The Usenet newsgroup sci.astro.planetarium FAQ

Last revision: 9 Feb 2004

Last overhauled: 25 July 1996 by:
Mark C. Petersen

Started 15 October 1993 by: Davin Flateau

Original contributors:
Davin Flateau dflateau@exploration.org
Keith Johnson keithj@unr.edu
Jack Dunn jdunn@spacelaser.com
Mark C. Petersen

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Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about the newsgroup
sci.astro.planetarium, and planetaria in general. This list is posted to
the USENET newsgroup sci.astro.planetarium on an irregular basis. The FAQ
is currently maintained by Mark C. Petersen of Loch Ness Productions. The
latest version of this FAQ on the World Wide Web (in HTML and text form)
can be found in the Planetarium Reference Library at the Loch Ness
Productions Web Site: http://www.lochness.com. (Who's computer is this?)

The newsgroup was inaugurated in August 1993, primarily through the work of
Davin Flateau. The first version of the FAQ was also created by Davin at
the time.

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Table of Contents:

* Usenet Newsgroup sci.astro.planetarium Charter
* Posting articles in sci.astro.planetarium
* What is a planetarium?
o What about "planetarium" software?
* What happens at a planetarium?
* Where can I find a planetarium?
* Who manufactures planetarium projectors?
* What is the history of the planetarium?
* What professional organizations exist for planetarians?
* What listservs exist for planetarians?
* Frequently-Asked Questions AT planetaria:
o When does the movie start?
o Where are the plants?
o How do you open the dome? Where are the telescopes?
o Can I bring my kids into the planetarium?
o Where are the good seats?
o Can I buy/name a star as a gift for a loved one?

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Charter

sci.astro.planetarium will be a newsgroup that provides a common forum for
patrons of planetaria, planetarium professionals, planetarium audio-visual
developers, and anyone interested in astronomy education to come and
exchange their ideas, news, and calendar events. Major topics of discussion
that this newsgroup will cover include:

* Planetarium presentation techniques and show production discussions by
planetarium professionals.
* Technical discussions relating to the production of planetarium
presentations (DigiStar programming, A/V equipment maintenance,
automation system discussions, etc.).
* News and announcements of upcoming planetaria events from planetaria
all over the world (workshop announcements, star-parties, special
showings, etc.).
* General public discussion about the institution of planetaria,
including items of historical interest, and new planetaria being
opened.
* Upcoming astronomical, space events and alerts concerning planetarium
professionals, and the general public.
* Astronomical education topics and general discussion by both
planetarium professionals, developers and the general public.
* Educate others in topics of astronomy and space exploration.

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Posting articles in sci.astro.planetarium

The sci.astro.planetarium newsgroup was created in August 1993 for the
exchange of electronic communication concerning planetaria (the accepted
plural of planetarium) and planetarium-related topics among planetarium
professionals (often referred to as "planetarians") and interested members
of the general public.

The newsgroup is in the sci.astro hierarchy, and of course, the vast
majority of planetaria and planetarians are actively involved in the
dissemination of astronomy information. However, articles which are
astronomy-related -- but don't specifically involve the domed theaters
called planetaria -- may be more appropriate for posting in other
newsgroups. Topics such as: announcements of non-planetarium star parties;
blue Moons, eclipses, occultations and comet observations; space shuttle
launches; NASA press releases -- while assuredly of interest to some
planetarians -- would more naturally be expected in sci.astro.amateur,
sci.astro, sci.space.shuttle, and sci.space.news respectively. Most
planetarians interested in such topics actively scan those newsgroups as
well, so cross-postings are usually unnecessary.

The sci.astro FAQ can be found at http://sciastro.astronomy.net (Who's computer is this?)

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What is a planetarium?

Traditionally, the word "planetarium" has referred specifically to a device
used to display the apparent motions in the sky of celestial objects -- the
stars, Sun, Moon, planets, etc. These days, the planetarium device itself
is commonly called a "star projector", and is located within a domed
enclosure; most have theater seats installed. What is most often referred
to as a "planetarium" today is the combination of the projector, the domed
enclosure, the building which houses it -- and sometimes the institution
operating it.

All planetaria are designed to project images of stars. To do that, most
have a light source inside a ball, which shines through pinholes -- either
drilled in the ball, or etched in photographic plates. From the simplest
toy star projector you can purchase at science stores like The Nature
Company and Natural Wonders to the largest, most expensive optical
instruments available, the concept is basically the same. Alternatively,
the Evans & Sutherland Digistar is a computer-graphics system, which uses a
cathode-ray tube capped with a fisheye lens to project its star images.

Projecting the images onto a hemispherical surface is essential for
creating a realistic night sky. Many planetarium domes are constructed from
perforated aluminum panels (sometimes plaster or fabric) and permanently
mounted above theater-style seats. Some planetaria use a portable star
projector set up inside an opaque canvas "balloon", inflated by fans, into
which people can crawl to see the show.

Most planetarium Web sites have posted pictures of their projectors. For a
more general illustrated answer to this question, point your Web browser to
Morrison Planetarium's Web site at http://www.calacademy.org/planetarium. (Who's computer is this?)

What about "planetarium" software?

There are computer software programs which display a representation of the
sky in "planetarium" mode; sometimes the program itself is called a
planetarium. Using the definition of "a device to display motions of
celestial objects", that might qualify -- but such software could more
accurately be called sky simulation programs.

In other words, you can look down at a computer monitor and use sky
simulation programs in "planetarium" mode -- to print star charts, plot
orbits, calculate eclipses, etc. And you can GO TO THE PLANETARIUM and look
up, to take in the surround sight and sound experiences it can offer.

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What happens at a planetarium?

Being basically darkened theaters with seats and projectors, virtually all
planetaria present programs or shows to audiences. Naturally, with a starry
night sky overhead, astronomy tends to dominate the topics of presentation.
Planetarium programs will probably differ greatly from one theater to the
next, depending upon the planetarium's mission, capabilities, staffing, and
other factors. Still, the primary mission for most planetaria is to
enlighten its audiences about astronomy, space, and the beauty of the night
sky. Many space scientists, astronomers, physicists and astronauts
attribute their local planetarium visits in their youth as inspiration for
their careers.

In its earliest form, the planetarium show consisted of a demonstration of
the star projector's capabilities -- diurnal and annual motion, precession,
constellation depiction, etc. At some planetaria, that is still the only
type of presentation offered. The stereotype of the planetarian as a
"learned astronomer" -- wearing narrow tie, spectacles and lab coat,
lecturing audiences with green-arrow pointer in hand -- endures to this
day.

Since most planetaria are located in or associated with educational
institutions, many presentations are of a strictly educational nature,
designed for school or university classes, with public programs an
extension of those offerings.

With the advent of modern audio-visual technology, many planetaria have
incorporated multi-media elements in their programs. Computerized
automation systems controlling banks of slide projectors, special effects
projectors, video projectors, lasers, and recorded soundtracks with
multi-channel audio, celebrity narrators and original music -- all can
combine to create dynamic and exciting presentations.

Given its theater equipment, many planetarians use their facilities for
non-astronomical presentations as well, such as laser light shows, concerts
and plays.

Besides their role as important disseminators of astronomy and space
exploration information, planetarium programs can offer to visitors the
chance to explore the universe in a unique, inspirational environment -- an
special, enriching experience well out of the norm of daily human
existence.

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Where can I find a planetarium?

There are more than 1400 planetaria in the United States, and more than
1100 in other countries around the world. In the U. S., over half of these
are located in schools, or are school district facilities; most are used
for classroom instruction and are not otherwise open to the general public.
Of the remainder, about one-third are in colleges or universities; more of
these offer public programs. The rest are in museums, science centers, or
are associated with an observatory or other independent organization. These
are usually the biggest theaters; hence they have the largest attendance,
and of course offer the widest variety of programs to the general public.

Most major metropolitan areas have a public planetarium. Check the phone
book Yellow Pages, under "Planetariums". Ask your town's tourist or
traveler information center; they should have information about interesting
places to visit.

Both {Sky and Telescope} and {Astronomy} magazines annually publish
comprehensive lists of planetaria, astronomy clubs and resources. These are
available on the Web at http://www.skyandtelescope.com (Who's computer is this?) and
http://www.astronomy.com (Who's computer is this?) respectively.

Loch Ness Productions, a planetarium show production company, publishes a
directory of the world's planetaria, called the LNP Planetarium Compendium.
On the Web, LNP publishes a subset of that book, listing more than 500
facilities which have bought Loch Ness shows. Point your Web browser to
http://www.lochness.com (Who's computer is this?) and select the LNP Planetarium Compendium links. At
the same URL, you'll also find an extensive list of Planetarium and
Planetarium-related Web sites.

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Who manufactures planetarium projectors?

The following list is excerpted from the LNP PLANETARIUM COMPENDIUM,
published by Loch Ness Productions http://www.lochness.com (Who's computer is this?)

DIGISTAR

Evans and Sutherland Corp.
600 Komas Drive, Bldg. #770
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
(801) 588-7405
(801) 588-4520 fax
http://www.es.com (Who's computer is this?)

Manufacturer of the Digistar II digital planetarium projection system and
other virtual reality products for education and entertainment, including
Star Rider, Virtual Glider, Virtual Adventures, interactive kiosk
experiences, and distributors of the Foucault Pendulum.

Jeri H. Panek, Digistar Sales Manager jpanek@es.com

-----------------------------------

GOTO Goto Optical Manufacturing Co.
4-16 Yazaki-cho
Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183
JAPAN
+81 423 362 5312
+81 423 361 9571 fax
2832421 GOTOPT J Telex
http://www.goto.co.jp/index-e.html (Who's computer is this?)

Ryuichiro Goto, Executive Director
-----------------------------------

U.S. Sales:

Goto USA
Goto Optical Manufacturing Co.
401 Kamakee Street, Suite 319
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 847-5800
(808) 597-8688 fax
(888) 847-5800 toll-free

Ken Miller, USA Liaison
E-mail: gotousa@earthlink.net
Toshikatsu Yasuda
t0640yas@goto.co.jp

-----------------------------------

MINOLTA

Konica Minolta Planetarium Co., Ltd.
2-30 Toyotsu-cho
Suita-shi, Osaka 564
JAPAN
+81 6 386 2050
+81 6 386 2027 fax
http://www2.minolta.com/mp/top.jsp (Who's computer is this?)

Masaichiro Konishi, President
Shigeru Tanaka, International Department
Kazunori Kitabatake
mp-eve@mom.minolta.co.jp
-----------------------------------

U.S. Sales:

Planetariums, Konica Minolta
Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc.
725 Darlington Avenue
Mahwah, NJ 07430
(201) 574-4111
(201) 574-4144 fax

Shigeki Ogawa, U. S. Lead Representative
sogawa@ph.konicaminolta.us

-----------------------------------

SPITZ

Spitz, Inc.
P.O. Box 198, U. S. Route 1
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
(610) 459-5200
(610) 459-3830 FAX
(800) 639-1482 toll-free
http://www.spitzinc.com (Who's computer is this?)

A full service company for immersive multi-media theaters. Projection
domes, planetarium projectors - 1024, 512, StarScape and refurbished
models, ATM4 Theater Automation, Immersive video systems, custom show
production, business planning services, dome cleaning.

Charles H. Holmes, Jr., President
John P. Schran, Sales/Marketing jschran@spitzinc.com

-----------------------------------

ZEISS

Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH
Tatzendpromenade 1a
Postfach 125
D-07745 Jena
GERMANY
+49 3641 64 2406
+49 3641 64 3023 fax
http://www.zeiss.de (Who's computer is this?)

Planetarium manufacturer: ZKP 3 Skymaster, ZMP Starmaster, Mark VIII
Universarium, and service for Zeiss planetaria.

Claus Bergner, Product Manager Planetaria
Wilfried Lang, Manager Astro. Instruments Div
Dr. Ludwig Meier, Technical consultant for plt.
Volkmar Schorcht, Marketing & Application
schorcht@zeiss.de
-----------------------------------

U.S. Sales:

Carl Zeiss Jena US Distributor
Seiler Instrument & Mfg. Co.
170 E. Kirkham Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63119
(314) 968-2282
(314) 968-2637 fax
(800) 489-2282 toll-free
http://www.seilerinst.com/plantrm (Who's computer is this?)

Laura Misajet, Sales Mgr./Planetarium Div.
(610) 664-0308 (800) 726-8805 toll free

-----------------------------------

R. S. AUTOMATION

R. S. Automation Industrie
20, Boulevard des Mineurs
42290 Sorbiers
FRANCE
+33 77 53 30 48
+33 77 53 38 61 fax
http://www.rsacosmos.com (Who's computer is this?)

Christian Riberon
Patrick Romeuf

-----------------------------------

STARLAB

Starlab Planetarium Systems
Learning Technologies Inc.
40 Cameron Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144-2404
(800) 537-8703 toll-free
(617) 628-8606 fax
http://www.starlab.com (Who's computer is this?)

Starlab is a portable planetarium system which consists of an inflatable
dome, a variety of computer generated projection cylinders, and a
projector. The dome is 10.5 ft. high, 16 ft. in diameter and seats 30
people. Starlab is used widely in schools, museums, and universities.

Phil Sadler
Betsy Keats
Gregory Gansz
Jane Sadler

-----------------------------------

USED PROJECTION EQUIPMENT:

ASH Enterprises Int'l. Inc.
1221 Stanhope Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23227
(804) 264-8888
(804) 266-7966 fax
http://www.ash-enterprises.com (Who's computer is this?)

Planetarium Consulting Services

Eric H. Melenbrink e.melenbrink@att.net
John Hare jlhare@aol.com

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What is the history of the planetarium?

Rather than go into depth here, there is a good illustrated history of the
planetarium on the Web. Visit Morrison Planetarium's Web site at
http://www.calacademy.org/planetarium. (Who's computer is this?)

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What professional organizations exist for planetarians?

The International Planetarium Society is the largest single organization of
planetarians, comprised of individuals and institutions from around the
world. It offers biennial conferences and publications for its membership,
including a quarterly journal, "Planetarian". Point your Web browser to
http://www.ips-planetarium.org (Who's computer is this?) for more information.

Other "regional" planetarium organizations cover various geographic areas
of the globe, and like IPS, hold conventions and produce publications. Most
are affiliated with IPS, though many have existed as independent entities
predating the formation of IPS. Officers are usually volunteers in these
organizations, and maintain no permanent offices. Web pages for individual
organizations are your best source for further information.

* Association of French-Speaking Planetariums
* Association of Mexican Planetariums
* Australasian Planetarium Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~apsweb/ (Who's computer is this?)
* British Association of Planetariums http://www.planetarium.org.uk (Who's computer is this?)
* Council of German Planetariums
* European/Mediterranean Planetarium Association see
http://www.planetarium-online.info/epn (Who's computer is this?)
* Great Lakes Planetarium Association http://www.glpaweb.org (Who's computer is this?)
* Great Plains Planetarium Association http://www.spacelaser.com/gppa (Who's computer is this?)
* Italian Planetaria Friends Association
http://www.cityline.it/cult/Grup_sci/planeta.html#internazio (Who's computer is this?)
* Japan Planetarium Society
* Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society http://www.maps-planetarium.org (Who's computer is this?)
* Nordic Planetarium Association
http://www2.nrm.se/cosmonova/tc-wnpa.html (Who's computer is this?)
* Pacific Planetarium Association
http://www.ccsn.nevada.edu/planetarium/PPA (Who's computer is this?)
* Planetarium Association of Canada
* Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association http://www.rmpadomes.org (Who's computer is this?)
* Russian Planetarium Association
* Southeastern Planetarium Association http://www.sepadomes.org (Who's computer is this?)
* Southwestern Association of Planetariums http://www.swapskies.org (Who's computer is this?)
* Ukrainian Planetariums Association

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What listservs exist for planetarians?

DOME-L is a listserv about planetarium concerns, similar in content to the
sci.astro.planetarium newsgroup. Unlike s.a.p., DOME-L is a moderated list,
so only approved subscribers may post to it.

The stated purpose of DOME-L is "to foster more rapid communication among
the members of the planetarium community and to encourage discussions of a
timely nature among the participants gathered on this list."

Requests for subscriptions will be forwarded to the listowner for approval.
Further information can be found at http://www.planetarium.net/dome-l. (Who's computer is this?)

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Frequently Asked Questions AT Planetaria

When does the movie start?

Planetarium shows are not movies. They are multimedia presentations
including star projectors, slide projectors, some video projectors, special
effect projectors, lasers, and other devices used to display many images in
many ways on the dome above. Some planetaria have whole-dome motion picture
systems installed -- for example, OMNIMAX (now called IMAX DOME) and
C-360 -- but the whole-dome movie is usually not part of the planetarium
show itself.

Where are the plants? (no kidding!)

Planetaria are often confused with other facilities. Although the word
sounds similar, there are no plants -- just planets -- in the realm of the
planetarium.

How do you open the dome? Where are your telescopes?

Because both have domes and deal with astronomy, a planetarium is sometimes
confused with an observatory. Planetaria are theaters which simulate the
night sky (and even daytime skies depending on their projection
capabilities). The dome doesn't open; it's just a projection screen which
the planetarium uses to project the star images on the dome. If a
planetarium has any telescopes, they're probably stored in a closet;
they're often set up outside in the parking lot for observing sessions
after the planetarium show is over. Some planetaria also operate or are
associated with observatories, and simply send planetarium audiences to the
observatory for telescope viewing.

Can I bring my kids to the planetarium?

To recreate a night-time environment, the planetarium theater has to be
dark, and hearing strange voices and music in darkness can be very scary to
young children, no matter how often they are reassured. "Scary" results in
screaming or crying; very disruptive to the presentation. Worse, parents
with squalling youngsters can't just get up and leave; in the darkness,
it's simply not safe to be walking around if you can't see where you're
going (and the stars are spinning overhead). Of course, children are very
different, but as a general rule, planetarium shows are not recommended for
children under 4 years of age. Most planetaria have age limits and
restrictions on baby strollers, so check before you go with your family.

Where are the good seats?

Try near the control console.

Can I buy/name a star as a gift for a loved one?

This question is answered in detail at the following URLs:

* International Planetarium Society
http://www.ibiblio.org/ips/Starnaming.html. (Who's computer is this?)
* International Astronomical Union
http://www.iau.org/IAU/FAQ/starnames.html. (Who's computer is this?)

For more planetarium FAQs like these, see the FAQ page of the University of
Nebraska's Ralph Mueller Planetarium Web site:
http://www.spacelaser.com/mueller_faq.html. (Who's computer is this?)

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End of sci.astro.planetarium FAQ

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