Classrooms Under the Heavens

Photo courtesy of South Carolina State Museum

Classrooms Under the Heavens

by SweisKloss
September 12, 2024
The Chinese mid-autumn moon festival takes place on September 17, a few of days after an asteroid the size of two football fields is expected to closely pass Earth. No need to panic – collision is highly unlikely, but a celestial spectacle is possible. That got us thinking about skygazing and planetarium design.

Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, which opened in 1930, was the first planetarium in the US, followed by the Philadelphia’s Fels Planetarium in 1934 and then in 1935, LA’s own Griffith Observatory! While the purpose of planetariums and observatories remains the same – to explore and study space- design and technology have changed the way these spaces connect people to the universe.

The Adler Planetarium
Photo courtesy of Living Landmarks of Chicago

 

Early planetariums were deemed as “classrooms under the heavens” (adlerplanetarium.com) and designed with linear spaces that primarily showed stars “projected through a centrally-positioned... projector” (kasian.com). From the Space Age to Space X, interest in the stars has gained popularity and with it, planetarium design has evolved to create a more interactive and engaging experience -- developing 3D laser light and sound shows, adding specialized exhibition halls, libraries, food services and gift shops.

The theater, dome and projectors are the key components in planetarium design. The theater or auditorium is usually cylindrical and topped by a dome, which provides widespread angles for viewers, allowing them to take in 180 to 360 degrees of visuals and sound (kasian.com). Older, plastic domes featured hard, curving surfaces which distorted sound and reflected light. Newer domes are made from perforated aluminum, which “reduce acoustic reflection and … allow speakers to be placed behind the screen so that sound can appear to come from the appropriate direction for the video” (fulldome.pro). Domes are now also built at a tilt “that brings the horizon and audience closer together … resulting in near total immersion” (teecom.com).
Designers have also reimagined seating, understanding the important role it has in creating an immersive experience. During the renovation of the Griffith Observatory, “workers removed the 600 seats that were called the most uncomfortable seats in the Milky Way [having] wooden headrests, metal seat backs, fraying knit cushions and protruding metal springs” (https://griffithobservatory.org/). Ergonomic seats with cushions, molded foam, upholstered padding, and headrests provide more comfort. Seating arrangement is equally important to ensure unobstructive views utilizing inclined seating, sloped and flat floor spaces.
Digital laser projection systems and sound control invite visitors to travel to the Red Planet, explore Black Holes, and navigate asteroid fields. Audiovisual technology has played a huge role in improving the immersive experience without the interference of pollution, weather or city lights. Advances in projection devises can simulate the precise sky map, celestial events, and even transport us back in time. Boston’s Charles Hayden Planetarium boasts some of the most advanced technology in the Starmaster, “a fibre-optic projector that can produce around 10,000 stars” (citypass.com). And “NASA sometimes uses [Houston’s Burke Baker Planetarium’s] dome to train it’s astronauts” on one of the most popular star projectors, the Digistar 6 (citypass.com). The latest ZEISS projector at the LA planetarium can “show what the sky looked like at any moment in human history” (Griffith Observatory). And “by hiding the projectors from guest view, [planetariums] reinforce the sense of magic” (kasian.com).
Other elements that designers must consider in developing planetariums range from fire sprinkler placement (not in the screen!) to air flow (to prevent motion queasiness). The stars are the star of the show so designers must also eliminate distractions such as bright colors and stray lighting, including positioning green-glowing exit signs away from the lip of the screen.

Thanks to immersive planetarium designs, all of us can now experience a cosmic journey to “a galaxy far, far away….”
 
Laura McMahonComment