Melbourne Planetarium Presentations at IPS2014

Posted on June 29, 2014 by warikl

During the IPS2014 conference all three attendees from Museum Victoria presented papers.

Tanya Hill presented – GAMA: A new astronomical dataset exploring cosmology and galaxy evolutions.  This paper was very well received as Tanya demonstrated how planetariums can now work directly with astronomers to bring their datasets into the dome.  Following her paper, Tanya was interveiwed by a local Chinese television station.

Tanya Presenting

Warik Lawrance presented – More than 180.  This paper looked at the range of lens sizes that can be used in fulldome production.

Warik Presenting More Than 180

And finally Andy Greenwood presented – Breaking the Cycle: a case study of innovative change.  Which looked at the new leasing structure Andy designed for the hardware at the Melbourne Planetarium.  And of course this included his now famous ‘bathtub curve’.

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Vendors Exhibition Hall at IPS2014

Posted on June 27, 2014 by warikl

This year at IPS the Vendors Exhibition area has been staged inside an enormous marquee.  Here are a few photos of the area.

Vendors Exhibition Hall Exterior

Vendors Exhibition Hall Interior

Fulldome Pro are the new kids on the block, having only been in business for five years, but they are already doing  bigs things.  Their presentation of their auto alignment system, which tooks seven minutes in the dome to acheive, was most impressive.

FulldomePro

Jack White demonstrating 'Dark Matter' the latest version of Digital Sky with a brand new GUI

Jack White demonstrating ‘Dark Matter’ the latest version of Digital Sky with a brand new GUI

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IPS2014 Opens in Beijing

Posted on June 24, 2014 by warikl
Beijing Planetarium

Beijing Planetarium

The IPS2014 conference kicked off today at the Beijing Planetarium.  Over 370 delegates from43 countries are attending. Dr Jin Zhu, director of the Beijing Planetarium, officially opened the conference.  It was a lovely ceremony, the highlight for me, was the group of young children who sang two songs, the first in English and the second in Chinese. They were delightful.

Dr Jin Zhu at the opening of IPS2014

Dr Jin Zhu at the opening of IPS2014

The first keynote speaker for the conference was Mr Ouyang Ziyuan, the Senior Advisor to China’s Lnar Expedition Program.  He gave a fascinating account of what the program has achieved and it’s plans for the future, including a permanent moon base.

The conference is now in full swing, with the Vendors Exhibition Hall open and the paper sessions started.  In the evening there was the first of two Vendor Demonstration sessions.  The IPS delegates have been split into two groups, and this meant one group started in the Dome3D theatre and then after the dinner break moving into the 8K Cosomos Theatre (and vise versa, for the other group).

Dr. Tanya Hill, was invited to participate in the Sky Skan presentation, introducing some of the new data sets that she has been working on to put onto the Digital Sky system with the assistance of Martin Radcliffe.

 

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Macao International Fulldome Festival – Award Winners!

Posted on June 20, 2014 by warikl

The awards for the Macao International Fulldome Festival were announced tonight. And the winners are….

Best Children’s Production
Cocomong: A Space Adventure
Producer: Metaspace

cocomong_space_adventure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best 3D
To Space and Back
Producer: Sky Skan

Best 8k
To Space and Back
Producer: Sky Skan

Awesome Light text v4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were two winners for the Best Producer Choice Award
Dark Universe
Producer: American Museum of Natural History

AMNH Dark Universe small

 

 

 

 

 

Musica: Why is the Universe Beautiful?
Producer: Live Company Ltd

musica_why_is_the_universe_beautiful_fulldome_show

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Audience Choice Award
Dream to Fly
Producer: The Heavens of Copernicus Productions

dream_to_flight_fulldome_show

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Local Fulldome Show Creativity Award
Exploring Macau
Producer: 3D Cities

Congratulations to all of the winners!

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Macao International Fulldome Festival – Day One

Posted on June 19, 2014 by warikl
Macao Science Centre

Macao Science Centre

The Macao International Fulldome Festival opened with a flourish today. And I must say day one has been an outstanding success. Everything about the festival has been organised with the utmost care, from the printed program through to the excellent catering. Congratulations and thanks to the festival host Mr. Yip Chee Kuen and his wonderful staff.

Opening Ceremony of the Macao International Fulldome Festival

Opening Ceremony of the Macao International Fulldome Festival

The program is densley packed, starting with the opening ceremony at 9.30am and the screenings in the dome from 10.30am which ran all the way to midnight! Tomorrow is the final day of the official competition section of the festival which will be followed by the Awards Ceremony Presentation.

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A Visit to the Hong Kong Space Museum

Posted on June 18, 2014 by warikl

Hong Kong Space MuseumOn our way to the Macao International Fulldome Festival, Tanya Hill and I took the opportunity to visit the Hong Kong Space Museum. It is a terrific facility, a 23m dome, with 8K projection. We met with the new curator Robert Leung who re-joined the Museum in January, after spending 18 years at the Hong Kong Science Museum.

Robert’s staff gave a very good demonstration of the system including all of it’s interactive capabalities. All of the staff we met were passionate about astronomy, enthusiastic, and very open to sharing information.

We also toured their production studio, where they were able to show me some new software tools they are using, as well as Tanya and I showing them some of our own MV productions. It was a great opportunity for a cultural exchange.

If you are ever in Hong Kong, then you must visit the Space Museum.

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Tilt heads North

Posted on May 9, 2014 by warikl

cole at philly studio_050614

A brand new version of Tilt for the Northern Hemisphere is on the way. The voice recording with the American actors has just wrapped up. Here is a picture of Cole who plays the voice of Max in the Philadelphia studio. And don’t you think he looks like Max too?

Max_Run_sm

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ESO’s Director General visits Australia

Posted on February 24, 2014 by astrotanya

This week, Australia welcomes Professor Tim de Zeeuw, Director General of the European Southern Observatory, who will visit various astronomy centres around the country to speak to research astronomers regarding ESO’s current research program and consider perspectives for the coming decades.

European Southern Observatory, Director General, Prof. Tim de Zeeuw

European Southern Observatory, Director General, Prof. Tim de Zeeuw. Credit: ESO

The visit will conclude with a free public lecture “Reaching new heights in astronomy: the European Southern Observatory” presented by Professor de Zeeuw and hosted by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research and University of Western Australia.

As mentioned at the recent APS conference, Australia is now a member of ESO Science Outreach Network. Please consider joining up to receive ESO media releases and feel free to contact me if you have any related ESO activities or have mentioned ESO through your science communication.

Subscribe to ESO’s Press Room (journalists, communicators): http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/pressmedia/
Subscribe to ESO News (general public): http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/newsletters/esonews/

Public Lecture

Reaching new heights in astronomy: the European Southern Observatory
4.15pm, Friday 28 February 2014: University Club Auditorium, University of Western Australia

The Lagoon Nebula, as seen by the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). Credit: ESO

The Lagoon Nebula, as seen by the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). Credit: ESO

ESO telescopes have made some of the most significant astronomical discoveries of recent times, including the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, the most distant gamma-ray burst, the Earth-like planet Gliese 581c and the most distant galaxy ever seen by humans. Find out about ESO’s current suite of programs, the telescopes that make the discoveries possible and what’s on the horizon for one of the world’s premier astronomical institutions.
website: http://www.icrar.org/news/seminars/events2/eso-lecture
note: tea and coffee will be provided from 3:45pm

Research Colloquia Schedule

The European Southern Observatory (ESO): Present and Future
10AM, Monday, 24 February 2014: University of Sydney, Redfern Campus
2PM, Monday 24 February 2014: Anglo-Australian Observatory, Epping
2PM, Tuesday 25 February 2014: Swinburne University
3PM, Thursday 27 February 2014: Australian National University, Mt Stromlo Observatory
3.30PM, Friday 28 February 2014: International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research / University of Western Australia

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A visit to the Great Melbourne Telescope

Posted on February 20, 2014 by apsplanetarium

Last Sunday, a group of the APS members took a brief pre-conference tour of the Great Melbourne Telescope restoration project. The group was met by Dr. Richard Gillespie who gave a fascinating and insightful presentation on the history of the telescope. After his presentation, we visited the workshop to see the telescope, which is all still in parts, and inspect the restoration progress. On hand were Neville Quick,the Manager for Collection Storage and Logisitics, as well as Matilda Vaughan, the Curator for Engineering, to answer questions and provide further insight into the restoration process.

APS members inspecting the mirror from the GMT

APS members inspecting the mirror from the GMT

APS Members inspecting the telescope

APS Members inspecting the telescope

Wandering through the vast Museum Victoria collection stores, one cannot help but think of the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. This was a fabulous opportunity to have an all too brief glimpse into some of the hidden treasures of the museum. The APS would like to thank Richard, Neville & Matilda, for making this opportunity available.

For more information on the telescope and the restoration, visit: http://greatmelbournetelescope.org.au/

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APS 2014 – Planetarians in the Sun

Posted on February 18, 2014 by warikl

APS 2014 group
Day two of the APS2014 and the conference is in full swing. After many hours spent inside the dome all the delegates bravely ventured out into the dazzling sunshine for this group photo. Apologies, to Tanya, who is not in the photograph. She was unfortunately was swept away by other duties.

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