State of the Art Planetariums

Many adults have fond memories of attending planetariums in their youth.? Large optical lens systems and standard hi-fi components worked together to provide an impressive and informative show about the night sky. Now, parents who are introducing their children to planetariums are being blown away by awesome improvements in technology. State of the art planetariums have gone digital: new digital projection systems that add 3-D graphics, high-definition imagery and enhanced special effects?to the museum's sky shows team up with digital audio sound fields to produce a dazzling experience. Attendees are treated to brighter, more detailed sky shows accompanied by symphony-hall acoustics.

At cutting-edge planetariums such as the ones at Wayne State University in Detroit and the Cleveland Natural History Museum, visitors are given 3-D glasses so that they can take full advantage of the latest projection systems.? This is just one way in which developments in the electronics industry have filtered down into entertainment venues like planetariums. The flip side of this equation is that young people today have much higher expectations about the quality and reliability of their audio and visual experiences. Personal music devices provide extraordinary sound quality, and have become so popular that they have spawned cottage industries like IPod repair . Today's youth is so much more sophisticated when it comes to sight and sound that planetariums have no choice: upgrade or disappoint.

This leaves planetarium managers in somewhat of a quandary. They basically have to figure out whether they should be concentrating on entertainment or education. By allocating their budgets to an ever-growing spiral of super-colossal spectacles, are they doing their jobs to educate and inspire the next generation of astronomers and cosmologists?? Are they spreading enough basic scientific information to the lay public so as to foster respect for and love of science??

These are hard questions. The best planetariums do both, and have sufficient budgets to succeed.? They combine first-class entertainment with first-class education. They know that their strategies are working if they experience high repeat business whenever they change their shows.? And they are changing shows more frequently to entice visitors back again and again. Top planetariums must stay in touch not only with the latest astronomical discoveries, but also with the latest audio-visual technologies being embraced by the public, especially the young public. If the latest Macbook needs repair, a Macbook repair will need to be made. Only through constant research and planning can a start-of-the-art planetarium maintain its status as a leader in entertainment and education.