Portable Planetarium Handbook Susan Reynolds Button, Editor July 2002 Table of Contents Section I. Table of Contents .................................................................................... 1 Section II. Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 Section III. Contributors............................................................................................. 1 Section IV. Practical Applications of Portable Planetariums...................................1 A. Introduction: “Why are Portable Planetariums so Special?” .......................2 1. “Twenty Years on the Road: The Portable Planetarium’s Development and Contributions to the Teaching of Astronomy” ......................................................................................3 2. “Outreach: The Long Arm of STARLAB”.......................................18 3. “Professionalism and Survival Tactics” ..........................................20 B. Outreach with a Planetarium Specialist ....................................................22 1. “Reach Out and Teach Someone” ................................................ 23 2. “Student Intern/Mentor Program Proposal”................................... 26 3. “Student-Directed Planetarium Lessons and Other Creative Uses For STARLAB”..................................................................... 27 C. Outreach-Lending/Rental Programs and Teacher Training ..................... 30 1. “Unmanned Satellite” .................................................................... 31 2. “When You’ve Got the Whole World in Your Hands, You Can Share it with Everyone”................................................................. 40 3. “STARLAB Training” ..................................................................... 42 4. “Designing a STARLAB Training Program” .................................. 43 5. “Berkeley Program Brings Astronomy Down to Earth”.................. 45 6. “An Outreach Program Without Going Out!” ................................. 46 7. “The Stars Shine Brightly in Nova Scotia Schools” ....................... 49 8. “Distance Learning and STARLAB” .............................................. 52 9. “Facilitating an Effective STARLAB Program”............................... 54 10. OCM BOCES STARLAB Rental Unit Checklist ............................ 56 2 D. Planetariums in Business ........................................................................ 57 1. “Owning Your Own Planetarium” by Meader ................................ 58 2. “Owning Your Own Planetarium” by Whitt…................................. 64 3. “Warning Testimonial”................................................................... 78 4. “Marketing Strategy”…………………………………………………..79 5. “Mobile Domes in Business”………………………………………….82 6. “Portable Planetarium Business Owner’s Survey”…………………83 Section V. Manufacturers of Portable Planetariums............................................... 1 A. Cosmodyssee III and Roving Star (France)............................................... 2 B. Gambato Projectors (Italy)......................................................................... 8 C. GOTO NEX and E-5 (Japan)..................................................................... 9 D. Holmestronic (United Kingdom)............................................................... 11 E. MediaGlobe (Japan)................................................................................ 12 F. Megastar Projector (Japan) ..................................................................... 14 G. PLANETRONEX (Mexico) ....................................................................... 16 H. Sphaera Domes (Spain) .......................................................................... 17 I. Stargazer Domes (United Kingdom)........................................................ 18 J. STARLAB (USA) ..................................................................................... 20 K. StratoSphere (United Kingdom) .............................................................. 24 L. ZPS-Cubex (Argentina) ........................................................................... 25 Section VI. Sources of Funding..................................................................................1 A. “How and Where Can You Find Funding Sources?”...................................2 B. “When You Wish Upon a STARLAB”..........................................................4 C. “Sponsorship and Creative Funding”..........................................................5 D. Corporations That Have Supported Science/Technology Education......... 6 Section VII. Liability and Equipment Insurance .........................................................1 A. General Considerations............................................................................. 2 B. Insurance................................................................................................... 2 C. Self-Protection Strategies.......................................................................... 3 D. Sample Letter to Teachers ........................................................................ 4 E. Sample Sign .............................................................................................. 5 3 Section VIII. Advertising……………..............................................................................1 A. Overview ................................................................................................... 2 B. “Customizing a STARLAB Dome”.............................................................. 3 C. Auxilliary “Attention-Getters”...................................................................... 4 a. “Organizing an Astronomy Club”.......................................... 4 b. “Exploring the Sky: A Starry Adventure”...............................6 D. “OCM BOCES Publicity”…………………............ ……………………………8 E. “My Publicity”............................................................................................10 Section IX. Scheduling ................................................................................................1 A. Booking ......................................................................................................2 B. Daily Schedules......................................................................................... 5 Section X. Presentation and Evaluation Techniques ............................................. 1 A. General Suggestions................................................................................. 2 1. “Some Group Characteristics” ........................................................ 5 2. “Astronomical Misconceptions” ....................................................... 7 3. “Using STARLAB to Implement the National Science Education Standards from the National Resource Council”.......... 15 4. “Back to Basics-Just You and Your Dome”................................... 18 5. “Using the Inquiry Method in the Portable Planetarium” ............... 21 6. “Planetarium Instructions”............................................................. 24 7. “Script Writing for Portable Planetariums”..................................... 27 8. “Eyes on the Sky” ......................................................................... 30 9. “Why Mythology?”......................................................................... 39 10. “Get Creative” ............................................................................... 41 11. Myths With a Twist........................................................................ 43 12. “All That Jazz”............................................................................... 47 B. Specialized Lesson Strategies ................................................................ 47 1. “Sunshine, Shadows and Silhouettes” .......................................... 48 2. “Astrophotography” ....................................................................... 48 3. “Magic Walls And Other New Experiences Using STARLAB”....... 49 4. “Discovery Rooms and Science Shows With Magic STARLAB” .................................................................................... 53 5. SPACE: STARLAB Program of Astronautics and Cosmic Exploration.................................................................................... 58 6. “Mythology With a New Twist” ...................................................... 63 7. “Observations: Cycles and Patterns” ............................................ 66 4 C. Discipline ................................................................................................. 68 1. “Discipline”.................................................................................... 68 2. “Crowd Handling”.......................................................................... 68 3. “Discipline Under the Dome”......................................................... 70 4. “The Magic List-Alternatives to Punitive Discipline” ...................... 71 D. Students with Disabilities......................................................................... 73 E. Gifted Students........................................................................................ 74 1. “Some Uses of a STARLAB Planetarium with Gifted Students” ...................................................................................... 74 F. Program Evaluation Techniques ............................................................. 78 Section XI. Lessons.....................................................................................................1