If you're looking for information about the audio-visual medium we call the planetarium theater, you've come to a fine starting point.

The sci.astro.planetarium FAQ

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The Usenet newsgroup "Frequently Asked Questions" list is more of a "Beginner's Guide To The Planetarium". It is essential reading for anyone interested in the planetarium field. It provides contact information for planetarium projector manufacturers and vendors, planetarium organizations, how to subscribe to the listserv DOME-L, and much more.

Read the sci.astro.planetarium Usenet newsgroup. Being non-moderated, there's a lot of junk and irrelevant postings by misguided souls, but occasionally there's an interesting tidbit.

The planetarium page from Wikipedia.

Fulldome digital video

The who, what, when, where, how and why of this new form of planetarium presentation.

Fulldome Resources

Links to equipment manufacturers, hardware and software vendors, and more.

Planetarium Web Sites

Links to more than 1000 planetaria around the world.

Planetarium-Related Web Sites

Equipment manufacturers, hardware and software vendors, laser companies, and astronomy suppliers.

The LNP Dome Theater Compendium
Online!

Excerpted from our Web browser product, we provide information about theaters where our shows may be playing, and those thoughtful enough to submit an update form to us.

Tallying the World's Planetarium Attendance

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Periodically, we summarize the annual attendance figures in our database and estimate a world-wide turnstile count for planetarium audiences. Check here for the most recent projection.

 
Planetarium Distribution Maps

In case you're curious about where they are.

"What in the Heck Is a Planetarium Anymore?"

An essay reflecting both personal and professional views about the state of our chosen profession.

Adventures In The Dome Trade
Bringing the Beauty of Astronomy to Planetarium Audiences
through Images, Art, Music, and Storytelling

A poster paper presentation prepared for the January 2005 American Astronomical Society Meeting.

Worried About Copyrights?

We frequently receive questions from planetarians about the copyright law and how it affects them. Since we're not lawyers, we can't give legal advice, but we can tell you how the issue of copyrights and music usage works as far as our products are concerned.

Some Thoughts On Planetarium Programming In The 21st Century

Summarized from a discussion panel presentation by Mark and Carolyn Collins Petersen, at the Southeastern Planetarium Association conference, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, 18 June 2003

Planetarium 101: Slide Workshop

Summarized from workshops presented at several recent planetarium conferences, we discuss the making of slides in the digital age -- getting images into the computer, and out of the computer onto film.

Planetarium 101: Panoramas, All-skies, And Using The Latter As The Former

Our perspective and advice about these staples of the planetarium show program.

Some Thoughts On Standardization

Summarized from a discussion panel "Planetarium Standards: Elevating the Profession," presented by Mark C. Petersen at the 2000 International Planetarium Society conference

The LNP Planetarium Specification 3.0

An unfinished attempt to define and describe the "state of the planetarium" at the turn of the century, outlining choices for configuring a classic planetarium theater. Pretty much obsolete now.

The L-H-S Level Specification of Planetarium Capabilities rev. 1.0

A 1990 perspective from a consortium of three major planetarium production and manufacturing companies. Pretty much obsolete now.

A Primer About Audio Tape Formats

Many planetaria use some form of audio tape for their show soundtracks. But there have been a variety of differing and mostly incompatible tape formats developed over the years. It can be confusing to the uninitiated. We look at the various types of decks out there, how they store audio on tape, and what this all means for the Loch Ness Productions planetarium show soundtrack tapes we provide. Pretty much obsolete now.

IPS Publications

Located on the International Planetarium Society Web site, several documents prepared for and about the planetarium of the 20th Century include: a "Special Effects Sourcebook" (plans for building home-made special-effects projectors); a "Planetarium Development Guide" (concepts and overviews); and "So You Want to Build a Planetarium", a document with information especially for planetarium projects in the planning stages. These days, many of the topics discussed, such as incandescent slide projector technology and reel-to-reel tape recorders, have become obsolete and irrelevant. But basic questions such as "why and for whom are we doing this planetarium stuff" are at least raised, if not addressed. Worth a look for background orientation, anyway.