December 2018 Journal of the International Planetarium Society - Vol. 47, No. 4 - Audience choice and live presenters: lessons learned
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Online PDF: ISSN 233333-9063
Vol. 47, No. 4 December 2018
Journal of the International Planetarium Society
Audience choice and live presenters: lessons learned Page 24
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Executive Editor
Sharon Shanks
484 Canterbury Ln
Boardman, Ohio 44512 USA
+1 330-783-9341
sharon.shanks@gmail.com December 2018
Webmaster
Alan Gould
Vol 47 No 4
Lawrence Hall of Science Planetarium
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720-5200 USA
Articles
adgould@comcast.net
8 Guest Editorial: The planetarium’s important
Advertising Coordinator
Dale Smith social mission Ohira Takayuki
(See Publications Committee on page 3) 12 Minutes of the 2018 IPS Council Meeting Martin George
Membership 2022 Conference Bids
Individual: $65 one year; $100 two years 16 Welcome to Space City, Houston! Carolyn Sumners
Institutional: $250 first year; $125 annual renewal
Library Subscriptions: $50 one year; $90 two years
All amounts in US currency 20 Bringing the sky to the world, Saint Petersburg
Direct membership requests and changes of
address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman Natalia Bulgakova
Printed Back Issues of Planetarian
IPS Back Publications Repository 24 Space Tours Live! Audience choice for a live
maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair planetarium show Ka Chun Yu, Naomi Pequette,
(See contact information on next page)
Samantha Sands, Dan Neafus, Greg Mancari
Final Deadlines 32 One Sky: Connecting indigenous star stories
March: January 21
June: April 21 Jean Creighton, Margaret Noodin
September: July 21 40 Seeing in the dark: Debunking myths about how we see
December: October 21
in planetariums Philip Groce
Associate Editors 44 Fulldome content on demand: Streaming to domes
Book Reviews April S. Whitt
Calendar Loris Ramponi in the internet age Carolyn Collins Petersen
Cartoons Alexandre Cherman 48 Finding family and Galileo’s footsteps in Italy
Classroom education Jack Northrup
Data to Dome Mark SubbaRao Kevin Milani
Education Committee Jeanne Bishop 52 Fly Me to the Moon returns in fulldome, just in time
Humor April S. Whitt
Ron Walker for Apollo 11 anniversary Judith Rubin
Immersive Media Carolyn Collins Petersen 76 Even after 500 years, scholars are still making
International News Lars Petersen
Live interactive programs Karrie Berglund Galilean discoveries Kevin Milani
Mobile news Susan Reynolds Button 88 How we do it: A better monitor filter Mark S. Reed
Planetarium design/operations Tim Barry
Sound advice Jeff Bowen 94 Tributes: Clayton Hopper
Years ago Ron Walker
On the Cover: Columns Index of Advertisers
While attending the 2018 LIPS in Seattle, Book Reviews.................................................. 84 American Museum of Natural History.........7
Washington, Mark Webb captured this image Calendar........................................................... 95 Astro-Tec Manufacturing..............................35
of the Pacific Science Center fountains and A Different Point of View........................... 92 Audio Visual Imagineering............................37
arches with the Space Needle in the back- From the Classdome..................................... 58 BIG & Digital..................................................... 19
ground. The lights take on the appearance of IMERSA Matters.............................................. 56 Bays Mountain Productions......................... 87
alien moons and the decorative arches give In Front of the Console...................................4 California Academy of Sciences................ 55
the scene an other-worldly look. See more International News........................................ 66 ChromaCove..................................................... 14
about the symposium on page 78. Image used
Last Light......................................................... 96 Clark Planetarium............................................ 77
with permission.
LIP Service........................................................ 78 Digitalis Education Solutions........................ 11
Mobile News.................................................... 82 Evans & Sutherland............ 23, 69, 71, 73, 75
International Planetarium Society home page: Partycles........................................................... 59 Fulldome Festival Brno.................................. 15
www.ips-planetarium.org President’s Message........................................6 Fulldome Pro.................................................... 43
Seeking What Works.................................... 62 GOTO Inc........................................................... 61
Planetarian home page: Waxing New.................................................... 94 Metaspace.........................................................39
www.ips-planetarium.org/?page=plntrn NSC Creative.................................................... 27
RSACosmos..........................Inside back cover
Sciss.......................................................................5
Softmachine...................................................... 51
Spitz, Inc...................................... 31, Back cover
www.facebook.com/InternationalPlanetariumSociety Spitz Creative Media....................... 29, 47, 65
twitter.com/IPS_Planetarium You Can Do Astronomy................................ 38
ZEISS......................................Inside front cover
Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018 Planetarian 1
Aff iliate Representatives
Association of Australasian Great Plains Rocky Mountain
Off icers Brazilian Planetarium Planetarium Planetarium
Planetariums Society Association Association
ABP APS GPPA RMPA
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Antonio Augusto Rabello Outreach Manager, University Planetarium Casper Planetarium
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President Center UNSW Australia Omaha, Nebraska 68110 USA Casper, Wyoming
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Payments of membership Eugenides Planetarium University of Aarhus Noble Planetarium manager and
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should be made to Ann Bragg Javier Armentia 17564 P. Faliro Denmark coordinator
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Membership fees also can be paid Sancho Ramirez, 2 +30 210 946 9674 aase.jacobsen@sm.au.dk and History
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2 Planetarian Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018
Standing Committees
Awards Elections Publications IPS Permanent Mailing Address
Manos Kitsonas Martin George, Chair Dale W. Smith, Chair
Eugenides Planetarium Launceston Planetarium BGSU Planetarium International Planetarium Society
387 Syngrou Avenue Queen Victoria Museum 104 Overman Hall c/o Ann Bragg, Treasurer
17564 P. Faliro Wellington Street Physics &Astronomy Department Marietta College
Athens, Greece Launceston Tasmania 7250 Bowling Green State University 215 Fifth Street
+30 210 946 9674 Australia Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA Marietta, Ohio 45750 USA
+30 210 941 7372 fax +61 3 6323 3777 +1 419-372-8666
mak@eugenfound.edu.gr +61 3 6323 3776 fax +1 419-372-9938 fax IPS Web Site:
Martin.George@qvmag.tas.gov.au dwsmith@bgsu.edu www.ips-planetarium.org
Conference
Current Officers Finance Please notify the Editor and Secretary of any changes
Upcoming conference host, past Current Officers on these two pages.
conference host, any IPS member
appointed by the president Membership Contact the Treasurer/Membership Chair for
Ann Bragg, Treasurer, Chair individual member address changes and general
Conference Host-2020 Marietta College circulation and billing questions. Addresses
TELUS World of Science 215 Fifth Street also may be changed online on the IPS Web Site.
Alan Nursall, President and CEO Marietta, Ohio 45750 USA
Frank Florian, Director, Planetarium +1 740-376-4589
and Space Sciences ann.bragg@marietta.edu
Cathy Barton, Executive Assistant
11211 – 142 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 4A1
anursall@twose.ca
fflorian@twose.ca
cbarton@twose.ca
Ad Hoc Committees
We are gathered together from all
Armand Spitz Phone: +1-212-989-2400 Portable Planetariums corners of this globe, inspired by the
Planetarium Education Fund Fax: +1.206.222.2125 Susan Reynolds Button, Chair
Finance Committee cm@cmorrow.com Quarks to Clusters world and the universe we inhabit.
8793 Horseshoe Lane
Education International Relations Chittenango, New York 13037
Our society draws its strength from
Jeanne E. Bishop Martin George, Chair +1 315-687-5371 our predecessors and from the
Planetarium Director Launceston Planetarium sbuttonq2c@twcny.rr.com
Parkside Administration Building Queen Victoria Museum sbuttonq2c@gmail.com
wide diversity of our present
24525 Hilliard Road Wellington Street membership. Building on our past
Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA Launceston, Tasmania 7250 Presenting Live Under the Dome
+1 440-871-5293 Australia Derek Demeter, Chair heritage, we are inspired to dream
+1 440-835-5572 fax +61 3 6323 3777 The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust of future accomplishments, working
jeanneebishop@wowway.com +61 3 6323 3776 fax Planetarium
www.glpaweb.org Martin.George@qvmag.tas.gov.au Seminole State College of Florida together as a worldwide society.
Mail address: 100 Weldon Boulevard
3180 Oakwood Lane Planetarium Centennial Task Force Sanford, Florida 32773 USA
Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA Björn Voss +1 407-708-2409 IPS President Dave Weinrich
LWL-Museum für Naturkunde DemeterD@seminolestate.edu Welcome to the 2012
Emerging Communities Westphalian State Museum Of Natural IPS Conference
Dave Weinrich History Science & Data
S250 State Road 35 S Sentruper Str. 285 Visualization Task Force
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Nelson, Wisconsin 54756 USA 48161 Munster, Germany Mark SubbaRao
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+49-251-591-6098 fax 1300 South Lake Shore Drive
History bjoern.voss@lwl.org Chicago, Illinois 60605 USA
John Hare, IPS Historian +1 312-294-0348
Ash Enterprises Planetarium Design and Operations msubbarao@adlerplanetarium.org
29 Riverside Drive, Apt 402 Ian McLennan
Cocoa, Florida 32922 USA #404-1275 Haro Street Vision 2020 Initiative
+1 941 730 3434 Vancouver, British Columbia Jon Elvert, Chair
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Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018 Planetarian 3
In Front of the Console
Sharon Shanks
484 Canterbury Lane
Boardman, Ohio 44512 USA
+1 330-783-9341
sharon.shanks@gmail.com
Were you watching when humans walked on the moon?
On July 20, 1969, one event united people around the
world. It was a moment of anticipation as one person took
cautious steps down a ladder and became the first human
to step upon the dusty surface of the moon.
Now, 50 years later, planetariums are gearing up to unite
the globe again as we help a new generation of viewers to
appreciate this achievement, and help the generation that
watched the landing as it happened remember the excite-
ment.
Our domes are the perfect settings to celebrate this
anniversary, and as you read through this issue you will
see that many are already preparing shows and activi-
ties. Planetarian will be happy to share your work with
your colleagues. If you have an activity you are proud of,
or perhaps a video sequence or script that you’re willing Was this similar to your view of the Apollo 11 moon landing? People around the globe
watched similar fuzzy black and white images as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed
to share, then please send it to me. My email is listed in on the moon. We also empathized with Michal Collins, the world’s loneliest person, as he
every issue (and, in fact, is on the top of this page). Dead- orbited the moon alone to ensure that Armstrong and Aldrin could get home. NASA, of
lines are January 21 for the March 2019 issue and April 21 course, has resources ready to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landing. A good
for June 2019. place to start is www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/index.html.
I am looking forward to seeing reports of successes and
follow-ups for the September and December issue.
normally accomplished by pre-recorded segments. Spoiler alert: the
answer is yes, you can do audience choice live. The study also shows
Convergence happens
that the ability of an enthusiastic presenter is one of the keys to success.
Convergences happen occasionally in the pages of Planetarian, and
Other great articles in this eclectic issue range from indigenous star
this month a particularly interesting one took place.
stories done live under the dome to how our eyes “see” in planetariums
First is the Guest Editorial by Ohira Takayuki. People attending IPS
(pages 32 and 40, respectively).
2018 in Toulouse, France in July praised not only his vendor demon-
Carolyn Collins Petersen describes Loch Ness Production’s
stration of the new MEGASTAR-Neo (which was set up and calibrat-
on-demand streaming service on page 44. Carolyn has the ability to
ed to the digital fulldome projector in astonishingly fast time), but also
change hats to manage her many different talents. In this case she
for comments about the importance of the planetarium for the future
steps back from her vendor role at Loch Ness to write neutrally about
of Earth. In domes, we can stress the importance of our planet and its
the fulldome streaming service that enable small planetariums with
possible uniqueness, as far as we know from research so far. See page 8.
equally small budgets to present big-ticket programs.
Starting on page 84, Steven Case from Olivet Nazarene University
Kevin Milani from Hibbing Community College in Minnesota
in Illinois reviews the new book Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the
shares his experiences as the 2018 winner of An Astronomical Experi-
Fate of the Earth. In the book, author Adam Frank takes a new look at
ence in Italy on page 48, and also helps us keep up to date on discov-
the Drake equation and takes it a step farther: theorizing the impact of
eries about the remarkable Galileo. On page 76 he tells us about how
a technological society on its planet and its survival as it transitions
online Italian lessons with Loris Ramponi (the indefatigable champion
from high-impact fossil fuels to low-impact sources like solar.
of sharing astronomy from the Italian Association of Planetaria) led to
The big question, for both Takayuki Ohira and Steve Case, is “how
his story about finding a new Galilean letter.
likely is it for technologically advanced societies to survive as a civili-
zation.”
My suggestion: read the editorial and the book review back to back.
“How we do it” takes on monitor light trespass
Mark Reed from the Kalamazoo Valley Museum Planetarium in
Michigan reached a point common to many of us behind the console:
Can you do audience choice programs live?
he got tired of the light from his monitors leaking onto the dome. He
The crew from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science again shares
shares his version of the better mouse trap in How we do it on page 88.
with the planetarium community the results of research that delves
The adage “build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path
even deeper into the question of live presentation starting on page
to your door” is often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but it is actu-
24. This time it is the possibility of doing audience choice programs,
ally a misquotation of his statement “If a man has good corn or wood,
or boards, or pigs, to sell, or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles
Sharon Shanks has been Planetarian editor since Vol. 35 No. 3 (Septem- or church organs, than anybody else, you will find a broad hard-beaten
ber 2006). She retired in 2015 from the Ward Beecher Planetarium at road to his house, though it be in the woods.” (Thank you, Wikipedia.)
Youngstown State University in Ohio, returning to her journalism roots
The world might not beat a path to Mark’s door, but his monitor
after a pleasantly passionate career sharing the stars.
filter works well and looks professional. That’s a win. I
4 Planetarian Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018
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President’s Message
Shawn Laatsch
Emera Astronomy Center
167 Rangeley Road
Orono, Maine 04469 USA
shawn.laatsch@gmail.com
My many memories as IPS president
It has been an amazing ride and my two years as president have conducting interviews, and choosing a great match for the IPS. You can
passed so quickly! I want to thank you for the privilege and opportuni- check out the company at managingmatters.com.
ty to be a part of this special community. Another transitional item that will be spearheaded by Mark
I have many wonderful memories of my term as president, from SubbaRao is a re-organization of our ad-hoc committees into task
time spent in Toulouse with Marc Moutin and the team at Cite de forces or working groups. These will have specific deliverables and
l’espace for the IPS2018 Conference with all of its preparations, to visits durations, and we hope this will streamline processes around a number
to Mexico and China to see a variety of new facilities and projects of membership benefits and opportunities.
come online, to interacting with you, our members, in emails, phone
calls, and at a variety of conferences and events. I have many people to thank
The last two years have been a steady push on moving forward with As my time in this role winds down, I have many people to thank for
Vision2020 strategic planning with the officers and council. It truly their work and support. First and foremost are the IPS officers, who are
has been special to me both personally and professionally. a tireless band of dedicated planetarians. Their insight and advice have
While I still will be around in the past president role for the next been invaluable in pushing the organization forward in new and posi-
two years, I am excited to hand over the reins to Mark SubbaRao on tive ways. Ann Bragg, Mark SubbaRao, Rachel Thompson, and Joanne
1 January and see him continue the transformation our organization Young: thank you for all you do and continue to do for the planetari-
from the plans laid forth by Vision2020. um community.
Thanks is also due to Lee Ann Hennig, who served with me for numer-
Vision2020 work continues ous years as an officer. Thank you to the presidents I have had the priv-
These changes, set in motion by Paul Knappenberger and Thomas ilege to serve with: Thomas Kraupe, Dale Smith, Martin Ratcliffe, Jon
Kraupe, are pushing the IPS to become a greater force in the planetari- Elvert, Martin George, Susan Button, Tom Mason, and Dave Weinrich.
um community and to provide better services to our global member- It has been wonderful to work alongside each of you and learn from
ship. It has been a process with much ongoing discussion, work by the you in numerous ways.
Vision2020 team led by Jon Elvert, council votes and feedback, and Special thanks to Martin George for his work as parliamentarian,
most recently the vote by membership around updating our bylaws. as we have had numerous changes affecting the organization which
Jon has been providing ongoing updates via this publication, so make required his attention. Thank you to Dale and Rachel for working with
sure you check out his reports. him on the proposed bylaws updates that were on the ballot during the
One key transformation taking place over the next two years to be recent elections. Thank you to Dale for advice on a number of sensitive
shepherded by Mark will be the move to a fully elected board. I highly issues and discussions which helped me mull over possible solutions.
urge our members to consider running for our board positions or Thank you to Sharon Shanks for her patience with me on President’s
nominating your colleagues for these leadership roles, as the first elec- Messages and her continued excellent work on Planetarian.
tions will take place in 2019. If you have questions, please reach out Alan Gould: thank you for website updates and making sure we
to Elections Chair Martin George (martingeorge3@hotmail.com) or to were in compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protec-
any of the officers. tion Regulations. Much of the work on these items takes place behind
Speaking of running for office, I hope you have voted in our recent the scenes, and it is not possible to make progress without this dedicat-
elections for our new slate of officers. Voting is a very important right ed team of volunteers who are giving in numerous ways.
and responsibility of membership, so make sure you make your voice An area very visible is our conference and the team at Cite de l’espace
heard. created a stellar, spectacular, and most memorable experience for all
who participated. The words thank you, merci beacoup, or any expres-
Managing Matters hired sion of thanks in any language do not begin to convey the gratitude
Beginning 1 January 1 we welcome Managing Matters, which will due to Marc Moutin, Veronique Hallard, Pascal Prieur, Sandra Henry-
serve as our association management firm. This is the first paid posi- Baudot, Julie Phelipot, Helene Boyer, Charlotte Donadiue, Ines Prieto,
tion for IPS and it will start out as half time to assist us in day-to-day Leo Reby, Camille Pintadu, and many more for their incredible dedica-
operations and with conferences. This, too, is a result of the Vision2020 tion, hard work, and sacrifices to make this event possible.
initiative. Please know that I am deeply indebted to you for all of your work. It
The firm is based in Toronto, Canada and has a number of special- was such a pleasure to work with you, and I thank you for making me
ized staff who will be working with the IPS officers. Thank you to Mark feel so welcome in Toulouse!
and the selection committee members (Ann Bragg, Alex Cherman, My forte has never been writing, as I much prefer communica-
and Ruth Coalson) for their work on vetting numerous applications, tion face to face or electronically by voice or Skype. (Thanks again
to Sharon who edits and smooths my grammar, spelling, etc.) I’m not
really sure how to close this other than saying thank you again to
IPS President Shawn Laatsch has worked at planetariums around the world
you, our IPS members, for being part of this special community. Let us
and now calls the Emera Planetarium and Science Center at the University
of Maine in Orono home. continue to work together, excite each other to push new boundaries,
and inspire our audience in the special space of the dome! I
6 Planetarian Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018
THE NEW
PASSPORT TO
THE UNIVERSE
NARRATED BY TOM HANKS
Now available in 4K/8K at 30/60FPS
Updated with the latest scientific data
and cutting-edge visualizations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
amnh.org/planetariumcontent • mheenan@amnh.org
Passport to the Universe was developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org) in collaboration with the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA). Major support for new version provided by California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.
Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018 Planetarian 7
Guest Editorial
The planetarium’s important social mission
Ohira Takayuki
Megastar/Ohira Tech
Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Japan
ohira@megastar.jp
In our company we usually focus on the engineering part of manu-
facturing and producing planetarium equipment. I want here, instead,
to elaborate on the social mission of the planetarium, especially in this
ever-changing world.
I am doing various activities in Japan (Image 1). These activities take
place not only in science museums, but also in art museums, at concerts,
and at other public venues. We have many opportunities to come into
contact with people who are not that interested in astronomy and
science.
Sometimes I got the following questions: “What is the purpose of plan-
etariums? What do you want to tell us by this starry sky? ” I couldn’t find
a clear answer to such questions because I had been focusing on the engi- Image 1
neering part of the planetarium. The more my skills improved, the more
my starry sky became beautiful. And the more my starry sky became
beautiful, the more people it fascinated. I really got satisfaction with that.
There was no other reason why I had worked on my planetarium.
I changed my mind
However, a really unfortunate event changed my mind.
It was the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear
disaster seven years ago, in 2011, that changed my mind (Image 2). Japan
dropped into a serious panic due to the nuclear accident. People were
frightened by the radiation, and worry about nuclear power spread
through the society. People began to look for alternative energy sources.
I participated in a lot of discussions about new energy as an engi-
neer, but the more I thought about that, the more I understood that the
problem of the energy is too complicated and difficult to solve. Image 2
This is a graph showing the change of the types of energy consump-
tion on the earth over few centuries (Image 3), and it is unbelievable
how much we increased consumption in the last century. Among these,
fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas occupy overwhelming volume. As
you know, these fossil fuels have been accumulated on the earth over
the past several hundred million years. However, we humans are about
to consume these fuels within just hundreds of years.
Along with this, I would like to point out an even more serious
problem. The diagram in Image 4 shows mass extinctions on the earth.
Through geology, we know that mass extinctions occurred five times in
the past. The most recent one was the extinction of dinosaurs caused by
a huge meteorite falling on the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago.
Do you know when the next sixth mass extinction will come? It’s
happening now! What is the cause of this? It is us. Humankind. It is due
to our industrial activities. We, who number now more than 7 billion,
use a lot of energy and natural resources to keep a rich life. As a result,
habitats many creatures are using are invaded, and their inhabitants are
decreasing or have become extinct. Image 3 All images courtesy Ohira Tech, except where noted
8 Planetarian Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018I would like to pose some questions
Is the future of modern civilization dark and dire? I don’t know. Perhaps
we or our descendants may find new technologies to solve the problems
we have now. However, because we cannot predict the future, let alone
the future of technology, we do not know if that is possible.
Let’s consider Earth’s civilization as one person (Image 5). We know
that everyone will grow from a child to an adult, and then become an old
person and finally pass away. That is because we see parents, grandparents,
people of different ages around.
However, how does our civilization grow and what will its future be
like? Nobody can predict this because, simply, we don’t know any other
civilizations in our universe to serve as a guide or comparison. But how
should we imagine our future? How should we guide the society?
Many people are offering various opinions, but they seem to thoughts Image 4. Poster by Budjarn Lambeth, Information from brittanica.com
based on their own country, or their own belief, or their own ignorance. and bbc.co.uk, images from Wikimedia Commons. Rightmost panel
(Image 6). Because there is no way to foretell the future, each can make a added by author.
favorable forecast for themselves.
Because of that, we, the world, cannot make a unified opinion by any
means. It is a very troubling problem.
However, I noticed that there is a thing that might give us a more accurate
opinion. That is the universe. There are countless stars. We know there are at
least 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Our sun is a common one among them.
Lessons from Toulouse
From the keynote speech of Doug Simons1 during IPS2018 Toulouse, we
know countless planets like the Earth must exist (Image 7). If so, of course
we would assume that many planets have intelligent life. Trying to find
such civilizations has been ongoing for decades, and the question “are we
Image 5
alone in the universe” is still not answered.
And that is really strange. Why cannot we find any civilization, even
though there are so many stars in the universe? Perhaps our efforts are still
not enough, but we continue the search.
Let’s date back to about 200 years ago. In my country, Japan, nobody knew
about the presence of America. One day, a couple of big ships from America
came, and suddenly we knew about the American people (Image 8).
Why doesn’t such a thing happen in the universe? It is a longtime
mystery among astronomers called the Fermi’s paradox (Image 9, next
page). Basically, it asks the question “where is everyone?” There is a
paradox between the high possibility that there is an extraterrestrial civi-
lization and the fact that there are no cases of contact with them. Is life
unusual in the universe? Or is it unusual to grow up into intelligent life?
Or is the average lifetime of civilizations too short to contact each other?
If the last statement is correct, then it is plausible that, in the expected
future, we will consume all resources on our planet and become extinct.
But that is not yet a determination. To know our future, we need to know
more about the universe, especially about other civilizations.
(Continues on next page) Image 6
1 Dr. Simons is the executive director of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii.
He spoke about the search for extrasolar worlds during the IPS Conference, 1-5 July.
Image 7 (above): A picture of Earth and artist’s interpretations of several
exoplanets that could be like our own. Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech. Image
8 (right): American Navy Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in Japan, August 7,
1853, Woodblock Print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, courtesy British Museum
Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018 Planetarian 9Image 9 equation (bottom row) to address a slightly different question: What is the
The Drake equation, with a second equation line. In 1961, astrophysicist number of advanced civilizations likely to have developed over the history
Frank Drake developed an equation to estimate the number of advanced of the observable universe? Frank and Sullivan’s equation draws on Drake’s,
civilizations likely to exist in the Milky Way galaxy. The Drake equation (top but eliminates the need for L. Their full paper appears in Astrobiology Vol.
row) has proven to be a durable framework for research, and space technol- 16, No. 5, 2016.
ogy has advanced scientists’ knowledge of several variables. But it is impos- For more, see the release at www.rochester.edu/news/are-we-alone-
sible to do anything more than guess at variables such as L, the probably in-the-universe and www.rochester.edu/newscenter/astrobiology-alien-
longevity of other advanced civilizations. apocalypse-can-any-civilization-make-it-through-climate-change-322232.
In new research, Adam Frank of the University of Rochester, New York, Also see the review of Frank’s new book, Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and
and Woodruff Sullivan, University of Washington, Seattle, offer a new the Fate of the Earth in this issue’s Book Reviews, page 88.
As I have mentioned so far, studying the universe is necessary to know our
own future. The universe can provide us with impersonal advice about how to
manage our society among so many conflicting opinions.
How can astronomer influence to global society? Sometimes, people say “Oh,
astronomy? “It’s good! But it is not necessary.” Is this true? I don’t think so. I have
a good example.
Dr. Carl Sagan surveyed other planets in our solar system. He was part of a team
that found the phenomenon that the surface temperature on Mars decreased
significantly during a huge sandstorm. Therefore, they predicted that the same
phenomenon would occur on Earth in the case of nuclear war, which would
result in a large amount of matter and smoke being blasted into the atmosphere.
It’s named “nuclear winter.”2
This warning is credited with helping to deter nuclear war. (Image 10).
I expect that space exploration will become vital for the future of humani-
Image 10: Carol Sagan photo, public domain; Mars dust storm, ty. Space exploration and astronomy require huge resources. For that, we need
Hubble Space Telescope; conception of nuclear winter by Alex-
ander Slutskiy, 123rf.com
to appeal to society and let them know how important space exploration and
astronomy are for our future. For that, we need the means to spread the knowl-
edge brought by the latest astronomy in an easy-to-understand manner.
We already have the best tool for that job: the planetarium. The planetari-
um is the best tool to share the knowledge of astronomy and space exploration
to people (Image 11). I do not know of any other tools that can explain them
more clearly than a planetarium. The planetarium will become more impor-
tant for society in the future. This is my answer! I
2 An interesting history of the term can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter
Ohira Takayuki, president of Ohira Tech Ltd. and creator of MEGASTAR, gave this
talk as part of his vendor presentations at IPS 2018 in Toulouse. We received several
requests that it be shared with a wider audience, and we are happy to do so. Ohira
also received the IPS Technology and Innovation Award at the 2018 conference.
Image 11
10 Planetarian Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018 Planetarian 11
Minutes of the 2018 IPS Council Meeting
Cite de l’éspace
Toulouse, France
July 1, 2018
*indicates action items Also present: President’s Report. In particular, the presi-
IPS 2018 CONFERENCE HOST dent noted that the largest focus that officers
In attendance: Marc Moutin, Cite de l’espace, Toulouse, have had since the 2017 council meeting has
President Shawn Laatsch France been working with the Vision 2020 team to
Past President Joanna Young IPS 2020 CONFERENCE HOSTS prepare for this meeting and work on gover-
President Elect Mark SubbaRao Alan Nursall (CEO and President), Donna nance changes.
Treasurer Ann Bragg Pelton, and Mirabelle Prémont- He also informed the meeting of a special
Acting Secretary Martin George Schwarz, TELUS World of Science, Edmon- project in China called the Xuyi Starry Town.
ton, Alberta, Canada This is about two hours from Nanjing by car.
Affiliate Representatives IPS 2022 CONFERENCE BIDDERS It is an astronomical site which has a plane-
Association of Dutch Speaking Planetariums Carolyn Sumners, Burke Baker Planetarium at tarium, science centre, education centre, and
(ADSP) – Jaap Vreeling the Museum of Natural History, Houston, observatories for the public, and a retirement
Association of French Speaking Planetariums Texas, USA community. This has been branded as an
(APLF) – Milène Wendling Evgeny Gudov, Planetarium 1, St. Petersburg, astronomical education and tourism initia-
Association of Mexican Planetariums Russia tive in China. IPS was approached because
(AMPAC) - Ignacio Castro Pinal/Proxy IPS VISION 2020 Planning Team they are interested in working with us as
Shawn Laatsch Jon Elvert, Chair being a partner for branding, and providing
Association of Spanish Planetariums (APLE ) - Karrie Berglund funding for IPS.
Javier Armentia Marc Moutin The president’s report will be published
Australasian Planetarium Society (APS) – Mark SubbaRao in a forthcoming issue of Planetarian. (Vol. 47,
Shane Hengst/Proxy Martin George Levent Gurdemir No. 3, September 2018).
British Association of Planetaria (BAP) – Lee Tom Kwasnitschka President Elect Mark SubbaRao present-
Pullen Jaap Vreeling ed a brief President Elect’s Report. He gave
Canadian Association of Science Centres Guests: details on the IPS council meeting for 2019,
(CASC) – Frank Florian Jeanne Bishop - Chair, Education Committee which will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland, in
European/Mediterranean Planetarium Associ- Susan Button - Chair, Portable Planetarium June at the Perlan Museum, which will open
ation (EMPA) - Manos Kitsonas Committee its Perlan Planetarium in November 2018.
Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) – Derek Demeter – Chair, Presenting Live Under Treasurer Ann Bragg presented the Finan-
Mike Smail the Dome Committee cial Report for 2017, the mid-year financial
Great Plains Planetarium Association (GPPA) – Alan Gould - IPS Webmaster report for 2018, and the proposed 2019 Budget.
Jack Northrup Charlie Morrow - Chair, Immersive Audio The treasurer also reported that IPS ended the
Italian Association of Planetaria (IAP) – Loris Committee year 2017 with 550 members. Internation-
Ramponi Sharon Shanks - Planetarian Editor al members totalled 226, and U.S. members
Japan Planetarium Association (JPA) - Sumito Dale Smith - IPS Publications Chair totalled 324. Currently, as of mid-2018, inter-
Hirota national members total 263, and U.S. members
Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society (MAPS) – The meeting was called to order at 0843 by total 277.
Kevin Williams President Shawn Laatsch, who welcomed all It was also noted that the proposed 2019
Nordic Planetarium Association (NPA) – Aase present, including council members, commit- budget does not include any Vision 2020
Jacobsen tee chairs and guests. expenses.
Pacific Planetarium Association (PPA) – Benja- Affiliate representatives and committee The Officers’ Reports were filed.
min Mendelsohn chairs introduced themselves.
Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association Acting Secretary and Parliamentarian Conferences
(RMPA) – Michele Wistisen Martin George reminded members of the IPS 2020 Conference
Russian Planetarium Association (RPA) - Yaro- basic rules of motions and debate. Alan Nursall, accompanied by Ursula Phil-
slav Gubchenko The President reminded all Council lips, Frank Florian, Donalda Pelton, and Mira-
Society of German Speaking Planetaria (GDP) members that the material in the Council belle Prémont-Schwarz, presented an update
– Björn Voss packets is to be taken as read; this had already on the 2020 IPS Conference, to be held at
Southeastern Planetarium Association (SEPA) been circulated. the TELUS World of Science in Edmonton,
- John Hare The Acting Secretary reminded members Canada, from June 18-25. They reviewed
Southwestern Association of Planetari- that the Minutes of the 2017 council meeting several issues, including the planned full-
ums (SWAP) – Sarah Twidal/Proxy Levent in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, had already been dome festival, mid-conference tours, hotels,
Gurdemir published in Planetarian. (Vol. 47, No. 1, March the financial plan, and the overall timetable
Not Present: 2018) for the conference. The website is active and is
Chinese Planetarium Society (CPS) The Minutes were approved. ips2020.twose.ca. The year 2021 will mark the
Association of Brazilian Planetariums (ABP) President Shawn Laatsch presented the sixtieth anniversary of the opening of Cana-
12 Planetarian Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018da’s first public planetarium (in Edmonton) tigated ways for career starters and young Awards Committee
in 1961, and the original planetarium will be professionals to be more involved in IPS Chair Manos Kitsonas reminded members
reopened as a historical resource. governance, and has worked with other to send in nominations for IPS awards, because
IPS 2022 Conference Bids Vision 2020 members to reduce obstacles the number of awards nominations is low.
Two IPS 2022 Conference bid proposals facing young members. Goals are to create a He also announced a new award, sponsored
were submitted to council for review: membership package for affiliate representa- by the Adler Planetarium. The Adler-Mans-
•• Evgeny Gudov, for Planetarium No1 in tives to ensure proper IPS representation at field Prize will be awarded for scientific visu-
St. Petersburg, Russia local conferences. alization at the conference; this will include
•• Carolyn Sumners, for the Burke Baker Jon Elvert and Mark SubbaRao then travel expenses to Chicago and collabora-
Planetarium at the Houston Museum of discussed the proposed governance imple- tion with the Adler Planetarium for one week.
Natural History, Texas, United States mentation plan and the transition period for This award will be decided by a committee
The bidders presented information in Vision 2020: the number of board members, from the Adler Planetarium, and the winner
support of their bids, including the venue, how they are elected, their job descriptions announced after the conference on the IPS
hotels, visa requirements, travel to the confer- and defined roles, and the implementation of website. This award will begin at this confer-
ence, and tours. a plan for the transition to a board structure. ence (Toulouse 2018).
The bidders were encouraged by the This will include defining the role of affiliates. Manos also showed a logo for medals that
meeting to limit the number of parallel Other goals are to investigate what is he had proposed at an earlier council meeting.
sessions. A suggestion was made to remove the needed to establish an IPS Foundation and to There are two: a silver medal is a commem-
mid-conference tour, but Carolyn Sumners draft a “best practices” plan for IPS to manage orative present to a person or organisation
confirmed that this tour would still take place. its biennial conferences. An IPS Foundation as decided by the officers. The gold medal is
could provide seed money for internships to a more prestigious award; nominations for
Vision 2020 Report college students interested in planetarium this award will be made through the Awards
The Vision 2020 team, introduced and science, and to provide resources and exper- Committee and the winner(s) decided by
led by Jon Elvert, reported on progress. Jon tise to train young planetarium professionals council. An artist has designed a logo on the
reported that on the previous day (30 June) in real time and live presentation practices. front and the words “International Planetar-
the Vision 2020 team and council met and ium Society” are on the rear.
discussed the steps to arrive at the conclusion Affiliate Reports *Moved Martin George that the design
regarding the proposed governance structure The Affiliate Reports were taken as read. of the new silver and gold medals be
of IPS, which will necessitate a change in some President Shawn Laatsch invited affiliates to adopted, pending addition of the letters
by-laws and standing rules. add any important information that was not “Inc.” after the name of the society and
Karrie Berglund spoke about the goal of included in those reports. some stars on the reverse of the design.
professional development, which is a major John Hare: Next year the Southeastern Plan- Seconded by Jack Northrup and approved
goal for Vision 2020. Other goals are to hold etarium Association (SEPA) conference will be by council.
a second LIPS Data-to-Dome workshop; add held at the South Carolina State Museum in Elections Committee
background resources to the members-only Columbia, South Carolina, and it will hope- Elections Committee Chair Martin George
section of the IPS website; and start holding fully be a joint conference with the Middle noted that the 2018 elections process is
webinars (possibly monthly) for IPS members. Atlantic Planetarium Society. This will be proceeding smoothly. Nominations have
In the absence of Ruth Coalson, Jon Elvert held from 4-8 June 2019. been sought and received for all three posi-
spoke about the goal to expand internation- Jaap Vreeling: The Association of Dutch- tions, and there will be between two and four
al collaborations and increase media atten- Speaking Planetariums has approved an award people standing for president Elect in the 2018
tion to foster and enhance financial support; to support the Week In The USA programme elections.
Ruth has approached all affiliates to assist to the level of $500. Publications Committee
with IPS awareness and is working on increas- Benjamin Mendelsohn: The Pacific Plan- Publications Committee Chair Dale Smith
ing membership numbers and international etarium Association reported that the state moved a vote of thanks to Sharon Shanks,
outreach. of California has passed a law that prevents editor of Planetarian, which was carried with
Tom Kwasnitschka spoke about goals government organisations using their funds acclamation. Sharon Shanks mentioned that
communicating the strengths of the plan- for attending conferences in any other states Planetarian is more than just a printed record
etarium, networking with other scientific that have laws that discriminate against of IPS; it is the primary method of sharing
organisations, and conducting formal scien- members of the LGBTQ community. within the planetarium community. Sharon
tific studies on structures across planetariums Frank Florian: The Canadian Association needs to receive material to print in order for
worldwide. of Science Centres mentioned that the Royal Planetarian to be of the most benefit to all IPS
Jaap Vreeling spoke about education in the Astronomical Society of Canada is celebrating members.
planetarium and mentioned that he made a its 150th anniversary this year, and that plane-
presentation of the planetarium as an educa- tariums in Canada are supporting this. Ad Hoc Committee Reports
tional tool at CAP 2018 (Communicating Loris Ramponi: The Italian Association of The Ad Hoc Committee Reports were taken
Astronomy with the Public). Planetaria thanked Alan Gould for his work as read. President Shawn Laatsch invited
Levent Gurdemir spoke about the goal to on the “Voices from the Dome” audio project. committee chairs to add any important infor-
provide support and leadership in transitioning mation that was not included in those reports.
to next generation planetarium design, tech- Standing Committee reports Education Committee
nologies, and content development. He also The Standing Committee Reports were Chair Jeanne Bishop announced that there
mentioned that grant opportunities will be taken as read. President Shawn Laatsch invited will be a meeting of this committee at this
sought for educational content development. committee chairs to add any important infor- conference.
Mark Watson reported that he has inves- mation that it not included in those reports. (Continues on next page)
Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018 Planetarian 13mentioned that this committee will now iates support IPS, but that IPS also needs to Centennial Task Force Committee oversee the week in the United States and the support the affiliate groups. It is desirable Chair Björn Voss announced that some International Day of Planetariums programs, that if a person joins an affiliate, they are also documents have been sent out and also which will no longer be overseen by the encouraged to join IPS. Therefore, we would are on the IPS website and in Planetarian. Portable Planetarium Committee. like to find a way to better link membership Björn encouraged affiliate representatives to Project reports of the affiliates and the IPS. make the process as open as possible for the President Shawn Laatsch had covered In SEPA there is a publicity commit- centennial. So far, this is a committee of only many topics related to this in his President’s tee which is responsible for marketing and five persons. The project needs much more Message and no additions were noted. promoting the organisation (social media support, although this is not necessary right expansion, etc.), allowing people to attend now. Björn encouraged members to work Unfinished business other conferences, and setting up an IPS table. with him on this topic. *Moved Martin George that the list of SEPA has also distributed copies of Planetarian History Committee standing rules changes (which require a and distributed brochures at conferences. Chair John Hare reminded the meeting that majority of council) and by-Laws changes there is a presentation at the awards lunch (which require a two-third vote of the Closing remarks by the president that recognises colleagues who have recently whole membership responding via ballot) President Shawn Laatsch thanked council passed away. There will be about 30 individu- be each sent out as a single document, but members, officers and affiliate representa- als mentioned this year, some of whom passed with each individual change to be subject tives for their work on behalf of the organi- away before 2016 and were not included in to a vote. Seconded by Manos Kitsonas sation and reminded all of the importance of the 2016 session. John reminded the meeting and approved by council. attendance at the general meeting during the that he needs to know of individuals who conference. The president especially thanked have passed away from all affiliate regions, New Business Marc Moutin for all the work that he and his and pictures are welcome. John proposes that No new business was discussed. team have done for IPS 2018. he be co-chair with Dave Weinrich. There are With all business completed, Michelle tens of thousands of documents to scan and For the Good of the Order Wistisen moved that the meeting be John will also seek assistance from Dale Smith. An informal discussion was held about the adjourned, seconded by Mike Smail and International Relations Committee role of the affiliate groups within IPS. Benja- approved by council. Committee member Susan Button min Mendelsohn mentioned that the affil- The meeting closed at 1700. I 14 Planetarian Vol 47 No 4 - December 2018
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