Ron Henderson

rhenders@mtsu.edu

Tom Cheatham

Physics and Astronomy

Discipline specific equipment

WPS 212 (portable)

N/A

N/A

Astronomy is taught to 800 students yearly in support of general education science requirements. One laboratory involves the use of a planetarium that projects a representation of the nighttime sky on the inside surface of a portable dome. Our current planetarium uses 30+ year old analog technology that projects a bright light through holes in a surrounding cylinder. The star images are dim, and instructors are limited to showing objects previously imprinted on the cylinder. Digital planetariums combine the image and movie capabilities of a computer with the increased brightness of a digital projector. There is no comparison. While our current system projects 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 very exciting for participants. We propose the purchase of a digital planetarium with a 6-7m dome to comfortably accommodate 32 adults. This combination will not only enhance the experience of astronomy students, but its portability will allow the planetarium to be used in expanded outreach activities to K-12 schools. FUNDING PRIORITY IS BELOW WPS 201 MASTER CLASSROOM IN CASE BOTH REACH TAF COMMITTEE.