--- Christopher Lynn <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I have another question:  Does anyone use Starlabs or submarine
> simulators at their museum, &, if so, what do you think of them?

I've used Starlabs extensively in schools and camp settings and know other
people who use them in museums. For the most part, they are neat and do a good
job of teaching astronomy basics. With the interchangable cylinders, you can
also teach other subjects like biology or geography which is an added benefit
over "traditional" planetaria.

They aren't hard to set up but I've yet to be able to stuff the dome all the
way back into its dufflebag and get it zipped shut. It's a real art form. But
taking it out and getting it blown up is not a problem. I'm a 5'3" weakling and
I can do pretty easily. I'd use a cart for lugging the stuff long distances
tho' as it is on the heavy side and cumbersome. The projector and cylinder
boxes aren't heavy, just big, so they are easier to manage on a cart. The
project is a no-brainer but you do have to be careful not to scratch the
cylinders. It's a bit tricky to get the planets and the moon in the correct
place but not hard. You have to play around with it since they attach by
magnets and you have to position them by hand.

The educational materials that come with the StarLab are excellent. I've used
many of their lessons before. Their manual is really well done with a broad
range of grades and subjects covered including astronomy in other cultures.
It's worth getting the book even if you don't have the planetarium.

But I do think they are a bit overpriced. Not terribly overpriced but there are
a couple of other cheaper portable planetarium options that look really
promising and can use the Starlab cylinders.

Ray Worthy in the UK is a portable dome specialist and can make you an
inflatable dome or a negative pressure dome to any size you want. His prices
are affordable too. He also knows more about the other portable planetarium
options. One is the Cubex out of South America that is a fraction of the cost
of a Starlab. A Cubex set up will run you about $5000 as opposed to the
StarLabs which run around $12,000-$20,000. Cubex cylinders are also cheaper at
like $125 v. $525 and they can use the Starlab cylinders as well.

Cosmodessy is another portable system that is a bit more expensive than the
Starlab but functions more like a "real" planetarium using a starball instead
of a photo-cylinder.  They're based out of Baltimore and I keep meaning to go
up there and see their rep. (I'm near DC, which isn't too far away.)

Goto used to make a couple of portables as well and I don't know if they are
still doing that. Those are also like mini-starballs instead of cylinders. As
of a couple of years ago, they had plans to start making them again but I don't
know if they have or not. Their US rep is Ken in Hawaii, whose last name I
can't remember even though I've met him several times. He wears really loud
Hawaiian shirts to the planetarium conferences. :)

Minolta makes a semi-portable planetarium called the Mediaglobe which looks
kind of like an R2-D2 and works with small permanent domes or inflatable ones.
You can move it with a dolly and a couple of strong guys but it's not something
you'd want to haul to schools on a regular basis. It's also in the over $100K
market but does some really cool stuff. Their starfield can't compare to a
traditional projector in terms of quality but you can do the whole range of
animations, graphics and probably even program in some sub simulation stuff if
you wanted an all-in-one system.

You can also find some really old Spitz portables from time to time that were
made in the 60s. They have an umbrella-like dome set-up and a little
mini-projector. Not bad for the technology.

I think that is all the portable planetaria out on the market. They all have
their pluses and minuses and different capabilities. I did a survey of
portables a couple of years ago for some professors at the University of
Iceland who were looking into getting a planetarium. Starlab is by far the most
well-known and the most common one out there but I think this new Cubex is
going to give it a run for it's money, especially for the price. The guy has
been making his own projectors for years now and has finally broken into the
mass-market.

If you want to know more about portable planetaria or planetaria in general,
let me know. I worked at NASM for 4 years in their planetarium and have worked
at a several others as well. I love 'em. They're so cool. :)

Deb

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