PLANETARI N Journal of the International Planetarium Vol. 27, No. 2, June 1998 Articles 5 Aniara: Space Epic and its Author ...... Aadu Ott & Lars Broman 12 Building a Spectrometer ........................ 0 •• 00 ••••••• 0 ••••• 0 Barbara Baber Features 15 What's New ................................................................ Jim Manning 20 Book Reviews ..... 0 •••• 0. e ••••••••••••••• 0 •• 0.0.0 •••••••••••••••••••••••• 24 Planetechnica: Check those Slide Trays ...... 28 Forum: Downsizing ..................................................... 32 Gibbous Gazette .................... 0 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 34 Computer Corner ......................................................... Ken Wilson 36 Opening the Dome ......................................................... Jon U. Bell 38 International News ..................................................... Lars Broman 45 Mobile News Network ............................................. Sue Reynolds 48 Planetarium Memories: Campfire Stars ....... Kenneth Perkins 50 Jane's Corner ............................................................. Jane Hastings Seeing Is Believing! In The U.S. & Canada contact Pearl Reilly: 1-800-726-8805 fax : 1-504-764-7665 email : [email protected] Aufflonzoo DlSlntJur", of ZetSS Plaflelilnums In The Umtoo Stares & Canada Carl Zeiss, Planelarium Division 0-07740 Jena ~SEILER +49-3641-642406, fax: -643023 email: [email protected] I N B TRLJIVlENT 170 E. Kirkham Ave ., St.louis. MO 63119 Planetarium Office: #28 Houmas Place, Destrehan, LA 70047 The Planetarian (ISN 0090-3213) is published quarterly by the International Planetarium Society. ©1998, International Planetarium Society. Inc.. all rights reserved. Opinions expressed Planetarian by authors are personal opinions and are not necessarily the opinions of the International etarium Society. its officers, or agents. Acceptance of advertisements. announcements. or Vol. 27, No.2 material does not imply endorsement by the International Planetarium Society. its officers agents. The Editor welcomes items for consideration for publication. Please consult (or request) June 1998 "Guidelines for Contributors" printed on page 56 in the September 1997 issue and posted web site. The Editor reserves the right to edit any manuscript to suit this publication's needs. Executive Editor John Mosley INDEX OF A ERTISER Griffith Observatory 2800 E. Observatory Road Adler Planetarium .......................................................... Los Angeles, California 90027 USA Audio Visuallmagineering .......................................... (1) 213-664-1181 work phone (1) 818-708-7314 home fax Davis Planetarium .......................................................... [email protected] East Coast Control Systems ........... ,................................ Advertising Coordinator Evans &: Sutherland ........................................ cover Sheri Barton Trbovich The Clark Foundation Goto Optical Manufacturing .............................. PO Box 9007 ITA - Explore ..................................................................... Salt Lake City, UT 84109-0007 USA (1) 801-725-2771 voice Joe Hopkins Engineering ............................................. .. (1) 801-583-5522 fax Learning Technologies, Inc. ........................................ [email protected] MegaSystems, .......................................................... Membership Individual: $40 one year; $70 two years Miami Space Transit Planetarium ............................... Institutional: $150 first year; $75 annual renewal Minolta Corporation ......................... inside back cover Library Subscriptions: $24 one year Direct membership requests and changes ofaddress Planetarium Concert Management .......................... to the Treasurer /Membership Chairman,- see next R. S. Automation ............................................................ page for address and contact information. Seiler Instruments ............................. inside cover L P. S. Job Information Service Sky-Skan, Inc .................................................................... To receive word of new pOSition openings in the planetarium field, send up to six Spitz, Inc ........................................................................... self-addressed stamped envelopes to: S. Fentress, Director Strasenburgh Planetarium P.O. Box 1480 tors Rochester, New York 14603 USA Jon U. Bell Opening the Dome Back Issues of the Planetarian Available from: Lars Broman Christine ..... rT,rrT"", Charlene Oukes International News Gibbous Gazeltte IPS Back Publications Repository Strasenburgh Planetarium Jane G. Hastings Steve Tidey P.O. Box 1480 Jane's Corner Forum Rochester, New York 14603 USA Richard McColman A cumulative index of major articles that have Planetechnica appeared in the Planetarian from the first issue Jim Manning Ken Wilson through the current issue is available on paper What's New COlmlou1ter Corner ($12 ppd) or disk ($5 ppd) from the Exec. Editor. Kenneth Perkins Final Deadlines Planetarium Memories March: January 21; June: April 21 September: July 21; December: October 21 International Planetarium Society http://www.GriffithObs.org/IPSPlanetarian.html World Wide Web Home Page: http://www . ip s-p lanetari urn. org Vol. 27, No.2, June 1998 Planetarian President Executive Secretary IPS 2000 Conference Chair Elections Colmnru.t1tee ChairIrultn Thomas W. Kraupe Lee Ann Hennig, Planetarium Pierre Lacombe, Director Steven Mitch EuroPlaNet @ imagicX Thomas Jefferson High School Planetarium de Montreal Benedum Natural Science Rumfordstr. 41 6560 Braddock Road 1000 rue Saint-Jacques O. Center D-80469 Muenchen (Munich) Alexandria, 'Virginia 22312 USA Montreal, QC H3C 1G7 Ogle bay Park Germany (1) 703-750-8380 Canada Wheeling, WV 26003 USA +498921031531 (1) 703-750-5010 fax (1) 514872 4530 (1) 304-243-4034 +498921031532 fax [email protected] (1) 5148728102 Fax (1) 304-243-41 10 fax [email protected] pierre_Iacombe@astro. umontreal. ca [email protected] Treasurer/Membership Chair President Elect Shawn Laatsch Historian/Photo-Archivist Awards Comnlit1tee Dale Smith Arthur Storer Planetarium John Hare Phyllis Planetarium 600 Dares Beach Road Ash Enterprises The Adler PlanetariUlrn Physics & Astronomy Dept. Prince Frederick, MD 20678 3602 23rd Avenue West 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive Bowling Green State University USA Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA Chicago, Illinois 60605 Bowling Green, OH 43403 USA (1) 410-535-7339 (1) 941-746-3522 (1) 312-322-0319 (1) 419-372-8666 [email protected] (1) 941-750-9497 fax (1) 419-372-9938 fax [email protected] [email protected] 1998 Conference Chair International Planetarium Undine Concannon Publications Chair Past President Planetarium Administrator April Whitt Jim Manning London Planetarium Fembank Science Center Taylor Planetarium Marylebone Road 156 Heaton Park Drive NE Museum of the Rockies London NW1 5LR Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA Montana State University Bozeman Montana 59717 USA England (1) 404-378-4314 ext 221 600W. Blvd. (1) 406-994-6874 (44) 171-486-1121 (1) 404-370-1336 fax Bozeman, Montana 59717 (1) 406-994-2682 fax (44) 171-465-0862 fax [email protected] [email protected] conference: June 28 - July 2 IPS Web Site: http://www,ips-planetarium.org /.. S.. Association of French-Speaking European/Mediterranean (81) 3-3396-4393 fax Russian Planetariums Assoc~iatio>n Planetariums Planetarium Association KHF 11 [email protected] Zinaida P. Sitkova Agnes Acker Dennis Simopoulos Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium Planetarium Strasbourg Eugenides Planetarium Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society Pokhyalinsky SYezd 5-A Universite Louis Pasteur Syngrou Avenue-Amfithea Laura Deines Nizhny Novgorod. 603 001, RUSSia Rue de L'Observatoire Athens, Greece Southworth Planetarium (7) 8312-34-21-51 6700 Strasbourg, France (30) 1-941-1181 PO Box 9300 (7) 8312-36-20-61 fax 33-388212042 (30) 1-941-7372 fax Portland, Maine 04104-9300 [email protected] 33-388 212045 fax dps@eugenides_found.edu.gr (1) 207-780-4249 [email protected] (1) 207-780-4051 fax Southeastern Planetarium Great Lakes Planetarium Assoc. [email protected] John Hare Assoc. of Mexican Planetariums Susan Reynolds Ash Enterprises Ignacio Castro Pinal Onondaga-Cortland -Madison Nordic Planetarium Association 3602 23rd Avenue West Museo TechnologiCO C.F.E. B.O.C.E.S. Planetarium Lars Broman Bradenton, FlOrida 34205 USA Apartado Postal 18-816 P.O. Box 4774 Broman Planetarium (1) 941-746-3522 CP 11870 Mexico City, D.F. Mexico Syracuse. New York 13221 USA Ostra Hamngatan 1 (1) 941-750-9497 fax (52) 5 5-16-13-57 (1) 315-433-2671 S-791 71 Falun, Sweden [email protected] (52) 5 5-16-55-20 fax (1) 315-433-1530 fax (46) 2310 177 [email protected] (46) 2310 137 (fax) Southwestern Association British Assoc. of Planetariums [email protected] Planetariums Undine Concannon Great Plains Planetarium Assoc. www2.nrm.se/cosmonova/tc-wnpa.html Wayne Wyrick London Planetarium April Whitten, Business Mgr. Kirkpatrick Planetarium Marlybone Road Mallory Kountze Planetarium Pacific Planetarium Association 200 NE 52nd St. London NW 1 5LR, England 60th & Dodge Streets Jon Elvert Oklahoma City, OK 73111 (44) 171-487-0227 Omaha, Nebraska 68182 USA Lane ESD Planetarium (1) 405-424-5545 work (44) 171-465-0862 fax (1) 402-554-2510 2300 Leo Harris Pkwy (1) 405-424-5106 fax [email protected] (1) 402-554-3100 Eugene, Oregon 97401 USA wayne. [email protected] [email protected] (1) 541-461-8227 Canadian