A PVC Geodesic Dome Planetarium

Jeff Regester, and Courtney McGahee

Citation: The Physics Teacher 57, 582 (2019); doi: 10.1119/1.5135781

View online: https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5135781
View Table of Contents: https://aapt.scitation.org/toc/pte/57/9
Published by the American Association of Physics Teachers

ARTICLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Polarization Imaging Application with Smartphones

The Physics Teacher 57, 594 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5135784

Electrocardiography with a Smartphone

The Physics Teacher 57, 586 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5135782

That’s the way the ball bounces

The Physics Teacher 57, 639 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5135799

Frequency and Pitch

The Physics Teacher 57, 630 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5135796

Electric Circuits as Seen by Thermal Imaging Cameras

The Physics Teacher 57, 597 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5135785

Two Looks at the Periodic Table

The Physics Teacher 57, 616 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5135791
A PVC Geodesic Dome Planetarium
Jeff Regester, High Point University, High Point, NC
Courtney McGahee, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

A
planetarium is an invaluable tool for teaching in-
troductory astronomy, but one that few astronomy
educators have ready access to. Here we describe a do-
it-yourself planetarium that can be built with modest funding.
There have been other planetarium construction projects
described in the literature1 and online,2 most of which use
cardboard to make multiple faces, which are then fastened
together to form a dome that serves as the planetarium pro-
jection surface. Our design uses a skeletal dome that supports
a hemispherical cloth projection screen. A computer LCD
projector, reflecting off a diverging half-dome security mirror
on the interior edge of the dome base, serves as the starfield
projector. The open-source sky simulation software Stellarium
has the necessary features to pre-distort the sky image appro-
priately so that, after reflection from the diverging mirror, the
dome is properly filled.3
Our motivations for this project were multiple. Low cost is Fig. 1. Geodesic dome planetarium.
a major factor, of course, but another advantage is its tempo-
rary and portable nature—it can be set up where and when it
is needed and stored when it is not. For schools where astron-
omy is not taught every semester, dedicating space to a per-
manent planetarium dome may not be feasible. Outreach and
public events may benefit from having a planetarium set up
at an off-site venue. That being said, there is nothing here to
preclude a larger and/or permanent planetarium being built
using this design. Lastly, aside from the benefits of having a
planetarium on hand as a teaching tool, the actual construc-
tion of a planetarium is itself an engaging student project.
We have built two of these planetariums, both of 14-ft Fig. 2. Connector hubs.
diameter, which is large enough to accommodate a dozen peo-
ple sitting on the floor. Lessons learned from the first, built by triangles allows for a better approximation of a sphere, but
Regester and students, were then applied to the second, built its implementation entails a more complex construction, i.e.,
by McGahee and a student. more struts and hubs will be required, as well as a greater
number of different strut lengths. We built what are called,
Construction in geodesic dome jargon, “3V 5/8th” domes. The 3V refers to
The planetarium consists of three main parts: the geodesic the “frequency” of the dome and serves as a way to indicate its
dome, the screen, and the projection system. The tools needed complexity as described above. The 5/8th indicates that the
are a saw (hand or power, depending on desire and availabil- dome is actually 5/8th of a sphere, rather than a hemisphere.
ity) to cut PVC, a heavy-duty sewing machine, scissors, and a This puts the equator of the dome, which will be the horizon
grommet tool. of the projected sky, somewhat above the bottom of the dome.
The dome is constructed of 1/2-in PVC pipe. Standard Our domes, which are 7 ft in radius, just barely fit in a room
plumbing connectors available at home improvement stores with a standard 8-ft ceiling.
will not do to construct a dome because nonstandard geom- The PVC can be purchased in 10-ft or 20-ft lengths and
etries are required. Appropriate connectors (“hubs”) can be cut with a hacksaw or chop saw. Setting up some type of jig so
purchased from online suppliers. Our hubs (see Fig. 2) were each piece in a set is cut to consistent length is crucial. As each
purchased from a company, Sonostar, whose website features is cut, it should immediately be marked with colored tape, a
a dome calculator that determines the necessary number and sticker, or permanent marker according to the color code used
length of the struts, and the number and type of hubs for sev- on the dome calculator diagram.
eral different types of geodesic domes. The screen is constructed of a number of tapered panels
Most geodesic domes are based on icosahedrons, con- of fabric, or gores. We used a spreadsheet4 to calculate the
structed of a mix of pentagons and hexagons that are them- specific shape of the gores needed to produce a hemisphere, or
selves formed from triangles. A design that uses smaller rather, 5/8ths of a sphere to fit within our 3V 5/8th dome. The

582 THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 57, December 2019 DOI: 10.1119/1.5135781

Fig. 3. Screenshot of the “Dome Calculator” from the Sonostar website.
Fig. 4. Geometry used to derive the gore shape.
Fig. 5. Profile of a dome gore. The black lines are the seams, the bottom six feet of one seam unsewn, and instead sew a few
blue line is the cut line.
width of a gore at a particular point is the circumference of a
horizontal circular cross section of the hemisphere, through
that point, divided by the number of gores desired. The
circumference c(s) of a circular slice of a sphere of radius R,
sliced parallel to the equator, as a function of the arc length s
along a meridian from the equator to that circular slice, is
c(s) = 2 R ∙cos(s/R),
where s/R is the "latitude," in radians. The total width of the
gore at that latitude, GW, is then c(s) divided by the number
THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 57, December 2019
of gores desired, plus an
allowance for the seam.
It is important to make
sure that R, the radius of
the spherical screen, is a
bit less than the radius of
the geodesic dome, so the
screen can be fully expand-
ed when suspended on the
inside of the dome.
Using a larger number
of gores will ensure that the
screen will more closely
resemble a sphere, but it
will also require more time
and labor. We used 12 and
10 gores for our first and
second domes, respectively, but wish we had used a larger
number. Note that the 3V dome has fivefold symmetry, so it is
useful if the number of gores used is a multiple of five. Using
such a number of gores will ensure that the seams between
the gores can be aligned with the dome skeleton, and will pro-
vide more suspension points for greater stability.
For our design we used the spreadsheet output to create
a template using butcher paper, which for our dome dimen-
sions was 3.9 m long. A template can be constructed by draw-
ing a line along the center of the paper and then marking a
distance, GW/2, to the left and right of the centerline, every
10 cm. Draw a line connecting the dots on either side of the
centerline and cut along those outer lines. This pattern can
then be used to repeatedly trace the shape of the gore onto the
fabric for cutting. The spreadsheet should include an allow-
ance for the seam so that after cutting the gore, one should
be able to easily mark the stitch line for sewing by following
along the shape of the gore, one to two inches from the edge
of the fabric.
Our first screen was made from a heavy white canvas; the
second was made from vinyl. For both fabrics, it was neces-
sary to use a heavy-duty sewing machine to stitch the gores
together. Our canvas dome weighs 34 lb, and the vinyl version
60 lb. To reduce the weight of the material being handled
during the sewing process, make two- or three-gore sections
first, then sew those sections together as a last step. Leave the
VELCRO® hook and loop tabs onto the mating sides. This
will constitute a door.
Once the screen is sewn, install grommets along the
seam tabs at locations corresponding to the horizontal or
almost-horizontal struts of the dome. Either thin VELCRO®
straps or mini-bungee cords can be threaded through the
grommets and wrapped around the dome struts and hubs to
support the screen.
The last major component is the projection system. We
used a laptop computer running Stellarium and an LCD pro-
jector. The projector’s light is reflected off a half-dome secu-
rity mirror sitting at the edge of the dome, elevated so as to be
583

Fig. 6. Marking and cutting the gores.
at the dome’s equator. Projecting from the edge of the dome,
rather than the center, leaves the center free for spectators,
which is ideal because the center is where the image is best
viewed with a minimum of perspective distortion.
For the best image, use the highest-resolution projector
possible. It is essential to acquire a projector with “rear pro-
jection” capabilities, because the mirror reflection flips the
image left-right. Access to the rear projection mode should
be available in the projector’s “Settings” menus. Additionally,
Stellarium’s settings will need to be adjusted and can be ac-
cessed through the configuration menu. The “spheric mirror
distortion” option should be turned on and will remap the
image so it is not distorted after reflection from the half-dome
mirror. The “gravity labels” option should also be enabled,
making text labels horizontal on the dome rather than on
the computer's screen. In Stellarium’s viewing options menu,
stereographic projection needs to be selected. The zenith will
have to be panned to the top of the dome screen and then the
view will need to be zoomed out to a 270° FOV. Stellarium has
a configuration file, config.ini, which is loaded at startup. It
contains parameters that are used by the spheric mirror dis-
tortion mapping, such as dome radius and the location and
orientation of the projector. The file can be edited appropri-
ately for your setup with any plain-text editor.
Setup process
If the screen material you use is at all translucent, the
planetarium will need to be set up in a room that can be
darkened. We found that even the vinyl screen works best
when in a dark environment. With experience, assembling
the dome and screen takes about an hour for a two-person
team. (The first time will take longer!) Start with the base and
work upwards, following the color-coded diagram provided
by Sonostar. Press the struts into the hubs firmly, but do not
hammer them into place. Hammering will make the disas-
584 THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 57, December 2019
sembly process much more difficult.
Omit one horizontal strut from the first
level above the floor to create a dia-
mond-shaped access door.
The base does not actually sit flat
on the floor. Only every third base hub
is on the ground; the others should be
supported with small wood blocks cut
to the needed thickness.
Hang the screen starting at the top,
using mini-bungees or VELCRO® cable
ties to connect the grommet points to
the dome structure. Be sure to align the
VELCRO® -tabbed seam of the screen
with the “door” of the dome—all this is
to no avail if you can’t get inside.
Cost
There are comparable-size commer-
cial portable planetariums available.
These are easier to set up than ours, but
of course the expense is greater, with prices starting at about
$7000. For this project, in the case where all components
need to be purchased new, the total cost for a 7-ft radius 3V
5/8th dome is roughly $1600. The fabric for the screen, the
projector, and the Sonostar hubs constitute the majority of
the cost at roughly $300, $600, and $500, respectively. Our ex-
perience has been that the cost can be mitigated by the dona-
tion of materials. For example, old stage curtains can serve as
the projection screen if you have a theatre department willing
to donate such material.
Fig. 7. The half-dome projection mirror.
Proposed improvements
Although we have built two of these planetariums—the
second using lessons learned from the first—we do not claim
to have achieved perfection. We recommend using 15 or 20
gores. Although this will increase the amount of sewing to be
done during construction, the final screen will be much more
spherical. This is a key advantage over the cardboard faceted
domes alluded to in our introduction.
Conclusion
McGahee’s planetarium was used in public outreach events
hosted by Appalachian State University’s College of Arts and
Look What’s in
The Physics Store!
Sciences, and Regester’s planetarium has been used in high
school astronomy classes. The planetariums proved to be
very effective demonstrating the different movements of stars
over various timescales, for example the distinction between
sidereal and solar days and the resulting changes in evening
constellations throughout the year. The time-lapse capability
of Stellarium along with the planetarium’s accurate spatial
representation of the sky makes these effects easy to demon-
Fizz: Nothing is
strate. During an outreach event hosted by Appalachian State
during the August 2017 solar eclipse, the planetarium allowed
visitors to see how the motions of the Sun and the Moon dif-
as it seems by Zvi Schreiber
fer from those of the stars, and to witness the exact alignment
of the Sun and Moon during the eclipse even though there A YOUNG WOMAN’S QUEST TO UNRAVEL THE UNIVERSE
was significant cloud cover that day. We are so pleased with
The future. In response to environmental degradation,
the planetarium’s effectiveness as a teaching tool that plans
are currently being developed to use the planetarium regular- the Eco-community sect eschews science and technology,
ly in a yearly STEAM Expo hosted by Appalachian State. returning to an austere agricultural life of nature-worship.
But one young member, Fizz, struggles to reconcile these
Acknowledgments doctrines with her own burning curiosity. Risking life and
We thank our former students Matt Amend, Dylan Plaster, social standing, Fizz embarks on a quest that brings her
Patrick Sullivan, and Daniel Everhart for their enthusiastic
face-to-face with the often-eccentric giants of physics,
and valuable participation in this project.
from Aristotle and Galileo to Einstein and Hawking. One
References encounter at a time, Fizz pieces together the intricate
1. Schade and Boyt, “Construction of an inexpensive planetari- workings of our universe, while struggling with the
um,” Phys. Teach. 11, 341–345 (Sept. 1973), and Sweedy, resulting intellectual, moral, and personal challenges.
“Planetarium shells,” Phys. Teach. 14, 110 (Feb. 1976).
2. Such as by Jeff Adkins and Cheryl Domenichelli at http://
cccoe.net/stars and Nola Redd's article at http://www.space. All proceeds will be used to support AAPT’s
com/23579-build-your-own-planetarium-science-fairprojects. Student Fund, which primarily goes to the
html.
3. An anonymous referee informed us that the American Astro-
Outstanding Student program!
nomical Society’s WorldWide Telescope can also be used on
small spheric-mirror dome projection systems.
4. Our spreadsheet may be downloaded from TPT Online at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.5135781, under the Supplemental Members: $7.50
tab. Non-Members: $9.50
Jeff Regester is an instructor of physics and astronomy at High Point
University who occasionally chases the shadows of Kuiper Belt Objects
across the Earth.
jregester@highpoint.edu

Dr. Courtney McGahee is an assistant faculty member in her 6th year at

Appalachian State University. Her research involves studying the atmo-
spheres of chemically peculiar and rare stars.

CELESTIAL BOOMERANG
by Slim Lapro
Star Gazers are quite in a stew Order yours now at
Not knowing quite what to do. www.aapt.org/store
“True planets,” they muttered,
“Are celestial ‘n uncluttered.”
Oh Dear! Earth’s a nonplanet too!
THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 57, December 2019 585