Sparkasse Planetarium Augsburg
The Sparkassen-Planetarium is a planetarium in downtown Augsburg , which was launched by the Stadtsparkasse in 1985 and started operations in 1989.
General information
In the domed hall of the Augsburg planetarium, which is air-conditioned, visitors can follow a lifelike starry sky as well as virtual “journeys” through space. Text, image and music introduce astronomy and space travel.
The scenario includes the sun and moon as well as the approximately 6000 fixed stars and planets that can be seen with the naked eye. You can experience the rotation of the earth, the course of the year, the moon orbit, constellations or comets and meteors as well as trips to stars, gas nebulae and through our home galaxy.
Various programs for children and adults also introduce space exploration and discovery, space travel and geosciences. Virtual journeys on earth and through space as well as excursions into the microcosm are highlights of the performances.
Public events for adults and families last around 75 minutes in total. The program is divided into a main film or a multimedia show and a live moderated part of the starry sky in which the lecturers explain interesting details about constellations, myths or astronomical phenomena. There are also one-and-a-half-hour presentations on special topics that are moderated live - for example, under “Astro-Basics” or “Starry Sky Current” or “Kids Night”, current knowledge is dealt with in an age-appropriate and target-group-appropriate manner and questions from the audience are clarified.
You do not have to register for public screenings that take place daily from Tuesday to Sunday. In order to secure a place, however, it is recommended to make a reservation by telephone or to buy tickets in advance at the natural museum's cash desk.
The planetarium has an event schedule that changes every three months, i.e. quarterly, which can be viewed and downloaded from the planetarium's website. This includes the exact times of the events as well as prices and information about the content of the performances and a recommendation as to whether they are suitable for children, young people or adults. The events are often related to what is happening in the starry sky at the time.
The planetarium is also the venue for cultural events, such as concerts, readings, lectures, radio plays and theater performances. The Sparkasse Planetarium is also involved in the Long Art Night, the Augsburg High Peace Festival and similar cultural events.
In addition to the public events, the planetarium is particularly active as an educational facility in the field of extracurricular education. On weekdays, it offers up to four performances for kindergartens and school classes in the mornings until 2.30 p.m., the content of which is tailored to the respective curriculum.
In addition, the planetarium dome including the programs can be booked for private and business events. In addition to company celebrations and training courses in the S-Planetarium, birthdays and marriage proposals also take place under the stars.
Detailed descriptions of the contents of the events can be found on the planetarium's website.
history
The first public event of the Sparkasse Planetarium took place on February 22, 1989. The planetarium has since been located in the Augusta-Arcaden next to the Augsburg Nature Museum . Until 2008 it showed a lifelike starry sky with the help of a Zeiss star projector in the dome.
In 2008 a conversion to a full dome video system took place (see technology). In 2011 the previous director of the planetarium, Holger Haug, retired. His previous deputy Gerhard Cerny took over the management and has been supported since 2012 by Ines Kaiser-Bischoff (research assistant) and Jessica Treffler (artistic project management).
On Friday, February 22nd, 2019, the 30th birthday was celebrated with various shows.
technology
From 1989 to 2008 an optomechanical star projector of the type M1015A from Carl Zeiss Oberkochen was in use, which could be controlled manually and by computer. In addition, dome-filling images were created with 30 slide projectors : A panorama system with 12 slide projectors and 12 all-sky projectors for a fade-over 360-degree projection, 4 fade-over projectors, two large video projectors, various effect projectors and four fog machines. These were controlled by a Tascam tape recorder with time and control track as well as audio track. The control commands were later programmed and started from an Apple G4 using the Dataton software. The device and the associated control panel would still be functional and are exhibited in the entrance area of the planetarium next to a full-scale model of the solar system.
In August 2008 the planetarium was rebuilt and converted to a full-dome video system . This enables a dome-filling moving image with the help of seven video projectors of the type DLA-HD-100. Since September 2008, a computer system with the Digital Sky and Digital Universe software has not only created an artificial starry sky, but also a 3-dimensional image of the universe. This means that trips to certain celestial objects are also possible outside of ready-made programs and films. With this technology, the planetarium became the most modern planetarium in southern Germany at the time.
In addition to the live controlled effects, finished full dome film productions consisting of 3D animations and video recordings will also be shown. This technique is also known as immersive theater. It creates the feeling of being in the middle of the action, and especially during (camera) trips through spatial representations, the impression can arise that the viewer is moving himself.
In August 2018, the 7x projectors were replaced by 2x VPL-GTZ Series projectors with HemiStar HM4K lenses. Razor-sharp video animations in 4k are now thrilling audiences. The computer system has also been brought up to date so that this works smoothly and smoothly.
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 22 '14.9 " N , 10 ° 53' 43.8" E