BARBARAKLEIN:AndI’mBarbaraKleinwithEXPLORATIONSinVOASpecialEnglish.Aplanetariumisatheaterwitharoundedceilingontowhichimagesofthestarsandplanetsareprojected.Planetariumsgiveeducationalshowsaboutastronomyandwhatyoucanseeinthenightsky.Today,wetellaboutthepast,present,andfutureofplanetariums.And,wevisittheAlbertEinsteinPlanetariumattheSmithsonianNationalAirandSpaceMuseuminWashington,D.C.
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STEVEEMBER:Sinceancienttimes,humanshaveworkedonwaystounderstandandrepresentthemovementofthestarsandplanets.ExpertscredittheGreekastronomerArchimedeswithdevelopingtheearliestknowndevicetoshowthedailymovementoftheplanets.Helivedmorethantwothousandyearsago.Thesemechanicaldevicesthatshowtherelativeplacementandmovementoftheplanetsandmoonsaresometimescalledorreries.Overthecenturies,scientificthinkersworkedtodevelopthesedevicesandimprovetheiraccuracyandcomplexity.
Thewords“orrery”and“planetarium”wereonceusedinterchangeably.Today,theworld“planetarium”generallymeansatheaterinsideadome.TheoriginalCarlZeissprojectorattheSmithsonian'sAlbertEinsteinPlanetariumprojectsanimagefromtheshow"InfinityExpress:A20-MinuteTouroftheUniverse"
BARBARAKLEIN:TheearliestplanetariumthatisstillworkingtodayisintheNetherlands,althoughthedeviceisactuallyanorrery.ItwasbuiltbyamannamedEiseEisingastartinginseventeenseventy-four.Ittookhimsevenyearstobuildthismovingdeviceinsidearoominhishouse.Alltheplanetsmoveatthesamespeedastherealplanetsinoursolarsystem.So,ittakesoneyearforEarthtomovearoundthesunandabouttwenty-nineyearsforSaturntodoso.Eisingamadehisdeviceoutofwood,metalnails,aclockandnineweights.
Otherversionsofearlyplanetariumswerelargeglobes.Peoplecouldsitinsidethem.Holeswerecutintothewallsoftheseglobestorepresentstars.
STEVEEMBER:AgroupofGermanengineersandscientistshelpeddevelopthemodernplanetariumbetweennineteentenandnineteenthirty.ThecreatorsoftheDeutschesMuseumofscienceandtechnologyinMunichwantedtobuildaplanetarium.So,theyaskedtheCarlZeisscompanyinGermanytohelpwiththisplan.Thiscompanywasknownformakingscientificequipmentsuchasmicroscopes.TheoldestworkingplanetariumwasbuiltbyEiseEisingaintheDutchtownofFrankston
IttookengineersatZeissseveralyearstoinventanewplanetariumtechnology.Thecomplexmechanicaldevicetheymadeprojectedlightthrough“starplates”offilmthatcontainedimagesofthousandsofstars.PublicviewingsofthefirstZeissplanetariumprojectorbeganinnineteentwenty-three.
BARBARAKLEIN:Soon,othercitiesinEuropeandlaterintheUnitedStatesbeganorderingplanetariumdevicesfromZeiss.AnAmericanbusinessleadernamedMaxAdlerlearnedabouttheseplanetariumsandtraveledtoGermanytoseeoneforhimself.
HewassoamazedwiththeZeissdevicethathedonatedthemoneyforaplanetariumtobebuiltinhisnativeChicago,Illinois.
TheAdlerPlanetariumwasthefirstmodernplanetariumintheUnitedStates.Itopeneditsdoorstothepublicinnineteenthirty.PlanetariumssoonopenedinPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania;LosAngeles,CaliforniaandNewYorkCity.
STEVEEMBER:Planetariumtechnologycontinuestoevolveandimprovetothisday.Butwhatifyoulivefarawayfromacitywithaplanetarium
DanNeafushelpssupervisetheGatesPlanetariumattheDenverMuseumofNatureandScienceinColorado.Hesaysnewtechnologiesarehelpingtoconnectplanetariumswithviewersinotherareas.Therearerelativelyfewdigitalplanetariumsaroundtheworld.ButthistechnologycouldbringspaceeducationandtheexperienceofaplanetariumshowtomorepeoplethroughtheuseofacomputerandInternetconnection.
(MUSIC)PlanetariuminChicagowasthefirstmodernplanetariumintheUnitedStates
BARBARAKLEIN:TheLochNessProductioncompanyinColoradomakesshows,imagesandmusicfortheplanetariumcommunity.Thecompanyalsogathersfactsaboutplanetariumsaroundtheworld.ItsaysthereareoveronethousandfivehundredplanetariumsintheUnitedStates.Manykindsoforganizationshaveplanetariums.Theyincludemuseums,sciencecenters,universities,schoolsandevenastronomyclubs.Someplanetariumshavedomesthatmeasureovertwentymeters,whileothersaremuchsmaller.
STEVEEMBER:Someplanetariumsusefilmprojections.Moretechnologicallyadvancedplanetariumsusedigitalsystemscontrolledbycomputers.Digitaltechnologiesofferplanetariumsmanychoices.Thesetheaterscanshowmoviesaboutspace.Or,theseplanetariumscanserveasclassroomswhereliveinteractivepresentationstakeplace.Forexample,astronomerscanguideviewersonatriparoundtheuniverseusingimagedatabaseswithrealinformationabouttheplacementofstarsandplanets.
BARBARAKLEIN:TheSmithsonianNationalAirandSpaceMuseuminWashington,D.C.hasbothadigitalsystemandaprojectorsystemmadebytheCarlZeisscompany.
ThisZeissModelVIwasagifttothemuseumfromWestGermanyinhonoroftheUnitedStates’twohundredyearanniversary.Lastweek,weattendedaliveshowcalled“TheStarsTonight.”AstronomerBillDedmondshowedvisitorsthenightskyastheseasonchangesfromsummertofall.
BILLDEDMOND:“See,that’shownightskyissupposedtolook.Youcanseethousandsofstarswhenyouareawayfromthecitylightpollution.Youcanevenseethisbrightbandoflighthereallthewayacrossthesky.Whatisthatbrightbandoflight”
KIDS:“TheMilkyWay!”
BILLDEDMOND:“OK,Excellent!”
STEVEEMBER:BillDedmondtalkedaboutthegroupsofstarsorconstellationsinthenightsky.Hepointedoutanimportantconstellation,theBigDipper.Ifyoucanfindthisgroupofstars,youcaneasilyfindtheNorthStar,orPolaris.Mr.Dedmondalsogaveviewersatouroftheplanets.
BILLDEDMOND:“Ourgalaxycontainsacouplehundredbillionstarsandweknowthereareaboutonehundredtwenty-fivebillionothergalaxies.Justincrediblehowmanystarsthereare.”
BARBARAKLEIN:Speakingofstars,oneoftheAirandSpaceMuseum’splanetariumshowsiscalled“JourneytotheStars.”ThemovieispresentedbyactressWhoopiGoldberg.Ittellsaboutthelifeofastarusingoursunasanexample.
WHOOPIGOLDBERG:“Thefirststarschangedeverything,combininghydrogenandheliumintonewelementssuchasoxygenandcarbon.Thensupernovasblastedtheseelementsintospace,supplyingingredientsforstarsandplanetstocome.Andthoughitmaysoundincredible,yourbodyactuallycontainsaboutateaspoon’sworthofthisstuffformedthirteenbillionyearsagobytheveryfirststars.”
STEVEEMBER:Themoviedescribesthemanystagesinthelifeofastar.Somestarsknownassupergiantsareaboutathousandtimesbiggerthanoursun.
Themovie“JourneytotheStars”isveryhelpfulnotonlybecauseittellsinterestingfactsaboutstarsandspace.Themoviehelpsviewersgetabetterideaoftheextraordinarysizeandvolumeofspaceandthehugenumberofstarswithinit.Thissenseofsizeishardtounderstandbyjustreadingabook.Theplanetariummakesitfeelasifyouareobserving,movingthroughandexploringspace.AscenefromtheSmithsonian'splanetariumshow"BlackHoles:TheOtherSideofInfinity"
BARBARAKLEIN:AnothershowattheSmithsonian’splanetariumiscalled“BlackHoles:TheOtherSideofInfinity.”BlackHolesarenotactuallyholes.Theyareextremelymassiveconcentrationsofmatter.TheactorLiamNeesonnarratesthemovie.
LIAMNEESON:“HowdoyoufindsomethingthathidesinthedarkYouhavetolookforitstell-talesigns.Swift’sinstrumentsaredesignedtorecordburstsofhighenergyradiation.Gammaraysdon’tpenetrateEarth’satmosphere,butouthereinspace,Swift’sviewofthemisfrontrowcenter.Theyeruptwhenablackholeisborn.Thathappenswhenalargestardiesinablazeofglorycalledasupernova.”
STEVEEMBER:Ittakesalotofworktoproduceagoodplanetariummovie.ExpertsattheDenverMuseumofNatureandSciencemadethe“BlackHoles”movie.Theyworkedwithmovieproducers,computerexperts,astronomers,astrophysicistsandotherprofessionals.Theirfilmisscientificallycorrectandalsoalotoffuntowatch.Manyimagesinthemoviearebasedoncomplexmathematicalcalculationsaboutspacegatheredbyscientists.
BARBARAKLEIN:Nextweek,the‘ImiloaAstronomyCenterinHawaiiwillhostasix-day‘ImiloaFulldomeFilmFestival.Museumandplanetariumprofessionalsfromaroundtheworldwillbeabletowatchsomeofthelatestmoviesavailablefordigitalplanetariumtheaters.
The‘ImiloaAstronomyCenterispartoftheUniversityofHawaiiatHilo.Thecenter’splanetariumhastheworld’sfirstthree-dimensionalplanetariumsystem.Viewerswearspecialglassestoexperiencethiseffect.TheAstronomyCenterisanexampleofhowtechnologieswillcontinuetochangeandimproveexperiencingthenightskyinplanetariumsofthefuture.
STEVEEMBER:ThisprogramwaswrittenandproducedbyDanaDemange.I’mSteveEmber.
BARBARAKLEIN:AndI’mBarbaraKlein.Youcancommentonthisprogramatvoaspecialenglish.com.JoinusagainnextweekforEXPLORATIONSinVOASpecialEnglish.