Planetariums have come a long way since
kids piled onto school buses to see pinpoints of light move around a
fake sky.
Now, computer programs can not only portray our own
night sky -- past, present, and future -- but also the skies of other
planets around the universe, explains Norbert Vance, Eastern Michigan
University's observatory director and a lecturer with the Dept
of Physics & Astronomy.
"We can travel to other planets and see what the sky looks like from
there," he says.
The university is hoping to open its addition to
the Mark Jefferson Science Building in time for winter term; the
planetarium will open some time thereafter. The $90 million project, the
biggest in EMU's history, will transform the 40-year-old science
building into a 240,000-square-foot science complex. In addition to the
new planetarium, the rest of the building has been undergoing
renovations, including new lab space, a green roof, and other
technological upgrades.
The ceiling of the 28-foot, 360-degree
dome serves as a projector screen for the computer-based system. Thus
far $55,000 has been raised to purchase the planetarium projector;
another $45,000 is needed for the shows and the lighting and audio
system. The software for each planetarium show costs about $3,000; the
university could eventually produce its own.
Not only will the
planetarium be able to illuminate basic constellations, Vance says, but
it can simulate formations and events that could help explain the
mythology of the past. "We can set ourselves back in that day and
imagine what they were thinking."
The building will have plenty
of green features, too; a new air handling system will save energy, and
air will be cooled with a chilled beam, a more efficient alternative to
fans. Plans call for low-flow sinks and toilets, and the green roof will
be planted with hardy, low-maintenance sedum.
"We're very
excited about the facility and what it brings, and what we can offer
students in the classroom," says James Carroll, the Dept of Physics and
Astronomy's interim department head. "We can also use it for outreach in
the community."
Source: Norbert Vance, observatory directory
and lecturer, Eastern Michigan University Dept of Physics and Astronomy;
James Carroll, interim head of the Dept of Physics and Astronomy
Writer:
Kristin Lukowski
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