Adventures in Planetariums, Outreach

and Other Things

Ka Chun Yu
Curator of Space Science
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Opened June 2003:

120+ seats
11 channel SEOS system
25 deg tilt, 16.4 channel sound
SGI Onyx 3800 (11-pipe, IR4)


Originally intended for real-time shows and pre-

rendered show playback.
Cosmic Atlas
Black Hole Flight Simulator
Andrew Hamilton
(Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity)
Freeing the Onyx ... IMAGE_PAN
Beyond the Onyx ...
Beyond the Onyx ... Linux clusters
Windows cluster with Uniview
Windows cluster with Uniview:
* Experimental star and Earth shows
* Musical concerts:
Gaia Journeys with Kenji Williams (ISDE5 Proceedings 2007)
Richard Pinhas Trio (Leonardo Electronic Almanac submitted)
Education Research:
* First evaluation of effectiveness of fulldome theaters for teaching
fundamental astronomy (National Science Foundation #0529522)
* Collaboration with Metropolitan State College of Denver;
introductory astronomy class students as test subjects
Gates Planetarium: Now and the Future ...
* Renovated to new 6-channel system; re-opened October 22, 2007
* Geography Goes Digital: Exploring the Earth (Apr 16, May 22, Jun 11):
Linux cluster with Phonic-FX:
* Real-time fulldome VJ-inspired music visualization
Growth in Planetariums:
* ~3000 theaters worldwide; half in US
* Currently 375+ theaters worldwide “fulldome” video; half in US
 What to expect for outreach &
education opportunities?
1. 1. Most Informal Education non-profit—limited funding.
2. 2. Opportunities at observatories, telescopes.
3. 3. Steady state the status quo ... look for upgrades, new
installations.
 Some suggestions ...
1. 1. Volunteer.
2. 2. Pick up new/polish old skills ... video, web development,
Flash, computer programming, art and new media ...
3. 3. Be aware of future directions:
1. * youtube
2. * pod-/vodcasting
3. * social networking sites
4. * Second Life, Spore,
5. other virtual worlds