Mueller Planetarium hosts immersive dome technology
Alina Selyukh
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
The spherical mirror system projector uses a 31.5-foot wide dome as a giant screen that can put the audience right into the digital atmosphere of anything being shown. It can be the surface of the moon, outer space, three-dimensional DNA structures, the chemical structure of coffee, architectural projects or Ice Age landscapes.
Jack Dunn, the planetarium coordinator, borrowed the projector from East Coast Control Systems, a planetarium technology supplier. The device will be returned to the owner after the weekend, and Mueller will go back to its own conventional technology - star projector, slide show and standard video.
Astronomy Day 2007 When: Saturday, April 21 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Where: Mueller Planetarium, Morrill Hall University of Nebraska State Museum near 14th and Vine streets "Black Holes" full dome show When: Saturday, April 21 at 11 a.m., noon, 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Sunday, April 22 at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Where: Mueller Planetarium |
"It (our technology) can show the sky, move the stars, but that's all it can do," Dunn said. "Having an ability to immerse makes such a difference in terms of getting across a concept."
Not only can the system be a wonder for the audience. It is also exciting for the planetarium staff, consisting of Dunn and volunteers.
"The beauty of my system is that it is built up out of commodity components," said Paul Burke of the University of Western Australia in Perth, the creator of the projector. "Planetariums with staff with some modest technical skills, like Jack (Dunn), can mostly set things up for themselves."
The closest full dome theaters for Nebraskans to currently attend are in Des Moines, Denver and Chicago, Dunn said.
Be the first to comment on this story