EurAstro report on the Jena planetarium
Jean-Luc Dighaye, 05 August 2006
The famous Zeiss Planetarium Jena, housed in a dome of 23m diameter and
14.5m height, corresponding to a capacity of about 300 seats, opened first in
1926.
The projector and its accessories were upgraded several times. The present
Zeiss Model VIII 'Universarium' was installed in 1996.
Its predecessor is on display at the city's market. Other exhibits and future
projects can be seen at the Optisches Museum.
Dr. G. Tomezzoli and myself attended a classical planetarium show (i.e.
without laser effects) on NEOs: 'Gefahr aus dem All'.
The planetarium is about to close for a major overhaul.
After the show, the operator kindly showed us the "old" technique behind the
scenes, including numerous slide projectors, and the powerful lasers being
part of the forthcoming upgrade.
Link to Jena Planetarium
Images:
Jena and its Planetarium
Former projector at the Market
Planetarium models and projects
The Universarium projector
Control desk and projectors
The Lasers
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