Welcome to the East Tennessee State University Planetarium! This facility opened in late 1962. My name is Dr. Bob Gardner. I am co-director of the planetarium. The director of the planetarium is Dr. Gary Henson of the ETSU Department of Physics and Astronomy. I am a member of the ETSU Department of Mathematics and the ETSU Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and an adjunct member of the ETSU Department of Physics and Astronomy. I am neither an astronomer nor a geologist by training, but I have a deep interest in both subjects and I am therefore, semi-competent in these areas and I can entertain general questions at the end of the show.
The object you see in the middle of the room is a Spitz A3P projector capable of projecting all stars visible to the naked eye. The A3P produces images of over 6,000 stars. We can project each of the five planets visible to the naked eye, as well as the Sun and moon. We can also simulate a meteor shower and a low Earth orbiting satellite, so keep your eyes open for moving objects in the sky!
You are under a 24 foot diameter dome and we have seating for up to 50 visitors. Today we will make extensive use of our video projector. Images will be projected on the dome just above the "horizon" over to my left where the red "N" is, so it is best to sit across the room from me or to my right near either the red "E" or the red "W."
As we turn down the lights, it will get extremely dark. However, when we turn on the electronic projector, it will be fairly easy to see.
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