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Printer-Friendly ModePlanetarium premieres circular cinema
March 1, 2010 —
A newly renovated rollercoaster, spaceship, deepsea submarine and timetraveling machine are available for $6 per adult at 100 Center Avenue in Bay City.
Traditionally, the Delta College Planetarium takes its guests on a variety of adventures, sometimes as cowboys or Indians, sometimes as astronauts who choose the direction of their path through space. And most guests expect a virtual roller-coaster ride at the end of their show.
But a recent $1 million renovation project has added richer color, higher resolution and 12,000 watts of sound.
The Planetarium now offers a wider variety of shows that are not necessarily astronomy-themed and a newand- improved roller-coaster finale.
But most innovative of all is that the movies can be projected on a 360 degree wraparound screen, immersing the viewer on all sides.
The experience is “IMAX on steroids,” as planetarium manager Gary Beckstrom recently told the Bay City Times.
The Delta College Planetarium is the first in the United States to install the new JVC 360 degree system, which allows the screening of IMAX films as well.
Cheaper upgrades are one of the many benefits of the new system.
Much of the funding for the upgrade came from Delta College’s share of federal stimulus dollars.
Old projectors will be sold back to the distributor for partial credit toward the new system. What cannot be sold back will be donated to other planetariums.
Other plans include removing the station at the center of the room to add more seats. This will be completed by the end of the summer.
For now, the staff must make do as they feature new shows, such as The Enchanted Reef.
“This show is obviously more for families,” said William Mitchell, Delta College’s planetarium specialist, as he pointed to the 130 seats filled with elementary-aged children and their parents. “But it’s an interesting way to learn.”
The new system offers a better view that surrounds the audience, and the entire dome is now able to be controlled by a computer.
Before, the video images were produced by slides, as well as something called pointand- line wiregraphics. This left some images rectangular in shape.
“The stuff we were using was like 1980s technology,” Mitchell said. “This [new technology] puts us back on the leading edge.”
Not only that, but the planetarium is back to the top of the list of things to do on a Saturday night.
Six showings of The Enchanted Reef were played last Saturday alone. Mitchell said that only three had been planned, but because those had sold out so early in the day, three shows were added to the schedule.
Mitchell estimated that the average number of guests per day has increased at least tenfold and possibly even 15 times since the installation of the new projectors.
Mitchell is pleased. Due to a shrinking budgets, school group visits to the learning center have greatly declined.
Mitchell said the new system will help bring in children who might otherwise have missed out on everything the planetarium has to offer.
“I want to get them interested in the earth, in science and the universe,” he said.
More shows will be coming soon, such as Earth, Moon and Sun and One World, One Sky, a Sesame Street production.
“This is a great way for students and kids to learn,” said Mitchell. “You see the kids pointing at the screen and talking to each other. It is a way to take a hold of them and show them things. That’s the best way to learn.”