September 2013 Planetarian 15 A portable planetarium for Kenya

I had a planetarium in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills...

In 2006, I visited Kenya for the first time. It to Amboseli at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. is an amazingly diverse place with mountains, The Maasai are traditionally a nomadic flamingo-filled crater lakes, and an east coast people and this community was about as far along the Indian Ocean with white sand and away from light pollution as possible on to- sea turtles. day’s planet. I was excited to record the cul- Some of the earliest known hominid fossils tural stories of a people who had used the stars were found by Louis Leakey near Lake Turka- to guide them for thousands of years. na and there is some deep whisper of “home” carried on the wind. A friendship begins There is much more to Kenya than just the I met Kakuta in Seattle, where we both lions, elephants, giraffe and zebra that most worked as environmental educators at Wood- Westerners picture from our trips to the city land Park Zoo. Kakuta had built a foundation zoo. in Seattle which raised enough money for his The large cities of Nairobi and Mombasa are community to build a school so that the Maa- pulsing and crammed with humans, but the sai kids could finally be educated at home in Kyle Doane with Maasai. All images by Leslie vast, protected parkland such as Tsavo and their own culture instead of being shipped Kadane; provided by author. the Mara stretch with windy dirt roads where of to English-style boarding schools where Kyle Doane baboons are far more plentiful than people. It they seldom thrived. Kakuta says, “A Maasai is easy to find yourself lost in time. without his culture is like a zebra without his NOMAD DOMES Part of my trip involved visiting a Maasai stripes.” 4305 Fairfax Ave. community where a friend of mine, Kakuta, After a couple of days getting to know the Dallas, Texas 75205 grew up. The community of Merrueshi is lo- school and the community, I offered to do an cated equally distant from Nairobi and Mom- astronomy night for the high school students. Follow Kyle’s adventures at basa and far away from any paved road. The We gathered at the school after sunset and www.facebook.com/NomadDomes closest “main” road is a dirt track which leads (Continues on Page 18)

16 Planetarian September 2013 Supervolcanoes_8_5x11_WRobinSip.Page 1 1/31/2013 11:49:49 AM

Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch

CMY

FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com

September 2013 Planetarian SHOW DISTRIBUTION17 Contact: Robin Sip [email protected] T: +31 70 3457500 Contact: Mike Bruno [email protected] T: 610.459.5200 Kyle Doane, continued from Page 16 shut off the school’s security light, which was the only light visible on the horizon. Left: An adult male giraffe, iconic of Africa. Be- The Maasai call the Milky Way “The low: Kyle’s wife Leslie with a monkey; the road River of the Gods,” and it really did seem to Tavo; finding Bob Marley on the coast. to flow across the sky. Had this been a March sky, the Southern Cross would have been visible exactly on the opposite side of the sky’s dome from the Big Dipper. On the equator, every star is a possible telescope target. In late Septem- ber, Ursa Minor was barely visible stick- ing up from the northern horizon, her tail pinned to the Polaris somewhere just below what I could see. Cygnus swam in the river directly overhead. I asked the kids to point out any asterisms that they knew. One student said “Orion” (which was not visible that time of year) and another pointed to Cygnus and said “The Southern Cross.” I congratulat- ence. The innovations that ed them on knowing some asterism names come with home-grown scien- and explained that they could see those in a tists can make huge strides to- few months. I asked if any could show me any wards eradicating poverty and of the Maasai asterisms. They were silent. One bettering living conditions in student said, “We haven’t learned these from the large urban slums. our elders because we have been sent off to Much of Kenya’s current economy is school. from tourism. Because people travel to Ke- I realized then that the thousands of years nya to see the animals, the animals are seen of oral lineage had been broken in this genera- as valuable and are preserved. If more peo- tion. As the elders die, so will their stories, and ple came to Kenya to experience the beau- so will a connection that all humans have to tiful skies, perhaps the dark skies would our collective ancestory. also be seen as something worth preserv- The elderly night watchman said that he ing as Kenya develops. didn’t know many stories, only the ones that Over the last few years, I’ve been meet- “everyone knew.” He began to tell the kids ing with astronomy professors and in- how to use the stars as calendar markers to formal science educators who are doing predict rain (remember, the tropics have sea- amazing work in Kenya. When the Perot sonal rains). The kids were amazed and prom- Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas ised to ask their grandparents for more stories. decided to officially retire its lower resolution I promised that I would some day come back Digitalis Alpha 2 portable projection system, and hear their stories. I worked with my friends in Kenya to make a proposal to give that system new life as the Working to fulfill a promise first digital planetarium in Kenya (perhaps the For the last seven years, I’ve been making first in East Africa). steps toward fulfilling that promise. Digitalis has kindly agreed to refurbish and Kenya’s connection to astronomy is far upgrade the projection system. more than just the preservation of cultural stories. Its location on the equator with an Taking the stars to the schools eastern coast makes it an ideal location for This portable digital planetarium can be both telescopes and satellite launching facil- set up in any school throughout Kenya. The strong said, “It suddenly struck me that the ities. planetarium is an inflatable dome with a pro- tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I Kenya has been chosen as for a node of the jection system in the middle. Students sit input up my thumb and shut one eye and my Square Kilometer Array, the largest radio tele- side the dome and see a simulated sky on the thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t scope ever built, and the infrastructure that dome in every direction. We can show details feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” comes with participating in the SKA will have of the night sky, including telescopic views of From this perspective, we realize that a positive economic impact on the country. deep space objects (such as galaxies and star our Earth is tiny and interconnected. The University of Nairobi has graduated its forming nebula) and planets that rotate and What happens in one part does have an first cadre of bachelor’s degree astronomers have moons revolving around them. We can effect on us all. Kenya is a diverse cross- with hopes that they could one day work on change the perspective and land on one of roads where Muslim, Christian, Hindu and astronomy projects in Kenya. Some of these these moons to look back at the Earth. many other traditional cultures exist side by Kenyan astronomers have formed the Ama- Landing on our own moon, we can show side. teur Astronomy Society of Kenya (AASK) to the perspective of the Earth as seen by the inspire children to become interested in sci- Apollo astronauts. From this view, Neil Arm- (Continues on Page 42)

18 Planetarian September 2013 This animated feature is full of your favorite holiday songs and characters. For purchasing information, contact Andrea Doubek at [email protected]. September 2013 385-468-1239 • clarkplanetarium.org/distributionPlanetarian 19

6921-1_Clark_LetItSnow_8.5x11.indd 1 7/25/13 9:40 AM How we do it Tips and tricks to share

Comet tales with a comet nucleus

All the fun carving tools Adam Thanz within the region of the planets, its coma de- Bays Mountain velops. This is caused by the icy nucleus heat- Planetarium ing up slowly and causing the ices to melt and sublimate. Kingsport, Tennessee But, because the crust of the nucleus is like [email protected] a hard shell, the interior ice creates small cavities and starts to bubble and boil. When the pressure inside these small cavities becomes For planetarians in general and for us at too great, these newly-formed gasses burst out Bays Mountain in particular, it all started in through the shell and into space. This creates a June of 2012. It became clear that in order to geyser on the surface of the nucleus. be prepared for Comet ISON (C/2012 S1), a If we pull away from the comet, we see Comet shell, inside planetarium show along with an interactive these gasses form a giant cloud held by the nu- activity would be needed to best educate the cleus’ weak gravitational pull. This is called general public about comets. the coma. Comet ISON is hoped to become easily vis- When the nucleus and its coma get to the ible to experienced observers in the fall of inner solar system, the coma will get large 2013, but be at its best in December of 2013. enough to leave a trail of debris. This effect After six months of production, we created a stretches the coma back away from the nucle- high-quality, but low-cost, planetarium show us and creates a dust tail. Meteor showers are titled Comets & Discovery for our dome and for caused by Earth traveling through these de- Comet shell, outside world-wide distribution. bris trails. We also completed working models of a When the comet gets even closer to the sun, comet nucleus and the sun. another tail may become apparent, the ion or The general design of the models, along gas tail. This is a result of the nucleus reacting with the educational methods to be applied to the solar wind of charged particles emanat- with them, were created by the author. ing from the sun. The physical creation of the models was by As the comet progresses, the nucleus will Cassandra Rose, a newly-hired part-time ex- move faster and curve around the sun. hibits artist at Bays Mountain. The result was a The two tails then start to separate at an an- Detail of hinges balance of complexity needed to do the activ- gle from each other. The dust tail always fol- ity properly (as well as being [hopefully] child- lows the nucleus in its path, like bread crumbs proof) and simplicity in creation by us and by left on a trail. The ion tail always points away you, the reader. from the sun as it is directly affected by the solar wind. General background of comets What we see from Earth is dependent on Comets are ancient denizens of the solar the path of the comet, the direction the tails system, forming with the sun and planets 4.5 are pointing, and Earth’s path around the sun. billion years ago. They reside in a loose, hol- As the nucleus zips about the sun and then low sphere located 50,000 au from the sun leaves the inner solar system, the tails can be called the Oort Cloud, named after the Dutch seen pointing in very different directions, astronomer Jan Oort, who postulated its exis- even opposite each other. A very strange sight. tence in 1950. Due to this great distance, it is This activity is designed to help illustrate the Foam craft essentials very cold, about 10 K. above description three-dimensionally. They are made of mostly water and other ices along with dust and minor amounts Educational efficacy of rock. Since so much time has passed since The comet nucleus model is designed to il- their formation, they experience impacts by lustrate the path and orientation of a comet other comet nuclei and so they are not pris- nucleus and tails as it orbits the sun. We use tine. this model with our planetarium show, but When one of these impacts causes a com- its usefulness is unbound. Allowing students et to come inwards towards the sun, it then to make the models would incorporate cross- embarks on a long journey that takes many curricular skills and interests as well. thousands of years. As a comet nucleus travels (Continues on Page 22)

20 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 21 Comet model, continued from Page 20

The cost to make the models can be next to none if you can find or salvage the materials from other sources. In a planetarium theater, place the sun model in the center of the room under or near the star projector. To maximize the educational and entertainment value of the activity with a group, ask for and select three volunteers. This activity will work well with almost any age. The instructor will start by describing the nucleus, its composition, and that its coma will grow and stretch away from the sun as the comet approaches the sun. When the nucleus gets close to the sun, the tails will start to form and stretch away from the sun. One volunteer will hold the nucleus model, the other two will hold the rods that are attached to the ends of the two ribbons. The instructor will then inform the one holding the nucleus to slowly go around the sun model. The person holding the white ribbon will represent the dust tail and will be The completed models in our planetarium theater with Bays Mountain artist Cassandra Rose. All photos told to always follow the nucleus. The person courtesy Bays Mountain Planetarium holding the blue ribbon will represent the ion (gas) tail and will be told that the end of the is still sitting in the audience, they see one of the nucleus, you might be able to find two tail always points away from the sun. their peers (another audience member) be in- pieces from the packaging of something large, This is done loudly enough so the audience volved. Those that are literally part of the ac- like a TV or computer. hears the instructions. Both of the tail volun- tivity (one of the three volunteers) receive not Carve the foam with sculpting tools and teers will be asked to slowly pull the tails out only hands-on instruction, but are also part of rasps to make the nucleus lumpy, and add cra- as the nucleus first approaches the sun. making science fun, which helps alleviate sci- ters. Carve out two chambers for the ribbon, ence phobia. small holes to hold very strong magnets, and Even wrong is a teaching moment If the audience is asked to state what may places for two hinges. This will allow you to If all works well, each person will do their have gone wrong in the first try, then they are open the model up and retract the ribbon. job correctly and the length and orientation being active participants. They are using rea- The magnets hold the two halves together. of the tails will be seen to stretch and splay soning skills to evaluate the situation. They should be strong enough to keep a child out. If not, ask the audience what went wrong We think that you’ll have lots of fun with from opening up the model, but not so strong and what should be done to make it correct. this activity. Your school groups and public that you cannot open it. A Dremel tool is very With the audience’s suggestions, redo the “or- program attendees will both enjoy and learn. useful in the small carving. biting” of the nucleus with the two tails and This next step is the only part that is special. see if it goes well. Basic construction method We used a 1:1 mix of Bounce and Foam Coat. There are a number of educational meth- The comet nucleus model is designed to be This protects, hardens, and provides a resilient ods applied in this activity. Since many chil- constructed easily and use common materials. and sandable surface. You can purchase this dren and adults have difficulty understanding The basic construct is that the model is made from www.hotwirefoamfactory.com. and thinking in three dimensions (spatial rea- of a stiff foam and that it has two chambers to The more coats, the stronger the surface. soning), they can now see how the tails follow hold the two ribbons. Remember, you’re probably going to be us- their own orientation in relation to the comet The sun model mentioned is very simple: ing this many, many times with lots of kids and sun as the comet orbits the sun. simply a foam ball that is painted to look like and the public. It will be dropped and banged The instructor is used only to introduce the sun. about. the activity, but not to be the participant. For the comet model itself, find or purchase Add the magnets and screw in the hing- This makes for an active learning environ- stiff Styrofoam. The model is made in two es, then coat both the inside and out with ment instead of a passive one. Even if a person halves, so depending on how large you want (Continues on Page 24)

The interior mechanism Outside views of the completed comet

(nom nom nom) 22 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 23 Comet model, continued from Page 22 Korkosz brothers, continued from Page 15 the mix. You may need to add a second coat If you want to go to the next step of comes from all across New England, as it remains on top of the hinge for structural stiffness. I plexity, you can make mechanisms that hold today. would recommend using some scrap foam to the ribbons on a spool. This requires a small In addition to the four Zeiss planetariums experiment with the mix before applying to wooden frame that holds two pieces of dow- on American soil at that time, located in Chi- the final model. el. One dowel is non-rotating and provides a cago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York The simplest design is one that uses no way to stiffen the frame. The oth- City, the first American-made projection plan- spooling mechanism and the ribbons are er dowel spins and the ribbon is etarium had opened its doors in 1936 at the just packed into their own chamber with a attached to it. Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, small opening for the ribbon to pull out. When we’re done with the California. The opening can be finely Dremeled activity, we open the mod- The Seymour Planetarium, therefore, was out after the coating is dry. el and hand-spin the dowels to the sixth projection planetarium in the Unit- You want some tension on wind back each ribbon. ed States, but since all five earlier installations the ribbon so it doesn’t flow If you want to be fancy, you could use a re- have been replaced by newer models, Spring- out easily; we used a small tracting mechanism, or you could design a rig field’s is now the nation’s oldest operating piece of rubber base board that would allow a key (like a hex key or al- projection planetarium. with a thin slit in it. len wrench) to be inserted to wind the spool Against the backdrop of the planetarium’s after use. firmament, Frank taught tens of thousands of Two chambers, two Once the physical model is done and work- visitors about the night sky. He also became a tails ing well, paint the nucleus very dark and popular local spokesperson about topics relat- You also want two sepa- mottled. Comet nuclei have a low albedo (re- ing to astronomy and space exploration. rate chambers so the ribbons can flectivity). A charcoal base coat was used with Frank ascended to the directorship of the come out at different rates and don’t get tan- a black wash to darken the craters and a slight- Springfield Science Museum in 1958 just af- gled up with each other. ly lighter gray for highlights. ter he and John had built their second and last The best material for the ribbon is a thin, The complete plans with detailed steps and planetarium, this time for Boston’s Museum ripstop nylon material, like what kites and accompanying photographs are available for of Science. sails are made from. They don’t fray and are free for both the comet nucleus and sun at In 1964, he received an honorary doctor of resistant to knotting up. www.baysmountain.com/planetarium-pro- science degree from Western New England At the start of the ribbon, we have rings and ductions/comets-discovery-full-dome. Just College in Springfield. In the meantime, John a small clamp to attach a 2.5-in (0.75-m) rod. click on the tab for “Activity Documents.” was promoted to manager at the Chicopee This lets us hold the end of the ribbon out The comet model and its activity was first Electric Light Department. over the audience, since our walkway is not demonstrated at the 2013 SEPA conference in Frank directed the Science Museum un- wide enough for us to be at the end of the 6-ft June 2013, and also has been published in the til his retirement, after 45 years of service, in (1.8-m) ribbons. SEPA journal Southern Skies. I 1974. He died at age 84 in 1987, the planetarium’s golden anniversary year. John passed away at age 89 in 1994. Undaunted, continued from Page 6 Early American planetariums transformed that led to some of the world’s most precise to confirm, through Doppler shifts, that the astronomy education and elevated public in- optical instruments. rings were not solid but composed of count- terest in astronomy during the 1930s. They And it was to Brashear that two scientists less small objects. also helped inspire the generation that would at what would become Case Western Reserve These are simply the highlights of movie, eventually send the first human beings into University in Cleveland, Ohio, came for in- which deftly entwines history, current com- space and to the surface of the moon, events struments to measure, and then disprove, the mentary, beautiful cinematography, and sol- that changed the world forever. In that con- existence of “aether” and open the way for maid astronomy into a gorgeous whole. text, these instruments are priceless artifacts jor advancements in physics and astrophysics. The film was Handley’s idea; his vision was in the history of astronomy. The Seymour The interferometry experiment by Albert Mi- (wisely) supported by every major foundation Planetarium, which is still a vibrant educa- chelson and Edward Morley relied heavily on in the Pittsburgh area. Narration is by David tional tool, is living history. the quality of their equipment, the accuracy Conrad, and music by Scott Michael Burns. As asteroid 243262 Korkosz silently fol- of which was never called into doubt. For more information and the trailer, visit the lows its nearly circular orbit 250 million miles Brashear, whose legacy in Pittsburgh con- movie’s website at www.undauntedthemov- from the sun, educators in the Seymour Plan- tinues today, never left the city. Langley was ie.com. It can be purchased there, or through etarium lead visitors on imaginary voyages offered a position he couldn’t refuse: secre- amazon.com or WQED (Pittsburgh public through the universe, as they have done for 75 tary of the Smithsonian Institution, basical- television) at www.shopwqed.org. years. Through their planetariums, the Korko- ly making him the top scientist in the nation. I would recommend Undaunted highly for sz brothers have touched millions of lives and Brashear’s remains, along with those of his be- classroom teachers, especially as a tie-in to re- undoubtedly have inspired young visitors loved wife, Phoebe, are interred in a crypt be- cent fulldome programs dealing with flight; to devote their lives to science. I low the Keeler Telescope at the observatory. for our audiences, whose attendance indicates Also there are the remains of another observa- an interest in lifelong learning; and for every Richard Sanderson was hired by Frank Korko- tory director, James Keeler. planetarian who enjoys beautiful experiences sz at age 15 to present shows in the Seymour Keeler continued his observation of Sat- about our history. Planetarium. Sanderson is now Curator of Phys- urn’s rings started at the Lick Observatory, And, also, for planetarians who need an ical Science at the Springfield (Massachusetts) and while at Allegheny used spectroscopy example of how to do it right. I Science Museum, where he directs the Seymour Planetarium.

24 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 25 ing a planetarium’s scope. For institutions primarily focused on environmental and Earth IMERSA News sciences, the digital dome becomes an Earth science theater: examples include Our Dy- namic Earth (Edinburgh, Scotland); the Envi- Judith Rubin ronmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Communications Director, IMERSA.org Hooker (Hartford, Connecticut, USA); and [email protected] the Earth & Space Science Laboratory adjoin- ing Lincoln Elementary (Frederick, Maryland, USA), host venue of the 2013 MAPS (Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society) conference. Earth science titles enrich the science fulldome productions, including the Zula Patrol series, Dynamic Earth and Supervol- fulldome content library NASA’s treasure trove of imagery canoes. Earth is ready for her close-up. With the In Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA Goddard Other shows include Wildest Weather in availability of ever more detailed material Space Flight Center Executive Producer Wade the Solar System (National Geographic Cine- and information captured through satellites, Sisler is a science visualization specialist who ma Ventures), Earthquake: Evidence of a Rest- coupled with the ability to exhibit said mate- helps his group collaborate with media pro- less Planet and Life: A Cosmic Story (Califor- rial ever more effectively in the digital dome ducers and institutions and tap into NASA’s nia Academy of Sciences) and Kenji Williams’s environment, the full- rich image resources and the expertise of its live traveling production Bella Gaia. Evans & dome content li- scientists. Sutherland contributions include its numer- brary contin- His work is tied to the organization’s edu- ous giant screen film conversions, such as ues to evolve cation and public outreach (EPO) activities Forces of Nature, Tornado Alley and Wild and diversi- and ranges beyond core astronomy into such fy. Astron- Ocean. areas as astrophysics, space weather, climate omy and Dario Tiveron, managing director of change, severe storms, and the ozone layer. space sci- the Fulldome Data Base (fddb.org), com- “All that science is part of our storytelling ence titles ments, “There’s clearly a trend of push- charter,” he says. “We’re trying to make invis- have been ing the limits beyond astronomy and ible things visible: processes humans have not joined by venturing toward other subjects, and been able to perceive before; patterns of na- shows about Earth science is a hot topic. A lot of atten- ture.” Earth science, he- tion is being paid to climate and environ- A photographer and journalist by train- liophysics, weather mental stories, with recently released shows ing, Sisler has been with NASA since 1983. He patterns and more. such as Energy for Life (Planetario de Pamplo- helped form some of NASA’s filming agree- The art of data visualization has empow- na), The Earth and Me (The Animonautes & ments with IMAX and became acquainted ered new genres of education and entertain- Eugenides Foundation), The H2O Cycle (Sliced with the work of relevant science journalists ment for the dome, and Earth science is one of Tomato Productions) and others in produc- and fulldome pioneers such as Carter Emmart the expanding categories. tion, such as Climate Change—What Future Are and Thomas Lucas. “I would venture to say that Earth science is We Facing (Albedo Fulldome). Domes seem to “We have been part of the fulldome com- probably the second biggest genre in the full- be the perfect place to teach students how to munity for a while now,” he says, pointing dome medium right now,” says Mike Bruno respect the amazing planet we all live on.” out that NASA was a sponsor of Cosmic Col- of Spitz Creative Media, which has been in- Earth science shows can add variety to pro- lisions (American Museum of Natural His- volved in originating several successful Earth gramming and educational options, extend- (Continues on Page 28)

Jena: FullDome Festival draws filmmakers, students, and artisans from around the globe The 7th annual FullDome Festival took place May 29-June 1 at the Jena-Zeiss Planetarium (Jena, Germany). The festival organizing team was led by fulldomer Micky Remann, who also organizes the Liquid Sound festival that combines the delights of the hot tub and spa with music and immersive imagery (see upcoming events, below). IMERSA board members Michael Daut of Evans & Sutherland and Ryan Wyatt of the Califor- nia Academy of Sciences attended the festival. Daut reported that the event was very well run, with a full schedule of events, numerous workshops on production and workflow, and some networking opportunities. The complete program can be referenced online at fulldome-festival.de/wp-content/up- loads/2013/05/FDFprogrammheft2013WEB1.pdf. The festival was attended by mostly filmmakers, students, and artists from the US and Europe, and this was reflected in the film entries, with many from German universities and from students at the Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, Florida USA); the variety of participation is also reflected in the honoree lists (see sidebar). Some theater representatives were among the delegates as well, as were some major system suppliers, including Zeiss, Sky-Skan, and E&S. IMERSA’s Dan Neafus, of the Gates Planetarium at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, gave a presentation on “the language of fulldome,” transmitted live via Skype from Denver. (Continues on Page 32)

26 Planetarian September 2013 BlackHoles_FullPageAd_04-25-2012.pdf 1 4/25/2012 3:12:36 PM

CMY

September 2013 Planetarian 27 IMERSA, continued from Page 26 Livermore were true collaborators: when they weren’t vis- tory). He’s been with iting us, we were on the phone Goddard since the late constantly throughout the 1990s, “just when we production process, making were entering the next sure we got the science right.” phase of data visualiza- The United States Geological tion, which has come Survey (USGS), the Nation- into its own in the past al Oceanic and Atmospheric decade.” Administration (NOAA), and In addition to a the University of California- wealth of images and Berkeley also provided data data, Goddard has hu- used in the production. man production re- “We took the added step of sources. “Our big part- integrating these data into re- ners, the Science al-world environments,” ex- Visualization Studio plains Wyatt, “so the 1906 here, are staffed by ge- supercomputer simulation niuses able to take in data is revealed after we ex- multiple types of data perience the earthquake from and combine them in street-level, in an historically ways that result in ab- accurate recreation of what downtown San solutely compelling Francisco looked like at the time. Connecting images. We have a coral reef of vibrant sci- “Our scientists point out that the instru- our audiences with the sense of being rooted ence storytellers, filmmakers and writers,” ments we use to study the atmosphere of oth- in the real world gives added meaning to the says Sisler, whose job includes supporting NA- er planets are essential in studying our own as science story.” SA’s web team, video TV team, visualization well,” remarks Sisler. “We’re learning how ev- Wyatt believes that the combination of team and animation team. erything fits together as a system: land, ocean, these tools—the realistic depiction of the nat- “Scientists here think of an idea, design in- atmosphere, all working together in very ural world plus the integration of science visu- struments to record data, design spacecraft complex interrelationships, using NASA’s alization—is one of the unique, distinguishing and test and launch it,” says Sisler. “Commu- computing power and observational power as features of content produced by the Acad- nicators we work with here complete that cir- a natural extension of what we do as we ex- emy. “I think that’s part of the reason Earth- cle, and try to share that with the widest pos- plore the solar system.” quake was the first fulldome feature to be sible audience.” nominated for a Visual Effects Society Out- “Every time we turn over a rock here at California Academy brings standing Achievement award.” NASA Goddard, there are five stories wait- planetariums down to Earth He goes on to point out that Morrison Plan- ing to be told,” says Sisler. “We have rain ra- “As I like to express it, we want to put the etarium presenters also use real-time Earth dar now. We have 3D scans of tropical storms ‘planet’ back in ‘planetarium,’” says Ryan Wy- data with each showing of Earthquake. “Pre- and rain events. It would be a fantastic show att, director of Morrison Planetarium and Sci- rendered is only part of the story,” he says. to see lightning from space as it happens, and ence Visualization at the California Academy “We also make use of WorldWide Telescope observe the patterns. 98% of lightning is over of Sciences (San Francisco). or Uniview to reveal the locations of earth- land; only 2% is over the oceans. Planetari- With a focus on biology, climate, and geol- quakes that have taken place in the last 30 ums are a great venue for this kind of materi- ogy that supports the Academy’s research do- days. Our presenters provide context for those al because of the immersive environment, the mains, Morrison Planetarium’s fulldome pro- events, which underscores the idea that earth- enormous sense of scale, and the way the in- ductions have tapped into research centers quakes are happening all the time, all around formation is presented.” around the Bay Area as well as the region’s siz- the world.” Goddard welcomes inquiries and visits able visual effects community. “Not only are Once a month, the Academy also high- from producers. “We take them to our screen- we revealing Earth in a new way, we’re cre- lights work of its researchers alongside cur- ing room ‘hyperwall’ and watch their jaws ating more photorealistic environments that rent events in Earth systems during its adults- drop when they see the enormous resolution put people in familiar places—standing on the only NightLife event, in a program called and images there,” says Sisler. California coast as opposed to the surface of Earth Update. “Instead of a tour of the uni- “Then we bring in scientists, animators, and Titan.” verse, it’s more like a tour of the planet,” says visualizers and kick around ideas. If the stars Collaborators on Life: A Cosmic Story in- Wyatt. “And it gives people the perspective to are in alignment, then we move toward try- cluded the NASA Astrobiology Institute (Mof- think differently about our rapidly-changing ing to make it happen financially.” fet Field, California) and the SETI Institute world.” He adds, “The most rewarding relationships (Mountain View, California), but to find the Embracing Earth science in fulldome looks happen at the early stages of a project. We con- data to illustrate events in Earthquake: Evi- to be part of a general trend to diversify the tributed about one third of the content in Dy- dence of a Restless Planet, Wyatt notes, “we had types of content they show. The increasing namic Earth. By building on the shoulders of to reach much farther afield.” To visualize San number of titles being cross-platformed from our earlier visualization work, we helped keep Francisco’s infamous 1906 temblor, the Acad- giant screen to fulldome and covering a range down expenses. It was a good working collab- emy turned to Lawrence Livermore National of topics, including Earth science and natural oration.” Laboratory (Livermore, California) for super- history, also support this trend. Just as NASA has expanded from rocket sci- computer simulations and volumetric datas- National Geographic’s Sea Monsters, distrib- ence to Earth science, planetariums are not ets of Earth’s interior. uted in fulldome by Sky-Skan and E&S, is one just for astronomy anymore. “The amazing researchers at Lawrence (Continues on Page 30)

28 Planetarian September 2013 The moment of inspiration when he decides to ﬂ y to Mars one day. This is the moment we work for.

// PLANETARIUMS MADE BY CARL ZEISS

Inspirations for visitors of the refurbished Laupheim Planetarium, a powerdome ® Sky Theater comprising the latest SKYMASTER ZKP 4 and VELVET Duo hybrid system.

www.zeiss.de/planetariums in US/Canada contact Laura Misajet: [email protected] September 2013 Planetarian 29

Inspiration_engl_Planetarian2013.indd 1 21.01.2013 12:15:40 IMERSA, continued from Page 28 5-7, 2013, ’Imiloa Astronomy Cen- ter at the University of Hawaii, Hilo, successful example. While this broadens Hawaii. www.imiloahawaii.org/168/ the appeal of a fulldome theater to a much IFFF2013 wider audience with more varied interests, GSCA International Conference & some voice concern that it may also create Trade Show. September 14-17, 2013, confusion among a core planetarium audi- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. www.gi- ence that is expecting to see an astronomy antscreencinema.com show. Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festi- It will be interesting to see how theaters val (will include fulldome presenta- meet this challenge in terms of marketing tions). September 23-27, Moran, Wy- and branding, and how the trend evolves oming. www.jhfestival.org over the next few years. Themed Entertainment Association Everyone wants to fly (TEA) SATE ’13 Experience Design Conference. October 3-4, Savannah Dream to Fly, the first fulldome release College of Art & Design (SCAD), Sa- from the Copernicus Science Center in vannah, Georgia. www.teaconnect. Warsaw, Poland, was an audience and org jury favorite at the Jena FullDome festi- Association of Science-Technology val, where it had its industry premiere. It Centers (ASTC), Annual Conference, had previewed in a short clip at the IMER- Oct 13-16, 2013, Albuquerque, New SA Summit 2013. Still image from Dream to Fly. Courtesy Heavens of Copernicus Daut praised it highly: “Dream to Fly hit Planetarium Mexico. www.astc.org all the right notes story-wise, script-wise, Reflections of the Universe full- and in terms of understanding how the vi- dome festival, October 21-21 2013, sual space of the dome works. It has the right ative), Natural Selection 3D and Dawn of the Tereshkova Cultural and Educational balance of dialog to imagery. It combines a lit- Space Age 3D (Mirage3D), and Secrets of the Sun Center, Yaroslavl, Russia. Organizers: An- tle whimsy with beautiful visualizations de- (Evans & Sutherland). drey Lobanov and Yaroslav Gubchenko. picting hot air balloons, World War II battle “We can learn a great deal from media pro- en.fulldomefilm.org/festival2013.html sequences, the history of flight and develop- ducers experienced in the world of anima- Liquid Sound Festival 2013, Bad Sulza, Germa- ment of air trav- tion, whether or not they have worked in full- ny, Mixed media conference, November 2; el. Dream to Fly has dome,” said Ligowski. Festival, November 8-10. Media, music and an elegant, timeless With a background in multimedia tech- spa culture come together under the leader- quality with the cal- nology, lighting design, and semiconductors, ship of Micky Remann. www.liquidsound. iber of a signature Ligowski found that the planetarium oppor- com film.” tunity suited his love of science and his tech- Fulldome LA, Vortex Dome, Los Angeles, Cal- Dream to Fly was nical and design skills. ifornia. December 6-7, sessions and screen- created under the He was brought on board before the facili- ings organized by Kate McCallum and direction of Maciej ty opened, but after construction was already presented by c3: Center for Conscious Cre- Ligowski, deputy underway. He chose the fulldome projection ativity in association with Vortex Immer- head and show pro- system, wrote a substantial portion of the tension, IMERSA and the Millennium Project. ducer of The Heav- der, and worked with architects to integrate www.consciouscreativity.com Maciej Ligowski ens of Copernicus the planetarium into the design of the build- IMERSA Summit 2014, March 6-9, Denver Mu- Planetarium at the ing. seum of Nature & Science, Denver, Colora- Copernicus Science Center since 2009. He The science center opened in November do. Volunteer organizers and general pro- summarizes Dream to Fly as being “about how 2010, and in June 2011, The Heavens of Coper- posals are invited. Contact [email protected], the dream was born and how it came true. We nicus planetarium followed suit, unveiling a www.imersa.org are trying to show the whole story in a poet- 140-seat, 16-m fulldome theater with a 17-de- FullDome Festival 2014, Jena, Germany, May ic way from the human perspective. The ulti- gree tilt, outfitted with a hybrid system com- 22-24, 2014. Theme: “A Head in the Curve.” mate message is ‘never stop dreaming.’” bining Sky-Skan definiti 3D stereoscopic vid- www.fulldome-festival.de I He regards it as an “animated film—not an eo projection with lasers astronomy show—making the best possible and a Megastar IIA pro- use of camera movement and the dome envi- jector. Visitors don In- ronment to create visual interest.” fitec glasses to view 3D “Noreen is a bright star in The facility has made a serious investment shows. communicating astronomy to in show production, including a high-capaci- The science center cur- visitors with disabilities.” ty render farm. It also produces its own con- rently draws about 1 mil- Carolyn Collins Petersen, Loch Ness Productions tent, with Weronika Śliwa overseeing cre- lion visitors annually, - ation of real-time shows and Ligowski in and in 2012, about 25% charge of fulldome shows. of them visited the plan- Everyone’s Universe A custom, in-house, real-time 3D program, etarium. (Second Edition) Life 3D, explores the possibility of life in space and engages visitors in the storytelling. Upcoming events by Noreen Grice The planetarium also programs third-party ’Imiloa Fulldome Film shows such as We Are Astronomers (NSC Cre- Festival. September www.youcandoastronomy.comwww.YouCanDoAstronomy.com

30 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 31 Jena FullDome Festival, continued from Page 26

“Judging from the strength of what was presented, especially the student work, the fulldome industry is really taking hold, and its future is bright,” said Daut. “Of course it is so in the hearts of people already committed to it and doing it for a living—but at Jena, you could see students’ passion about it, too. Full- dome is capturing imaginations. The students had some tricks up their sleeves that we pros could learn from,” added Daut. Creativity, passion and hard work were formally recognized in the juried FullDome Awards (see sidebar), an impressive presentation of honors delivered with unique fanfare befitting the “Ornamental Dances” theme of the meeting. Each awardee was greeted by a pair of danc- ers bestowing the Janus trophy and oth- Artists of the dance duo Vainno ceremonially hand over the Janus for the Audience Award to Karim Eich and Livius Pápay. Courtesy of Andrea Ludwig. er honors as they twirled to an instrumental theme, appearing in several changes of cos- tume throughout the evening. (Janus is the Klaus Schüller, Soundscape & Environmental 1. The Five-Step Model of Vilém Flusser, Julia Wi- Roman God with eyes in the front and back, Media Lab, Hochschule Darmstadt, for the stu- esner, Potsdam University of Applied Sciences “for optimal fulldome viewing” as Remann is dent contribution I, Water 2. Schrödinger’s Birds, Jochen Isensee, Braunschweig fond of pointing out). Honorable Mentions: University of Art In addition to receiving a trophy, sever- • NSC Creative for Cell! Cell! Cell! 3. Jungle Cabaret, M. Mey Khammas, Potsdam Uni- • Rocco Helmchen/Johannes Kraas for Chaos and Or- versity of Applied Sciences al honorees received cash and other priz- der 4. In the Name of the King, Karim Eich, Livius Pápay, es from a range of sponsor-donors. The Cal- • Parque de las Ciencias, Granada, for Escher’s Uni- Bauhaus University Weimar ifornia Academy of Sciences sponsored the verse 5. Mnemnesia-Visual Music Trailer, Florian Breuer, First Year Students’ Award to give incentive • California Academy of Sciences for Earthquake: Sascha Schiemann, Roland Nebe, Robert to junior contributors to the festival. I Evidence of a Restless Planet Schumann University, Düsseldorf • Mariano Hernandez Rodilana for the full-length 6. Bon Voyage, Min-Kyung Ko, Offenbach University feature show Leo of Art and Design FullDome Festival 2013 Winners • Loch Ness Productions for Losing the Dark 7. The Hollow Earth of Edmund Halley, Gentian Be- The Janus Awardees • Société des arts technologiques for Six Mil Anten- golli, Bauhaus University, Weimar • First Year Students’ Award: Millivette González- nas 8. Home, Maadh Kalbani, Birmingham City University De Jesús, Ringling College of Art and Design, • Spitz Creative Media, Mirage 3D and Thomas Lu- 9. Habitat I, Sönke Hahn, Katarina Sengstaken, Bau- Florida, for the first semester student contri- cas Productions for Supervolcanoes haus University Weimar bution The Dreamer • Ralph Heinsohn for Syncode 360 10. Waltz of the Ocean, Anne-Marie Stöter, Universi- • Creative Award: Min-Kyung Ko, Hochschule für • Softmachine for The Life of Trees ty Anhalt-Dessau Gestaltung Offenbach Sounddesign: Felix • UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Audience choices for the top ten short films and Deufel, Yannick Hofmann, Hochschule Darm- for The Longest Night clips overall: stadt, for the student contribution Bon Voyage • Sky-Skan in association with the Franklin Institute 1. Von Furcht und Freiheit, Daniel Weik und Moritz • Performance Award: Jochen Isensee, Hochschule for To Space and Back Degen, Potsdam University of Applied Sciences für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, for the stu- The FullDome Festival Finalists: 2. Miracle of Life, NSC Creative dent contribution Schrödinger’s Birds • Friendship, short film by Toby Norman-Wright and 3. Jazz from the Matrix #42, Stefan Berke, Jan Zehn • Audience Award: Karim Eich/Livius Pápay, Bauhaus Chris Vandyke, Encompass 360 Degree Digital 4. White Room 02B3, Roddenberry Entertainment Universität Weimar, for the student contribu- Dance 5. Shark Attack, Emma Wolf/Diego de Anna tion In the Name of the King • Guardian Angel, student contributen by Jeffrey 6. Syncode 360, Ralph Heinsohn • Didactic Dome Award: Julia Wiesner, Fachhoch- Boos, Ringling College of Art and Design 7. Relentless Night, Sky-Skan schule Potsdam, for the student contribution • Led Zeppelin, short reel by Mike Murray and David 8. Losing the Dark, Loch Ness Productions The Five-Step Model of Vilém Flusser Merrel, Clark Planetarium 9. Little ABC: The Light, Ilusa Media • Emphasis on Emotion Award: Daniel Weik/Moritz • Losing the Dark, short Film by Loch Ness Produc- 10. Precious Life, Hamburg Planetarium and bluphase- Degen, Fachhochschule Potsdam, for the short tions media film Von Furcht und Freiheit (On Fear and Free- • Mnemnesia Visual Music Trailer, student contribu- Audience choices for top ten full-length shows: dom) tion by Florian Breuer, Sascha Schienmann, Ro- 1. Dream to Fly, Copernicus Science Centre, Warsaw • Spatial Sound Award, Aaron Bradbury, NSC Cre- land Nebe, Robert Schumann Hochschule Düs- 2. Cell! Cell! Cell! NSC Creative ative, for the short film VORTEX with Spatial seldorf 3. We Are Aliens! NSC Creative Sound Wave soundtrack • Shark Attack, short Film by Emma Wolf and Diego 4. Chaos and Order, Rocco Helmchen & Johannes • Innovative FullDome Production Award: Robin Sip, de Anna Kraas Mirage 3D, for the full-length feature show Di- • Striare, student contribution by Christina Chang, 5. Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries, Evans & Suther- nosaurs at Dusk Ringling College of Art and De-sign land • Directors Award: Maciej Ligowski, Copernicus Sci- • Syncode 360, short Film by Ralph Heinsohn 6. Earthquake: Evidence of a Restless Planet, Califor- ence Centre, Warsaw, for the full-length fea- • The Hollow Earth of Edmund Halley, student con- nia Academy of Sciences ture show Dream To Fly tribution by Gentian Begolli, Bauhaus Univer- 7. The Life of Trees, Softmachine The Spatial Sound Recognition Awardees: sität Weimar 8. Escher’s Universe, Parque de las Ciencias, Granada • Peter Popp, Softmachine, Munich, for the full- • Venatio, student contribution by Oliver Reichert, 9. The Longest Night, Morehead Planetarium, length feature show The Life of Trees Hochschule Anhalt Dessau Chapel Hill • Planetarium Hamburg & bluphasemedia for the • Waltz of the Ocean, student contribution by 10. Moons: Worlds of Mystery, Hayden Plan- short film Precious Life Anne-Marie Stöter, Hochschule Anhalt Dessau etarium, Boston I • Felix Deufel, Yannick Hofmann, Natascha Rehberg, Audience choices for the top ten student clips:

32 Planetarian September 2013 ®

September 2013 Planetarian 33 President’s Message, continued from Page34 China and experience the hospitality of Bei- 2014 will be cultural astronomy, with Asian alization Task Force, chaired by Dr. Mark Sub- jing Planetarium. Along with IPS 2012 host and Chinese astronomy being of particular in- baRao, is to streamline the process of going Jon Elvert, I had the privilege of visiting the terest. For example, did you know that there from data to dome, increasing the potential site in Beijing just a few weeks ago as I write are 800 constellations and several different zo- for scientific communication and storytelling this, and I can tell that you that Dr. Jin Zhu diacs? in the planetarium. The task force will under- and his wonderful team in Bejing are great Even outside of the planetarium and the take initiatives aimed at: hosts and ready to welcome you. old historic observatory, there is so much to •• Preparing planetariums for the massive What I experienced in Beijing was indeed see in Beijing alone which can be connect- stream of data that will come from next most impressive. From the moment of ar- ed to our field. You should not miss the For- generation telescopes, satellites, experi- rival at the beautiful new airport onwards I bidden City with its breathtaking layout, size ments and computational simulations. felt safe, comfortable and was surprised how and astronomical significance, and there is so •• Creating professional development oppor- many people spoke English. It was much eas- much more. tunities aimed at developing more “data ier to get around than I thought and people Today’s interest of Chinese families and savvy” planetarians. were very friendly and welcoming. kids in exploring and learning about space •• Developing and promoting best practices The conference hotel is in walking distance technologies and science is most impressive. for data visualization in the dome. from Beijing Planetarium, where most of the We witnessed that when Dr. Jin Zhu took us •• Encouraging the visualization of a wide conference activities will take place. Only the to a science week festival with thousands of range of scientific data in the dome (mov- business meeting will be at the hotel itself. people engaged in activities. ing beyond astronomy). A physical symbol for the envisioned con- Thus, we are exploring options for having •• Advocating for the inclusion of dome visu- ference theme of “The Future of Education also a lecture or event for the public as part alization tools in standard scientific analy- Under the Dome” the outstanding ensem- of our conference and possibly Chinese astro- sis and visualization packages. ble of Beijing Planetarium combines a classic- nauts (Taikonauts) as keynote speakers along •• Encouraging planetariums to make their fa- style planetarium with a futuristic multi-the- with representative from major astronomy cilities available to researchers from their ater building complex. and space science projects in the Pacific. communities to use as a visualization tool. Both large dome theaters will be made There will be fascinating options for pre- Mark’s international team will include such available exclusively for the conference all and post-conference tours, which will include major players from the field of “big data” as week. This allows for enough dome time not the amazing Science Center in Macao with its NAOJ and ESO. Please visit the website of the just for vendor demonstrations using immer- record-breaking 8k 3D planetarium, and the committee for contact information and more. sive technologies, but also for presentations Hong Kong Science Center/Planetarium with He is planning to give some more insights into by planetarium educators from around the wonderful exhibit areas devoted to interna- the mission in the December issue of our jour- world highlighting best practice examples in tional space flight and astronomy, plus the nal. teaching under the dome. amazing astropark with observatory located With great pleasure I can also announce the In addition to these large domes, there is a at an UNESCO heritage site/geopark. new IPS Planetarium Design and Operation 200-seat, 180-degree “panoramic theater,” a 4D Our hosts will be providing letters of invi- Committee, chaired by Ian McLennan. theater and several other venues, exhibit areas tation ahead of time for those who need to Ian will give our “So You Want to Build a and meeting rooms which allow for all types apply for visa. Please check with your trav- Planetarium” guideline an overhaul and make of sessions and social interactions during our el agent or the embassy early on to find out significant updates in the form of a living web conference. what you may need. The conference website document. In doing so, he will make clear that will also give you the latest information. staffing and operation planning in any plane- Working out the details Details will be posted online soon and in- tarium project needs to be a prime focus ear- The exhibition area will be set up in a sep- cluded in a September/October mailing to ly on. arate and temporary structure adjacent to all IPS members. If you have any questions, Both committees will run sessions at the the planetarium. During our site visit we dis- please do not hesitate and contact me or my conference in 2014. cussed with our host and representatives of fellow officers. All this adds to a busy schedule, not just for several major vendors many details, terms and me but for the whole group of officers and conditions for bringing projectors and other IPS Committees volunteers in IPS. I hope to meet as many as items into China and setting them up onsite. Two new ad hoc committees which I re- possible of you in person during one of the Clearly outlining the procedures and cently launched are now active and will serve upcoming regional meetings and at fulldome boundary conditions both for large and small our community. festivals at Imiloa, Japan or Russia. vendors is what is vital to make this endeav- The mission of the Science and Data Visu- As always, onwards and upwards! I or work. As I am writing this message, the resulting brochure with the respective information is PARTYcles Alex Cherman All electrons are being sent to all vendors. Who is Othello? It's a classic all right! indistinguishable... We can expect probably 100 participants Really?!? You from China alone and hopefully a lot of oth- I will never be don't know your Which we are not! ers from the Asian-Pacific region. Our host sure if you are Shakespeare?!? really you! assured us that there will be service for Chi- MacBeth? Hamlet? For us quantum beings Always in doubt "To be or not to be?" it is more like... nese-English and English-Chinese translation about my partner... during our sessions and in the vendor area. How can you NOT To be AND not to be know that?!? This will be important and especially inter- Poor you! You are a I hate it when he esting, because one highlight and focus of IPS regular Othello... It's a CLASSIC!!! tries to be funny...

34 Planetarian September 2013 skyskan.com

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36 Planetarian September 2013 Control planets, suns, galaxies, all of space and time... or just the house lights.

September 2013 Planetarian 37 Premieres March 18

38 Planetarian September 2013 Premieres March 18

Hoover-Price Planetarium William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW Canton, Ohio USA 44708

Museum exterior; note the Big Dipper on the exterior wall behind the president’s head. Photo by the author.

Dave Richards jectors, I began doing presentations. Planetrium Director Within about 6 months I was asked to become director of In a recent Dome-L discus- the planetarium, as the previous director had been ill for quite sion on the “fulldome vs. opto- some time. It took me about 2-3 picoseconds to say “Yes.” I fig- mechanical” question, I shared ured that explaining the universe could be no more difficult my story about the influence of than explaining the welfare system, and so far, so good. So I planetariums on my life and how transitioned from soft science to hard science. What was once I entered the field to become di- long ago a kid’s hobby is now my second career. rector of the Hoover-Price Plane- To immerse myself in this great opportunity, I bought a tarium, located at the McKinley SkyShed POD, put an 8” Schmidt-Cass in it (I’d had a C5+ for Presidential Library and Museum years), and visited Morrison, Adler, Shafran, Flandreau, COSI in Canton, Ohio. Yes, at a presi- (Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio), and Dave Richards dential library. eventually, Kitt Peak, Mt. Lemmon, Mars Hill, Meteor Crater, I started out in astronomy at age and Greenbank. 14 by grinding and mounting my own 6” mirror. Right out of It has been a great learning experience, and I feel I owe it to university I became a social worker and college educator, my the museum to keep up to speed. career for the next 30 years, probably because it was right af- Prior to my tenure, programs had been purchased, re- ter the 1960s and I had become radicalized. (Still am.) worked, and read by the planetarians. I felt we could do as After three years as a protective services worker, I was for- well producing our own, so the museum purchased a couple tunate enough to engage in a mission to explain the hideous of computers and a DLP to produce and present the materi- social welfare system to the public and in the classroom. I act- al. We now use two DLPs for imaging slides we put together ed as an advocate for the poor, chaired way too many boards using PowerPoint. Basic PPT is awfully lame, but when you and committees, loved the people I worked with (the poor, learn to animate and draw, it’s better than any slide. not the bureaucrats) and, finally, after laboring alongside too We use no other computers; it’s hands on the console. many public servants that were anything but, I decided to re- It takes about 15 hours a week to do all the scheduling, ad- tire at age 50. ministration, most of the maintenance, write and produce all Throughout, I maintained my interest in astronomy and of the programming and a monthly column for the Akron cosmology. Beacon Journal and a different one for the Canton Repository. Then, about 14 years ago, I visited the local McKinley Mu- I have a part time staff of three. Not only do we maintain seum of Science and Industry that had been constructed in a relationship with the two local astronomy clubs, we hire 1963 adjacent to the McKinley Monument in Canton, Ohio. their members, usually past presidents, as planetarians. They (In 2003 the museum was rechristened the McKinley Presi- share their passion and knowledge in a wonderfully enter- dential Library & Museum.) taining fashion. They take my script and add their own personal flavor and anecdotes. No presenter comes across exact- A serendipitous discovery ly like another, and that, I firmly believe, is an absolute plus. I had the wonderfully serendipitous discovery of their We have been doing live interactive programming long be- small 65-seat planetarium under a 7-m dome and flashed back fore it became LIPS, and, although this is sort of embarrassing, to that unforgettable experience of the old awe-inspiring we have often been compared favorably with Buhl. I attri- Zeiss at Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh in third grade. bute this to our interactive, er, LIPS, approach. We’ve always I figured I could do a passable presentation, so immediately done it this way. sought out the museum director and asked if they needed an- Our attendance at the planetarium usually runs about half other presenter. After about six weeks of training on the orig- of the paid attendance of the museum; a visit to the planetar- inal 1964 Spitz A3P with about 250 switches for 60 some pro- (Continues on Page 70)

September 2013 Planetarian 39 40 Planetarian September 2013 them to see if they could find the best loca- Educational Horizons tion on the property for a solar panel instal- Jack L. Northrup lation. Was this a difficult experiment? No. Did it Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planetarium increase the world’s knowledge of the subject? King Science and Technology Magnet Center No. Did it provide students with the opportu- 3720 Florence Blvd., Omaha, Nebraska 68110 USA nity to demonstrate knowledge of the experi- +1 402-557-4494 mentation process? Yes. [email protected] Learning through aquaponics I’m taking a break from the instruction- ergy study, the students decided to repurpose For the last two years we have been grow- al strategies articles. If you have used one or some parts from a solar-powered toy car, a ing vegetables without soil. The process is several of the strategies, please email me (jl- protractor, multimeter, and a few straws. They called aquaponics, when water from an aquar- [email protected]) with how it went. would measure the voltage on the multime- ium is used to water plants in a gravel or ex- This edition’s focus is on experimentation. ter, but they also wanted to visually see the panded clay environment. The project started It isn’t just science fair. change in effectiveness of the location/ori- as an urban gardening project, but astronomy entation of the solar panel, so they installed a students saw that it had many principles simi- Working outside the book small motor with a propeller. lar to NASA’s aeroponics systems. Our science classes don’t just cover what is Now came the interesting part: they had to The original bed is 4 square meters of grow- in the book, but also have the students read do some research. How do you wire a motor to ing area that current events articles. These articles are often a solar panel, and how do you connect a mul- we planted in very useful for catching the interest of the stu- timeter to read voltage? These were questions romaine let- dents and getting them to ask questions. that they had to look up, because I wasn’t go- tuce. The wa- This spring a couple of articles got a pair of ing to give them any easy answers. ter tank at- students thinking, “Where is the best location They predicted that the solar panel would tached to for solar panels on our school?” They read show the highest voltage when it was with- the grow bed about how the Mars Exploration Rovers were in 10 degrees of the sun’s location. When they housed 10 ti- powered, and also how a local business was in- were ready to test their experiment, they wait- lapia. Ammo- stalling solar panels on its roof. ed until solar noon and set up the rig on the nia from the Not having the budget to complete an en- concrete patio in our garden with the long fish waste is axis of the solar panel oriented pumped to north and south. the grow bed Angle Voltage Propellor The wire guide for the solar with the wa- (millivolts) activity panel worked as a gnomon and ter and con- 30 degrees behind Sun they could measure the angle of verted to ni- the solar panel in relation to the trates by 20 degrees behind Sun sun. At the left is a sample of their bacteria in The aquaponics garden. 10 degrees behind Sun blank data table and a picture of the gravel. the final testing rig. 0 degrees The plants They then repeated this experi- use the nitrates to promote growth. 10 degrees ahead of Sun ment at different locations on the When the grow bed is full of water, it trig- 20 degrees ahead of Sun school property, and took the dif- gers a bell siphon that drains the bed back to ferent locations and compared the tank. Students monitor the tank’s temper- 30 degrees ahead of Sun ature, pH, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels, testing each Monday, Wednesday and Friday and logging their findings. Six months and four harvests of lettuce later, the students decided they wanted to try another version of this system. They wanted to see if a grow bed could be built that did not require massive amounts of gravel to fill, instead using pots with gravel in them. They found a supply of PVC pipe from a parent’s remodel- ing project and constructed a tube version of the aquaponic garden. Water is pumped to the top pipe and when it fills to three-quarters full, it overflows to the next level down, where it repeats the filling and flooding of the next level. Finally, the water flows back into the tank. Left: The students at work on their collector design, and the collector in use on the school The students used romaine lettuce as the grounds. All photos by author except for Inset: first test plant after the success they had in the solar car used for parts was Pitsco Solar the previous system. At first the plants did Designer Car (W50073). Image courtesy Pitsco Education; used with permission. (Continues on Page 42)

September 2013 Planetarian 41 Kyle Doane, continued from Page 18 Education, continued from Page 41 The more people who can have this uni- those who have been part of this project; this very well and showed a great deal of growth. verse perspective and understand the place of is very much a community effort. This only lasted about 12 days, and then the our tiny blue planet, the more difficult it is for By the time you are reading this message, plants started to yellow and go limp. While them to be exclusive and extremist in their I should have completed the delivery of the they were researching possible causes, they beliefs. As simple as this sounds, I do believe planetarium and training of the staff. How- discovered that the roots were not getting that peace comes through understanding. ever, Africa has a wonderful way of bringing enough oxygen and dying. A student noticed The money that I’m raising is just to cover new and unforeseen challenges and I look for- that, unlike the big grow bed that complete- the cost of shipping the equipment to Kenya ward to sharing the stories and the lessons ly drained during a cycle, the tubes were con- and training the members of AASK. This is a learned. As the Swahili phrase goes, “Haraka, stantly filled with water. very small investment for a project that will haraka hyena Baraka” which means “Hurry, This led to the design nicknamed “micro- have such an important impact. The planetar- hurry has no blessing.” aquaponics” which used a plastic tub with a ium will be a place where people can begin to I hope that many of you will take an inter- lid as the grow bed and 6-cm pots to hold the understand and appreciate other cultures and est in cultivating budding astronomy in de- grow medium and plants. This system was have a glimpse at our true place in the uni- veloping nations. Some may even venture to also equipped with a bell siphon to periodical- verse. It will inspire the next generations of Kenya to work with “Nomad Dome Kenya” or ly drain the water away from the roots. scientists who will further our understanding to Dr. Jacob Ashong’s planetarium in Ghana— Also, instead of tilapia, the students decid- of—and on—our tiny blue world. or even start your own project. Let me know ed to use goldfish because the tank was shal- As I write this, I am just twenty days from what I can do to help. I guarantee that your low enough that a larger fish could jump out. being in Kenya with the system and starting impact will effect generations to come and Today there are three large grow beds and to train the educators. I’m still in the cam- that your life will be forever changed. I two micro-aquaponic beds running with a paign process to raise the $8,000 that I need variety of plants: herbs, lettuce, spinach, col- to cover the costs of getting the system to Ke- Update: As of press time, delivery delays lards, beets, carrots, and radishes. A fourth bed nya. I thought that raising this relatively small through customs and a fire at Nairobi’s Jomo Ke- is planned that will raise shrimp instead of ti- amount of money for such a worthy project nyatta Airport mean that the amount of train- lapia. would be easy. It is not. ing time will be cut short, and Kyle plans to re- Students also like harvesting vegetables for I am proceeding with the knowledge that turn to Kenya during the next school break in their sandwiches and salads, knowing exact- this project is important and with faith in our January. - ed. ly were it came from, and donating the ex- community to help. I’ve very grateful to all of cess to the local food pantry. I

BACK TO THE MOON. FOR GOOD. Fulldome show available in November 2013

Produced by NSC Creative. From the writer of “Earthquake” and “Life: A Cosmic Story.” Available lease-free November 2013 for all fixed and portable domes. For more information and to sign up visit 42 www.googlelunarxprize.org/domeshowPlanetarian September 2013 DynamicEarth_8_5x11_Redo copy.pdPage 1 1/28/2013 3:47:16 PM

D Y N A M I C

Exploring Earth’s Climate Engine

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BACK TO THE MOON. FOR GOOD. Fulldome show available in November 2013

Produced by NSC Creative. From the writer of “Earthquake” and “Life: A Cosmic Story.” Available lease-free November 2013 for all FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com fixed and portable domes. For more information and to sign up visit SHOW DISTRIBUTION www.googlelunarxprize.org/domeshow September 2013 Planetarian 43 Contact: Mike Bruno [email protected] T: 610.459.5200 dier Mathieu, APLF president. The conference gathered about 90 partici- International News pants. A lot of animations and talks were pre- Lars Broman sented: the constellations through the regard Teknoland and Strömstad Academy of Remus Cirstea from Romania, planetarium Stångtjärnsv 132 simulations adapted to blind public, the large SE 791 74 Falun, Sweden database of Daniel Audeon, the staff dome for +46 2310 177 the new Reims Planetarium, collaboration [email protected], [email protected] with teachers and amateur astronomers, and www.teknoland.se, www.stromstadakademi.se interactions with political officials. Night observations of the Haute-Provence clear skies were conducted with the 60-cm While editing this column in late July, I was at the Johannes Kepler Planetarium located (24-in) telescope and other instruments of the also preparing for my participation in the IPS inside SABINA, a science center in the city of Centre d’Astronomie. Council Meeting in Bolzano, Italia, 9-10 Au- Santo André in São Paulo State, 22-26 Septem- Auguste Le Van Suu, director of the Obser- gust. Although I am no longer representative ber. vatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP), present- for the Nordic Planetarium Association (since Rio de Janeiro’s Planetarium is organizing ed the double face of OHP activity, through she took over as president of NPA two years its III Fulldome Workshop on 2-6 December. a visit to the telescopes (astronomy, research ago, it is instead Aase Roland Jacobsen). How- During the night, the dome will be open for on exoplanets), and of a dwarf oaks forest, ob- ever, I have been designated proxy for the Rio Show Dome, a fulldome exhibition open served with and without sunlight (ecology). Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association, so to the public. The General Assembly was followed by I will vote on issues for RMPA. travel to the nice village of Banon, where a I also will attend as chair for the IPS Awards Association of French-Speaking 6-m (20-ft) dome installed by RSACosmos and Committee. It is this odd-year Council meet- Planetariums two mobile domes from Albert Planetarium ing that decides about awards to be given and The 29th APLF conference in Saint-Michel welcomed the participants for a fulldome fes- Fellows to be named during IPS’14 next year, l’Observatoire, 9-12 May 2013, was organized tival. 23-27 June in Beijing, China. by the Centre d’Astronomie under the super- During the annual event Printemps (Spring) Call for Nominations were sent to all IPS vision of Dominique Ducerf, director, and Di- (Continues on Page 46) members with Planetarian 4-2012 and also by email this spring, and the Awards Committee was happy to receive a fair number of nominations before our deadline. So, Jeanne Bishop, Susan Button and I will have several suggestions for Council to decide upon. The rest of you will have to wait until June 2014 to learn who will become the new IPS Awardees and Fellows. The International News column is built on contributions from IPS Affiliate Associations. If you have news that you want colleagues worldwide to read, please send it to your IPS representative, whose names are always listed on page 2. Their deadlines are 1 October 2013 for Planetarian 4/2013 and 1 January for 1/2014, so they need your news ahead of those dates. You who want to contribute news from parts of the world where IPS has no Affiliate Association are welcome to send it to Martin George, [email protected]. For contributions to this International News column, I sincerely thank Agnès Ack- er, Vadim Belov, Bart Benjamin, Ignacio Cas- tro, Alex Delivorias, Sandro Gomes, John Hare, Warik Lawrence, Ian McLennan, Loris Ram- poni, Aase Roland Jacobsen, Patty Seaton, Christian Theis, Rachel Thompson, and Mi- chele Wistisen. I wish you and other representatives back with news for upcoming Plane- tarian issues.

Association of Brazilian AFP: Top left: Aldo Cabanis celebrates the APLF Printemps des planétariums. Curtesy of Parc du Cos- Planetariums mos. Top right: The 29th APLF conference visit of the 2-m telescope from the Observatoire de Haute- Provence. Courtesy of Lionel Ruiz. Below: Participants at the APLF conference. Courtesy of Centre The XVIII Meeting of the ABP takes place d’Astronomie–Saint-Michel l’Observatoire.

44 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 45 International, continued from Page 44 Bill Chomik of Kasian Design Calgary and Ian des Planetariums 16-24 March, coordinated by McLennan. A technol- Aldo Cabanis, 17 theaters located in different ogy search is currently French regions invited their visitors to various underway and the new events: planetarium shows, technical demon- facility is expected to strations, night observations, and talks on the open in mid-2014. cosmos and on Earth sciences. Toronto. The On- Association of Mexican tario Science Centre Planetariums continues to offer programs in its planetari- Mexican Planetariums fostered public par- um to those visiting as ticipation in events such as 2013 Stars Night, part of a school group and, thanks to 2,978 people viewing from 39 during the academ- sites, broke the Guinness World record for the ic year. These were of- most telescopes pointed at the same place at fered to 210 groups rep- the same time. The telescopes were pointed APS: Attendees of the APS meeting enjoy the sunshine outside the Sir resenting 6,650 teachers at the moon. Among the sites were planetar- Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. Photo by Duncan Waldron. and students. iums, which were among the sties in 23 states There are two shows taking part. for the public, Cosmic Journeys for general au- The same event took place during 2011, also by Sky-Skan. This included some terrific time- diences and the extremely successful toddler won by Mexico. lapse video of the construction of the plane- program, Eyes on the Skies. In 2012, the com- Recent news from the southeast of Mexico: tarium’s new Astro-Tech dome. bined attendance for these shows was 45,179. a new planetarium is to be inaugurated before Also presenting at the meeting was Taka- This (northern) fall, OSC will launch The Ex- year´s end in Cancun, state of Quintana Roo. yuki Ohira, from Ohira Tech Ltd, who re- treme Universe, a new show developed in col- With a Digistar 5 projector and a 12-m (40-ft) cently installed Brisbane planetarium’s new laboration with the University of Toronto’s dome, it will be part of the Cancun Cultural Megastar IIB optical star projector. This star Department of Astronomy and the Canadian Center. projector displays a very impressive star field Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics. Another planetarium is still in the plan- with over five million stars. The McCallion Planetarium is ning stage, this one with an 11-m (37-ft) dome, Australia and New Zealand cover a large Hamilton. is the Cadereyta Municipal Planetarium in area, and flying from Perth to Sydney can cost involved with combining some of their lo- the state of Querétaro. No projector has been as much as an international flight. At the AGM cal research interests (history of astronomy) chosen yet. Collaboration in the planning has it was agreed that the APS would introduce a with specially-designed outreach activities. As been requested of Jorge Sánchez, current AM- travel bursary to assist members who require an example, they are preparing ancient Egyp- PAC president and responsible for the Rehi- additional funding to attend APS meetings. tian astronomy/science activities for the plan- lete Planetarium in Pachuca. Also for the first time, prior to the APS meet- etarium and classroom to be used in the uni- Also, around the time we receive the Sep- ing, all of the members were encouraged to versity’s summer camps. Planetarium Director tember issue of Planetarian, we will be hold- provide an activity report for their institu- Robert Cockcroft spoke more about this ini- ing AMPAC’s 2013 annual meeting, set for the tions. This was well received, with nine insti- tiative, and gave examples with sundials and Puebla Planetarium 26-28 September. An ex- tutions providing written reports. The reports star clocks, at this year’s LIPS conference in cursion is planned to visit the Large Millime- were collated into a 25-page document with Sanford, Florida. ter Telescope (LMT) Radio Telescope at the la lots of photographs, and offer a very informa- Edmonton. TELUS World of Science-Ed- Sierra Negra Volcano at 4400-m (14,700-ft) al- tive account of the collective activity of the monton continues to run fulldome shows in titude. APS over the past 12 months. the 250-seat Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre us- However, the most effective form of coming a Sky-Skan projection system run by Dig- Australasian Planetarium Society munication that is currently used at APS is ital Sky 2. They recently began showing the The Australasian Planetarium Society held the Wordpress blog at apsplanetarium.com/ E&S production of Experience the Aurora, its 2013 annual meeting at the Sir Thomas aps-blog. This is proving to be a most effective which ties in well with the recent auroral ac- Brisbane Planetarium on 22-23 April. This was resource for sharing information within our tivity being experienced in the evening sky a very busy meeting and the program includ- group as well as promoting the role and work and with the (northern) summer visitor traf- ed fifteen planetarium shows, seven presenta- of the Australasian Planetarium Society to the fic. tions, the general meeting, and the APS 2013 wider community. For the autumn period they will run the Dinner. show Cell, Cell, Cell in both the school pro- For the first time the APS meeting was held Canadian Association of Science gram schedule and public schedule as a tie-in on a Monday and Tuesday, instead of over a Centres to the Body Worlds: The Cycle of Life exhibi- weekend. The planetarium was closed to the Halifax. Canadian Planetarium news from tion on display elsewhere in the center. public and this allowed the meeting to take east to west starts with Discovery Centre Hali- The local chapter of the Royal Astronomi- place almost entirely in the dome. Conse- fax, Capital of Nova Scotia, which is planning cal Society of Canada has been busy working quently, the participants managed to see a lot a 10-m (33-ft) diameter planetarium facility with science center staff maintaining and up- more shows than they typically do at an APS as part of a major new science center that is grading the public observatory’s equipment. meeting and plans are to continue this format being constructed inside an old, de-commis- A welcome addition to the array of telescopes for future meetings. sioned power station. in the observatory is a 43-cm (17-in) Planeware Mark Rigby, curator for the Sir Thomas Bris- Architects are Moriyama and Teshima from telescope on a Software Bisque Paramount. bane Planetarium, gave a short presentation Toronto (original architects of Ontario Sci- Considering the somewhat light polluted on the recent planetarium upgrade facilitated ence Centre and Science North), assisted by skies at the location, the telescope has pro-

46 Planetarian September 2013 duced spectacular results. Calgary. The Calgary Spark DVT dome theatre, managed by Barry Thorson, was pressed into service at this years’ annual conference of Canadian Association of Science Centres, which was held in Calgary just a week before the city was inundated by unprecedented floods from the Bow and Elbow rivers. A number of planetarium people, including representatives from major equipment suppliers, attended dome sessions, including looking at IMAX films projected through the Digistar system as well as fulldome point of view movie sequences shot the same day by Craig McCaw. During the conference’s general meeting, Ian McLennan was re-appointed to a three-year term as the CASC representative to IPS. Vancouver. The H. R. MacMillan Space Centre has undergone a technical transforma- CASC: Photos from You Are Very Star, last cul- tion with the removal of all its old slide and tural production in the pre-digital planetarium at H. R. MacMillan Space Centre, Vancouver. special effects projectors, replaced by a Color- Courtesy of Electric Theatre Company. space 4K digital video system in its 20-m (67- ft) dome theater. extensive use of volunteers provided by the The first presentations with the new hard- Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, and ware were scheduled on 2 August 2013. Be- others. fore the old equipment was de-commissioned, a British Columbia ensemble, The Electric European/Mediterranean Company theatre group, used multiple spaces Planetarium Association in the H. R. MacMillan star theater to explore Croatia. The Astronomical Centre Rijeka notions of transcendence and modernity, es- (Rijeka Sport Ltd.) in Croatia produced in July pecially as they relate to scientific advances. a new planetarium show titled From the Earth Victoria. Centre of the Universe, a popu- to the Universe, scheduled to be shown in the lar astronomy interpretative facility that in- afternoons of the summer period. cludes a STARLAB portable planetarium, was The show focuses on humankind’s first slated to be shut down as an austerity move steps to explore the universe, describing, by the National Research Council (NRC) of among other things, the purpose of construct- the Government of Canada. ing space stations, the different types of arti- The facility is located at the Dominion As- ficial satellites and how they operate, as well trophysical Observatory in suburban Victo- as their importance in advancing humanity’s ria, a major astronomical research center dat- knowledge of the cosmos. ing back to 1918. In July, the centre introduced in its regu- nating myths behind the constellation names About 10,000 people visit Centre of the Uni- lar program a 10-minute short film dedicated and explain to the audience how to find the verse each year, and in the wake of an imme- to the 44th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mis- different constellations and their brightest diate backlash from the public, NRC was look- sion, which landed the first astronauts on the stars. ing for ways the facility could remain open moon, as well as to the 38th anniversary of the For the beginning of the new school year at the end of the (northern) summer through historic handshake in space between mission and as a part of the Saturday Matinee shows, commanders of the joint Apol- the centre produced Ten Reasons Why I Love lo-Soyuz mission, Thomas Staf- Astronomy, a new show for children and fam- ford and Alexei Leonov. ilies, focusing, among other things, on the sun, For the second week of Au- the stars and the night sky, as well as the lunar gust, visitors had the oppor- and solar eclipses. tunity to enjoy Tears of St. Throughout the summer months visitors Lawrence, a new production had the opportunity to stretch their legs on focusing on the Perseid mete- the Saint Cross promenade, situated close to or shower. During September, the Astronomical Centre Rijeka, which was The 10 Greatest Constellations, promoted as part of the celebration for the Eu- a live planetarium show, will ropean Mobility Week. introduce the wider public to Greece. Owing to the fact that several the main constellations of the events hosted by the New Digital Planetarium northern hemisphere for every (NDP) of the Eugenides Foundation in Athens time of the year. were organized after the previous EMPA news EMPA: After visiting Rijeka’s planetarium, many visitors enjoy ex- During the presentation, Rije- was written, NDP news for this current issue ploring the night sky through the telescope of the Rijeka Obser- ka’s educators narrate the fasci- of Planetarian will start with a brief recapitu- vatory, Summer 2013. Courtesy of Rijeka Sport Ltd.

September 2013 Planetarian 47 lation of what has transpired in its premises runners, walkers, and chil- until June. dren. This year was the first Thus, on 4 February the NDP inaugurated run from the new down- a special astrophotography exhibition titled town Peoria Riverfront Mu- Greece under the Stars, by young (23-year-old) seum, where the terrestrial astrophotographer Theophanis Matsopoulos, planets will be permanent- which included deep space images as well as ly located along the River- more “artistic” night sky images taken over front Trail. several of Greece’s ancient monuments. Peoria’s Community So- On 18 February, the NDP and the Hellenic lar System is being rebuilt, Physical Society organized an evening ded- centered on a new sun on icated to the brilliant physicist and teacher the plaza of the Riverfront Richard Feynman. Museum and a new, larg- The evening started with a brief introduc- er scale of 99,000,000:1. Por- tion by Stratos Theodosiou (president of the tions of the new model are Hellenic Physical Society and associate pro- in place, and Jupiter and Sat- fessor of History and Philosophy of Astrono- urn should be completed be- my and Physical Sciences at the University of fore the end of the calendar Athens), followed by keynote speakers Emma- year. nouil Dris (emeritus professor in the National At the William M. Staerkel Technical University of Athens) and Aposto- Planetarium at Parkland los Tournas (physicist and teacher). College in Champaign, the The evening concluded with a presentation Goose Kaler Memorial Me- of a one-act play titled QED, or What did Mr. teorite Collection is now Feynman Prove, by actor George Kotanides. on display in the planetari- NDP participated in the festive activities of um’s lobby. It features sam- the European Night of Museums on 18 May, ples from Canyon Diablo, with four free-of-charge screenings of its 2013 Namibia, Klamath Falls, and production The Live Planet, a public lecture on Russia. The planetarium’s re- the standard model of cosmology by Manolis cent live harp concert and GLPA: Top: Group photograph from the 2013 Michigan State Meet- Plionis (professor in Astrophysics, Astronomy improvised concert per- ing in Abrams. Photo by Dale Smith. Below: Group photograph from and Mechanics Section, Physics Department, formed on laptop comput- the 2013 Ohio State Meeting in Dayton. Photo by Dale Smith and Adam Leis. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) and of- ers were both very success- fered its visitors the chance to observe the ful. Local children can now night sky through the telescopes of the Hel- join the planetarium’s new Galaxy Club. duction of SEPA’s The Planets. This show was lenic Astronomy Society. Indiana. The Merrillville Community slated for premiere during Fort Wayne’s annu- On Monday 10 June, it was the turn of ESA Planetarium installed new projectors for their al Three Rivers Festival in July. astronaut Claude Nicollier to captivate his au- Digital Sky System in February. Michigan. The Longway Planetarium re- dience, sharing with them his experiences in Chuck Bueter reports that the planetarium cently showed its new production, How I space, in an event organized by the Nation- community near South Bend will be active- Wonder, a show based on questions that chil- al Observatory of Athens and the Eugenides ly participating in the Comet Festival (www. dren have asked over the years. Also playing Foundation. cometfestival.com), a celebration of Com- by popular demand was Off the Beaten Orbit, a As part of the activities to celebrate the et ISON and its uncertain outcome after peri- show about the solar system that talks about summer solstice, NDP screened Coral: Rekin- helion. As part of this Comet Festival, Dayle everything but the planets. dling Venus, an astonishing 20-minute feature Brown is organizing a Comet Festival Art Ex- The Eastern Michigan University Plane- by Lynette Wallworth. During the summer hibit to be shown during the festival. tarium’s Sherzer Observatory received much months the planetarium’s staff continued Caroline Fletcher reports that the Kennedy needed roof reconstruction in May, getting working on its latest production On the Path- Planetarium in South Bend recently complet- new shingles and a smooth patio block ob- ways of the Stars, while September was reserved ed a complete renovation. serving deck. Newly painted railings, tele- for necessary maintenance work, including The SpaceQuest Planetarium in the Chil- scope repositioning, equipment upgrades the total replacement of all of its computers, dren’s Museum of Indianapolis premiered its (which include deck-mounted Celestron an upgrade of its software programs, as well as first fulldome show in February, titled Flight GoTo telescopes and H-alpha filters) will en- a necessary restoration of its rendering, pro- Adventures. As part of the NASA grant agree- hance the experience for planetarium visitors. duction and storage farms. ment, they’ve also distributed the show to 29 The University of Michigan’s Museum of On the Pathways of the Stars is scheduled to U.S. planetariums, to numerous planetariums Natural History Planetarium has broken at- premiere on 4 November, as part of the New in India and Mexico, with possible venues in tendance figures for the past two years. An Digital Planetarium’s festive activities to cele- Australia and Egypt. The Children’s Museum NSF-funded short demo on Dark Matter and brate its 10th anniversary, but more on that in has a new staff member, astronaut and Indi- its Role in the Early Formation of the Milky Way the next issue of Planetarian. ana native Dr. David Wolf. One of his priori- has been completed and is in Switzerland, be- ties is to share the extensive Indiana state heri- ing reviewed by the SCISS team before being Great Lakes Planetarium tage of space and NASA connections. released to Uniview domes world-wide. This Association The Edward Clark Schouweiler Memorial is based on the work of Dr. Monica Valluri at Illinois. Peoria’s Interplanetary 5K has dou- Planetarium at the University of Saint Francis U-M and her colleagues in two countries. bled its size over the last three years, to 380 in Fort Wayne has nearly completed its pro- (Continues on Page 50)

48 Planetarian September 2013 FULLDOME www.spitzinc.com/fulldome_shows

Spitz_Zula_FullPage_11.07.11_v2.indd 1 11/7/11 2:11:33 PM tarium’s first decade of operation from 1984 to different shapes to simulate the life of stars) the mid-90s. and a PowerPoint lecture, managed by Shi- Wisconsin/Minnesota. Late in April, the Anne Kattner, Casper Planetarium technician Charles Horwitz Planetarium, in Waukesha, and Discover Outreach presenter for the Na- Wisconsin teamed up with the Pewaukee As- trona County School District. tronomical Society to present the visual dis- A similar Skype experience about another plays for the Wisconsin Philharmonic Sym- astronomical subject, celestial bodies visible phony Orchestra’s performance of Gustav to the naked eye, involved secondary school Holst’s The Planets. Also this spring, the CH students in French in contact through Skype Planetarium became the presentation are- with Jerome Galard of Laval Popular Observa- na for Waukesha High School’s astronomy tory, France. course projects. These astronomy courses are The 2013 “A Week in Italy for an American new for their school district, and the planetar- Planetarium Operator” was given to Patricia ium has become a major player in the course Toth Seaton, director of the Howard B. Owens curriculum. Science Center Planetarium in Lanham, Mary- This summer, the Soref Planetarium (Mil- land, who visited in April. (See her complete waukee, Wisconsin) staff continued work on report starting on page 59.) a show about the Ice Cube Observatory buried The deadline for American teachers inter- below the ice at the South Pole. This show will ested in taking part next year is 15 September open in late autumn. 2013. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Signals from the universe is a scientific tour Planetarium conducted two summer classes to visit the Guglielmo Marconi Museum and GLPA: Inside Nassau Observatory during the recent CRAP meeting. Photo by Wes Orloff. for the Young Scholars program in July. They Medicina Radiotelescopes. This observatory is were Solar System Astronomy and Stars and located 30 km from Bologna and operated by Galaxies. the INAF (Instituto Nazionale di AstroFisica, International, continued from Page 48 The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee the National Institute for Astrophysics) at the Ohio planetarians gathered for their 2013 Planetarium presented Lunar Light for the Istituto di Radioastronomia. It hosts two radio spring meeting in Dayton in April. During the general public on Friday nights this summer, telescopes: the large Northern Cross owned by morning session at Boonshoft Museum, Cheri along with College for Kids classes (K-12) and the University of Bologna, and the twin 32-m Adams and team showed several of the full- teacher professional development workshops. parabolic antennas. dome teaching modules they have developed since installing a Digistar 4 system last year. Italian Association of One of the modules featured a Jeopardy-style Planetaria set of astronomical questions that gave those In Perugia in April and May, in attendance a chance to show how much (or the I. Danti Planetarium and the little) they knew. A. Volta Technical High School Recently the Cleveland Regional Associa- organized different kinds of action of Planetariums met at the new Observa- tivities for students and the gen- tory Park in Geauga County for a tour of this eral public. Some of these were: vast facility. The Nassau Observatory hous- Geology of Umbria is a course es the former Warner & Swasey observatory consisting of four lessons aimed telescope. The Geauga Observatory Park is lo- at students and teachers. Profes- cated in one of the few dark sky locations in sors from the Perugia University Ohio and consists of more than 1,000 acres of ran the first three lessons about rural land. It is a site that all astronomy buffs the geology of Umbria, fossils in should try to visit. Umbria, and the disappearance Two veterans are retiring at the Shak- of dinosaurs. er Heights High School Planetarium. First is The final lesson was set up IAP: Above: Patri- Gene Zajac, who has led the planetarium with with a Skype connection with cia Toth Seaton, his inimitable blend of style and substance for the Tate Geological Museum in director of the the past 24 years, following inaugural direc- Casper, Wyoming, USA. Michele Howard B. Owens tor Dave Sanford. Second to retire is the Spitz Wistisen, director of the Casper Science Center A4, installed in 1970, just a couple years before Planetarium, and Loris Ramponi, Planetarium, intro- duces the program Gene began teaching in the Shaker schools. consultant of the Brescia Plane- for the public dur- Replacing the A4 will be Spitz’s SciDome tarium, also participated in the ing her “week in Touch HD Digital Projection System. Gene Skype connection. Italy” visit. Cour- now moves to Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island Michele also helped coordi- tesy of I. Dan- in Lake Erie), he will be teaching the public nate a Skype lesson held in May ti Planetarium. At left: Astronomer about the night sky on four islands. inside the small astronomical ob- Haruyuki Okuda Back on the mainland, as the Bowling servatory in the Castle of Brescia, receives in Brescia Green State University Planetarium prepares where 40 secondary school stu- the first prize of for installation of its own Spitz SciDome, Di- dents in English followed a les- the contest Shad- ows of Time. Pho- rector Dale Smith has been running a retro- son about stellar evolution, an to by Emma Bellini. spective of traditional shows from the plane- interactive activity (balloons of

50 Planetarian September 2013 Middle Atlantic Funding for these activities came from a Planetarium Society NASA workshop that Director Steve Russo at- This quarter, MAPS highlights tended at the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Cen- two planetariums in its region: ter. Door prizes and other astronomical hand- the York Learning Center Plan- outs were supplied by Astronomy magazine etarium in York, Pennsylvania, and the NASA’s Space Place. and the East Kentucky Science On 1 June, the planetarium premiered the Center and Planetarium of Pres- new Sky-Skan fulldome show To Space and tonsburg, Kentucky. Back. This program, which takes a look at The York Learning Center how space technology is used on Earth, has re- Planetarium had a good year. ceived rave reviews from the public. The in- They continue to have public formation is important to show people that programs on the second Friday of space exploration is not a waste of money. the month during the school year Summer was busy with ten camps that cov- and private programs for school ered a wide range of topics from astronomy, groups and scouts throughout physics, color, earth science, and space explo- the year. The staff reports that the ration. IPS conference in Baton Rouge really changed the way they do Nordic Planetarium Association programs. The planetarium at the Steno Museum in Max Goes to the Moon has Aarhus, Denmark will take visitors on an un- been a big hit with families and derwater journey to look at seaweeds and school groups. sea meadows in the planetarium show Sea Since budget was a major fac- Plants:An aesthetic planetarium experience. Pro- tor in considering fulldome op- grams will be offered once every day for the tions, Planetarium Director Todd rest of the year. Unlike terrestrial vegetation, Ullery worked with Adam Thanz, sea meadows and forests are not visible and Paul Bourke, and John Hare to de- therefore are often unknown to people. In vise a system using a mirror and many cases, it requires diving equipment to bright high definition projector. experience the diversity that exists beneath This spring they showed Flight the surface. MAPS: Top: The York Learning Center Planetarium. Courtesy Adventures as their first fulldome How did the planetarium dome become of Todd Ullery, www.ycas.org. Below: Sun cookies. Courtesy filled with sea weeds? It started in fall 2011, of Steve Russo, www.bigsandy.kctcs.edu/eksc. movie, and this fall plan to add Cos- mic Castaways and Google’s Lunar when Aarhus University Press published a X Prize in fulldome. book titled Sea Plants. The book was present- Last June in Brescia was held the awarding Surveys with audiences in May who viewed ed at a mini-symposium in the planetarium at of prizes of the international contest Shadows both Flight Adventures and a regular rectangu- the Steno Museum, and its editor, Peter Bon- of Time for sundial makers, organized by Sera- lar video of The Planets preferred the environ- do Christensen, became so enthusiastic about fino Zani Study and Research Center and Bres- ment of the mirror dome experience. the opportunities presented in the planetari- cia Amateur Astronomer Union. Over 125 people showed up at the East Ken- um that he got the idea to produce a planetar- These were the members of the commit- tucky Science Center and Planetarium for Na- ium show. tee: Francesco Azzarita from Bari, founder of tional Astronomy Day activities on 20 April The show was based on the many beauti- the sundial section of Italian Amateur Astron- 2013. Along with planetarium shows through- ful photos and movies in the book. He found omers Union; Piero Bianucci from Turin, jour- out the day, there were activities and demon- money for production, and the composer nalist; Mirco Antiga from Desenzano, Brescia strations relating to heliophysics. Maja Egebo Schriver was hired to write the Amateur Astronomers Union; and Giovanni In the planetarium before each show, the music and a script for the show. Paltrinieri from Bologna, sundial maker. audience had a chance to view current im- The planetarium show is intended as an aes- The committee of the contest examined ages of the sun from the So- the works presented and decided to give the lar Dynamics Observatory prizea as follows: first prize to the astronomer and SOHO, and also to view Haruyuki Okuda, Tokyo, Japan; second prize the sun through the science to Simone Bartolini, Scandicci, Florence, Ita- center’s Coronado solar tele- ly; and third prize to Miloś Nosek and Hralové scopes and through eclipse Kràlové, Czech Republic. Among the profes- glasses. sionals, the committee selected Yves Opizzo, In the classroom and ex- Haigerloch, Germany. hibit hall, adults and chil- Okuda received the prize in Brescia togeth- dren made models of the er with Opizzo. Professor Masato Oki, Japan sun out of cookies, Twiz- Sundial Society, also participated at the cer- zler sticks, chocolate chips emony with many other sundial specialists. and frosting, and also got The images of the best works are available to make sundials from the at page www.astrofilibresciani.it/Meridiane/ NASA SDO website and Ombre_del_tempo/Immagini/XII_Edizione/ “construct” uv-sensitive so- Dodicesima_edizione.htm. lar bead bracelets. NPA: Sea weeds in the dome. Photo by Peter Bondo Christensen.

September 2013 Planetarian 51 thetic and artistic experience in sound show the unique silent science and pictures. The book Sea Plants and a fiction movies End of World corresponding website are suitable for bi- from 1916 and Journey to Mars ology education at elementary and high from 1918, while the local stu- school levels, and a visit to the planetari- dio Miris showed the movie Star um can then be the introduction or con- Dreamer. Studio Lennauchfilm clusion of a course. showed, in commemoration of Lars Broman, Strömstad Academy, visits 80th jubilee, the movies Me- ited Ukraine 20-26 April. There, he visit- teorites from1947 and Mars from ed both Kyiv Planetarium and Gagarin 1968. Planetarium in Kharkov, as well as sever- A round table was held on the al universities in the two cities. He took a themes Modernization of Sci- trip to Chernobyl, where he was allowed ence Museum and Interaction to enter the forbidden zone containing of Science and Culture in Natu- the nuclear reactor that exploded on 26 ral Science Museums and Plan- April 1986, and the deserted town Pripy- etariums. During discussions at. there were considered the role He also brought Broman Planetari- of such a museum in the mod- um’s and Teknoland’s Starlab Fibrearc NPA: Gagarin Planetarium Director Galyna Zhelesnyak, Lars Broman, ern highly technological world, and Irina Onipko in the planetarium’s exhibition hall. Courtesy of Lars projector to Gagarin Planetarium for use the opportunity of creation of Broman. in their outreach program. interactive exhibitions, status of science building in community, Rocky Mountain Planetarium Russian Planetariums Association and also interaction of art and science in the Association St. Petersburg. The Russian-Scandinavian dissemination of achievements and science Ron and AmyJo Proctor at Weber State Uni- project Cosmo-Week: Space in Science and Art history. versity’s Ott Planetarium have been leverag- took place in the planetarium in April with Particular interest was aroused by the working Blender for fulldome production. They the following participators: Ratio Art, inter- shop Space in Antique and Modern Art. Paint- just finished work on First & Farthest, a STEM- national agency of intercultural communica- ers from Finland, Norway and St. Petersburg focused look at the space race. AmyJo Proc- tions; natural science museums from Finland created their artworks in regard of the theme tor has started production on a common core- and Norway; Danish Institute of Culture in St. of intuitively-artistic perception of space. based chemistry show, and Ron Proctor is Petersburg; Pilot-Cosmonauts of Russia; scien- Their works, specially chosen for exhibition targeting general audiences with a mathemat- tists from University of St. Petersburg; Insti- works of the antique artists, became the im- ics show. Both shows are on track for a Decem- tute of Foreign Economic Relations Econom- portant part of the gallery’s exhibition Ratio- ber 2013 release. ics and Law; interregional non-government Art-Planetarium, opened on 25 May. Ott Planetarium released a free online intro- organization Znanie (Knowledge); Main Geo- The following items were presented for vis- duction to Blender in July. The course, avail- physical Observatory; Research University of itors: able year round, will be followed with special- Information, Technology & Mechanics and •• To be aware with the history of space cin- ized workshops and additional online content Optics; teachers and learners from St. Peters- ematography, which was begun from the in coming years. burg’s schools; students of higher schools; and science fiction movie Flight to the Moon of Carolyn Peterson from Loch Ness Produc- a number of foreign guests. J. George Méliès. tions, Colorado, has been working with the The participants of the opening ceremo- (Continues on Page 54) app developer of Starmap to create a series ny of Cosmo-Week took of short narrated animations for iPad and a part in the joint inter- iPhone. This app gives a personalized plane- active art action Make tarium show to the user as he or she browses a Starry Sky. The exten- the sky. sive program includ- The updated product was released in sumed new lectures, reports, mer 2013, and should be a very useful ed- showing of laser theatre, ucational tool for both beginning and ex- cinema showings, and perienced stargazers. Check it out at www. presentations. star-map.fr. Within the frame- In October 2012, the Dorrance Planetarium, work of the week, the Phoenix, Arizona upgraded its system from competition of child Digistar 3 to Digistar 5. It started the staff on a fantasy stories was re- path of learning how to operate the new sys- sumed and an exhibi- tem, converting D3 shows and scripts to D5, tion of child pictures and navigating a learning curve that, at times, opened. The head of seemed steep. Finnish planetarium They made it through those initial times from Jyväskylä conduct- and their audiences have loved the new sys- ed educational games tem and all the power that it possesses. with children. A correction: The two RMPA solar eclipse The Danish Institute RPA: Ilpo Kuusela, Director of Kallioplanetaario, Jyväskylä, Finland plays photos on page 48 in Planetarian 2-2013 of Culture in St. Peters- with children in the hall of St. Petersburg Planetarium. Photo by Galina should be credited to Derryl Barr. burg represented for the Mihaylova, Cosmo-Week.

52 Planetarian September 2013 Evidence of a Restless Planet

Develop a renewed appreciation for our Narrated by Academy Award winner Jodie Earthquake explores the forces that fragile planet. Sigourney Weaver narrates this Foster, Life launches the audience on a transform the surface of our planet and immersive excursion that explores a universe journey through time to witness key events influence the course of human history. filled with the possibility of life. since the Big Bang that set the stage for life. Narrated by Benjamin Bratt.

Winner Winner nominated Best FullDome Program FullDome Award of Excellence Best FullDome Program Jena FullDome Festival Jackson Hole Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Wildlife Film Festival

Winner nominated Best Integration of Scientific Best Visual Effects Data and Best in Narration in a Special Venue Jena FullDome Festival Visual effects society

FINALIST Best Video the international science & engineering visualization challenge

Our official distribution partners: Carl Zeiss AG, Evans & Sutherland Global Immersion, Sky ‑Skan, Inc., Loch Ness Productions, Spitz Inc., Silkroading, Skypoint Planetariums, and Sciss AB.

For more information on our shows and the California Academy of Sciences, contact planet–[email protected].

September 2013 Planetarian 53 International, continued from Page 52 tria. At the conference venue, located •• To listen to music of space, as creat- next to Minimundus, a park of about 150 ed by authors as real sounds of space, models of famous buildings around the and also contemporary music work lis- world, the international character was tened to by the spaceman on the orbit. even easier to grasp. •• To be in the mysterious room of Light The topics of the conference covered and Space, which was created by the many of the challenges planetariums are famous Russian physics popularizer facing today. Various working groups Yakov Perelman; discussed principles of teaching, public •• To turn over the pages of books spe- relations, and current problems of plan- cially created for the exhibition Space etarium management. Plenary talks cov- library. The project took place by the ered astronomical topics like cosmic dust support of Information Bureau of by Thomas Posch, University of Vienna, North Countries Ministers Council in and ESO’s E-ELT by Peter Habison. St. Petersburg. The presentation of science in plane- Organizers have decided to conduct tariums by Uwe Neuhold, Verdandi and the Cosmo-Week every year. elsewhere by Robert Krickl was another Yaroslavl. The science practical con- topic. IPS-president Thomas Kraupe ex- ference Cosmonautics and Nation Cul- plained IPS and its importance for the ture took place in June at the Valentina whole planetarium community. Tomáš Tereshkova Culture-Educational Center, Gráf, Planetarium Ostrava, Czech Repub- dedicated to the 50-year jubilee of trav- lic, informed about the status of digital el in space by the first woman, Valenti- planetariums in the Czech Republic. na Tereshkova. During the FullDomeNight, six shows, Participants of the conference includ- some partially and some in full length, ed pilot-cosmonauts of Russia, veterans were screened. Thanks to the companies of cosmonautics, scientists, pedagogues, Zeiss and Sky-Skan, powerful projection creative intelligentsia, learners, journal- equipment was temporarily installed in ists, representatives of social organiza- the dome of the Klagenfurt planetarium. tions from different towns of Russia, and The audience enjoyed excellent visual- also a number of foreign guests. ization of fulldome contents as well as RPA: Top: The hearty welcome for Valentina Tereshkova in the rare occasion of a direct comparison The head of RPA Zinaida Sitko- front the Cultural Enlightener center in Yaroslavl. Below: Zi- va, on behalf of the creative planetari- naida Sitkova congratulates V. Tereshkova as well. Photos by of different projection systems. um’s workers, warmly congratulated V. Andrei Lobanov. The next annual meeting of SGP will Tereshkova and explained the hope for be held in collaboration with French and her help, as deputy of State Duma of Rus- Italian colleagues at the beginning of sian Federation, in support of Russian plane- with the call sign Chayka, or Seagull). May 2014 in Lucerne, Switzerland. tariums. After the show, the Spacemen’s Mall was in- The 7th Jena FullDome Festival took place Participants visited the museum of V. augurated in front of the center and the new from 30 May to 1 June 2013 at the Zeiss Plane- Tereshkova in the village Nikulskoe, after exhibition Valentina Tereshkova: Way to tarium Jena, Germany. Each day started with which they viewed an exciting aviation show Stars was presented in the center’s foyer. a series of talks or workshops on actual topics above the river Volga. Fighter jets was showed of visual and sound aspects of fulldome pro- the tricks of high professionalism, forming in Society of the German-Speaking ductions. These were followed by fulldome the sky the most different imagery, e.g. the Planetariums shows. shape of seagull (V. Tereshkova flew in space In 1977, a small group of planetarium direc- In total, 24 feature shows were presented. tors met for the first Similar to previous years, the shows covered a time for an informa- broad range of topics, ranging from astronom- tion exchange. Some ical subjects and earth and life sciences to en- 36 years later, the in- tertaining shows. formal meeting has The first festival night was dedicated to developed into the short films and professional clips, and on Fri- internationally-re- day night to all student contributions. Alto- nowned conference gether, the estimated one thousand festival of the recently reor- visitors could experience 80 fulldome contri- ganized SGP, local- butions from 17 countries. ly organized by the A highlight was the awarding with the Ja- Planetarium of Kla- nus trophy, a prize symbolizing the two-faced genfurt, led by Kurt Roman deity. In total, nine Janus trophies Anetzhuber. have been awarded. Thanks to many sponsors More than 120 par- of the FullDome Festival each of the winners, ticipants from 11 na- selected by the jury and festival directors, re- tions met 4-6 May ceived the price money of 500 Euro. 2013 in the state cap- Among the winners were students from SGP: Participants of the second annual GDP conference strolling through the ital of Carinthia, Aus- Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, Minimundus park in Klagenfurt, Austria. Courtesy of Kurt Anetzhuber.

54 Planetarian September 2013 SWAP: The image shows a projection of the distribution of matter ejected in a supernova explosion simulation. The studied type of supernova exploded after the Fe- core of the 20 solar mass heavy progenitor star collapsed and triggered a blast wave. This blast wave created turbulence in the material as it tore the star apart, which resulted in the depicted morphology. Observations of supernova remnants centuries after the catastrophic death of the star still show signs of this turbulence, which is an important piece in interpreting the data. Courtesy of C. I. Ellinger, G. Rockefeller, and C. L. Fryer.

from Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, associate Mike and University of Fine Arts in Braunschweig. McConville are The audience voted for the clip In the Name already hard at of the King from Karim Eich and Livius Pá- work with the pay, students at Bauhaus University in Wei- plans. Watch mar. (For a photo and all the awards, see IMER- this column for SA news starting on page 26). future details. The Directors Award and Janus trophy was The site for presented to the Copernicus Science Centre the 2015 con- in Warsaw for its feature show Dream to Fly, ference will be which not only had its world premiere at the the Tellus Sci- festival, but was enthusiastically received by ence Museum the audience. in Cartersville, Georgia. 3-D numerical simulations of various superno- The next FullDome Festival will take place It was reported prematurely in the previous va explosions and their evolution out to sev- during end of May in 2014. More information issue of Planetarian that the 2017 SEPA confer- eral thousand years after the explosion. Our can be found at fulldome-festival.de. ence would be held at the Land Between the simulations will test various scenarios of su- Lakes Planetarium at Golden Pond, Kentucky. pernova explosions and environments assum- Southeastern Planetarium After much input from members and ven- ing a broad range of the progenitor star’s mass Association dors, the SEPA Council voted to decline the and the explosion energy, different explosion SEPA recently concluded its 2013 Confer- invitation. asymmetries and various environmental den- ence, hosted by SEPA will revert to the established policy of sities and asymmetries,” says Dr. Park. the Bryan-Good- selecting conference sites 2 years prior to the In June and July, the astronomy programs ing Planetarium conference. In that regard, anyone wishing to at University of North Texas Sky Theater of- in Jacksonville, host the 2016 SEPA Conference should make fered special Friday planetarium program- Florida. Almost their intentions known to any officer of the ming to help beat the Texas heat. The the- 100 delegates at- organization well before the 2014 conference ater offered a variety of shows, as well as solar tended four days in order to be under consideration. viewing. The end of summer run brought Sky of the usual sleep- Further information regarding SEPA can be Theater an upgrade to Digistar 5. challenging activ- found at sepadomes.org. On three Mondays in July, Fort Worth Mu- ities. Included was seum of Science and History guests experi- a field trip to the Southwestern Association of enced a real adventure. Lights were out. Mu- Kennedy Space Planetariums seum doors were locked. An echoing set of Center, which fea- The Planetarium at the University of Tex- footsteps could be heard down the hall... tured the brand as at Arlington (UTA) has partnered with UTA With pen-lights and a scavenger list, guests new, emotion- Astrophysicist Dr. Sangwook Park to create explored museum as exhibits as they came to wrenching exhib- realistic supernova explosions for the dome. life in their (presumably) normal state over- SEPA: Southern Skies it Space Shuttle At- Based on these 3-D simulations, he will be night. In the Noble Planetarium, adventur- longtime editor James lantis. looking for promising solutions for Chandra ers found history truly had come to life: Gal- Sullivan. Photo by John The banquet X-ray observations of some prominent su- ileo piloted the planetarium. His guided tour Hare. speaker, long-time pernova remnants, such as Cassiopeia A and through space allowed for glimpses of favor- NASA mission G292.0+1.8. ite constellations, stories of the past, and, of control specialist and flight director for Apol- Supernova explosions are 3-D phenomena course, a night at the museum to remember. lo and other space missions, Sy Liebergot, held involving various asymmetries, both in the Galileo was brought to life by Don Garland. the delegates’ undivided attention as he relat- explosion itself and in the ambient medium. The museum’s adventure accompanied the ed tales of past events, including the drama of One of the main shortfalls in previous theo- IMAX opening of Night at the Museum in the Apollo 13. retical studies of supernova is their 1-D or 2-D Omni Theater. The Paul Campbell Fellowship Award was nature. SWAP members located in the Dallas/Ft. awarded in absentia to James Sullivan, the Previous works focused primarily on the Worth Metroplex, affectionately known to long-time editor of the SEPA journal South- explosion itself, and largely ignored the evo- them as “the Local Group,” met in early April ern Skies. lution of the blast wave shock into the ambi- at the Mesquite ISD, Russell Planetarium to The 2014 SEPA Conference will be host- ent medium for time periods of ~1000 years or share a potluck meal and news from their re- ed by the Buehler Planetarium at Seminole longer. Both of these aspects are critically im- spective institutions. State College in Sanford, Florida. The location portant to interpret the actual observational SWAP President Levent Gurdemir, Univer- is close to Orlando. Conference dates are 15-19 data of the remnants of supernova explosions. sity of Texas, Arlington, promoted the WAC July. Planetarium Director Derek Demeter and “The main goal of this project is to perform (Continues on Page 70)

September 2013 Planetarian 55 ceive special attention from the volunteer Mobile News staff technician, who even removed the back panel of the console to show him how everything is controlled! For more, visit www.mysticseaport.org/vis- Susan Reynolds Button it/explore/planetarium. Quarks to Clusters 8793 Horseshoe Lane Livefest and MAPS 2013 Chittenango, New York 13037 USA What a marvelous time participants had in Frederick, Maryland at the July meeting of the +1 315-687-5371 Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society (MAPS) [email protected], [email protected] conference. Thank you Jeff Grills, Mark Bow- man and all the staff from the Earth and Space “Navigating the night skies” room. Through special software, they can ex- Science Laboratory for providing such an I have been anxious to visit the nearby Rob- plore the geography, celestial navigation, and awesome experience! erson Planetarium to see their recent updates astronomical concepts that confronted sailors The conference week started off with a spe- and an opportunity presented itself this year. on the first voyage of the whale ship Charles cial free day called “Livefest.” And, thanks Judy Swanson, a friend who is commander of W. Morgan. to some wonderful presenters who donated the Syracuse Sail and Power Squadron, invit- The website explains, “The basis for this their time and energy (and the cost of an extra ed us to a unique planetarium event. Sail and presentation is the primary source of the Mor- night at the hotel), we did have a “fest” of shar- Power Squadrons are boaters committed to gan’s first log book.” ing live interactive techniques and thought- “safe boating through education.” During our visit we were graciously treated provoking discussions. The Susquenango Sail & Power Squadron, to a full tour of the exhibit and a first class pro- Thank you Alan Davenport for conceiv- in conjunction with Roberson Museum and gram in the planetarium. Our grandson, who ing of this extra day, and to the MAPS board Science Center, presented Navigating the Night loves mechanical things, was delighted to re- for sponsoring it. Thank you also to my tal- Skies, a spectacular program showing the ented presenters, Greg Anderson, Steve seasonal stars and constellations and relat- Berr, Francine Jackson, Ken Miller and ing these views to celestial navigation. Kim Small, and to all the delegates who Susquenango member and astronomer attended. Don Rumrill, along with the planetarium One important thing I discovered was staff, used the planetarium’s new digital star that I needed to provide more time for projector to demonstrate the movement discussion and less “planned” presenta- of the Earth relative to the night sky and tions because the attendees really need- showed how mariners have used the stars ed more time to talk about everything. and planets to determine their location for The day began with a discussion centuries. This was an exciting education- about the clients we serve. We talked al program for boaters as well as stargazers. about some stages of learning by exam- You can learn more about the group at ining Piaget’s findings about child devel- www.susquenango.org. opment. Piaget divided the learning stag- This is another valuable way that plane- es into four groups: tariums can take advantage of connecting •• The Preoperational Phase (2-4 years), to a local community group. egocentric language, beginnings of imag- After the planetarium program at Roberson, where Don Rumrill, in the blue shirt, was our presenter. At the end inative play and ability to talk about ob- Mystic’s Treworgy Planetarium of his presentation he shared more information and some jects that are not present. Speaking of celestial navigation, this year maps of where he has sailed. Photo by: Susan Button •• The Intuitive Phase (4-7 years), more I also was fortunate enough to visit one of social language skills, form crude con- my all-time favorite planetariums. It is a cepts that are hard to reverse, simple ob- small gem, with a 9-meter dome, located servations focused usually on one aspect in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. Their logo, of an object or event, intuit logical con- “Stars: The Original Global Positioning Sys- cepts in some areas. tem,” tells it all! •• The Period of Concrete Operations Mystic Seaport is a “living history muse- (7-12 years), less egocentric, can do con- um consisting of a village, ships and 17 acres crete problem solving, beginnings of or- of exhibits depicting coastal life in New ganized logical thought. England in the 19th century.” The Trewor- •• The Period of Formal Operations (12 gy Planetarium, which was specially de- years and onward), thinking becomes signed for Mystic Seaport by Armand Spitz less tied to concrete reality, more ab- in 1960, is located on the museum grounds. stract thinking with principles of formal The planetarium staff offers visitors a logic. chance to browse their 19th-century nav- We noted that there are exceptions igation exhibit, take planetarium navi- to these age groups and sometimes even A wonderful time shared with the enthusiastic staff at the gation courses, or participate in group or older students and adults need to first Treworgy Planetarium. Left to right: Tom Button, Susan operate at the concrete level before they school programs. Button, Bruce Levine (presenter), Bill Michael (longtime On top of that, students can experience volunteer), Jeff Dunn (planetarium director) and Colby can move on to abstract thinking. To the planetarium virtually in their class- Button (our grandson). Photo by Susan Button (Continues on Page 58)

56 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 57 active presentations best serve and south poles, cause observable pat- all of the stages and styles of terns. These include day and night, dai- learning. We agreed that we at ly changes in the length and direction of least need to keep in mind the shadows, and different positions of the following grouped styles and sun at different times of the year. Stu- preferences: dents will know that the length of the •• Visual (spatial): prefers us- day varies based on the season and that ing pictures, images, and spa- this is directly related to the sunrise and tial understanding. sunset directions and the noontime sun •• Aural (auditory-musical): position. prefers using sound and music. 4. Essential Questions—How does the •• Verbal (linguistic): prefers length of the day change throughout the using words, both in speech year? How does the tilt of the Earth relate and writing. to the change in the length of the day •• Physical (kinesthetic): pre- throughout the year? fers using body, hands and 5. Students will be able to: Represent data sense of touch. in graphical displays to reveal patterns •• Logical (mathematical): of daily changes in length of the day and prefers using logic, reasoning night. and systems. 6. Sample of Performance Tasks: •• Social (interpersonal): pre- • Complete a web investigation of the tilt fers to learn in groups or with of the Earth in space and how this affects Top: A very lively group of teachers and planetarians at “Live- other people. seasons. fest,” which preceded the annual MAPS conference. Below: Mark •• Solitary (intrapersonal): • Complete a table identifying the sunrise/ Bowman and selected MAPS members demonstrate the “Life and Death of Stars.” From left, they are Mark Bowman, Francine Jack- prefers to work alone and use sunset directions and noontime sun posi- son, Dayna Thompson, “Medusa” Patty Seaton, and April Whitt. self-study. tions for the first day of each season. Photos by Susan Button Next, Kim Small helped us • Create an “accelerated daily journal” of to look at ways of develop- the sunrise and sunset times and calcu- Mobile, continued from Page 56 ing lesson plans using a technique currently late total “day” time for twelve different learn more, go to childdevelopmentinfo.com/ called Backward Design, which is designing dates throughout the year. child-development/piaget.shtml. a lesson or curriculum by starting with goals 7. Learning Activities: We then looked at styles of learning by ex- and assessments first. • Investigate Earth’s tilt in space. amining Howard Gardner’s multiple intelli- Kim likened the process as similar to bak- • Sunrise/sunset and noontime sun posi- gences theory. Karrie Berglund helped with ing; you know the results you want and how tion activity. this by providing information that explained the assessment will be done and then, with • Length of day activity. Gardner’s proposed nine intelligences that in- that in mind, you get the recipe, gather your • Watch the seasons clip from A Private clude: Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Mu- ingredients and begin mixing and baking. Universe. sical/Rhythmic, Bodily/Kinesthetic, Spatial, The steps for Backward Design (or Under- • Model the Earth and sun during each sea- Naturalist, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and standing by Design) can be listed as the fol- son. Existential. lowing: • Graphical representation using data col- For more information, go to www.pbs.org/ Stage 1: Identify desired results (outcomes, lected in activities to describe the pat- wnet/gperf/education/ed_mi_overview. goals, standards) terns observed in changes of the length html. Stage 2: Determine acceptable evidence of the day. Some discussion ensued about whether this (formative and summative assessments) The contact for more information on this theory was correct or not. Some agreed with Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and in- topic is Kim Small at [email protected]. the theory and others said it did not mat- struction. ter how students learn, we should not have Kim explained “The (United States) Next Focus on specific topics to cater to these different styles. These folks Generation Science Standards (NGSS) lend After the morning’s discussions, we started thought that the onus should be on the stu- themselves to an Understand By Design mod- to tackle some more specific topics. Francine dent to take charge of their own learning by el. NGSS Crosscutting Concepts provide con- Jackson shared her experience and thoughts knowing how they learn best. nections to ‘Big Ideas.’ The NGSS Disciplinary on light trespass. She reminded us, “One of the In spite of that, we talked about how we are Core Ideas provide ‘Standards’ and ‘Under- more important parts of our profession is the already doing many things to address differ- standings.’ The Core Ideas are written in a way awareness of the night sky; unfortunately, we ent stages of development and ways people that fits nicely with the backwards design are deluged with excessive light.” learn, and people were interested in building framework.” Francine urged us to be aware of our need on this more intentionally. Then she went over a sample lesson that to inform the public about the most cost ef- she created: fective lighting techniques, apparent resul- Vary presentation toward learning 1. Big Idea—Patterns and Natural Phenom- tants of light excess and to connect with local The general consensus was that we do need ena amateur astronomy groups to promote better to make our presentations varied enough so 2. Standard—Earth’s Place in the Universe lighting practices in our communities. Con- that we reach each individual on some level. 3. Understandings—Students will under- tact Francine Jackson at francine_jackson@ We already appeal to the visual learner by the stand that the orbit of the Earth around brown.edu. nature of planetariums. the sun, together with the rotation of Next was a presentation that I developed All groups respond well to music, and inter- Earth about an axis between its north for the International Year of Astronomy in

58 Planetarian September 2013 2009, on how a “seasons” lesson could be var- Miller: [email protected]. current talks. ied by using stories from around the world. Finally, as a group, we brainstormed to Start with one or two stories about how the come up with a list of resources for classroom Kyle Doane and Kenya project sun was created and how many have similar teachers. We made a list that included our fa- •• Congratulations to another of our inspired elements. Then, after collecting data about vorite resources under the following cate- colleagues. Kyle Doane, following in the the seasonal sun’s path, a story can be told gories: organizations, publications, software, footsteps of Dave Weinrich’s project in about a seasonal constellation for the transi- commercial show packages, listserves, web- Ghana, has initiated a project to set up the tion from day to night. sites; apps and YouTube videos. I will eventu- first portable digital planetarium outreach For creation stories, I suggest “Raven Steals ally, after it is annotated, make a copy of this program in Kenya. (See story on page 16) the Light,” a story shared by many northwest list available on the IPS Portable Planetarium Kyle explains that the planetarium will be coast Indian nations in the United States and Committee webpage at www.ips-planetari- run by a group of Kenyan astronomy educa- Canada. The Egyptians have a story of how on um.org/?page=portablecom. tors and business people, who will operate it the first day, over the first dry hilltop, the first We toured the Robinson Nature Center in in a sustainable way. He revealed that the pro- sunrise occurred. Columbia, Maryland, a LEED (Leadership in jection system was donated by the Perot Mu- For evening of the vernal equinox, try Energy and Environmental Design) facility, seum of Nature and Science in Dallas (www. “Fisher Goes to Skyland” from the Anishi- we found a living roof on a large section of perotmuseum.org) and was refurbished and naabe Tribe near the Great Lakes (Fisher is rep- the building and learned more about how the upgraded by Digitalis Education Solutions resented by the stars of the Big Dipper). center conserves energy and water. (digitaliseducation.com). For the evening of the summer solstice, We also experienced some more interac- I am following Kyle and this wonderful I suggest “The Cowherd and the Weaving tive activities, new astronomy lessons and project on Facebook; he is in Kenya as I write Maid” from China/Japan, which is illustrated curriculum in the Naturesphere, a 24-ft dome this. To learn more and to donate to the proj- by the star Vega in Lyra, the harp, and Altair, equipped with a Spitz SciDome. Joel Good- ect, go to startsomegood.com/NomadDome- in Aquila, the eagle. man was our host and Spitz, Inc. generously Kenya or contact Kyle directly at nomad- For the evening of the autumnal equinox, provided our lunch and demonstrations. [email protected]. there is “Celestial Funeral Bed” from the Hin- When the actual conference began and as du Lunar Zodiac; the bed is the Great Square part of the official welcome, Jeff Grills, our Signing off of Pegasus. host at the Ausherman Planetarium, played So, this has been a very interesting and ex- Finally, for evening of the winter solstice, his guitar and sang to us! citing time of the year! I look forward to a trip there is “Te Waka O Aitua, The Canoe of Fate” Throughout the conference we were treat- to IPS Council in Italy in August and to learn- from the Maori of New Zealand. Makali’i, the ed to many fun interactive experiences, such ing more about activities in other parts of the Pleiades, is the bow of the canoe, the belt of as three scavenger hunts, a constellation com- world. If I do not see you there, please write Orion is the stern, and the Hyades formsthe petition, educational workshops, short demos with news of portable and small planetari- sail. The bright star Sirius is sometimes said to under the dome from members, and no con- ums in your region! I “guide the canoe” as it sails along the Milky Way. Steve Berr shared some unique ideas/activities that he has gathered through years of teaching interactive lessons. For example, he Italia: it was divertentissimo! provided a chart that allows you to build a Patty Toth Seaton scale model of the solar system using the stan- Howard B. Owens Science Center dard-sized portable dome as your model Earth or sun. You can contact Steve at [email protected] Lanham-Seabrook, Maryland Being able to participate in the IPS Ameri- Greg Anderson presented “StellarLunar,” an can Planetarium Operator in Italy program activity written by Karrie Berglund of Digital- was absolutely divertentissimo—“it’s a lot of is Education Solutions, designed for an audi- fun”! I learned so much by being able to trav- ence of upper elementary students. In the ac- el to another country and do what I love to tivity, students are briefly introduced to the do most: teach under the stars. But let me back night sky, and instructed about how to deter- up first. mine direction in the dome using the north I’ve known about the program for years. star. Each Middle Atlantic Planetarium Soci- Attention then turns to the moon. Students ety (MAPS) Conference, when Susan Button are asked to determine the current phase. Then would announce the opportunity, I’d think to the moon is magnified, and the challenges of myself, I’ll have to apply someday. But I didn’t determining the phase while the moon is not have a passport. Or I was too busy. I’m a single magnified are discussed. Contact for Greg An- mom. Whatever excuses you could think of, I derson: [email protected] used them to keep from applying. Ken Miller presented a workshop during And then something happened to change which participants learned (or re-learned) everything: IPS 2012, in Baton Rouge, Louisi- two activities from the “Explorers of Polyne- ana. For once I carried the MAPS vote myself, sia” program released 16 years ago. A group rather than take the easy way out and use Lee dynamic using star charts built a “whole-sky Ann Hennig as our proxy. model,” and north star observations helped As a result, I arrived in Baton Rouge two In Cagliari for the XXVIII Meeting dei Planetari the group navigate 3,000 miles of open ocean Italiani, with hosts Loris Ramponi and Simonet- to “live or die” as navigators. Contact for Ken (Continues on Page 60) ta Ercoli. All photos either by or provided by author

September 2013 Planetarian 59 Italy, continued from Page 59 The teachers were as fas- days before the delegates to participate in the cinated as the students. Council meeting. Here I met representatives That afternoon I had from all over the world, and suddenly, I found a workshop with a few a kinship with my planetarium colleagues on teachers, where I not a global basis. only discussed using I was perfectly comfortable in the MAPS popular fiction to teach region, and even with SEPA and GLPA, with astronomy, but ran a whom we had shared joint conferences in simple activity I call the past. I had even ventured out to partici- Constellations and Cul- pate in the Western Alliance of Planetariums tures.” (WAC), and made friends with colleagues pret- In this activity, I di- ty much across the United States. vide a star chart into Now my worldview had expanded beyond four regions, assign a re- just meeting vendors from other countries. I gion to each of four peo- was now sharing with vendors and colleagues. ple in a team, and have them design their own Could I be brave enough? constellation, name it, Coming out of this conference, I felt in- and write a story using all the constellations. spired to finally apply for the Italy program. Each team presents their story of the sky. Note After all, I had sat next to Simonetta Ercoli of that all teams use the same region of the sky, Perugia, Italy, at the council meeting and al- which leads to a discussion as to how different ready found a friend there. Could I actual- cultures developed different constellations ly brave leaving the comforts of the United and stories for the same part of the sky. States and teach in another country? In this lesson, I added the twist of telling My first challenge was designing a lesson each team what type of culture they were: one plan that would be appropriate for all types of was a hunter-gatherer culture; one was an ur- planetariums, as I knew that I would be teach- ban culture. ing with a STARLAB and some fixed projectors. Most of my favorite lessons required a Teaching the Hogwarts way quick change from the northern to southern After the workshop, I adorned the room hemisphere, and using the sun and the moon, with my Harry Potter decorations: a wall tap- which was a little more challenging with only estry of the Black Family Tree, a picture of Ari- an hour in the STARLAB. ana for the planetarium door, a Hogwarts 9¾ So I finally decided to teach a typical assign for outside, and even a Moaning Myrtle Top: Perugia Teachers involved in Constella- tronomy lesson, using the theme of Harry Pot- for the girl’s toilet. tions and Cultures workshop. Bottom: Harry ter and tapping into popular fiction. I found It was a low attendance, and I had actual- Potter Night in Perugia, with Simonetta Erco- li. Photo by Abde El Hilali out from Simonetta that Harry Potter was, in- ly almost lost my voice at this point, but we deed, as popular among Italian students as it is all had fun. Even a lady who spoke no English among students in the United States. conveyed that she was able to follow my con- different levels of history, from medieval, to Surprisingly enough (at least to me), this stellations outlines, so, yay! Roman, to Estrucian. Then we picked up Wal- twist of teaching through the lens of popular I happened to be in the right place at the ter (the human, not the Disney doll) and head- fiction was the deciding factor in the review right time to become involved in the “Look- ed to the airport for the next stage of our ad- panel, and I was to head to Italy in April. ing for Walter” project. A doll which repre- venture: Cagliari in Sardinia. My school system approved the days of sented Walt Disney had been sent to a group professional leave, and on April 10, my Ital- of students, and they were given clues to fig- At the Planetari Italiani meeting ian adventure began in Rome, where I found ure out who the doll was supposed to be. Cagliari was hosting the XXVIII Meeting the bus station at the airport and took a bus to The students interviewed me, and I got to dei Planetari Italiani, the Italian Planetarium meet my first host, Simonetta Ercoli, in Peru- help give them some clues about how to use conference. We arrived late, but managed to gia. I nearly panicked when I discovered I was the sky to help them find their way to Amer- join the other delegates for a late dinner. The to change buses, but the bus driver took care ica. next day the group had plans to take a one of the American who knew only a few polite I also showed them how to find Vega in the hour bus ride to a radio telescope and then to words in Italian. sky, a star chosen to have special significance an archaeological ruin site. While that sound- Simonetta met me at the bus station in Pe- with the wedding date of Walt Disney (the ed interesting, my next host, Loris Ramponi, rugia, and we went to dinner that night with dates had been given to the students, but not offered to take me on a walking tour of Ca- a team of students and one teacher who all the significance). gliari instead. worked in the planetarium. This project was also a lot of fun. This in- I happily agreed to expand upon the Ital- They made me feel right at home, as I be- terview happened on my second day, where ian experience, and was greeted with my first gan the very next morning with three “pro- the schedule was not quite as tight as the first. glimpse of the ruins of an ancient Roman am- jections” at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 a.m. These stu- I even had a chance to have a lovely breakfast phitheater. It was amazing. We spent hours in dents were particularly interested when I with Simonetta, who had invited me to stay the Archaeology Museum, viewed the art mu- introduced exoplanets to the discussion, so I in her home while I was visiting Perugia. seum, and eventually joined the rest of the used my iPad and briefly ran through the exo- That afternoon we got to explore down- delegates for an evening at the planetarium. planet app (exoplanetapp.com) with them. town Perugia, which fascinated me with its I was impressed to see the fully hybrid op-

60 Planetarian September 2013 tical-mechanical/digital Zeiss system that was At home, we are implementing more stu- part of “live” science. in place, and especially enjoyed the live lec- dent-driven experimental projects, where That Friday, Luciano took me on a tour of ture demonstration given with the system. teachers become true facilitators rather than WWI battlefields in Slovenia. It was really in- The next day we enjoyed more presentations, the lecturers. I think the Italian students teresting to hear about the war from the point and I got to speak briefly about my experi- would like this model. of view from another country and to learn ence. My Tuesday evening was especially inter- how the border between Slovenia and Italy Even though most of the presentations esting, as I got to attend a press conference had really only just been opened in the last 10 were in Italian, I appreciated taking part and in Lumezzane during which the observato- years. That evening, I gave a public presenta- seeing other organizations “in action.” Serv- ry presented information to the vice may- tion to members/friends of the observatory. ing on the board for MAPS for many years and or. They made a big deal of presenting me, al- Divertentissimo! twice a host for the MAPS Conference, I could though again, the majority of the conference appreciate all of the work that went into the was in Italian. I learned to listen for context Learning about the sundials preparation for this conference. rather than words, probably the best way to We had the weekend to explore. On Satur- learn another language. day, I got to spend the day with Franco and Off to Brescia That evening I dined with friends of the ob- Enrico. Franco Bressan was one of the origina- Sunday afternoon was to the airport again servatory, and enjoyed the warmth and fel- tors of the sundial project of the city of Aiel- and off to Brescia with Loris. That evening lowship of the Italian people. We ate at the lo. There literally are sundials on every corner we ate real Italian pizza in the in this project that started as a school learning home of Emma and her son, experience. Stefano, who are friends with But what fascinated me most was the equip- Loris. ment that Franco had helped design and had Monday was a day of explo- built to teach students about how the shad- ration. I got to see the two ob- ows will fall on Earth from different latitudes, servatories that Loris works and at critical times of the year. It was impres- with, one in Brescia at the Cas- sive. tillo, and one in Lumezzane. We also explored Palmanova (the star- They were very impressive, shaped city), the archaeological museum in and both also had small plan- Aquileia, and Grado, where I got to touch the etariums that were used in the Adriatic Sea for the first time. lecture-rooms. On Sunday, I joined Luciano and his wife That evening was very spe- on a trip to explore the caverns of Skocjan- cial, as we again had dinner in ske jame, in Slovenia. They put the Luray cav- the home of Emma and Stefa- erns to shame. At one point, I swore that I was Patty before a student group in Brescia. Photo by Loris Ramponi no. Stefano played a personal on the set for the Stargate episode “The Crys- concert for me on the piano; tal Skull,” when we walked over a very high he is quite an accomplished musician. church right next to the observatory and bridge in very low lighting. It was amazing. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, spent a great evening with the public at the We drove 40 km to where the river from the my “lectures” were performed in the STAR- observatory. My Brescia experience was com- cave reappears. LAB, three each morning (four on Thursday), plete with exploring the many squares and We met with the Friends of the Observato- as the schools were over by early afternoon. then the many amazing chapels. ry for a lovely dinner in Slovenia, where I felt Loris had the students write sentences sum- like a royal guest. I was told that one version marizing their experiences, and one day, had Gorizia: the final leg of Jason and the Argonauts (stories we proba- the students read their sentences into a voice The final leg of my journey took me to Go- bly all tell under the dome) puts them on the recorder. rizia. Loris set me on a train, where again I very river I visited that came from those cav- I enjoyed keeping those summaries and had to change trains by myself (yikes). I met erns. learning from them. My favorite comment up with Luciano, my next host, from a student was “It’s amazing to see the who assured me, in reply to my universe and not just to study it.” anxious texts prior to my arriv- This kind of hit home to me, because I al, that “Americans are easy to found in talking with different students—the pick out.” Sure enough, we met ones who worked with Simonetta in Perugia, with no problem, and I was off a graduate student who worked at the obser- to meet his wife, and then to vis- vatory in Lumezzane, Loris’s 16-year old son— it the observatory/planetarium all of them mentioned that their learning was where I would be teaching. strictly theoretical and that they never (or I was impressed to discover rarely) did any hands-on learning. that this observatory has discov- The graduate student said that he was an ered more than 270 minor plan- engineering student, and could tell you every- ets. I watched as the volunteers thing you needed to know on how to build a studied images from their tele- circuit, but had never actually built one. This scopes using the blink compar- apparently is true throughout Italy, and is ator method (how Clyde Tom- strikingly different from my own school dis- baugh discovered Pluto). They trict’s teaching philosophy, especially in sci- didn’t discover anything new Learning about the Sundial Project with Franco Bressan and En- ence. that night, but I loved being a rico Pettarin

September 2013 Planetarian 61 Monday I got to teach my first students in most of what I said. Yes, I Gorizia, with Luciano driving the Digitalis picked up on some inter- projector he has on site. Their planetarium is esting differences in our very interesting. It is technically an inflatable educational systems. dome, housed inside a permanent structure. But most importantly: Anyway, it was fun to have some of the I learned that when you features of a digital planetarium, as Luciano are in Italy, you are im- picked up on my cues and flew out to vari- mediately family. Each ous nebulae as I discussed star birth and death. host treated me as such. I Then he ran a 20-minute digital show for each was never seen as a “bur- group following my presentations. den.” That evening we visited the WWI Memori- Even at the restaurant al. It was impressive and powerful. I climbed in Slovenia, the waiter all 336 stairs to reach the top, even though it presented “the American was raining. I needed to get the full experience guest” with a special bot- and I felt the powerful tribute that was raised tle of vino to take home. in honor of the Italians who died in that war. I loved how in Perugia, I was welcomed into Sim- On an early Venice train onetta’s home. We had On Tuesday, Luciano had graciously com- breakfast as family, not as bined two classes into one morning class so guest/host. I could catch an earlier train to Venice. He In Brescia, I was Patty with the observatory crew in Gorizia: Enrico, Luciano, Piero, and wanted me to spend some quality time there, warmly invited into Franco. Photo by Enrico Pettarin since I was flying out of Venice the next the home of Loris’s best morning. friend, and given that This final gesture summarized my entire magnificent piano concert. In Gorizia, I was That’s how I felt about this experience; experience in Italy. Yes, I got to do in Italy welcomed into the home of Luciano, felt im- lucky to have been given the opportunity. what I love best: teaching under the stars. Yes, mediately like part of the Friends of the Ob- No, that’s the wrong word. I was blessed. The it was a challenge for me to speak slowly so servatory, and even made fast friends with the world was opened up to me at IPS. In Italy, my the English learners could at least understand family dog, Lucky. family grew that much bigger. I Student one-sentence reflections (kept as written by the students)

“Everything has a spirit.” how stars fascinate everybody even writers. The great connection between Harry Potter and the A beautiful experience! She inspired me and makes Moreover, I think that learning in this way is eas- stars. me curious about everything she has said; she was ier and more interesting. It would be great if the Same stars different stories. very involving and has kept my attention all the same thing was done also here in Italy. Stars are the world’s mirror. time. Learning things that way is great. I only wish there We loved this experience! We are finally able to rec- It is a fantastic experience, full of curiosity. It makes were more chances to experience these uncon- ognize the stars in the sky this summer we cer- you excited about the space. And she is excellent! ventional teaching methods. tainly go to the observatory. I found it interesting and funny too. Sky has always been a mysterious place where “paint- Everything can tell a story, and the story of the stars I am very interesting at start, because I think there ed” fighters and animals live together. Even if it is is one of the most interesting and beautiful one. are magic and fascinated. I just know something not real, it can continue to tell us beautiful stories! It has been very interesting. We learnt a lot about about stars but however I appreciated the refer- I think it was a very relaxing experience; being there the stars. We discovered things we didn’t abso- ences to poetry and to HP mythology (story). It in the dark surrounded by stars was very interest- lutely know and from now we will be able to rec- was very interesting and funny. ing, especially when they were rotating. ognize the stars she showed us. It inspired me, so I think the aim is reached! Good I’ve got a star on my hand. The darkness in the planetarium was too much and luck for your researches! Great experience! Observing the night sky and dis- for this reason the stars couldn’t be seen easily. I found this experience very useful and interesting. covering stars and constellations inside the plane- But the lesson was very interesting. Very surprising and interesting. I have found it useful tarium was fascinating and really funny. I really enjoyed the relation between astronomy and for our studies, but also to learn something new I’d have never thought stars could be this interest- literature. and lots of curiosities. ing! It has been funny and interesting. Very interesting the Harry Potter interpretation! It was a beautiful experience because it’s very dif- I liked the idea of introducing the universe by pub- The speech was very interesting because I love Har- ficult to see the stars in a city, and I could see all lic fictions. ry Potter’s stories. them in my school. Look at the stars makes me think about what sur- It surprised me that scientists goes in the schools to I was very interested by your life and I appreciate rounds me. inspire people. you! To see the universe closer than early was a very A beautiful experience, thank you! I really loved this experience. amazing and interesting experience. Very interesting. I’ve read Harry Potter’s books and I It was a very exciting experience! Super idea to mix fiction and astronomy. discover a lot of funny things about it. It was an interesting experience discovering the fea- We are made not to live on the moon, but on the I liked to see the stars from another point of view. tures of the stars! earth. I was struck by the stories of the stars that are differ- Amazing experience! It was beautiful and I was surprise how the stars can ent from the Greek ones that we know. It was a very interesting experience. influence the names of some characters in the It was a very interesting experience that helps us to Fantastic experience! books. learn about the stars using modern literature as It was a great experience because I discovered a lot The universe in a different way, it’s been a wonder- “Harry Potter” (and so to ????) of things that I didn’t know before. ful experience. It was great. It was interesting and easy to under- It was a beautiful experience in particular love the It was beautiful mixing Harry Potter with stars. stand. Well done! presentation of the Milky Way. It was beautiful discover where Rowling took the It was a very interesting and particular experience. It The stars are guides of travelers. name of her characters. impressed me a lot. Awesome! I liked the relation between characters and stars. It was a great experience: it was interesting to see Stories of the stars represent our emotions. It was beautiful to explore the infinite universe. I

62 Planetarian September 2013 on-burning process” in scientific literature re- Book Reviews garding stellar evolution, but such a charac- terization is somewhat of a misnomer that has great potential for instilling or reinforcing a misconception. Stars are not on fire. Noth- ing is perfect. April S. Whitt Fernbank Science Center Heavenly Mathematics: 156 Heaton Park Drive NE The Forgotten Art of Spherical Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA Trigonometry [email protected] Glen Van Brummelen, Princeton University Press, 2013 The One-Minute Astronomer: and buying any telescope right away: a no- Reviewed by: Bruce L. Dietrich, Wyomissing, tion with which every planetarian should be Pennsylvania, USA. Tips, Tales and Tours for the familiar. What was once a standard academic high Casual Stargazer Next are tales. These are all about astrono- school math course has been obliterated from The Editors of One-Minute Astronomer, Mint- mers famous, infamous, or forgotten. There the modern curriculum. Despite the primal aka Publishing, Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; are some real gems in this section, including utility of this subject in astronomy, architec- Amazon Kindle eBook, 2012 the tragedy of LeGentil and the Transit of Ve- ture, and space flight, curriculum writers have Reviewed by Woodrow W. Grizzle III, Eliza- nus, which may well be the saddest, most dra- failed to note just how their own intellectu- beth City State University Planetarium, Eliza- matic tale in all of astronomy. al GPS works! beth City, North Carolina, USA. The third section, tours, is what makes this The last high school text available was writ- The One-Minute Astronomer is a website book remarkable among its ilk. Here, difficult ten in 1966. Not to worry—Dr. Brummelen (www.oneminuteastronomer.com) devoted and complex concepts are delivered palatably has written one math book which stimulates to making astronomy accessible to the public. both sides of the brain. Started in 2008, it is published by He allows us to understand just how writer and amateur astronomer Bri- Antoni Gaudi, Bucky Fuller, and all of an Ventrudo of Ottawa, Ontario. us now toiling under a variety of hemi- Ventrudo has published many arti- spherical sections benefited from the cles about various astronomical top- discoveries of Eratosthenes of Cyrene, ics on the site in order to “help begin- Ptolemy, Menelaus, Napier, Euler, ning and casual stargazers all over the Delambre, Cesaro, Sumner, Wheeler, et world learn more about the night sky al. and better understand our place in Glen Van Brummelen is a Canadian the universe.” historian of mathematics specializing There are also guided tours of the in historical applications of mathemat- night sky and a mailing list that peo- ics to astronomy. He earned his PhD de- ple can join to get regular updates via gree from Simon Fraser University in email. 1993, and served as a professor of math- From the editors of the One-Min- ematics at Bennington College from ute Astronomer website comes The 1999 to 2006. One-Minute Astronomer: Tips, Tales He then transferred to Quest Univer- and Tours. sity Canada as a founding faculty mem- The book is divided into three eponymous and with a skill of effectiveness I have rarely ber. Van Brummelen is a former president of sections, and it contains over 110 articles “that seen. It effortlessly blends science with histo- the Canadian Society for the History and Phi- will inform, inspire, and intrigue you, wheth- ry to answer not only “what,” but also “how” losophy of Mathematics. er you’re an experienced stargazer or a begin- and “why” these astronomical understand- From an engaging preface in which he ner.” ings matter. shows how to use the text and suggests sev- The language is clear and informal. There There were a few times when I read some- eral really helpful learning aids, through are ample photographs and diagrams to illus- thing that I had forgotten from my days as his masterful recounting of this fascinat- trate the point. Rarely does a book come along an astronomy student, so the book makes ing history replete with beautiful illustra- that is at once both factually dense and a page for a great refresher. In fact, I highly recom- tions, and ending with challenging exer- turner, but this one shines as one of those ex- mend this book to planetarians who have had cises, Dr. Brummelen has written a keeper. ceptions. no formal astronomy education. Readers can The book starts out with the tips section, learn a lot fairly quickly from this one. Measurement which is an introduction to observing the As great as the tours are, I must take great Paul Lockhart, The Belknap Press of Harvard night sky. It begins by introducing concepts issue with one point: the book’s repeated ref- University Press, 2012 like dark adaptation, averted vision, celestial erence to stars “burning” their nuclear fuel. Reviewed by Woodrow W. Grizzle III, Eliza- coordinates and using hands to estimate alti- While some readers may know well that the beth City State University Planetarium, Eliza- tude angles. author is talking about nuclear fusion, com- beth City, North Carolina, USA. There is also a discussion on binoculars bustion is, nonetheless, a far different process. I was someone who struggled with calculus and telescopes that includes a compelling ar- It is true that astronomers often use terms in high school, mostly because I did not un- gument against department store telescopes such as the “carbon-burning process” or “ne- derstand the point of what we were doing. I

September 2013 Planetarian 63 later resolved to teach myself calculus because The original essay is available for download hopefully, inspiration to sally forth into the I knew it could not be that difficult, but that at www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament. world to further explore. the teachers I had were either poor communi- pdf, and the 2009 book is available wherev- At first blush, that might sound like an or- cators, or they lacked sufficient mastery of the er books are sold. I found it gratifying to read dinary math textbook. Lockhart’s approach, subject to effectively teach it. the essay before I read Measurement. The new however, is different. Instead of mere repeti- It was out of this trifle that I found myself book is certainly capable of standing on its tion, his approach is to stimulate the creative drawn to Paul Lockhart’s new book, Measure- own. mind to conceptualize what are, at times, ment. I came expecting to learn something; Measurement is a more lengthy tome than rather complex mathematical concepts. I never expected a complete revolution of Lament, at 398 pages, and, though the subject The two sections, “Size and Shape” and thought, but that is exactly what matter is similar, Lock- “Time and Space” deal with geometry (both I found. hart climbs down from plane and solid) and calculus (both integral Paul Lockhart teaches math- the soapbox in Mea- and differential), respectively. Many of the ematics at Saint Ann’s School in surement to give abun- concepts introduced are quite challenging, Brooklyn, New York. He is the au- dant examples of his though Lockhart’s style never threatens and thor of A Mathematician’s Lament, philosophy of mathe- always invites. which the front jacket fold of Mea- matical discovery. Lockhart’s eloquence reflects his absolute surement describes as an “impas- He serves as tour mastery of the subject matter. He presents sioned critique of K-12 mathemat- guide into a wonder- each idea in a conversational way that reveals ics education.” ful world of abstract more than lectures and that could be far more With mathematics education thought throughout effective in classrooms than the “blindly fol- reform being one of my own pas- the book’s two sections, low instructions, it works this way because I sions (also because I once strug- each with 30 chapters, said it does” way in which math is currently gled), my interest was instantly which are really dif- taught in most schools today. piqued. Before reading more than ferent thought experi- In addition, each of the book’s 60 sections the front jacket fold, I sought out ments. ends with questions intended to fuel the fire Lament. In each, Lockhart in- of further thought on the part of the reader. This primal work began life in troduces a new math- As someone who struggled with higher 2002 as a 25-page essay, which was ematics concept and mathematics until finally teaching himself af- distributed as type-written pages, and ulti- leaves the reader with a problem to solve. ter school, I can speak first-hand to the power mately onto the internet, where it flourished These concepts build cumulatively through- that Lockhart’s method has. While reading it, I in the mathematics underground before be- out the book, ideally leaving the reader with often came across validations of my self-study ing developed into a short book in 2009. a good understanding of math principles and, and I learned some new things, too. I

64 Planetarian September 2013 September 2013 Planetarian 65 college astronomy teaching. This award, es- Waxing New tablished in 2006, was inspired by a gift from Jeanne and Allan Bishop. Jeanne is Mr. Em- An eclectic collection about planetariums, products and people mons’ daughter and a former president of IPS. compiled by Sharon Shanks She still serves the society as the IPS affiliate representative for GLPA. Dr. Mary Kay Hemmenway, retired di- sentation of planetarium shows. The planetar- rector of educational services in the depart- ium is staffed by his students who are mem- ment of astronomy at the University of Tex- bers of the astronomy club Williams sponsors. as at Austin, the Klumpke-Roberts Award for He invites other teachers to become familiar outstanding contributions to the public un- with the production of shows specific to their derstand and appreciation of astronomy; and subject matter, including art and history. In Dr. Gurtina Bresla, whose PhD disserta- addition to teaching technicalities of running tion at Harvard University “Are the Magel- an engaging and real-time planetarium show, lanic Clouds on Their First Passage about the he also engages students in the classroom.” Milky Way?” was selected for the Robert J. Chuck Bueter of South Bend, Indiana, de- Trumpler award for a recent PhD thesis con- scribed as an “independent informal educa- Dr. Steven Snyder Dr. Jeffrey Kirsch sidered unusually important to astronomy. tion professional” by the ASP but best known Founded in 1889 in San Francisco, the ASP to planetarians as the outspoken and enthusi- fosters science literacy through astronomy by Changes at the top at Fleet astic force behind transit of Venus populariza- serving professionals, educators and amateurs Dr. Jeffrey Kirsch has retired as executive di- tion and paper plate astronomy, received the around the world, and engaging and inspiring rector of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award for current and future generations. San Diego, California, effective June 30, 2013. outstanding outreach by an amateur astrono- Kirsch, former chair of the Giant Screen Cine- mer to children and the public. Only planetarium in Guam closes ma Association (GSCA), is recognized as a pio- “Most recently, his passion for astronomy The University of Guam Planetarium, neer and major contributor to the production culminated with the Transit of Venus in 2012, Mangilao, closed its doors on June 30. It was and exhibition of IMAX® films in science mu- where he orchestrated dozens events in prep- a decision made by the university’s adminis- seums, and he has changed the face of science aration for the event. His efforts resulted in tration. education in San Diego. thousands of children and adults viewing the Coordinator Pam Eastlick reports that she According to a press release from the sci- transit with excitement, and became the cov- has been reassigned to the herbarium. ence center, he is looking forward to his next er story of the March 2012 issue of Planetari- There are hopes that the planetarium com- project, serving as consulting producer on an, the journal of the International Planetar- munity will learn more in the December Plan- a film about the Panama Canal, now in the ium Society. etarian. In the meantime, please check the planning stages but aimed to debut as part of “He also worked with a local planetari- story at the Pacific News Center, www.pacific- the Balboa Park 2015 Centennial. um director to organize a program called newscenter.com, and search for planetarium. The new executive director is Dr. Steven Let There be Night, during which more than From Pam’s final newsletter: “The UOG Snyder, who moves to San Diego from Phil- 3,000 student from 14 schools learned about Planetarium averaged an annual attendance adelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was vice the problems of light pollution from hands- of 10,000 people over the 20+ years since the president for exhibit and program develop- on research and activities.” new Spitz system was installed in 1992 and I ment at The Franklin Institute. Other awards were presented to: became Planetarium Coordinator. I discov- Dr. Charles Tolbert, professor at the Uni- ered two things very fast. There was no mon- ASP recognizes Williams, Bueter versity of Virginia for more than 40 years, the ey to purchase shows and many of the com- Two well-known names in the Great Lakes Richard E. Emmons Award for excellence in mercially produced shows won’t work here Planetarium Association re- anyway because our skies are so different. So gion were among recipients I started doing my own shows and produced of the 2013 awards for excel- over 80 shows in the last 20 years.” lence in astronomy research and education at the recent Out of the carriage house Annual Meeting of the As- The Erie (Pennsylvania) Planetarium is tronomical Society of the Pa- moving to new digs at Penn State University’s cific in San Jose, California. Behrend/Erie campus. Starting in October, the Gregg Williams, planetar- projector and 20-ft dome will be housed at the ium director at Merrillville School of Science complex, and Director Jim Community Schools (Indi- Gavio will become a Penn State employee. ana) for the past 30 years, (The history of the planetarium, which was was awarded the Thomas J. located in the carriage house of a grand man- Brennan Award for excep- sion in Erie that had become the home of the tional achievement related Erie County Historical Society, is featured in to the teaching of astrono- Under One Dome in the December 2012 Plan- my at the high school level. etarian.) According to the ASP, Wil- The historical society, which donated the liams “has made a point of Gregg Williams (left), planetarium director at Merrillville Commu- planetarium to the university, plans to reno- including everyone he can nity Schools, and Chuck Bueter, “Mr. Transit of Venus,” with their vate the carriage house and use it for anoth- in the production and pre- awards from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. (Continues on Page 68)

66 Planetarian September 2013 ®

September 2013 Planetarian 67 Console, continued from Page 4

for a content producer. He says it the best: “To illustrate what I mean I will enter into a small wager with you. I’ll bet you can’t find ten similar venues (in terms of size, format compatibil- ity, price acceptance and content satisfaction) that will take my film at the price you suggest. If you can then it’s a viable proposition for me to generate the product in exchange for a total of $30,000 (i.e. around 0.075% of my production cost) and you will have won the bet. If you can’t then I fear I will have made my point!” Fulldome festival in Russia Uncle! He made his point, and I thank him “Reflections of the Universe,” the first fulldome festival in Russia, will take place in Valentina Teresh- for making it. kova Cultural and Educational Center in Yaroslavl, Russia (above) October 21-21, 2013. Supporters of this international festival of planetarium fulldome shows include the Russian Planetarium Association An indirect response and the International Planetarium Society. For submission forms, attendee applications and more infor- Another response came indirectly, and I’m mation, please visit the festival website at www.festival.planetariums.ru, or contact Andrey Lobanov ([email protected]) or Yaroslav Gubchenko ([email protected]). not sure if I can take credit for it or not. This one was from Jeff Bowen of Bowen Techno- vation. er purpose. “An on-campus planetarium will CosmoQuest to make available fulldome im- He asked for help via Dome-L, among oth- boost the science programs at Penn State Beh- ages that can be used for free by planetariums er groups, for input on age groups and curric- rend,” said John Magenau, interim senior as- across the world. ulum needs for a new program on the electro- sociate dean for academic affairs. “It’s a great The project is called Science on the Half magnetic spectrum. fit for Penn State Behrend, where we already Sphere and is a collaboration between Ward That, if you remember, was one of my pleas have a strong astronomy program,” he said. Beecher Planetarium and CosmoQuest, a vir- from the June column: that show producers tual research facility that provides the public include people “from the trenches” early in On the move with many of the opportunities professional their production process to find out exactly Ken Miller, GOTO USA liaison and former researchers enjoy in their universities. that information. director of the Bishop Museum Planetarium Available is a collection of nearly 60 full- The consensus to his question, by the way, in Honolulu, has moved from Hawaii to India- dome, fisheye-lens images of the Mauna Kea seems to be that light is discussed in various napolis, Indiana. His new address is 5715 Susan Observatories on the island of Hawaii for amounts in elementary and middle school, Drive East, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46250. His downloading for free. Also available are nine but doesn’t get into the electromagnetic spec- email is unchanged: [email protected]. short time-lapse, full-dome videos. trum until high school. Tim Florian Horn moved from Germa- Included are images from the Canada- ny to the Morrison Planetarium at the France-Hawaii, Remembering why we do it California Academy of Sciences sever- Gemini North, In 1997’s he Demon-Haunted World: Sci- al years ago. Now he’s back in Germa- and the James- ence as a Candle in the Dark, Carl Sagan tack- ny and the new director of the Zeiss- Clark Max- les some of the most depressing aspects of life Großplanetarium Berlin (Germany). well telescopes in the United States, especially the decline of Tim reports: “With a 23-m dome, it and the Har- science knowledge and a loss of the ability to is one of the largest planetariums in vard-CfA Sub- reason. Europe and probably one of the few millimeter Ar- “The dumbing down of American is most remaining large analog theatres in ray. The images evident in the slow decay of substantive con- central Europe. were taken as tent in the enormously influential media, the “The planetarium is part of the part of a Na- 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 sec- foundation ‘Deutsches Technikmu- tional Science onds or less), lowest common denominator seum Berlin’ (German Museum of Foundation re- programming, credulous presentations on Technology Berlin) which features search grant pseudoscience and superstition, but especially the Museum of Technology, the Sug- The Gemini Telescope in Hawaii, awarded to a kind of celebration of ignorance.” photographed by and courtesy Pat ar Museum, the state-of-the art hands- Ward Beecher If we, as passionate planetarians and edu- Durrell. on Science Center Spectrum, the Arch- Director Dr. Pat cators, simply throw our hands up into the enhold Observatory with the world’s Durrell in 2009. air and quit, all that means is there are fewer longest telescope and the Zeiss-Planetarium.” The images are freely available to anyone fighters in the war against ignorance and the Tim will be managing the planned transi- who would like them to use in their planetar- job is that much harder for those who are left. tion of the iconic planetarium to a fulldome ium shows or related projects. The images are We have to search for those flashes of un- system, hopefully to be accomplished by ear- available on the CosmoQuest website at derstanding the the eyes of our audiences and ly 2015. •• cosmoquest.org/blog/scienceonthehalf- hear those anecdotes about how our teaching sphere/mauna-kea-images has touched lives and molded careers. Free fulldome resources •• cosmoquest.org/blog/scienceonthehalf- With that scant positive feedback, we can, Youngstown (Ohio) State University’s sphere/mauna-kea-timelapses. I in spirit with Carl, continue lighting candles Ward Beecher Planetarium is partnering with in the dark. I

68 Planetarian September 2013 Awarded Best Immersive—Fulldome program at the 2012 Jackson Hole Science Media Awards, Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond Our Sun explores a timeless question: Do other planets like Earth exist?

Travel to distant stars and fly up close to exotic planets. Experience the science shifting our perspective on humanity’s place in the cosmos.

Co-written by Alan Lightman, this show features an original orchestral score and is available in 24- and 31-minute versions.

Moons: Worlds of Mystery immerses you in the amazing diversity of moons and the important roles they play in shaping our solar system.

Follow in the footsteps of astronauts to our silvery Moon, then venture beyond to unfamiliar and exotic worlds. Journey to the outer planets and their moons, and return home with newfound wonder about the dynamic and intricate solar system in which we all live.

This show features an original orchestral score and is available in 24- and 35-minute versions.

Two SHowS now AvAILABLE from the Museum of Science, Boston

For more details and show licensing information: David Rabkin, Director, Charles Hayden Planetarium, 617-589-0149, [email protected]

Shows distributed by: Sky-Skan, Inc. 603-880-8500, [email protected] September 2013 Planetarian 69 Spitz, Inc. 610-459-5200, [email protected] Under One Dome, continued from Page 39 International, continued from Page 55 ium is part of the museum ticket. Our school least another five years to see what happens to Conference being held 18-20 September in shows are geared to the Ohio State Science the technology and the price. Kansas City and the new SWAP website. Standards and we do the current night sky for Having both opto-mechanical and full- Amy Barraclough discussed the use of DSLR all shows. Of about 30,000 annual paying vis- dome would be great, but logistics preclude and modified GoPro hero cameras to produce itors, we get about 15,000-18,000. This July we that in our space. We also agreed that we dome content for the University of Texas at had 1,824 visit the planetarium. would not engage in offering non-astronom- Arlington Planetarium. Barraclough and Gur- Some 10 years ago I watched a demo of full- ical programming, as there are so few venues demir also reported on Torvald Hessel’s prog- dome, and felt it was awful. A few months ago, doing what we do in this area. ress toward establishing the Austin Planetari- I saw another demo of the current state of the um in Austin, Texas. art fulldome at the Great Lakes Science Cen- A future grasp of fulldome Rachel Thompson, Portable Universe Man- ter in Cleveland and I wanted it. Now. Blind- If and when we go to fulldome, we will con- ager at Perot Museum of Nature and Science, ed by the light. tinue to offer programs similar to that which spoke about the Portable Universe planetar- I gathered many, many comments from we now produce. I already know that we will ium program, which offers age-appropriate Dome-L and elsewhere, shared them with not employ all the whiz-bang features of the programs to engage students in grades PK-12 staff, and entered into long discussions with fulldome system. It is not either/or; it’s what at the museum or offsite at schools. This effort our planetarians. We concluded, unanimous- is the best tool to educate our patrons in the involves around a dozen staff and volunteers ly, that since most visitors did not even know beauty and wonder of the night sky and the and several portable domes to reach Dallas-ar- how to find the North Star, and our opto-me- science of astronomy. ea students and the general public. chanical planetarium was functioning splen- We also have found that the level of aware- Kyle Doane, Nomad Domes, 2013 recipi- didly, we will continue as we have been for at ness of the scientific method and science in ent of the Hamilton Planetarium Scholarship general is seriously lacking; or, even worse, Fund, spoke about his plans to bring a digital, that there is the presence of anti-science. My portable planetarium to the Amateur Astron- Alton Yarian, GLPA charter previous experience lecturing thousands of omy Society of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya. De- member times in the social sciences still informs my tails about this project may be found at start- lecturing today: because ignorance abounds, somegood.com/NomadDomeKenya. Alton Yarian died January 26, 2013 at stick to the subject, refine and update, make it (For more about Doane’s project, see page the age of 103. Alton was the planetari- useful, and entertaining, and do this one thing 16.) um director at Lakewood High School in very well. Paul Ballou, Mesquite ISD, Russell Plane- Lakewood, Ohio beginning in the 1960’s. Our consensus is that if one wishes to go to tarium, and Chris Miller, Grand Prairie ISD, He was also a Great Lakes Planetarium a movie, then, by all means, go to a movie. If Pogue Planetarium, have been busy operating Association charter member, attending you want to experience a roller coaster, then their planetariums for classroom field trips the 1965 meeting at Grand Rapids, Mich- Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio) has the best. and have each recently hosted well-attend- igan. When I mentioned at our weekly meeting ed, community-wide astronomy outreach David DeBruyn, the host of that meet- that fulldome would allow such experiences, events. ing and GLPA’s first historian, recalls the staff all looked at me as though I’d lost my Sarah Littler, Noble Planetarium, Ft. Worth, “I’ll never forget Alton Yarian’s demon- marbles. What I saw in their eyes was kids los- reported on several new programs running stration using a fisheye lens projected ing their lunch under that 7-meter dome. under her dome and lead a short discussion against the slightly domed surface of the Our mission is clear, we are very happy about the availability of free, or low cost, Pantlind’s ballroom ceiling.” with it, and we will revisit the idea of fulldome content. Alton was a frequent writer for the dome in five years. I just hope the star field Regrettably, both Richardson and Garland NSTA journal, The Science Teacher. He equals the Spitz. ISDs have recently closed their planetariums. was a recipient of one of the NSTA’s top And, oh, yeah: as a social worker, I got a But, on a much happier note, in the previous honors, the STAR Award, five different hug from Muhammad Ali, but as a planetari- four years several SWAP Local Group plane- times. an, I get hugs from kids and got to shake the tariums have undergone extensive digital up- Alton came to many of my Christmas hand of Neil deGrass Tyson. Is this a great job, grades, including planetariums belonging to parties. My husband Allan would pick or what?” the Mesquite, Highland Park, and Grand Prai- him up and take him home, as his eye- Now, to the question I am frequently asked: rie ISD school systems, as well as major up- sight was failing. what is a planetarium doing in a presidential grades to the UT Arlington Planetarium. He had a wonderful sense of humor, library? A special shout out to both Donna Pierce presenting me with a talking Christmas The museum, operated by the Stark County and John Pogue, who have had their plane- tree one year and handing out fake eye- Historical Society, started out as a science and tariums in Highland Park and in Grand Prai- balls to everyone in another. Younger history museum that also happened to have a rie re-named in their honor. Congratulations people loved to talk with him and gain library. The library, the Ramsayer Research Li- to them both! from his experience and gracious point brary, includes material from Canton’s histo- Please visit the new and improved SWAP of view. ry and many of President William McKinley’s website at www.swapskies.org. I Even at the end of his life, those at the papers and allied material. Kemper Nursing Home honored him for McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio, the site his optimism and friendliness. We will of the National McKinley Birthplace Memo- Reading someone else’s miss this very fine human being. rial Library and Museum. The president con- Written by Jeanne Bishop; reprint- Planetarian? Get your own by sidered Canton is adoptive home because ed with permission from the GLPA joining IPS. Go to www.ips- his career began here, and his National Me- Newsletter. I planetarium.org to find out how. morial is located here. I

70 Planetarian September 2013 Planetarians’ Calendar of Events www.astrofilibresciani.it/Planetari/Internationa_Calendar.htm Compiled by Loris Ramponi - [email protected]

2013 17-19 March. 7th Science Center World Summit, Technopolis, 5-7 September. Imiloa Fulldome Film Festival (IFFF2013), Imiloa Mechelen and Brussels, Belgium. Partners: Technopolis, Flem- Astronomy Center, Hilo, Hawaii, USA. The festival will fea- ish science center, Mechelen, Royal Belgian Institute of Natu- ture 25-30 full length full dome programs in 2D and stereo- ral Sciences, Brussels. www.technopolis.be scopic 3D. www.imiloahawaii.org/168/ifff 31 March. Deadline for application for scholarship funds (IPS 6-8 September. Nordic Planetarium Association Biennial Con- support Beijing Conference attendance by individuals). www. ference, AHHAA Science Center, Tartu, Estonia. Conference ips-planetarium.org language English. Contact: Margus Aru, [email protected] 12-13 April. Italian Association of Planetaria (PlanIt), XXIX Na- 14-17 September. Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA), In- tional Conference, Italy, and 4th Full-Dome Italian Festival. ternational Conference & Trade Show, Ottawa, Ontario, Can- During the conference Skype session for planetarians from ada. www.giantscreencinema.com other countries. www.planetari.org Contact: osservatorio@se- 15 September. Deadline for the applicants of “A Week in Italy for rafinozani.it an American Planetarium Operator,” in collaboration with 1-5 May. Three languages-The same sky, Symposium of Plane- IPS Portable Planetarium Committee. www.astrofilibresciani. tariums 2014 Lucerne, Switzerland. Patronage : Association it/Planetari/Week_in_Italy/Week_Italy.htm des Planétariums de Langue Française (APLF) ; Gesellschaft 18-20 September. Western Alliance Conference (Pacific Planetar- Deutschsprachiger Planetarien e.V. (GDP); Associazione dei ium Association, Southwestern Association of Planetariums, Planetari Italiani (PlanIt). Organizer: Swiss Museum of Trans- Great Plains Planetarium Association and Rocky Mountain port. Contact person: [email protected]. Planetarium Association), Science City and Gottlieb Plane- 5-8 May. 13th International PCST (Public Communication of tarium, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Contact: [email protected]; Science and Technology) Conference, “Science communica- www.wacdomes.org/2013/WAC2013.html tion for social inclusion and political engagement,” Salvador, 22-26 September. XVIII Meeting of the Association of Brazilian Brazil. www.pcst-2014.org Planetarium (ABP), Johannes Kepler Planetarium, SABINA Sci- 21-24 May. 8th FullDome Festival at the Jena Zeiss-Planetari- ence Center, Santo André, São Paulo State, Brazil. www.plane- um, “Ahead in the curve!” Jena, Germany. Contact: info@full- tarios.org.br Contact: [email protected] dome-festival.de or Schorcht Volkmar, [email protected]; 27-28 September. British Association of Planetaria (BAP), 2013 www.fulldome-festival.de annual meeting, International Centre for Life (Newcastle-on- 22-24 May. ECSITE Annual Conference (European Network of Tyne), United Kingdom. bapconference.org.uk; contact: Dr Science Centres and Museums), Museon, The Hague, Nether- Jenny Shipway, [email protected] lands. www.ecsite.eu 14-18 October. Communicating Astronomy with the Public 21-26 June. ESOF 2014, Euroscience Open Forum, “Science build- 2013 (CAP 2013), Challenges in Communication of Astrono- ing bridges”, Copenhagen. esof2014.org my and Space Exploration, Warsaw, Poland. www.communi- 21-22 June. International Planetarium Society Council Meeting, catingastronomy.org/cap2013/index.html Beijing, China. 6-19 October. Great Lakes Planetarium Association Confer- 23-27 June. 22nd International Planetarium Society Confer- ence, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria, Illinois, USA. Con- ence, Beijing Planetarium, China. www.ips2014.org, contact tact: Sheldon Schafer, [email protected] www. mail Dr. Zhu Jin, [email protected] glpaweb.org 18-21 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers Presentations at GLPA meeting will be streamed and video- (ASTC) Annual Conference, North Carolina Museum of Nat- taped. Those interested should go to the GLPA website to ini- ural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. www.astc.org tiate streaming with their browsers. The GLPA website also will allow access to video clips. 2015 19-22 October. Association of Science-Technology Centers 1 May – 31 October. Expo 2015, “Feeding the planet, energy for (ASTC) Annual Conference, Explora, NM Museum of Natu- life”, World Exposition, Milan, Italy. en.expo2015.org ral History & Science, National Museum of Nuclear Science & 3-4 August. International Astronomical Union, XXIX Gener- History, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. www.astc.org al Assembly, Hawai’i Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 21-23 October. The First Russian Fulldome Festival. Yaroslavl, USA. astronomy2015.org the Tereshkova Cultural and Education Center. Contact: en_ [email protected]; [email protected]; www.yarplaneta.ru 11 December. The Stratoscript Compendium Ring 2013, a script- For corrections and new information for the Calendar of Events, ing competition open to everybody by LSS-Planetarium. please send a message to Loris Ramponi at osservatorio@serafi- Contact: [email protected]; www.lss-planetariums.info/in- nozani.it dex.php?lang=en&menu=compendium&page=compendi More details about several of these upcoming events is included um2013 in the International News column in this issue. The most up-to-date information also is available on- 2014 line at the IPS Calendar of Events at www.ips-planetarium. 16 March, 2014. International Day of Planetaria. www. org/?page=calendar dayofplanetaria.org

September 2013 Planetarian 71 guest interrupted his talk. No one ever inter- Last Light rupted her father’s lectures, she said. The guest was Vijayi Lakshmi Pandit, am- bassador from India. Mrs. Pandit was the first Indian woman to hold a cabinet post, and was April S. Whitt imprisoned three times for advocating separa- Fernbank Science Center tion from British rule. 156 Heaton Park Drive NE Prisoners were only rarely allowed to go outside. On one of the few outdoor visits she Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA was allowed, she said the night sky was an in- [email protected] spiration. She reiterated Armand Spitz’ statement, on, and meditate. Like you’re doing right “Under the whole universe, we are all large, now.” we are all small, we are all equal.” Armand Spitz started one of the first sci- The skinny on Armand Spitz ence fairs in the US. A photo of the winners At a pre-MAPS conference event, Verne included one familiar face (and wild hair): Al- Spitz Rice was a featured speaker. Daughter of bert Einstein, who greeted the group. Legend Armand Spitz, she regaled us with wonderful has it that when Spitz was working on his A-1 stories of her childhood. projector, the dodecahedron, Einstein assist- “I was supposed to be born on the vernal ed with star placement. Mrs. Rice commented equinox, “ she told us, “but I rebelled.” Named that “Dad thought he’d taught Albert some- for author Jules Verne, one of the first images thing.” she showed was of herself at five months old, her father holding her atop a large model of Perfect for a British accent the moon he’d built. “My first topless engage- At the SEPA conference, there was some dis- Earth from Cassini. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space ment.” cussion about the narrators of full-dome pro- Science Institute She described their house in then-rural grams. Why do they always have British ac- Pennsylvania, with not many amenities (she cents? Do Americans think that makes them Time for quotes from recent conferences. remembers seeing a sunset over what ap- sound smarter? I was fortunate enough to attend two re- peared to be a beautiful lake, but was the cess- During the MAPS conference, Robin Sip gional planetarium conferences this summer. pool) of messes and guests. Her mother once gave a “making of” presentation for his new The Southeastern Planetarium Association told her, “There’s something about a man program Dinosaurs at Dusk. During produc- (SEPA) met at the Museum of Science and His- who can make messes in the kitchen boiling tion, the actors speak their lines in English tory in Jacksonville, Florida at the end of June, Cream of Wheat to watch the bubbles break.” with a Dutch accent. Their lines are then re-re- and MAPS (Middle Atlantic Planetarium Soci- Armand Spitz was experimenting with the corded with British accents. ety) gathered at the Earth and Space Science Cream of Wheat to see how to make the cra- He showed us a clip from the program, Laboratory, part of the public school system ters on his moon model. This was the same in which the teenage daughter is react- in Frederick, Maryland, in mid-July. man who said, “If you don’t know (what you ing to a large dinosaur, and the voice over is Attending a conference is like recharg- want to learn), write a book about it.” “AAAAAAAAAAaaahhhh!” ing batteries, I think. Catching up with old Mrs. Rice recalls being terrified of thunder- “Yeah,” Robin said, “You really need a Brit- friends, meeting new ones, seeing how others storms as a child. Her father taught her, when ish accent for that.” I in the profession create exhibits, or explain she saw lightning, to concepts, or find the funding to stay alive, is clap her hands togeth- rejuvenating. Even under total sleep depriva- er and yell, “natural tion. phenomenon!” at the top of her voice. “It An invention sure to catch on was good psychother- A crowd of planetarians in the dark can ri- apy,” she said. val middle-schoolers. When MAPS co-host Jeff Spitz loved musical Grills opened a session, he told us that he was instruments, and was a famous inventor. Holding up a hefty ham- always bringing home mer, he introduced the Cell-phone Smasher, ratty ones. A zith- and reminded us to “Do the right thing.” er made a fine dem- When a projection of Earth changed from a onstration of string sphere to a disk shape, a voice called out, “Oh! length and pitch, as did It’s a flat thing!” to which another replied, “So the different length we can sell this in Kansas!” of pipes on an ancient An excellent demonstration of solar system pipe organ. “We didn’t size included Jeff Grills’ “I want to show you have music, much. We the speed of light in real time. Ready? Want to had physics lessons.” see it again?” Her father lectured Smile big for the camera: From left, Miletta Sanders, Celeste Holliman, Kris At a late afternoon session, co-host Mark McCall, and Theo Wellington from the Adventure Science Center/Sude- at the Franklin Insti- kum Planetarium in Nashville, Tennessee, all wave for the Cassini space- Bowman described their new theater: “You tute in Philadelphia. craft on July 19 when the craft took Earth’s picture. Cassini was 898 million can just come in the dome, and turn the stars At one of his lectures, a miles away (1.44 billion kilometers). Photo by Theo Wellington

72 Planetarian September 2013 Digistar 5 Ad Q3 2013 - Say Goodbye to Seams.indd 1 7/31/2013 1:46:23 PM