Reaching Beyond the Stars - Other Disciplines in the Planetarium

This article was published in the September 2023 edition of the International Planetarium Society’s Planetarian journal, in the Education Committee’s regular column, Seeking What Works. The intention was to provide an evidence base for non-astronomy education in planetariums to be referenced by the Education Committee’s White Paper The Value of the Planetarium in Education. The version below includes all the references, acknowledging everyone who helped me gather the examples.

September edition of The Planetarian; spot the error! (They’ve been really busy this month, I have no complaint.)

The Lawrence Hall of Science;  Exploring Biotechnology (2022-) 

For me, planetariums will always have the night sky at heart. But it’s inspiring to hear about non-traditional uses of domes in education, especially where these attract new audiences and offer new ways to learn. Evidence of such activity can be found as far back as the 1950s [1], [2]. Some planetaria may be restricted to astronomy and space topics by charitable mission, or choose to stay within this subject area for other reasons. However it feels like such domes are increasingly in the minority. Inspiring examples of non-astronomy educational presentations are frequently discussed at planetarium conferences, and fulldome films present an ever-broadening range of topics.

 

“Being in a dome is like being in another world – you really are immersed in the experience and it can be any experience.” - Ben Brown, Explorer Dome (UK)

 

The intention of this article is to provide a record of some of the ways domes have been used for the teaching of non-astronomy subjects. I will focus on shows with little or no astronomy content, to demonstrate more clearly the ability of the planetarium to provide a unique teaching environment for subjects beyond astronomy. I will further restrict myself to activities where (i) the purpose is primarily educational, with explicit teaching involved, (ii) the learning takes place inside the dome, and (iii) the dome’s unique properties are required for the learning experience.

This tight definition means I will not be discussing primarily cultural performances (eg music, dance, theatre) that lack an explicit educational message. Neither will I include activities which could be replicated in a classroom, or where the planetarium experience is used only as inspiration for later, dome-independent learning activities. I will however include educational fulldome films, which demonstrate the variety of visuals now available.

Finally, I will be using the term “astronomy” very broadly—and rather arbitrarily—to refer to topics I consider to be traditional planetarium topics commonly found in space-science curricula. By this definition, “astronomy” will be taken to include constellations, astrophysics, careers, planetary science, cosmology, satellites and spacecraft. Non-astronomy topics will include constellation myths but only if the myths themselves are the subject being studied.

I will be presenting a variety of examples of educational non-astronomy dome activities, which I have divided into three broad categories:

  1.  Astronomy as motivation for learning in other disciplines.

  2. Astronomy as a meaningful context for learning in other disciplines.

  3. Astronomy is not a significant aspect of the activity, which is focused on other disciplines.

 

My examples will not represent an unbiased nor comprehensive survey. For a start, nearly all my examples use the English language, and many are from the UK. There will be many more non-astronomy shows out there which are not acknowledged in this article! However, I hope these examples will give a flavour of what is possible, and might act as inspiration for those innovators who want to take their domes beyond astronomy.

1. Astronomy shows as motivation for learning in other disciplines

Many shows didn’t meet my strict criteria as learning was independent of the dome, taking place after learners had watched an astronomy show. However, I did find two excellent examples.

Foreign language students can practice their comprehension skills by watching films in the language they are studying. The Buhl Planetarium, Buhl Science Centre, Pennsylvania USA ran such shows from the 1950’s until its closure in 1991, using translations provided by the language teachers. [3]

The Unipampa Planetarium in Brazil also offers foreign language shows, using producer-provided soundtracks. Teachers are given a link to watch the show online in advance of the visit so they can prepare students for unusual vocabulary. [4]

2. Astronomy as a meaningful context for learning in other disciplines

This is perhaps the most frequent way that other disciplines are encountered in the dome.

Many planetarium shows are multidisciplinary, bridging other disciplines. For example, the live-presented Bird Orientation from Celestial Clues (1978) [5] is described in an early copy of The Planetarian, and the fulldome film We are Stars (2015) includes chemistry and biological evolution. But sometimes the other discipline is the main subject being communicated, despite the story being packaged as a ‘space’ show.

Teaching a different discipline within an astronomical context is not only a way to attract new audiences into the dome, but also a way to provide school groups with required curriculum links during periods of study when space may not be on their curriculum at all.

Explorer Dome (UK) offer their live, physics-focused Forces Show (ages 5-11 yr) and Light Show (ages up to 14 yr) to schools in their mobile domes, using space as a hook for these topics. 

Examples of fulldome films that use astronomy as a context for other science and maths topics include Zula Patrol: under the weather (2007); Earth’s Wild Ride (Earth science, 2015); Astronaut (human biology, 2006, 2012); La Luz, Más Allá del Brillo y el Color (light, 2015); A Way to Infinity (maths, 2016), Minnesota in the Cosmos (geology, 2019); and Living Worlds (2021).

Fulldome Studio DN; Legends of the Starry Realm (2023)  

Beyond the sciences, astronomy frames the live-presented UK mobile planetarium show Caesars’ Stars. In this show, experienced history (and astronomy) educator Chris Hudson examines Roman history and geography with audiences aged 7-14 yrs, linking to local sites within the context of Empire and encouraging the audience to howl like wolves.

Films using astronomy to frame cultural/religious topics include Stories in the Stars (indigenous Australian culture, 2013); Deen al Qayima (Islamic instruction, 2015), and Legends of the Starry Realm (Greek mythology, 2023).

3. Astronomy is not a significant aspect of the activity, which is focused on other disciplines

This category of shows is my main focus of interest. Such programs demonstrate planetariums’ ability to fully embrace other disciplines on their own terms, transcending their beginnings as purely astronomical tools.

Physics / Computer Science

Thinktank Planetarium (UK) offer a short, live presentation called Exploring the Atom [6] which uses fulldome clips.

The film Making Magic (2021) is about the development and creation of visual effects for games and film. This context is used to discuss how computers function, and the real-world physics that is required to simulate realistic scenes.

Earth Science

This is perhaps the most common non-astronomy discipline taught by planetariums. Earth-observation data is available through many planetarium software solutions, allowing easy creation of visuals for live presentations focused entirely on the Earth.

Some planetariums are even based in institutions with Earth Science focus:

Science Dome UK (UK) is a small geology-centred science centre with on-site mobile planetarium. They visualise NOAA Earth-observation data and their own 3D dinosaur virtual models within live-presented planetarium shows for schools and public, on themes including geology, oceanography, climate change, and dinosaurs [7].

The Museum of the Rockies (Montana, USA) is a geology/history museum. They created a short film (2013) for ages 11-18 yr using specially-created 3D visualisations of local watershed management concepts, narrated by researchers from the local university [8], [9].

Dynamic Earth (UK) is a science centre communicating Earth-Science themes. In their live-presented show Don’t Panic (natural hazards/ climate change, 2023), they display some Earth datasets in 'inside-out' mode, so that one hemisphere of the planet can be seen across the dome at any one time[10].

At university level, Fiske Planetarium (Colorado, USA) is used for teaching geology and geography to undergraduate students [11].

The Fulldome Database contains over 30 films tagged as “Earth Science” which are unsupported by a clear astronomical context [12]. These include Force Five (weather, 2010); Atlas of a Changing Earth (climate change, 2021); A Place Like No Other (Arctic environment, 2022).

Chemistry

The fulldome film Molecularium (2005) gives a wacky introduction to atoms and molecules for children, teaching about properties of solids, liquids and gases. The fulldome films Sky on Fire: Fireworks in Fulldome (2017) and Hanabirium (2019) present the history, development and chemistry of fireworks.

Voyage Inside the Brain; Explorer Dome (2022-)  

Human Biology

Planetarium fulldome software increasingly offers human physiology models including skeleton and major organs as standard. Similarly to astronomy, biology topics often require the learner to comprehend large scale differences. By zooming in, specialist models or film sequences can miniaturise audiences to fly them through blood vessels and inside individual cells, visualising features down to the atomic scale.

The Barlow Planetarium (Wisconsin USA), has been running the live-presented show “Journey into the Living Cell” for 11-14 yr schools audiences since 1998 [13]. Explorer Dome (UK mobile planetarium, since 1998) offers three, live-presented biology shows to schools, on cells, digestion and neuroscience [14], and Thinktank Planetarium (UK) have live presentations comparing animal and plant cells.

Since 2022, Lawrence Hall of Science (California, USA) has been incorporating special live dome presentations into a wider programme for schools aged 11-13 yrs [15]; Exploring Biotechnnology explores Sickle Cell Disease and efforts to cure it using CRISPr technology. Students are encouraged to share observations about the visuals out loud, and to discuss how they might approach treating the illness observed.

 “The planetarium is the only environment I know where students can truly observe all the key players in biotech, from changes to atomic scale DNA and proteins to the impacts on the larger worlds of cells, whole organisms, and even ecosystems–all while having discussions and sharing ideas.” - Lee Bishop, Lawrence Hall of Science, California USA.

 

Examples of human-biology fulldome films for younger learners include Cell! Cell! Cell! (2012) and Amigos! Inside the Human Body (2014). And the recently released fulldome film Chemistry of Life (2023) accurately visualises cells in beautiful detail, showing the structure and motion of individual molecules.

Visualiseringscenter C, Chemistry of Life (2023)   

Nature

The planetarium also offers opportunities to visualise entire ecosystems, exploring how organisms are interconnected and dependent upon each other and their environments.

Underwater scenes are a natural fit for the planetarium. Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium (Florida, USA) was running their pre-recorded slide-based show Manatee Encounters in its (optomechanical) dome back in 2007 [16], likely developed from a live-presented version. The stunningly realised fulldome film Expedition Reef (2018) explores underwater ecosystems and how environmental management projects are trying to protect them, while Legend of the Enchanted Reef (2021) offers young children an entry into similar themes of ecosystems and environmental change.

The fulldome film Natural Selection (2010) follows Darwin on his voyages, transporting audiences to diverse locations including his home, a coral reef, and mountain top. Other films on biology themes include The Life of Trees (2012), Dinosaurs at Dusk (2014) and Habitat Earth (ecosystems, 2015).

Engineering / History of Engineering

Explorer Dome (UK) collaborated with a local university to develop the live-presented mobile planetarium show, We Make Our Future, which is focused entirely on engineering [17]. This highly interactive show includes historical contextualisation, fulldome gaming, and a challenge to find engineering solutions to help tackle climate change.

Fulldome films on engineering themes include Dream to Fly (2013), Take Flight (2015), and for younger audiences the entertaining 3-2-1 Liftoff! (2022).

Beyond the Sciences

History of astronomy is a topic that finds its way into many shows, with some fulldome films fully committed to this subject. For example Ancient Skies (2013) is a documentary about how neolithic sites in the UK and Ireland provide evidence for the cultural importance of early astronomical knowledge. And Moonshot: The Rocket Pioneers (2022) tells the story of the pioneers who worked to make rockets a reality. History programs on other topics include the war history films The Trench (WWI, 2014) and World 2 War (WWII, 2016). 

Educational cultural tours include Carriberrie (2018), a guided journey through traditional ceremonial dance and song in indigenous Australian communities. The experimental fulldome documentary Lands of the Americas (2021) journeys through the works of artist René Derouin, immersing audiences in the landscapes that have inspired his work. And on the Isle of Man (in the British Isles), a series of informative, live-action shorts about the island’s history have been created by local producers The Dome (2018-2023).

Melbourne Planetarium, Carriberrie (2018)

The dome can also be used for learning about the fulldome medium itself. While at Fiske Planetarium (Colorado, USA), undergraduate digital media students are assigned to produce fulldome photography and timelapse footage as a class assignment. This activity has been repeated every semester since 2017, excluding disruptions due to Covid. In 2022, students from their Media Studies program visited the planetarium to learn about the history of film from rectilinear to fulldome formats. [18]

 

“The potential of this technology to bring people out of themselves and into full immersion in any physical surround, regardless of their own physical abilities, may be the best thing about this "new" era of the planetarium. From exploring within single cells to touring the Universe, anywhere, anywhen, we can experience these things all together.” - Heather Preston, Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium

 

And perhaps my most unusual example of all: the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado, USA)’s planetarium was at one time used exclusively for flight training [19]. This use pleasingly recalls how planetariums have been used throughout history for teaching stellar navigational skills, including to the Apollo astronauts.

 

Final comments

It is clear that this is not an exhaustive list; there are many other non-astronomy programs being run in dome around the world. However, I hope this article evidences the potential of planetaria for reaching beyond astronomy into other disciplines, and shows that these activities are not new, nor rare.

As fulldome visualisation continues to decrease in cost, I look forward to seeing many more non-astronomy live-presented shows and fulldome films that use exciting and informative fulldome visuals to immerse us in new and captivating ways.

Notes on research carried out for this article:

To add to the examples of which I was already aware, I solicited suggestions from the IPS Education Committee, the Dome-L and British Association of Planetaria email lists, and from personal contacts. The personal communications cited in this article are email responses to these requests; thanks to everybody who contributed examples.

Most of the fulldome films mentioned in this article can be found in the Fulldome Database at <https://www.fddb.org/fulldome-shows/>.

 

References

[1] Bishop, J. (2017). Seeking What Works: Welcoming Other Disciplines to the Planetarium; The Planetarian vol. 46 (4).

[2] Glenn A. Walsh (2023), former Planetarium Lecturer at Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Centre; personal communication.

[3] Walsh, G.A. (2009), “Foreign Language Festival at Pittsburgh's Original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center” accessed 07/07/2023 <https://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/skyshow/foreignlanguage/> and personal communication.

[4] Guilherme Frederico Marranghello (2023); Director, Planetário da Unipampa, Bagé, Brasil; personal communication.

[5] Bishop, J. E., (1978); Bird Orientation from Celestial Clues: Some Suggestions for a Planetarium Program. The Planetarium 7 (2), 3-6,26.

[6] Colin Hutcheson (2023); Planetarium Manager, Thinktank Planetarium; personal communication.

[7] Neil Carrington (2023); Director, Science Dome UK, Bournemouth, UK; personal communication.

[8] Rachel Luhr et al., (2013), Natural Science Visualization Using Digital Theater Software: Adapting Existing Planetarium Software to Model Ecological Systems. International Conference on Information Science and Applications, ICISA 2013

[9] J. Eric Loberg (2023); Director, Taylor Planetarium, Montana, USA; personal communication.

[10] Alastair Bruce (2023); Planetarium Manager, Dynamic Earth, UK; personal communication.

[11] John Keller (2023); Director, Fiske Planetarium, University of Colorado, USA; personal communication.

[12] Fulldome Database (2023) <https://www.fddb.org/> accessed 07 July 2023.

[13] Terii Gee (2023); Director, Barlow Planetarium, Wisconsin USA; personal communication.

[14] Ben Brown (2023); Director, Explorer Dome, UK; personal communication.

[15] Ellen Torres Thompson; Planetarium Lead Educator, Lawrence Hall of Science, California, USA; personal communication.

[16] Heather Preston (2023); Planetarium Director, Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, Florida USA; personal communication.

[17] Cockbill, L. (2022), UWE Engineering inspires local children to redesign our world; <https://blogs.uwe.ac.uk/engineering/uwe-engineering-inspires-local-children-to-redesign-our-world/> accessed 8 July 2023. Also Ben Brown (2023); Director, Explorer Dome UK; personal communication.

[18]John Keller (2023); Director, Fiske Planetarium, University of Colorado, USA; personal communication.

[19] Heather Preston; currently Director, Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, Florida USA); recollection from working at USAFA in 2007; personal communication.

Small Sounds

During the creation of a planetarium film, there is one particularly magical moment. I remember it best from the production of Cell! Cell! Cell! back in 2012. The film was produced by NSC Creative in a project managed by Winchester Science Centre.

We were near the end of the production process. We had seen the visuals on the dome. The voice tracks were in place. Adding the music made it all come together. It all looked great; I thought we were there. But in Frankensteinian terms, we had only laid the constructed flesh out on the table. I was soon to discover there was one small but vital step remaining: the moment the lightening hits the apparatus and brings the flesh to life.

This final step was the additional of the sound effects to the soundtrack. Those small sounds which you might not remember afterwards, nor even be aware of at the time. But oh - they make such a difference. Suddenly the film came to life - it felt more 3D, more immersive. More real. I was startled by the power of these small sounds. I found myself pulled into this other universe in a much more visceral way.

Thinking back after this revelation, I realised that one of the first really powerful experiences I ever had in a digital dome was due to a sound effect. It was in ‘Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity’. There is a scene where a red supergiant rises from below the springline, accompanied by a deep rumble. That rumble communicates its incredible size, its unimaginable mass, in a way that visuals alone never could. The effect on me was such that I still remember it today, nearly fifteen years later.

All this makes sense with respect to my more-recent learning about how the mind works. These sounds provide us with sensory information (how hard is that object, what texture, what weight) which we actively construct into our virtual experience by calling upon our prior experiences. All of which surely also makes for a more memorable experience: episodic memory (that of experience rather than facts) thrives on rich sensory information.

So - when writing fulldome fllms, consider how sound effects can be used to bring the story to life.

But anyway. All of this came to mind today, of all days, because this morning I went for a walk. My usual walk, a five mile circuit along the waters at the edge of Winchester. It’s a lovely route, along crystal-clear chalk streams, passing a twelfth century ‘hospital’ and an iron-age hillfort.

Today was different.

It had been raining this morning, so the ground was muddy. The mud squelched and squeaked under my and other walkers’ boots. Dogs’ feet pattered along the chalk-and-flint path. A group of bullocks lazily munched, sucking, crunching, on the shoulder-height brambled overgrowth of the water meadows.

Winter is here. But I heard more birds than usual in the trees above. So many birds! Tiny peeps from all around me, near and far. A swan took off, running along the water, its wings hitting the surface with sharp claps that nearly made me jump. Another muttered quietly to itself as it followed me on my walk upstream.

The waters of the chalkstreams bubbled and burbled, with bright splashes where drips fell from the trees above. Water rushed through sluices and splashed down a small waterfall into the swimming hole. Above, the wind gently rustled those leaves that still held on in the trees, a counterpoint to the sharper crunch of the more abundant leaves underfoot.

Every one of these sounds pulled the scene into a more concrete reality. I was really present. Really there.

Back in town, there was chatter in the market along the high street. I went into a shop and asked the assistant for something. She answered and it was so easy to understand.

Because the only reason I had heard these things - all those sounds that made the meadows so real, my experience so rich - is that two days ago I was fitted with hearing aids.

It turns out that I have moderate hearing loss in the high frequency range. Something that I had been vaguely aware of, but I hadn’t realised how bad it was. I thought I was just getting older, but it’s a lot more than that.

Going to the British Association of Planetaria conference was my wake-up call. I struggled to hear the talks over the hum of the air handling unit, and to hold conversations over the hum of the pubs we visited. But the final straw? TWICE, friends gave me a naughty, conspiratorial look and whispered something to me. And I couldn’t hear a thing. Nothing. I will never know what juicy gossip I missed.

But! I now have hearing aids. Not the fancy £6,000 ones that the Hearing Centre tempted me with, but free ones from the NHS. And they are so small, so discreet, that when I came home my partner didn’t spot them. When I pointed one out, he looked at the other side and said ‘oh do you only have one?’. They are so light that they are difficult to put on because I can’t really feel where they are. Much less trouble than glasses. And although I was warned of sound distortion, it all sounds very natural to me.

So. If you suspect you might be in the same boat, please let me encourage you to get checked out. One of the reasons I did so was because a (younger) friend had written a Facebook post saying how happy he was with his hearing aids. So maybe this post will similarly help someone reimmerse themselves in the world.

Here are some warning signs I missed. Do any of these sound familiar?

  • My partner having extraordinarily good hearing.

  • My keyboard being so quiet that I could type without disturbing people (sorry everyone).

  • Difficulty hearing conversations during car journeys.

  • Missing bits of dialogue on TV shows, especially during whispery bits.

  • Having to concentrate to hear people over background noise.

To conclude, I am delighted to say I am now much more fully immersed in the world. I am available for all future conspiratorial whispers, and will be a much more attentive drinking companion.

And please - keep putting those small sounds into your films. I’ll be listening out for them.