Free entertaining lecture!
Part of the Winter Education Series presented by
Astronomy Section, Rochester Academy of Science (AS-RAS)
Steve Fentress, Director, RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium presents...

"A History of Planetariums"
Friday, February 13, 2015 at 7pm
RIT Gosnell Hall room A300

With many rare old pictures and strange stories (and some new ones), Steve will take you on a light-propelled hour-long roam through the domes of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Highlights:

- How were milestone planetarium projectors hatched in cultures similar to the Rochester/optics/astronomy/museum culture of today?
- Was a key figure in the invention of the first projection planetarium erased from history because of his wife's ancestry?
- What funny discoveries awaited technicians at Philadelphia's Fels Planetarium when they opened up their Zeiss Model II projector in 1948 after the diurnal motion bearing seized?
- What was Bausch & Lomb's one foray into the planetarium field?
- What extremely tenacious museum volunteer was in the right place at the right time to revolutionize American planetariums?
- How many fixed-type planetariums were built in Pennsylvania in the 1960's? The answer may astonish you. And why were they built?
- As planetariums shift to full-dome video, what color is most important to be able to project really well on a dome? -- Or is it?

Suggestion for parking: Park in RIT Visitor Lot E. Walk uphill and south through the breezeway between the Booth and Gannett buildings. Continue down the hill with Liberal Arts and Wallace Library on your left. The southeast entrance to Gosnell is on your right. Room A300 is the lecture hall right inside that southeast door. Other people prefer to park in Lot S. From there, you'd be wise to check a campus map. See you Friday!