Ron Henderson

Ron.Henderson@mtsu.edu

Ron Henderson

Physics and Astronomy

Discipline specific equipment

WPS 212

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Astronomy 1031 is taught to 800 undergraduate students yearly for general education science requirements. One laboratory involves the use of a planetarium that projects a representation of the night sky on the inside surface of a portable dome. Our current planetarium uses 40+ year old technology that projects a light through holes in a surrounding cylinder. The star images are dim, and instructors are limited to showing objects previously imprinted on the cylinder. In fact, the department recently discontinued using the old planetarium due, in part, to the disappointing visual outcome and difficulty students had in seeing the dim projection. Digital planetariums combine the image and movie capabilities of a computer with the increased brightness of a digital projector. While our current system provides a series of white dots, digital systems project actual images of planets, stars and galaxies, and add the ability to interact with the images during the presentation. Digital planetarium experiences are educational and exciting for participants; just ask Associate Vice Provost David Cicotello, who was so impressed with an on-campus demonstration that he tried (unsuccessfully) to find funding from the admissions office. We propose the purchase of a digital planetarium with a 5-6m dome to comfortably accommodate 28 adults. This combination will not only enhance the experience of astronomy students and be useful for other on-campus events, but its portability will allow the planetarium to be used in expanded outreach activities to K-12 schools. Product information is available at www.digitaliseducation.com.