Visiting a planetarium is the closest most people will get to going into space, so one would want that experience to be the best it can be — with crisp, realistic images and an array of capabilities.
That experience is what Ritter Planetarium at the University of Toledo is bringing to the community with its recently upgraded projector system and software, Digistar 7.
“The colors are crisper, it's brighter, things are sharper,” said Michael Cushing, director of Ritter Planetarium and Brooks Observatory. “So the experience for audiences is just much, much better than our old system.”
The planetarium, which opened in 1967, was closed for renovations beginning Dec. 24 and opened back up to the public on March 31. The $320,000 project was made possible by an anonymous donor. In addition to some general facelifts, renovations covered the installation of LED cove lighting around the dome, two laser projectors, and the software that expands the planetarium’s universe — literally.
The system can be controlled with an iPad, meaning presenters are no longer confined to the computer console in the back of the room and can better interact with the audience. An Xbox controller allows users to fly throughout space.
Mr. Cushing recently demonstrated how the interface can fly away from Earth, looking down on Toledo and zooming out further and further until the observer appears to be in space. From there, they can fly to other planets, landing on and exploring the surface of Mars or flying directly into Saturn’s rings.
“We haven't even cracked into the nearby stars and all that,” he said. “It’s just so many other things that we can do that we don't even know we can do yet.”
Digistar 7 also comes with the ability to “domecast,” which is casting another planetarium’s show into Toledo’s dome in real time or sharing one of Ritter’s programs with a distant viewer.
Every show at Ritter includes a live star talk, showing the constellations and planets that can be seen in that night’s sky. Mr. Cushing said celestial bodies as seen from Earth are now more clearly pictured.
Public programs also consist of an immersive full-dome movie and Q&A session.
A new show, Stars of Pharaohs, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Fridays in April. It introduces viewers to ancient Egyptians’ connection to the heavens. At the end of visitors’ time in the dome on Friday nights, they’re invited out to look through one of the university’s two telescopes.
Saturdays in April bring the kids’ program Zula Patrol: Under the Weather, which follows heroes as they learn about weather on different planets. The shows start at 1 p.m.
Admission for all public programs is $8 for adults and $6 for children, seniors, and UT members. To learn more about Ritter Planetarium events, go to utoledo.edu/nsm/rpbo.
Milo Eckhardt is a first-year undergraduate studying physics with a concentration in astrophysics. She started working in the planetarium in the fall, first with ticket sales and display case designs, and this month will begin leading weekend children’s programs on her own.
“I'm a big constellations buff,” Ms. Eckhardt said. “The ancient Greeks have a lot of mythological stories that they relate to constellations, so I love being able to connect the constellations that kids can see in the sky with a story.”
She hadn’t worked much with the old system in her first semester, which she said should help make learning Digistar 7 easier. She’s scheduled to play around with the program for an hour each week.
Not only does the upgrade enhance the experience for visitors, it also provides a realm of new opportunities for students throughout the university. In addition to the typical astronomy student, departments ranging from environmental science to art have incorporated the planetarium into their curriculum. Mr. Cushing hopes even more students in even more disciplines can now use the space.
“We can bring all these other departments into what traditionally is an astronomy realm,” he said. “Now our software has the ability to do more than that. We can do biology, we can do chemistry if we want to. We're talking with the visual and performing arts about potentially having gaming in here.”
He demonstrated some of the capabilities of the Science On a Sphere package, which is an educational tool developed by NOAA. Some of its functions include mapping aerosols in the atmosphere and hurricane and earthquake tracks.
Wendy Jaquillard is the lab coordinator in the UT Department of Environmental Sciences. She said the environmental solutions lab, a course non-majors typically take, has visited the planetarium since before she was a student there in the mid-2010s. With the new mapping tool, she’s hoping students can better understand the impact of large-scale environmental processes as well as the impact of humans on the planet.
“We don't often get to see it because we're a little removed from the coast; we're far removed from some of these other environments,” Ms. Jaquillard said. “So to see some of the impacts up close is often critical in understanding.”
She’s hoping the updated system can supplement geology courses as well.
“If the updates are applicable to more labs, then we can get more students coming into the planetarium,” she said. “I would like to see them asking more questions about the things they're learning.”
Barry Whittaker is a UT professor in graphic design and game design. His former 3D modeling and animation students have rendered animations to fit the planetarium dome. He said photography students have also found ways to utilize the space in the past, and Ms. Eckhardt, the student, said the new lighting system has potential for color theory classes.
Looking forward, Mr. Whittaker will explore the use of game-building software in the space to activate the dome in a different way, he said.
“Having a dome and having a dedicated dome projector is a very different kind of experience,” he said. “To have that opens up a whole new world of possibility to design for that space.
“If you're at a school that does not have a planetarium ... you're not going to get that exact same experience or the exact same kind of toolset.”
Mr. Cushing will be meeting with professors to explore the new software and how it can support their curriculum.
From students to visitors, and even planetarium staff, Ritter Planetarium presents an opportunity to learn.
“We have a dual purpose,” Mr. Cushing said. “We do educate, that is important. But I think the thing that we really do in the amount of time that we have people in the dome is inspire.
“It's difficult to educate a variety of ages and interests in 45 minutes,” he continued. “But it's inspiration. This kind of facility with these new abilities and the projection system just makes that better and makes it more inspiring.”
First Published April 10, 2023, 11:00 a.m.
