Public Outreach
Planetarium
The Angell Hall Planetarium is located in Room 3118 of Angell Hall, and is the teaching planetarium of the Dept of Astronomy. Seating 25, it has a Zeiss ZKP 3/B projector in a 24-ft Astro-Tec dome. This facility became operational on September 1, 2004, and replaced a manual planetarium dating from 1957.
The projector can display the sky as seen at any location on the Earth at any time. It projects 7,000 stars that can be seen with the unaided eye, the Milky Way, the Sun, the Moon (with phases), and the five brightest planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. A selection of bright galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae are also displayed.
The real power of the planetarium comes from its ability to compress time. Thus for a single night, the change in the night sky from sunset to sunrise can be demonstrated in just a few minutes. How the Sun, Moon, and planets move throughout the year can be shown in minutes, not months.
The facility is handicapped accessible, with space for two wheelchairs. Assisted listening devices are available.
The planetarium is used in the following undergraduate Astronomy courses: 101/102/160 and the mini-course 127.
Free public shows are given during the Student Astronomical Society's Angell Hall Observatory open house series (usually on selected Friday evenings).
To review your knowledge of the bright stars, here is a free Star Chart from the US Naval Observatory (1.9 Mb PDF file).
For further information on the Planetarium, fill out the following form, or contact the Astronomy Department.
Schedule : This Week | Next Week | Two weeks out (updated Monday mornings)
Documentation: Quick Guide (MS Word format) | Zeiss Manuals
