1
2
2
4
1
2
2
4
As Canberra Planetarium and Observatory is just across the road from my home in Dickson, Canberra, I thought I couldn't say no.
As with some previous Hi-tech tourist reports, this document contains some "live" photos taken at the venue on a digital camera and transmitted using a wireless Internet connection via a GSM mobile telephone.
A lot of people have difficulty with the distinction between a Planetarium and Observatory. With a observatory you look at the stars through a telescope (the CPO has several: IK6, C14 and 6" Refractor). With a planetarium you simulate the stars by projecting inside domed roof with a star projector.
What is above is as written just before the visit and transmitted with the photos
(and spelling mistakes in captions) from the planetarium last night. I have added here
some comments on the show, the experience and a photo taken in the daylight.You enter via the Downer Club, which looks much like any Australian sports club, supported by revenue from poker machines. At the far end of the club the atmosphere changes as you enter the observatory. This is similar to a science museum or "exploratory", with a gift shop selling science toys and a mural of a lunar landscape.
The planetarium presents a carefully prepared program, which might now be fashionably called "multimedia". The program presented that evening was called "Southern Skies".
After buying a ticket, you are ushered into what looks like a small round cinema. There are rows of very comfortable high backed reclining chairs. In place of the screen, there is the white dome above. In the centre is the star projector, looking like a piece of machine sculpture. The complexity of this machine contrasts with the simplicity of the rest of the room.
The operator sits at the back and gives and introduction. As the lights dim it becomes difficult to work out exactly how high the ceiling is and it disappears to become a field of stars.
It was quite disconcerting trying to work out exactly how the effects were done. First there were titles, like those at the start of a movie, projected conventionally from a video projector and bank of specially modified slide projectors visible at the back of the room. However then 360 degree images appeared covering the whole dome and moving around it. This was accompanying by high quality surround sound.
The program gave a brief history of the southern cross and the constellations. This took about 20 minutes and was educational as well as informative. The topic then changed to a trip through the solar system. This was clever, but I wanted a break after the first section. As comfortable as the seats are I wanted to get up and walk around in some light for a while.
When the lights did come back on I looked around to see how it was done. I noticed that all the walls were perforated (presumably with loudspeakers behind) and there were discrete projection lenses in the walls all the way around.
Afterwards there was time for questions, but not really time to go into the details of how the system worked. There is a need for some sort of working model or simulation in the foyer, or a demo with the lights on (perhaps while people are settling down) to explain how the technology works.
For school groups and individual children this would be an excellent experience. The CPO should add some more educational and project material to their web page, so that students could learn about the fundamentals of astronomy before coming to the facility and thus enhance the experience.
The facility provides some intriguing possibilities. What about using it for multimedia presentations or video conferences?