"United Under the Sky": Impressions of Berlin at IPS 2024
By Matina Payton
2024 marks the centennial of the planetarium: it has now been 100 years since the first planetarium projector was unveiled in Jena, Germany, and the first planetarium opened to the public on May 7, 1925, when the Deutsches Museum opened in Munich. As an ‘extra special guest’ to the conference, we were able to experience one of the two iconic Modell I projectors that were produced by Carl Zeiss Jena in 1923. It had been badly damaged by a fire that burned down Sijthoff Planetarium in 1975, and now had a chance to shine in full working order after being meticulously restored by Romke Schievink, who also oversaw its travel all the way from Den Haag to Berlin. Romke gave multiple talks about the restoration process including a working presentation of this remarkable piece of equipment, allowing us to experience the cosmos as it was first represented by Zeiss 100 years ago! Every single session was fully attended, and I must admit that most (myself included) had a tear in their eye as they departed.
Another blast from the past was Lionel Riuz giving a talk on a the history of mobile planetariums, including our very own StarLab projector, which has now been in operation since 1977.
Over the past century, planetariums have evolved into palaces of wonder, knowledge, and entertainment. They serve as inclusive spaces where everyone is welcome to marvel at the sky and our universe—and explore a wide range of topics, from the outer reaches of space down to the cells that make up all living things, and everything in between.
Fittingly, we introduced Explorer Dome’s newest fulldome show “Voyage inside the Brain” (funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK) which transforms the planetarium into a brain, immerses its audience in neuroscience, explores brain health, promotes audience interaction and aims to destigmatise dementia. We also very much enjoyed seeing other new films and content from domes around the world – even posing for a photoshoot:
IPS was a fantastic opportunity for us to learn, network, and grow as planetarians. It was a chance to discover one of the best cities in Europe (although I am understandably biased, having grown up and gone to school here!) and celebrate in the country where our profession was born, as we work together to guide ourselves into the next 100 years of planetarium excellence.
The stars were, indeed, just the beginning!
