The Great Western - Western Alliance Conference

The Great Western
Observer
Rocky Mountain
Planetarium Association
The Journal of
the Great Plains Planetarium Association,
the Pacific Planetarium Association,
the Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association, and
the Southwest Association of Planetariums
WINTER 2005
VOLUME IV, NUMBER 1
IN THIS ISSUE...
OFFICERS OF THE REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
CALENDAR OF PLANETARIUM EVENTS
GPPA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
PPA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
RMPA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
SWAP PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
NEWS FROM PPA
NEWS FROM RMPA
NEWS FROM SWAP
TELESCOPE ADVICE
NOTES FROM WAC 2005
TIPS FOR TAPPING NASA RESOURCES FOR PLANETARIUMS
EGYPT BY THE STARS
GOING RETRO WITH LASERS
LAST WORD...
3
5
6
8
9
10
12
14
16
18
19
19
20
23
25
For submission guidelines, see “Last Word,” page 25.
Articles may be sent to:
Alan Gould, GWO Co-Editor
Toshi Komatsu, GWO Co-Editor
Steve Tidey, Associate Editor, RMPA
Jack Dunn, Associate Editor, GPPA
Wilgus Burton, Associate Editor, SWAP
(Contact information on page 3)
Advertisements in this Issue:
Bowen Technovations
Calgary Science
Centre Productions
GOTO
Konica Minolta
Learning Technologies
Seiler Instruments
Ads may be sent to:
Karl von Ahnen
Minolta Planetarium
De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014
USA
Voice: 408.864.8282
vonahnenkarl[@]fhda.edu
Deadlines for articles and advertisements
March 1
Spring Issue
June 1
Summer Issue
September 1
Fall Issue
December 1
Winter Issue
17
20
11
4
13
25
Advertising Rates:
$100 for a full page
$50 for a half page
$25 for 1/4 page
Payment may be sent to:
Robert Pippin
(Contact information on page 3)
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WINTER 2005
OFFICERS OF THE
REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
RMPA
President
Kevin Scott
Evans & Sutherland
600 Komas Dr
Salt Lake City, UT 84018
Voice: 801.588.7416
FAX: 801.588.4520
kevscott[@]es.com
Treasurer
Aaron McEuen
Clark Planetarium
110 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Voice: 801.456.4934
amceuen[@]co.slc.ut.us
Secretary
David Binnewies
Taylor Planetarium
600 W Kagy Blvd
Bozeman, MT 59717
Voice: 406.994.6891
ammdb[@]montana.edu
Webmaster
Mike Murray
Clark Planetarium
110 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Voice: 801.456.4949
mmurray[@]co.slc.ut.us
GWO Associate Editor
Steve Tidey
58 Prince Avenue
Southend, Essex, SS2 6NN
England
stevetidey[@]hotmail.co.uk
SWAP
President
Wayne Harris-Wyrick
Kirkpatrick Planetarium
2100 N.E. 52nd St
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
wwyrick[@]omniplex.org
Vice-President
Donna Pierce
Highland Park Planetarium
4220 Emerson Ave
Dallas, TX 75205
dc_pierce[@]msn.com
Secretary / Treasurer
Jim McConnelll
Richardson ISD Planetarium
9465 Whitehurst Dr
Dallas, Texas 75243
jim.mcconnell[@]risd.org
IPS Representative
Tony Butterfield
Burke Baker Planetarium
Houston Museum of
Natural Science
1 Hermann Circle Dr
Houston, TX 77030
tbutterfield[@]hmns.org
Members-at Large:
Tom Hooten
Hudnall Planetarium
Box 9020
Tyler, TX 75711
thoo[@]tjc.edu
Michael Hibbs
Tarleton Sci. Planetarium
Box T-0470
Stephenville, TX 76402
hibbs[@]tarleton.edu
PPA
GPPA
President / GWO Co-Editor
Alan Gould
Holt Planetarium
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-5200
Voice: 510.643.5082
agould[@]berkeley.edu
President / GWO Associate
Editor
Jack Dunn
Mueller Planetarium
210 Morril Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68588
jdunn[@]spacelaser.com
Secretary / Treasurer
Robert Pippin
CCSN Planetarium–S1A
3200 E. Cheyenne Ave
North Las Vegas, NV 89030
Voice: 702.651.4143
FAX: 702.643.6428
rpastro[@]nevada.edu
Secretary / Treasurer
Jack L. Northrup
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Planetarium
King Science & Technology
Magnet
3720 Florence Blvd
Omaha, NE 68110
jlnorthrup[@]fbx.com
Web Guru
Dale Etheridge
CCSN Planetarium–S1A
3200 E. Cheyenne Av.
North Las Vegas, NV 89030
Voice: 702.651.4138
drdale[@]nevada.edu
Membership Chair
Elizabeth Klimek
Mueller Planetarium
210 Morril Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68588
penumbra89[@]hotmail.com
IPS Representative
Gail Chaid
Independence Planetarium
1776 Educational Park Dr
San Jose, CA 95133
Voice: 408.288.8525
gchaid[@]hotmail.com
GWO Co-Editor
Toshi Komatsu
Holt Planetarium
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-5200
Voice: 510.642.7501
FAX: 510.642.1055
tkomatsu[@]berkeley.edu
GWO Associate Editor
Wilgus Burton
Garland ISD Planetarium
3505 Hayman Dr
Garland, TX 75043
Voice: 972.240.3725
FAX: 972.240.3750
wilgusb[@]earthlink.net
wburton[@]garlandisd.net
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
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WINTER 2005
CALENDAR OF PLANETARIUM EVENTS
2005
31 Dec. Deadline of Eugenides Foundation
Scriptwriting Contest (contestants can submit
scripts from July 1, 2005). For more information:
stidey[@]sabreshockey.com
24-27 Jul. “Under the Southern Skies”, XVIII
International Planetarium Society Conference, Crown
Promenade, Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.ips2006.com/
2006
19 Mar. International Day of Planetaria.
http://www.planetaritaliani.it/
31 Aug. Deadline for the applicants of “A Week in
Italy for a French Planetarium Operator”.
http://www.colibrionline.it/MG/international_
collaboration.htm
15 Apr. Deadline for the applicants of “A Week in
Italy for an American Planetarium Operator”.
http://www.bresciascienza.it/cityline/cult/photog.htm
13-15 Sep. Western Alliance Conference (WAC) of
planetariums in Lincoln, Nebraska. GPPA—Jack
Dunn hosting.
7-8 May. Annual Meeting of German Speaking
Planetaria (ADP), Raumflugplanetarium Cottbus,
Germany.
30 Sep. Deadline for the applicants of “A Week in
Italy for a Spanish Planetarium Operator”.
http://www.colibrionline.it/MG/international_
collaboration.htm
17-20 May. Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society
Conference (MAPS), Novins Planetarium, Ocean
Country College, Tom River, N.J., Hostess Gloria
Villalobos.
http://www.maps-planetarium.org/
25-28 May. Meeting of Association of FrenchSpeaking Planetariums (APLF), Montpellier
Planetarium, France.
aplf[@]astro.u-strasbg.fr
http://www.aplf-planetariums.org/
8-9 May. Carolina Association of Planetarium
Educators (CAPE) meeting at the Ocean Isle
Planetarium in Sunset Beach, NC.
8-10 Jun. European collaborative for science,
industry and technology exhibitions (ECSITE) Annual
Conference, Technopolis, Mechelen, Belgium.
http://www.ecsite.net/
20-24 Jun. SEPA ’06 will be hosted by the
Astronaut Memorial Planetarium & Observatory
in Cocoa, FL. Contact: Mark Howard, Director—
howardm[@]brevardcc.edu
http://www.brevardcc.edu/planet/
25-28 Oct. Great Lakes Planetarium Association
(GLPA) Annual Conference, Merrillville
Community Planetarium, Merrillville, Indiana, USA.
Contact: glpa[@]mcpstars.org or Gregg Williams
gwilliam[@]mvsc.k12.in.us
http://www.mcpstars.org/glpa/
http://www.glpaweb.org/conference.htm
28-31 Oct. ASTC in Louisville, KY.
http://www.astc.org/
2007
9-13 Oct. Great Lakes Planetarium Association
(GLPA) Annual Conference, Triple Conjunction
Planetarium Conference with the Mid-Atlantic
Planetarium Society (MAPS), South Eastern
Planetarium Association (SEPA), and Great Lakes
Planetarium Association (GLPA). Host: Benedum
Planetarium, Benedum Natural Science Center,
Oglebay Resort, Wheeling, West Virginia, USA.
Contact: Steve Mitch, smitch[@]oglebay-resort.com
http://www.oglebay-resort.com/goodzoo/planetarium.
htm
http://www.glpaweb.org/conference.htm
http://www.sepadomes.org/
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
5
GPPA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
AN INVITATION TO VISIT THE PLAINS—WAC 2006
Jack Dunn
Mueller Planetarium, University of Nebraska
jdunn[@]spacelaser.com
T
he news out here in GPPA-land is that we
are hosting WAC 2006 here in Lincoln,
Nebraska. As I write this, it’s about 9 degrees
outside and we had some really messy snow
yesterday. But this conference will be in
September, and despite the unpredictability
of Nebraska weather, I’m pretty sure it will
be quite pleasant in mid September of next
year. The dates are September 13th, 14th,
15th and 16th. More about that extension
into Saturday in just one moment.
One of our major goals is to make this a conference that
is best for both planetarians and vendors, where everyone
gets the most from the experience of having several days
together in celebrating the dome. To serve everyone, we
have to make compromises; but we are trying to maximize
the potential for learning, sharing ideas and playing with
the great equipment we are seeing emerge in our field.
We know that being a small/middle sized facility and the
fact that Lincoln isn’t a major metropolis may make some
wonder if we can pull it off. We have the experience of
hosting the International Laser Display Association; which
was a larger meeting than WAC and one with even more
crazy requirements. We think we’ve got it covered very well.
Note the picture of the Atrium of the Cornhusker Hotel,
which we will use for our vendor area. This place is three
stories tall and huge. There won’t be any problem getting a
number of inflatable domes and all the booths we will need
for the conference. It’s right off the lobby of the hotel, so
you’ll be able to come down, visit and take any materials
back to your room with ease. All our meeting rooms are
right there as well.
The Planetarium and our Museum is in walking distance
from the hotel. So are plenty of bars and restaurants. We will
have transport from the hotel to the Planetarium and back
for those that want it. On the day of our in-dome demos, we
are inviting vendors to “show us what’s new.” That could
be fairly extensive, as it seems the technology improves and
changes every year, and more people are bringing out fulldome shows.
We are also making a trip up to Omaha to the King Science
Center Planetarium to highlight educational uses of the
Planetarium.
You note that Saturday date. Even though we will have our
banquet on Friday night, there’s so much to do, we added
continued on “Invitation,” page 7
6
WINTER 2005
The Atrium at the Cornhusker Hotel.
INVITATION, page 6:
breakfast on Saturday morning to our agenda. And following
that we are inviting a panel discussion to really get down
to: “So What Does It Take To Run a Fulldome Theater?” We
are inviting people who run both big and small fulldome
facilities. A variety of panelists is important as most of us
will never have large budgets. I see it as one of the burning
questions in our profession that strongly influences our
future. So, Saturday, we’ll have time to have a thoughtful
end to our meeting before we say our goodbyes.
The hotel room rate is $109 per night (plus tax). This rate
is good several days before and after the actual conference
dates. The Cornhusker Hotel (a Marriott hotel) has free
wireless internet service throughout the building—that
means not only in the guestrooms, but also in the meeting
rooms and the vendor area. See http://www.thecornhusker.
com/
Although Lincoln has a nice airport, connections and prices
make it likely a lot of people will fly in and out of Omaha.
We are going to both have details on a shuttle service which
brings people directly from the Omaha airport to our
hotel but also some shuttling we’ll provide. The hotel has
a complimentary shuttle from the Lincoln Airport to their
location.
A webpage has been established at: http://www.spacelaser.
com/wac2006/ for the conference. As we add details, they’ll
be posted here. We’ll put the registration forms, paper
presentation forms, and vendor information there in pdf
format for downloading.
More details will be released as we set registration and move
along with planning. And to get you ready for 2007, you just
might see some of the world’s greatest aurora photography
and hear from one of the photographers. If people want to see
or buy the coolest weather photos anywhere, go to http://
www.extremeinstability.com/ and see Mike Hollingshead’s
photography. Some examples are included below.
See you in Lincoln in 2006!
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
7
PPA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Alan Gould
Holt Planetarium, Lawrence Hall of Science
agould[@]berkeley.edu
I
n my final message as President of the Pacific Planetarium
Association, I would like to give a huge thanks to all the
people who have contributed so much to the vitality of PPA
during my recent term:
Bob Pippin (at The Planetarium at Community College
of Southern Nevada) has been serving as PPA SecretaryTreasurer with real dedication and keeping our finances in
order through thick and thin. He stepped in as SecretaryTreasurer when Keith Johnson fled, er, I mean departed our
region to take on Directorship at the Edelman Planetarium
at Rowan University in New Jersey. [There was a rumor that
the Fleishmann Planetarium where Keith worked for so long
was to be demolished to make room for a parking garage,
but that appears to not have occurred, since the planetarium
website (at http://planetarium.unr.nevada.edu/) lists
planetarium shows into 2006.]
Dale Etheridge (also at The Planetarium at Community
College of Southern Nevada) has served as Membership
Chair and host of the PPA website at http://www.ccsn.
nevada.edu/planetarium/PPA/, expertly making the
changes and updates that I and others have requested.
Karl Von Ahnen (Minolta Planetarium in Cupertino, CA)
serves as GWO compiler/editor of PPA as well as the GWO
advertising chief executive. Through his efforts we have
gained a regular loyal cadre of GWO advertisers and steady
income that benefits all four regionals that GWO serves.
Toshi Komatsu (Holt Planetarium in Berkeley, CA) serves
as GWO co-editor with me, though I consider him the chief
editor. Under his leadership, GWO has reached new heights
of excellence and value to our profession. GWO seems
have become a vehicle for Conference papers that relieves
conference hosts of the extra obligation of arranging for
Conference Proceedings to be compiled and disseminated.
Gail Chaid (Independence High School Planetarium in San
Jose, CA) serves as the PPA representative to the International
Planetarium Society and has consistently represented us
superbly in the international sphere. She has also played a
pivotal role on the PPA Conference Committee, identifying
candidate locations for conferences and laying groundwork
for these important PPA functions.
The recent WAC Conference Hosts:
• 2003 Aaron McEuen and Mike Murray at Clark
Planetarium, Salt Lake City
• 2004 John Young at the Fleet Science Center in San
Diego
• 2005 Dan Neafus at the Denver Museum of Nature and
Science
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WINTER 2005
May your stars stay shiny and your ship fly the ’verse steady.
And all of you who participate in PPA, pay dues, attend
conferences, read and contribute to the GWO. I am really
proud to be a member of this group!
Finally, a very special welcome to Benjamin Mendelssohn
(West Valley Community College in Saratoga, CA) who is
assuming the office of PPAPresident starting Jan. 4 (perihelion)
2006. Benjamin has an illustrious history in the planetarium
field, including stints with Morrison Planetarium in San
Francisco and at my own Holt Planetarium in Berkeley
where he led truly engaging live audience participation
programs as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley.
I will remain very active in this organization, so I can’t say
that you won’t be hearing from me again, but this is my last
“President’s Message” for my term. [A teardrop lands on my
keyboard...faint crackling of electric sparks...] I very much
hope to see you at the next WAC which will be in Lincoln,
Nebraska (Jack Dunn and GPPA’s turn to host), but for now...
signing off.
RMPA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Rocky Mountain
Planetarium Association
Kevin Scott
Evans & Sutherland Digital Theater
kevscott[@]es.com
T
he last of this year’s planetarium
conferences is past, snow has returned
to the mountains (in force!), and most of us
are nestled snugly under our domes. I know
there are also brave souls among us bundled
from head to toe out taking advantage of
still, crisp winter skies. As for myself, I’ve
recently acquired a new pair of pack boots
perfect for these mid-winter observing treks
with my favorite binoculars.
It’s probably rather simple of me, but Orion
really is my favorite constellation. Orion’s
treasures have captured my imagination
ever since I can remember. Though back
in third grade if you asked me what I was
looking at, I would have said, “That’s
Cancer—the giant crab!” Yes, for too many
years I had the wrong name for my favorite
constellation.
I guess realizations like this underscore
how every person is different. We’re amazed
by different things, each story creates a
unique image in our minds, and no one
really knows what will ignite the spark of
curiosity that leads to lifelong passion.
I travel quite a bit in my current job, visiting
planetaria all over the world. It’s always
fascinating to me, the stories of how folks come to spend
time under stars. Almost universally it seems there was a
seminal moment in their younger days that later blossomed
into a profession. Perhaps it was a planetarium visit, a
glance through a telescope, or a simple outing with a friend
or relative. Whatever the experience, it was something that
forever changed them and opened up a whole universe of
exploration.
In this season of good wishes, I hope that each of you
discovers just such a moment that you helped make
possible.
RMPA Regional Business
For those of you not in attendance at the WAC meeting in
Denver/Boulder, there are a number of interesting points of
business to report. WAC 2006 is being hosted by Jack Dunn
and the good folks at Mueller Planetarium, with a visit to
Jack Northrup’s place as well. The folks in Fairbanks Alaska
are preparing to host WAC in 2007.
Orion, the Winter Crab!
RMPA honored Bob Stoller (Fiske Planetarium, retired)
with our Zenith award. I know we all hope (expect?) to
see Bob at our future gatherings and send with him our
warmest regards. I’d like to personally thank Jim Beaber for
nominating Bob and arranging all the award presentation
details.
IPS Business
At the recent IPS Council meeting in Beijing, Chicago’s
Adler Planetarium was chosen as the host facility for IPS 2008.
Chuck Beuter (GLPA) cast the RMPA vote (for Oakland, CA)
via proxy. My thanks go out to Chuck for his representation
at council. His thorough council recap has been posted to the
RMPA email list.
Stay warm, travel safely, and have a look at the winter
crab!
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
9
SWAP PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Wayne Wyrick
Kirkpatrick Planetarium, Omniplex Science Museum
wwyrick[@]omniplex.org
H
oly cow! The images we are receiving from Cassini
are just incredible! We had seen the moons of Saturn
before, but not like this. The equatorial ridge on Iapetus and
the plumes on Enceladus feeding the E-ring are just a few of
many surprises. We thought Jupiter’s 63 moons (at least as
of the time I wrote this) presented amazing variety, but not
like Saturn’s moons. And we finally found some liquid on
the surface of Titan. Well, okay, maybe we did.
And speaking of liquid on the surface (or near it), do any
of us still doubt that liquid water may still lurk within reach
on Mars? Even my skeptical son who did his dissertation on
Martian hydraulics (that’s engineer talk for surface water,
not the force that raises your car when it’s in the shop that I,
as a scientist, would have thought the word referred to) now
concedes that it is possible.
And there is so much more. The Very Large Telescope
interferometer AMBER instrument, Hubble on its last legs
(or is it?), Spitzer’s awesome infrared universe. Is there a
better time to be an astronomy enthusiast? Or a planetarian?
We have more to talk about now then at any time in the past
of our profession.
Now, I have been hearing for some years now that the
planetarium is old news. Those of us, like myself, that still
live in the age of slide projectors (how last century is that!?)
and mechanical special effects (BFJ, anyone?) have problems
changing our shows as rapidly as someone who merely
adds a new digital image onto their computer. And I have to
admit that I myself have been much too lazy at times to try
and keep up with the data and images coming from all parts
of our universe. But it’s not because of lack of material.
Without trying to get into a political debate or argue
ideologies, I’d like to pose a question. The current
administration has proposed changes for NASA that will
dramatically alter the future of the U.S. space program.
Ending the Space Shuttle program and putting huge
amounts of resources into a return to the Moon and eventual
human presence on Mars. How will that alter what we as
planetarians do? The space race of the late Fifties and
Sixties was the driving force for the construction of a large
number of the planetaria in North America, mine included.
The public was extremely interested in the whole idea of
10
WINTER 2005
When moons align—images from Cassini continue to astound!
being into space and going to the Moon—until we actually
reached the Moon. Then, nobody cared. Had the fuel cell on
Apollo 13 not exploded, likely the general public would not
have cared much for the mission. I think it’s very possible
that NASA made it to Apollo 17 only because the public
waited for another disaster, like the attendees at a car race or
a hockey game. If much, if not all, of NASA’s resources are
poured into a lunar landing program at the expense of other
space science programs, will our visitors ignore us? Will we
really become dinosaurs?
For the past decade, we watched as planetarium after
planetarium shut down. Funding was always the root cause
of such closures, but how much did declining attendance
play in that? I know that at least in my facility, attendance
took a huge hit with 9/11 and never recovered. Statistically
that’s true over much the country. And that came at a time
when sources of operating finds were drying up, a double
whammy for the museum/planetarium business. My
museum stared down a closure and didn’t blink. It could
still happen, but we now believe that we are past the worst
and things are looking up.
But for now, what a great time to work in a planetarium!
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
11
NEWS FROM PPA
ASTRONOMY EDUCATION REVIEW
Andrew Fraknoi
Astronomy Department, Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA
The latest (seventh) issue of “Astronomy Education
Review,” the web-based journal/magazine for everyone
involved in astronomy education and outreach is now ready
at the web site: http://aer.noao.edu/
In this issue we have a special section about the
implications of creationism and intelligent design for the
astronomy teacher, plus a new “Opinion” section on topics
of educational interest.
The papers on creationism and intelligent design, which
list resources for further reading, are:
• Dealing with Disbelieving Students on Issues of
Evolutionary Processes and Long Time Scales
• The Challenge of Creationism and Intelligent Design:
An Introduction
• AAS Statement on the Teaching of Evolution
A summary of the rest of the table of contents for this issue
is given in the next column. When you go to the AER site,
you may see that the next issue is already under way. If so,
you can find the full 7th issue by clicking on “back issues”
and then on vol. 4, no. 1.
The journal actively solicits interesting papers and articles
on all aspects of space science education and outreach. The
site gets between 150,000 and 200,000 hits per month from 91
different countries.
The Editors
Andrew Fraknoi & Sydney Wolff
“OUR VERY OWN STAR” SHIPS OUT
Toshi Komatsu
Holt Planetarium, Lawrence Hall of Science
Berkeley, CA
The latest show from the Holt Planetarium, “Our Very
Own Star,” has shipped out for field testing. We received an
overwhelming response from those willing to test the show
on Dome-L; we ended up with 28 test sites!
Although we at the Holt are known for live interactive
shows, we took up the unprecedented (at least for us)
challenge of creating a recorded version of the show, as
well as a live version. While we still highly encourage doing
the show live, we tried to make the activities modular so
planetariums would have the choice of doing all live, doing
all recorded, or doing a hybrid live-recorded show for their
audiences.
We eagerly await feedback over the next few months!
12
WINTER 2005
Table of Contents
Astronomy Education Review, Volume 4, Issue 1
RESEARCH
• Conceptual Astronomy Knowledge among Amateur
Astronomers—M. Berendsen
• Learning about the Phases of the Moon and Eclipses:
A Guide for Teachers and Curriculum Developers—C.
Kavanagh, L. Agan, and C. Sneider
• Promoting Argumentative Discourse: A DesignBased Implementation and Refinement of an Astronomy
Multimedia Curriculum, Assessment Model, and Learning
Environment—G. Taasoobshirazi and D. Hickey
INNOVATION AND RESOURCES
• Simulating the Formation of Rifts on Saturn’s and Uranus’
Satellites Versus Scarps on Mercury—G. Byrd
• Selected Resources for a Student-Centered Introductory
Astronomy Course—M. LoPresto
OPINIONS, REVIEWS, LETTERS, THESIS ABSTRACTS
• Pre-service Elementary Teachers’ Conceptions of the SunEarth Model: A Proposal of a Teaching-Learning Sequence—
B. Martinez Sebastia and J. Martinez Torregrosa
• An Essential E-mail List Collection for Teaching
Astronomy 101—T. Slater
• A Review of Four Intermediate Undergraduate Texts for
Observational Astronomy Courses—W. Alexander
Astronomy Textbooks, Used Book Chains, and Big Mac’s: A
Perspective—A. Fraknoi (with a commentary by J. Oliver)
• Closing In the Circle with New Researchers in
Astronomy—A. Gangui
PPA BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES
Robert J Pippin
Secretary Treasurer, Pacific Planetarium Association
Tuesday, September 6, 2005, 5:56 PM
Fiske Planetarium, Boulder, Colorado
Business meeting called to order by PPA President Alan
Gould.
IPS Report—Gail Chaid
• Request articles for newsletter.
• Discussion on where to have future IPS conference.
Unanimous agreement on Chabot Space & Science Center
(Oakland, CA.)
• Discussion on possibility of joint IPS & WAC. We reached
no consensus on a joint conference, discussion tabled.
Treasurer’s report—Robert Pippin
Pacific Planetarium Association
Available Balance as of September 6, 2005: $4,611.36
Submitted September 6, 2005 by
Robert J Pippin, Secretary Treasurer
Pacific Planetarium Association
Conference Committee
• As there were no official invitations for the 2006 conference,
a motion to authorize the conference committee to make the
selection was entertained.
Motion was seconded and approved.
• Gail reports that things look good for a 2007 conference in
Alaska.
PPA Elections
• President
Benjamin Mendelsohn nominated for President
There were no further nominations.
Motion to close nomination.
Motion was seconded and approved.
Motion that Ben Mendelsohn be elected by acclamation.
Motion was seconded and approved.
• Secretary/Treasurer
Robert Pippin nominated for Secretary/Treasurer.
There were no further nominations.
Motion to close nomination.
Motion was seconded and approved.
Motion that Robert Pippin be elected by acclamation.
Motion was seconded and approved.
President Alan Gould opened agenda for all other
business.
As there were no further discussions, a motion to adjourn
was in order (Dinner was being served).
Motion to adjourn.
Motion was seconded and approved.
PPA’s 2005 Business meeting adjourn by PPA President
Alan Gould.
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
13
NEWS FROM RMPA
Rocky Mountain
Planetarium Association
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continued on “Black Holes,” page 15
14
WINTER 2005
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BLACK HOLES, page 14:
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HUBBLE TO SHOW ITS FACES
Dr. Douglas Duncan
Fiske Planetarium, University of Colorado
Boulder, CO
Fiske Planetarium has received a grant from NASA to
produce a planetarium show: The Many Faces of the Hubble
Telescope/Las Muchas Caras del Telescopio Hubble, a look at
the many different kinds of people involved with using and
running Hubble. It will be available in English and Spanish
language versions and feature a number of live interviews.
The show will be available at no charge except the cost of
duplication, like our previous shows “Deep Impact” and
“Space Storm.”
How many faces does Hubble have? A new show from
Fiske will let us know!
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
15
NEWS FROM SWAP
A NEW PROJECTOR FOR ST. MARKS?
Steve Balog
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, TX
We’ve had Phil Groce out to show us the latest MediaGlobe
model. We presented first to our administration and then to
those who could come for a SWAP meeting. Glad to have the
group out. Spitz is to come out in January and show off their
latest SciDome projection system. We’re hoping to get our
administration fired up to upgrade our place. The A3P and
the our slide projectors are beginning to really show their
age. Anyway, we’ll host everyone again when Spitz gets
here in January!
STARS OF WONDER
Bob Bonadurer
The Planetarium, University of Texas, Arlington
Arlington, TX
O, Star of wonder, star of night
Star of royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
Tarleton’s new 32-inch telescope.
A NEW ‘SCOPE & A NEW SHOW
Michael Hibbs, Ph.D.
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX
A new holiday star show, “Stars of Wonder”, premiered in
the Roundhouse Planetarium in Preston Hall. It played on
Thursday and Friday nights at 7:00 pm and Saturdays at 1:00
pm from December 1 through December 17.
“Stars of Wonder” explores two of this holiday season’s
special stars—the mysterious Star of Bethlehem and our
Sun. We investigate astronomical possibilities for the Star
of Bethlehem. Then we see connections between Christmas
and the winter solstice. “Stars of Wonder” aims to illuminate
how people everywhere turn this cold and dark time of year
into a season of light!
16
WINTER 2005
Tarleton has birthed a 6,000-lb. 32-inch telescope.
We have also completed a new planetarium show
“Enlightening Lightning”:
http://www.tarleton.edu/%7Eplanetarium/EL/index.
html
This show comes in two formats, planetarium and
classroom DVD. Except for handling and shipping it is free.
Soon to come is a show, “The Sounds of Night Critters”,
produced by Tarleton and the State Parks System.
WHERE TO “PLAN-IT”
Bob Bonadurer
The Planetarium, University of Texas, Arlington
Arlington, TX
Put the stars in your eyes at the new Planetarium at UT
Arlington in the new Chemistry & Physics Building. We’ll
have thousands of stars performing daily! The Planetarium
at UT Arlington opens its doors to the public March 4, 2006.
Our new 170 seat, 3-D digital space theater will offer four
avenues of programming:
• Schools Shows: From Pre-K to college, we’ll have
electrifying and educational shows that match your students’
needs. K-12 shows will address appropriate state science
standards.
• Public Shows: We’ll offer an amazing assortment of
shows for the general public. From the opening show “The
Stars at Night Are Big and Bright”, to our second show
“Black Holes!”, to our special couples program “Romancing
the Stars”, whatever your celestial delight, we’ll have a show
for your cosmic appetite.
• Private Events: Family, friends, social, civic, business—
any and all groups are invited to host their special event or
meeting at the Planetarium. You can even get married under
the stars!
• Rock Music Shows: These entertaining shows are for
the young (and young at heart) adults. Just sit back and
get mesmerized by the stars and our cool 3-D projection
system.
Reserve your space today. For more information, contact
us at 817-272-0822 or http://www.uta.edu/planetarium/
GEARING UP FOR SPRING
Bruce Brazell
Cook Center Planetarium, Navarro College
Corsicana, TX
The Cook Center Planetarium at Navarro College is gearing
up for another busy spring semester. This year, we sent a
Solar System poster out to schools in our service area. So far,
the response has been positive. We are also excited about
adding the New Detroit Science Center’s “Blown Away: The
Wild World of Weather” to our show line up.
Spring weather in Texas can get very exciting at times and
we are confident that this show will appeal to schools and the
general public alike. We are also hosting a Sky Warn session
with the local office of the National Weather Service so that
the public can become better informed about the art and
science of spotting tornadoes and associated thunderstorm
dangers. Our large format film until April is “Ocean Oasis”
a film about the Sea of Cortes and Baja California.
In May we begin a 6-month run of “Bugs!” In addition to the
15,000 school children passing through our theater, we have
a number of Cub Scout and Girl Scout overnights planned,
a few Boy Scout Astronomy Merit badge workshops, and
several Star Parties this spring.
Here’s wishing all of our fellow planetarians a happy and
busy spring!
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
17
TELESCOPE ADVICE
Gail Chaid
Independence Planetarium, Independence High School
San Jose, CA
chaidg[@]esuhsd.org
A
s the holidays approach, the ESUHSD planetarium at
Independence High School receives many requests
for advice about which telescopes to buy as a gift for a
grandchild, a grandparent, a parent, or a student. Our
favorite item is not a telescope, but binoculars. They can be
used for other activites such as bird watching and sports. We
suggest shopping at Orion Telescopes & Binoculars located
in Cupertino, CA. Their store information is:
Store: (408) 255-8770
Orders: (800) 447-1001
Information: (800) 676-1343
http://www.telescope.com/
For all kinds of eyes, young and old, our astronomer experts
recommend Orion Vista Series binoculars. Our favorite is the
10x50 Vista #9353 for $229. One of our parents purchased
these for his family as a starter pre-telescope item. It has
a wider field view and the family liked the idea of being
able to use it for other events. They keep them in the car so
they can be pulled out anytime to look at wildlife and birds.
The younger children can use them and get used to looking
through lenses. They can also use both eyes. It is easier
for the whole family. This family got the more expensive
waterproof version because they take them to snow areas
in the winter.
Sky and Telescope Magazine reviews telescopes in the
December 2005 issue. For telescopes under $200 they
recommend the Orion Skyquest XT4.5 Dobsonian. From our
expert astronomers who use these scopes at star parties, this
scope is durable and will take the use of many people of
many ages. It rates 4-1/2 stars out of a 5. The article says it
is “the best of the bunch—a solid combination of optics and
mechanics.”
For the best book on how to learn to use a telescope, we
recommend Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consolmagno and
Dan M David. The best book for using binoculars is Touring
the Universe Through Binoculars by Phillip Harrington.
For the best magazine for families, we recommend Night
Sky. Six issues a year are $17.99. Order through http://
nightskymag.com/.
For the best Astronomy Clubs that are local we recommend
the Halls Valley Astronomical Group http://www.snapdesign.com/HVAG/ which meets at Grant Ranch County
Park usually the second or third Saturday of the month and
the San Jose Astronomical Association http://www.sjaa.
net/. This group has a telescope loan program for members.
Students can join at a reduced student rate.
If you need more information or would like to book your
group for a planetarium program we’re here to help. Call
the planetarium at (408) 928-9604. Gail Chaid is the director
and Ashika Devi is the assistant. We have many programs
for students K-12 and for community groups. Ask for a
brochure. You can also email us at chaidg[@]esuhsd.org.
SPEAKING OF BINOCULARS, CHECK THIS OUT…
I am sending you the Mop-Bino-Holder-in-action photo—taken in Zambia,
Africa! Heidi is looking at the partial phase of the solar eclipse on Jun. 21, 2001.
Actually, this was all we took to Africa for our Eclipse trip—we used other
people’s telescopes to take photos, as you can see from Brian Day’s eclipse
montage. He is from NASA, an education guy.
The totality photo is just
from a little digital camera
hand held. I wanted the
trees to show Africa. The
bonus was Jupiter below left
of the eclipsed Sun! It was
a very thrilling experience
without a telescope of our
own. It was the advice of
Alan Adler not to take a
telescope, but to take in
the whole atmosphere of
totality just through wide
field-view binoculars and
through our naked eyes. It
was a very sound advice…
- Isaac Kikawada
18
WINTER 2005
NOTES FROM WAC 2005
A collection of submission to us from presenters at the Western Alliance Conference of
Planetariums 2005. If you presented a paper and would like it published in a future issue,
you may submit it to Toshi Komatsu at tkomatsu[@]berkeley.edu.
TIPS FOR TAPPING NASA RESOURCES FOR PLANETARIUMS
Cherilynn Morrow, PhD
Space Science Institute
Boulder, CO
morrow@spacescience.org
T
he Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado
campus in Boulder invited me to speak in their dome to
the 100 or so planetarium directors attending the Western
Alliance Conference (WAC) this past September. My charge
was to provide and stimulate ideas for how planetariums
can further their educational role in the community and
to provide connections to NASA resources of interest to
planetariums.
This two-fold charge required me to wear two hats, one
as the Director of Education & Public Outreach (EPO) at
the Space Science Institute (SSI) in Boulder, Colorado, and
the other as the PI of a NASA Broker program for several
western states. Both jobs demand that my team at SSI work to
determine how the resources of the space science community
(e.g., scientists, EPO specialists, data & images, facilities) can
best be engaged to address high-leverage educational needs
and opportunities.
At the WAC, I provided a comprehensive PowerPoint
presentation and three handouts with annotated links to: 1)
NASA Resources of Interest to Planetarium Professionals;
2) SSI EPO Resources of Interest to Planetarium Educators;
and 3) Sources of Funding of Interest to Planetarium
Professionals. All of these resources can be found online. Go
to http://www.scientistsineducation.org/ and look for the
link to “Planetarium Links”.
Robert Bigelow (center of circle), of the Clark Planetarium
in Salt Lake City, UT, leads teachers through the Kinesthetic
Astronomy lesson called Sky Time. Clark first learned about
Kinesthetic Astronomy at WAC 2003 through the educational
programming associated with the Destination Mars traveling
exhibit—a small, 600 sq. ft. exhibit designed for smaller venues.
During the past several years, many of us in NASA space
science EPO have made pioneering efforts to enhance
NASA’s alliances with planetariums of all sizes. John Stoke
at the Space Telescope Science Institute (View Space),
Anita Sohus of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Museum
Visualization Alliance), and Bernhard Beck-Winchatz of
the NASA Midwestern Broker at DePaul University (GLPA
outreach) are just a few of the more prominent examples.
To prepare for my WAC presentation, I consulted these
influential colleagues and many others who are providing
NASA resources for informal science education more
broadly. I also tapped into SSI resources such as NSFfunded space science traveling exhibits and associated
educational products. These products include puzzle
pages, family guides, interactive websites, and Kinesthetic
Astronomy lessons. The Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake
City is making extraordinary use of Kinesthetic Astronomy
(KA) in a professional development program for 6th grade
science teachers that is endorsed by the Utah State Office of
Education to fulfill CORE astronomy objectives (see photos).
The development of KA was originally seeded by a NASA
IDEAS grant.
Brad McLain and Amy Wilkerson of the SSI Broker team
looked at all the NASA small grant abstracts (including
IDEAS) from 2001 to 2004 to see how many of the awards
involved planetariums as partners. These data are included in
the PowerPoint presentation and suggest that planetariums
could take greater advantage of these funding opportunities
to enrich their programming. Contact your regional NASA
Broker for assistance!
Teacher workshop participants check out the 1/3 scale model of a
NASA Mars rover which is part of the Destination Mars traveling
exhibit.
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
19
EGYPT BY THE STARS
Donna C. Pierce
Highland Park Planetarium, Highland Park High School
Dallas, TX
dc_pierce[@]msn.com
T
here is something about Egypt that fascinates almost
everyone. Egyptian exhibits at museums draw the
largest crowds, mummy movies pull in large audiences, and
Egypt attracts the most tourists.
The priests and pharaohs of ancient Egypt established
their cosmic order by explaining the constants in Egyptian
life: night and day, birth and death, and the life-giving Nile.
Their knowledge gave them great power and responsibilities,
and maintained order in a civilization that flourished for 30
centuries. Egyptian astronomy—limited in the number of
constellations recognized and their limited knowledge of
geometry—was important for thousands of years to this
great civilization along the Nile River.
Egypt had a single king, a god on Earth. Other ancient
nations had kings, but not kings that were gods. Egypt is
the only great civilization to endure two major collapses.
Egyptian religion honored the same god for 2,000 years.
Pyramids were possible only because of a centralized
government that facilitated the tradition of massive public
works progress. The Egyptians used people, not beasts of
burden, for large architectural undertakings. Ramps with
switchbacks provided the means for building these large
20
WINTER 2005
monuments without the tools we have today. The pyramid
was a tomb for the pharaoh, and the pharaoh was as steadfast
as the Northern star!
Egyptian belief in life after death placed great significance
on being buried on Egyptian soil and to being buried
complete. It was important to keep the body undisturbed
before “going west.” Associated with the setting Sun, the
west was a symbol of death in Egyptian thinking. The Valley
of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens are an example of
this belief.
Astronomy was used by the Egyptians to accurately
position their pyramids and temples by using the rising
and setting points of stars. The Egyptians were able to align
their pyramids and temples within half a degree of the four
cardinal points. It was found that the shafts of the Great
Pyramids coincided with the passing of two important stars.
The stars are Thuban, the star closest to North Pole; and
Alnilon, a star located in Orion’s belt. Temple inscriptions
speak of the pharaoh’s ascension to join Orion in the sky
after death. They are aligned very accurately, the eastern
and western sides run almost due north and the southern
and northern sides run almost due west. The pyramids were
originally aligned by finding north or south, and then using
the midpoint as east or west. It is possible to find north and
south by watching stars rise and set. After north and south
were found, the ancient Egyptians could look for a star
that rose either due east or due west and then use that as
continued on “Egypt,” page 21
EGYPT, page 20:
a starting point, rather than the northsouth starting point. This would result
in the pyramids being more accurately
aligned with the East and West—which
they are—and all the errors in alignment
would run clockwise—which they do.
This is because of precession of the
poles—which the ancient Egyptians did
not know about. This theory is further
substantiated by the fact that the star B
Scorpii’s rising-directions match with
the alignment of the pyramids on the
dates at which they were built. The shafts
inside the pyramids were intended to
provide passage for the pharaoh’s soul
on its journey towards the afterlife. The
boat found in Cheops was a ritual boat
to take the pharaoh from this world to
the next world and was used only once.
It wasn’t intended to sail as the oars were
too small and had no mast fittings. From
river boats to sacred barques, ships were
central to Egypt. But Egyptians were not
good sailors, spoiled as they were by the
prevailing winds when sailing up the Nile or the current
when sailing down.
The ancient Egyptians also built Sun temples that were
aligned so that at sunset on the summer solstice the sunlight
would enter the temple and make its way along the axis of
the building to the sanctuary. These Sun temples helped in
determining the length of a year because the Sun would only
penetrate the temple in that way once a year. To explain the
apparent motion of the Sun, the Egyptians favored a scheme
in which the Sun god, Ra, sailed in his barge up over the
back of his mother, Nut (the sky), who arched her body over
the earth. In Egyptian language the word “sky” is feminine.
Thus for the Egyptians, unlike most other peoples, the sky
was a goddess, Nut, who is represented as a woman whose
body bends in an arc so that her toes and fingertips touch
Earth. She gives birth to the Sun, which has different names
depending on whether it is rising, is at the zenith, or is
setting.
This flat-earth concept caused men to create explanations
for the motion of the Sun and reflect personal feeling for
objects in the sky. An alternative building method was to
gradually narrow successive doors into a specific room, in
order to concentrate the sunbeams onto a god’s image on the
wall. The designs sometimes became quite complex. At the
temple of Habu there are actually two buildings which are
slightly off-kilter. It has been suggested that the second one
was built when the altitude of the other temple’s orientation
stars changed over a long period of time—today known as
precession. One of the best examples is the temple at Abu
The Egyptian sky goddess, Nut.
Simbel built by Ramses. Twice a year, the Sun illuminated
the temple interior. Twice a year the dawn sunlight is
aligned to light the entire length of the temple—lighting up
three of the four statues but never, ever, touching the god
of darkness. These dates however, are February 22nd and
October 22nd—the birthday dates of Ramses and his wife.
This is a unique temple carved out of a mountain and a great
piece of architectural propaganda for Nubians sailing north
on the Nile.
The Egyptians recognized five of the planets: Jupiter, Mars,
Mercury, Saturn, and Venus. The Egyptians portrayed the
planets as deities sailing across the heavens in barques,
and they were known as the “stars that know no rest”. The
belief that the stars could influence human destiny does not
appear to have reached Egypt until the Ptolemaic period.
Astronomers seem to have recorded, under Thutmosis III,
the sighting of Comet Halley. The Egyptians knew the Earth
moved in space and they did not hesitate to attribute the
knowledge of this astronomical fact to the generations who
had preceded them centuries ago.
The Egyptian civil calendar was the only calendar to be
based on astronomy—this Egyptian calendar is the very
foundation of our present calendar. The annual calendar of
365 days had been known as early as 4200 BC and where
the Great Bear was identified by the Egyptians. Egyptian
life revolved around the annual flooding of the Nile. This
resulted in three seasons—the flooding, the subsistence of the
river, and harvesting. These seasons were divided into four
lunar months. However, lunar months are not long enough
continued on “Egypt,” page 22
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
21
EGYPT, page 21:
to allow twelve to make a full year. This made the addition
of a fifth month necessary. This was done by requiring Sirius
to rise in the twelfth month because it reappears around
the time when the waters of the Nile flood. Whenever
Sirius arose late in the twelfth month a thirteenth month
was added. This calendar was fine for religious festivities,
but when Egypt developed into a highly organized society,
the calendar needed to be more precise. They realized that
there are about 365 days in a year and proposed a calendar
of twelve months with 30 days each, with five days added
to the end of it. However, since a year is a few hours more
than 365 days this new administrative calendar soon did not
match the seasonal calendar.
Egyptians had a creator and organizer of the universe. Their
catalogue of the universe in which only five constellations
are recognized also listed 36 groups of stars called “decans.”
These decans allowed them to tell time at night because the
decans will rise 40 minutes later each night. Theoretically,
there were 18 decans, however, due to dusk and twilight
only twelve were taken into account when reckoning time at
night. Since winter is longer than summer, the first and last
decans were assigned longer hours. Tables to help make the
computations have been found on coffin lids. The columns
in the tables cover a year at ten day intervals. The decans
are placed in the order in which they arise and in the next
column, the second decan becomes the first, and so on. Many
of these decans are represented as astronomical ceilings in
their temples and pyramids.
The earliest detailed texts relating to astronomy are the
“diagonal calendars” or star clocks. These were painted
Donna Pierce at the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
22
WINTER 2005
on the wooden coffin lids. These calendars consisted of
36 columns which listed the 36 decans and detailed the
rising period of each. This calendar system was flawed by
its failure to take into account that the Egyptian year was
always approximately six hours short. This would add up to
a shortcoming of around ten days every 40 years.
The Rosetta Stone is not an astronomical object but is a
black basalt slab bearing an inscription dating from the year
196 BC. It was the crucial key to the deciphering of Egyptian
hieroglyphs, and it is the foundation of modern Egyptology.
The importance of the Rosetta Stone lay in the fact that the
Egyptian hieroglyphic text was accompanied by the Greek
translation which could be read and understood by scholars.
A third inscription on the stone was written in Demotic, a
cursive script developed late in Egyptian history and used
in most cases only for secular documents. The stone displays
the same text in three different scripts: Egyptian hieroglyphs,
Demotic, and Greek, but only two languages: Egyptian and
Greek.
Ancient Egyptians built stone monuments facing a specific
astronomical direction. The Old Kingdom pyramids located
west of the Nile are a few of these monuments. On the
inner walls of the latest ones were engraved hieroglyphic
texts related some to stars and constellations. An image
accompanies their names, and their successive appearances
in the eastern sky are told to us on the interior lid of wooden
sarcophagi. The shape of the constellations filling the sky of
ancient Egypt and the names of the deities to which they
were associated also appear on the ceiling of New Kingdom
temples and tombs.
Within these Old Kingdom monuments, the relationship
between the solar and stellar cycles and the symbolism
relating to the rising of the Sun in ancient Egypt are also
detailed. The sky-goddess Nut gave birth to the Sun in the
early morning; then she gave birth to the stars at their hour.
The stars coming forth after they had remained unseen from
Earth for several weeks was considered as a rebirth and
gave rise to festivities—particularly the rising of Sirius, the
brightest star of the sky.
Many Egyptians buildings were built with an astronomical
orientation. The temples and pyramids were constructed in
relation to the stars, zodiac, and constellations. In different
cities, the buildings had different orientations based on the
specific religion of that place. Some temples were constructed
to align with a star that either rose or set at harvest or sowing
time. Others were oriented toward the solstices or equinoxes.
Temples were built so that sunlight entered a room at only
one precise time of the year.
First, Egyptians went through the worship stage, where
astronomical phenomena are viewed only as the actions,
moods, and warnings of the gods. Next, they progressed
to using astronomy for terrestrial purposes, such as for
agriculture or navigation. Their final step was to study
astronomy solely for the sake of gaining knowledge. The
ancient Egyptians eventually began to see how astronomy
could help them in their everyday lives.
GOING RETRO WITH LASERS
Karl von Ahnen
Minolta Plantarium, De Anza College
Cupertino, CA
vonahnenkarl[@]fhda.edu
N
early two years ago, laser light shows returned
to the Minolta Planetarium at De Anza College
for the second time since the early 70s. But, this time
was different! Instead of using an outside company,
we bought our own laser, learned how to use it, and
did it all ourselves. How is it working out? What
have we learned? Would it work for you?
I have always been concerned about using the
planetarium for other than astronomy or educational
purposes. I will tell at the end of this talk a way I
have come up with to slip a little astronomy into a
laser light show.
Background:
Lasers may not seem “retro” or old-fashioned, but
remember it’s been over 30 years since the first laser shows
appeared in a planetarium. Back then the word “laser” held
a certain mystique. People were excited to witness the new,
futuristic technology.
Today lasers don’t seem quite as futuristic. And there’s
competition in many areas with the new, amazingly
immersive “All-sky video” light shows. But…laser light
shows have now gained a nostalgic element. A generation
has now gone by since the teenagers who flocked to rock
and roll shows in the 70s and 80s. Many of them now have
kids, and they want to expose them to the experiences that
they enjoyed in their youth. (Well, some of them.)
And there have been many advances in laser system
technology. Lasers are brighter, more colorful, much more
stable and dependable.
There has been a long history of laser light shows at De
Anza College. The “Eye See the Light Show” company
presented shows from the early to mid-70s until the early
80s; Tri-Lasers ran shows from the early to late 90s.
A Plan is Born:
After a few years of no laser shows, calls of interest seemed
to be increasing. We got to thinking “Maybe it’s time to
bring back laser shows” and “What if we bought our own
laser system?”
Reasons We Bought Our Own System:
Good timing—a used/customized system was offered on
Dome-L about this time by Casey Stack of Stack Technical
Service in Utah. After numerous phone calls and discussions
with Casey, we purchased the system. Casey gave us a great
deal and helped us locate all the peripheral equipment. After
installing the system, he sent Scott Hugins to train us. Scott
is not only an excellent laserist but a very patient
teacher. I can’t say enough good things about
Casey. His phone number is (801) 292-2309, and
he’s not paying me for this—honest!
By purchasing our own system, we can shut
down for a season or two if attendance slows
down. And reopen with a “back by popular
demand!” announcement. We can use the laser
as special effects for astronomy shows. We can
use the laser for birthday parties and corporate
events. And, we don’t have to share the revenue
with anyone.
Two Kinds of Systems:
There are two basic kinds of systems:
1) ILDA
(International
Laser
Display
Association) standard or digital color (RGB)
system. This type typically uses one high-speed
scanner capable of very large images. It is a
play-only system and reproduces the exact same
images every time. It needs little attention while
continued on “Lasers,” page 24
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
23
LASERS, page 23:
playing. There are many fine shows available in this format
from numerous sources.
2) Performance, LFI (Laser Fantasy International) Analogue
color system. This system uses multiple channels and
scanners. Different channels can be selected and combined
during play. The colors can be modulated and the images
manipulated. These shows require a skilled operator, but
can create an exciting unique show. LFI has, I believe, the
largest library of shows available, mostly in this format.
Our System:
Casey supplied us with a “hybrid” system capable of
running both types of shows, as well as the equipment to
create our own images and shows. The system is built on a
very heavy steel plate, which keeps it extremely stable.
Show Schedule:
Our planetarium serves many purposes: it is the classroom
for all the astronomy classes at De Anza College and a field
trip destination for over 20,000 school kids per year. We
have public shows on Saturday evenings; also an occasional
special event (birthday parties, etc.)
The group field trips, public shows, and events pay for
planetarium operations and for much of the maintenance.
The planetarium is self-supporting. Any extra income really
helps.
Public shows run about 24 Saturdays a year. So far, we’ve
been running laser shows even fewer weekends.
Shows:
Family Astronomy shows take place at 7:00 pm, followed
by a family oriented laser show, followed by rock and roll
laser shows.
24
WINTER 2005
We charge $7 and $9 for laser shows, a dollar off with a
“Laser Buck”. (I keep arguing for a lower price. I hate to see
laser shows priced higher than astronomy shows, for which
we charge $6.) Laser Bucks are easily available on the web
site and many other places. The Laser shows typically draw
60 to 100 people. The Astronomy shows usually run 80 to
170 which is our capacity (or more).
The Numbers:
So how has it been working out?
The initial cost of the system was about $75,000 including a
few extras that we felt would give our shows better quality
and give the laser a longer life. This also included six shows,
a hard drive audio recorder, and some upgrades to our sound
system. This is about half the cost of a new system. There
are quite a few good deals out there. Do your homework
and call (or e-mail) around. I’ll be glad to help direct you to
sources if you’re interested.
After subtracting expenses, our profit has averaged about
$11,000 per year, giving a little under a 7-year payoff. Since
we don’t run a lot of shows per year and since a steady
increased income was our objective, we are very happy with
the results. And it’s been fun!
Could it Work for You?:
There are many factors to consider. Do you have a good
sized perspective audience? Is there “dome time” available
(both for shows and practice)? Do you have perspective
laserists on your staff or in your community? Some one to be
your laser specialist or technician? Advertising manager?
Squeeze in a Little Astronomy:
Here’s how we squeeze a little astronomy into our rock
and roll laser shows:
It takes two people to run a laser show at our facility—the
laserist and the star console operator. The star operator acts
as M.C. and introduces the laserist who describes the laser
and does a little bonding with the audience.
At conclusion of show, the star operator asks the audience
if they would like an encore (this has never been turned
down). While the laserist sets up (the audience is told this
will take a few minutes; actually it takes only seconds—don’t
tell!) the astronomer presents a tour of the night sky, perhaps
mentioning some current astronomical events. This is also
an opportunity to promote the planetarium star shows. We
have found that after 45 minutes of Pink Floyd, the audience
is primed for a little cosmic adventure. This shouldn’t
take more than 2 to 3 minutes. The audience leaves feeling
they’ve painlessly learned a little astronomy. Perhaps they’ll
recognize some stars and constellations on their way to the
parking lot, and a new astronomer will be born!
LAST WORD...
Alan Gould & Toshi Komatsu
GWO Co-Editors, Holt Planetarium
agould[@]berkeley.edu & tkomatsu[@]berkeley.edu
A
nother issue of the Great Western Observer has come
and gone. Although it was not as lengthy as last issue
(or maybe you prefer it that way?) we hope you still found it
to be informative and a great way to keep tabs on what your
fellow dome-dwellers are up to. Remember that the issues
are only as good as the articles within them, so keep those
submissions coming!
As the calendar year comes to a close, we hope the holiday
season finds you healthy and happy, and ready to take on
the new year. Today more than ever, the planetarium field
is rapidly changing. New technology and new scientific
discoveries abound, but together we can rise to the challenge
and bring the stars down to Earth for our audiences!
See you next issue!
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Submissions can range from a paragraph to about four
pages, in Microsoft Word (.doc) or plain text format.
Preferred are relatively short pieces which include links/
URLs to in-depth material—e.g., associated PowerPoint
(.ppt) files on your own website. Images to go with the
article are highly desirable. Please send by e-mail attachment
either:
A. Specific images (preferred), in .jpg or .gif format and
in the size range 50-300 KB.
B. A .ppt file with clear instructions as to which images
to use.
If you have a particular caption in mind, please include it
with the image. Also indicate which images are essential—
while we like lots of images, space may limit how many
we can actually include with your submission.
PPT files alone are not acceptable as articles. Images on
slides are good for an article, but what is actually said
during a presentation is invariably missing. This needs
to be included or summarized for an article, in complete
sentences.
THE GREAT WESTERN OBSERVER
25