THE PLANETARIAN Journal of the International Planetarium Society Vol. 16, No.4, October 1987 Articles 08 A Comparison of Portable Planetariums ............ Thomas Wm. Hamilton 10 Five Starlabs at the New York Hall of Science ................ T. Boykie, et al 12 Religion and Pseudoscience in Christmas Star Shows ........ S. Kanagy 21 Get Ready for Another Season of God-Bashing .................. Cal Thomas 22 The Star of Bethlehem: Still Attracting a Following ......... Pete Sheehan 27 Origins of the Names of Planets and Satellites .................. Carl Masthay 40 General George Patton on Planetarium Management. ..... John Mosley Features 43 Forum .......................................................................................... Lonny Baker 46 Focus on Education: The Mechanical Universe .......... Mark S. Sonntag 47 What's New ...............................................................................Arthur Barton 48 Universe at Your Fingertips: New Educational Materials ...... A. Fraknoi 50 Computer Corner................................................................... Keith Johnson 53 Planetarium Usage for Secondary Students ................ Gerald L. Mallon 61 Dr. Krockter .................................................................................. Norm Dean 62 President's Message ............................................... Von Del Chamberlain 64 Gibbous Gazette .....................................................................John Wharton 66 Secretary's Notepad ......................................................... Gerald L. Mallon 68 Planetarium Lifeline: D. Alter & Griffith Observatory ..... David H. Menke 79 Book Reviews ...................................................... Carolyn Collins Petersen 83 Regional Roundup ................................................................... Steven Mitch 86 Kodalith Corner..................................................................... Tim W. Kuzniar 90 Jane's Corner ....................................................................Jane G. Hastings The Planetarian (ISN 0090-3213) is published quarterly by the International Planetarium The Planetarian Society under the auspices of the Publications Committee. ©1987, International tarium Society, Inc., all rights reserved. Opinions expressed by authors are npl"!!U'IT';JI Vol. 16, No.4 opinions and are not necessarily the position of the International Planetarium its officers, or agents. The Editor welcomes items for consideration for pulbli(:ati1on. October 1987 Editor reserves the right to edit any solicited or unsolicited manm;cnpts needs of this publication. Executive Editor PUBLICATIONS CHAIRPERSON John Mosley Carolyn Collins Petersen Griffi th Observatory Loch Ness Productions 2800 E. Observatory Rd. P.O. Box 3023 Los Angeles, Calif. 90027 Boulder, Colorado 80307 213-664-1181 CompuServe 74156,473 TREASURER AND MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN Mark C. Petersen Loch Ness Productions Associate Editors P. O. Box 3023 Lonny Baker Boulder1 Colorado 80307 Forum Arthur Barton ADVERTISING COORDINATOR What's New Suzanne Gurton Griffith Observatory Andrew Fraknoi 2800 East Observatory Road Universe at Your Fingertips Los Angeles, California 90027 Jane G. Hastings 213- 664-1181 Jane's Corner MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES Keith Johnson Individual Membership: Computer Corner U.S. (3rd class bulk mail): $34 Tim Kuzniar Other North America Ost class): $5 postage supplement Kodalith Corner Overseas Atlantic Ost class): $5 postage supplement Overseas Pacific Ost class): $8 postage supplement Gerald L. Mallon Institutional Membership: Secondary Students $125 first year; $50 annual renewal Jordan Marchi II Library Subscriptions: Script Section $24 with same postal supplement as above Eric Melenbrink I. P. S. JOB INFORMATION SERVICE Creative Corner To receive word of new position openings in the planetarium David Menke field, send up to six self-addressed stamped envelopes to: Planetarium Lifeline Donald Hall, Director Strasenburgh Planetarium Steve Mitch P.O. Box 1480 Regional Roundup Rochester, New York 14603 Carolyn Collins Petersen Book Reviews BACK ISSUES OF THE PLANETARIAN Beginning with Vol. 14, No.4, individual copies are $6.00 each. Sheldon Schafer All previous issues are $1.00 each from: Consumer Concerns Charlene Oukes, IPS Back Publications Repository Mark S. Sonntag Strasenburgh Planetarium Focus on Education P.O. Box 1480 Rochester, New York 14603 John Wharton Gibbous Gazette The Planetarian is designed and typeset at the ufllUll:n Printing by Victory Printing and Graphics, Van Nuys, No.4, October 1987 3 President Treasurer & Membership Chairman Elections Committee Chairman Von Del Chamberlain Mark C. Petersen Thomas Stec , Hansen Planetarium Loch Ness Productions Central Bucks East High School 15 South State Street P.O. Box 3023 Holicong and Anderson Roads Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 USA Boulder, Colorado 80307 USA Buckingham, Pennsylvania 18912 USA 801-538-2104 303-455-0611 215-794-5856 President-Elect 1988 Conference Chairpersons Awards Committee Chairman Terence Murtagh Ken Wilson and Eric Melenbrink Bruce Dietrich The Planetarium Armagh Universe Planetarium Reading School District Planetarium College Hilt Armagh 2500 West Broad Street 1211 Parkside Drive South Northern Ireland, BT61 9DB, U. K. Richmond, Virginia 23220 USA Reading, Pennyslvania 19611 USA 0861-524-725 804-257-0211 215-371-5856 Past-President 1990 Conference Chairman Alan J. Friedman Lars Broman New York Hall of Science Framtidsmuseet 47-01 111 th Street Box 22 5-791, 21 Corona, New York 11368 USA Falun, Sweden 718-699-0005 023-181-60 Executive Secretary Historian Dr. Gerald Mallon, Ed.D. Paul R. Engle, Planetarium Affiliates are reminded to notify the 204 Haws Avenue University of Arkansas at Little Rock Editor of changes of Affiliate Rep­ Norristown, Pennsylvania 19401 USA 33rd & University Avenue resentatives so that the list below 215-631-9403 (office) Little Rock, Arkansas 72204 USA can remain accurate. 215-277-8767 (home) 501-569-3259 Association of Mexican Planetari- Great Plains Planetarium Associa- Planetarium Association of ums (AMPAC) tion (GPPA) Canada (PAC) Gabriel Munoz Roger Reede Ian McGregor Planetario de Morelia Southwest State University McLaughlin Planetarium Ventura Puente y Ticateme Marshall, Minnesota 56258 USA 100 Queens Park Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico 58070 507-537-6196 Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6 Canada 451-4-2 4-65 416-586-5736 Middle Atlantic Planetarium British Association of Planetari- Society (MAPS) Rocky Mountain Planetarium ums (BAP) Thomas Stec Association (RMPA) Terence Murtagh Central Bucks East High School Carolyn Collins Petersen The Planetarium Armagh Holicong and Anderson Roads Loch Ness Productions College Hill, Armagh Buckingham, Pennsylvania 18912 USA P. O. Box 3023 Northern Ireland, U.K. BT61 9DB 215-794-7481 Boulder, Colorado 80307 USA 0861-524-725 303-455-0611 Nordic Planetarium Network European/Mediterranean Plane- (NPN) Southeastern Planetarium tarium Association (EMPA) Lars Broman Association (SEPA) Dennis Simopoulos Framtidsmuseet John Hare Eugenides Planetarium Box 22 S-791, 21 Bishop Planetarium Syngrou A venue-Amfithea Falun, Sweden 201 10th Street West Athens, Greece 023-181-60 Bradenton, Florida 33505 USA 94-111-81 813-746-4132 Pacific Planetarium Association Great Lakes Planetarium Associa- (PPA) Southwestern Association of tion (GLPA) Larry Toy Planetariums (SWAP) Sheldon Schafer Chabot College Planetarium John C. Pogue Lakeview Museum Planetarium 25555 Hesperian Blvd. South Grand Prairie High School 1125 West Lake Avenue Hayward, California 94545 USA 301 Warrior Trail Peoria, Illinois 61614 415-786-6881 Grand Prairie, Texas 75051 USA 309-686-6682 214-264-4731 ext. 61 4 The Planetarian, Vol. 16, No.4, October 1987 Corrections to IPS ,:_~_L __.J ? Letters 1987 edition Minolta Corp. Planetariums to the 90 Arch Drive Holbrook, NY 11741 (516) 589-8411 'Editor Kosuke Sasaki SPITZ ON LUMILINE LAMPS Taylor Planetarium ES Digistar Museum of the Rockies To clear up misunderstandings, it should be known Montana State University that Spitz is not in the lamp business. Lumiline lamps Bozeman, MT 59715 are carried and sold as a service to Spitz installations (406) 994-5283 at well below the standard mark-up. Dr. Michael Hager, Museum Director Spitz provides lumiline lamps at a cost of $7.72 each Bea Taylor in case lots of 24. Color sheaths are $3.00 each with a discount for quantity orders. Please send additional corrections to Mark Petersen, Membership Chairman. See page 3 Purchasers should be aware that Lumiline lamps for his address. have a limited shelf life. George Reed Spitz, Inc. Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania MORE ON EINSTEIN ~1)1.A" &~ Readers of Horace MacMahan's interesting article l'! ~ RADIAN ~R~UP. INC. (Vol. 16, #3) may be interested in the following anec­ '::!V 9930 East Bunker Hill Place dote about the observational verification of Einstein's prediction of the deflection of light near the edge of ;: R. A. Kelley the sun. Mr. MacMahan properly emphasizes that the ::::::~zon:::::8 fit of the experimental (observational) results to a (602) 327-7320 (602) 885-4350 detailed theoretical prediction played a large part in the instant acceptance of Einstein's theory. In my text Astronomy: From the Earth to the Universe, I tell the story of Einstein's earlier prediction, pre-1914, that the deflection of light should be half the value later INDEX OF ADVERTISERS found. (Einstein also made an arithmetic error that changed it slightly more.) A German expedition set off Archival Facsimilies ................................