The Planets

Unfortunately, the fall and spring soundtracks aren’t the same length, and at the very end it’s off by a little under ten seconds.

Setup

1. Soundboard: DVD show volume to –25.


2. Video projector: Monitor select and input select to line 1. Brightness and contrast down. Video projector monitor on. To project the show DVD through the video projector, plug the black “Show DVD” cable into the show DVD’s “video 2 composite video out” and the video projector’s lower “line in—1”.


3. Show DVD:
   • For Fall/Winter, The Planets—Fall.
   • For Spring/Summer, The Planets—Spring.
   The video projector monitor should display one large rectangular button labelled The Planets—FALL.


4. Zeiss: North in back as usual, 41° N latitude. Very slow forward diurnal motion throughout the show, but end up at the following position when the extrasolar planet tour begins at 30:00.
   • For Fall/Winter, sidereal time 2^h 30^m to get Orion in east, Pegasus in west.
   • For Spring/Summer, get Vega in northeast, Orion in west. (Not possible!)


5. Universal projector: Orion (#6) if desired, brightness down.


6. Slew, zoom, orrery: not used.


7. Spice computer: DVDPLNTF.CUE for Fall, DVDPLNTS.CUE for Spring. (Was originally one file, DVD-PLNT.CUE, in which audience entered while 39 ' start show was highlighted.)


8. Audience entry sequence.

Show (36 minutes)

1. Launch by pressing PLAY/PAUSE on show DVD or ENTER on DVD remote. When rectangular button disappears from the video projector monitor, video projector brightness and contrast up. Zeiss stars on, very slow forward diurnal motion.


2. 4:00: “… shattered comets … and the Earth gained an atmosphere. This early atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide.”
   Zeiss stars off.


3. 4:25: “…wondered about all these great events that happened so long ago.”
   Zeiss stars on.


4. 36:45: Between the end of the credits and the start of the cove lights, PLAY/PAUSE the show DVD and talk about the sky tonight or recent discoveries. Follow right side of Great Square of Pegasus down to Fomalhaut in Piscis Austrinus below Aquarius, RA 22^h 58^m Dec –29° 37′.

Fall/Winter extrasolar planets

Location shown with green Celestia diamond.

1. 31:04: Sirius. “One of the nearest stars to us …&rdquo


2. 31:30: Pegasus and 51 Pegasi, RA 22^h 57^m Dec +20° 46′. The Great Square is composed of

   Alpheratz	Scheat
   Algenib	Markab

   
   


3. 32:27: Andromeda.


4. 32:40: υ Andromedæ (upsilon), RA 1^h 37^m Dec +41° 24′.
   


5. 32:52: Cassiopea.


6. 32:59: Cepheus.


7. 33:05: γ Cephei, RA 23^h 39^m Dec +77° 38′.
   


8. 33:22: Taurus: “And in the eastern sky …”
   Zeiss zodiac on.
   HD 37124, RA 5^h 37^m Dec +20° 44′.
   


9. 33:46: Eridanus.


10. 33:50: ε Eradini, RA 3^h 33^m Dec –9° 27′.
    


11. Orion Nebula.
    “The existance of these distance worlds is inferred …”
    Zeiss zodiac off.

Spring/Summer extrasolar planets

1. 47 Ursæ Majoris, RA 10^h 59^m Dec +40° 26′.


2. ρ Coronæ Borealis, RA 16^h 01^m Dec +33° 18′.


3. τ Boötes, RA 13^h 47^m Dec +17° 27′.


4. 70 Virginis, RA 13^h 28^m Dec +13° 47′.


5. 55 Cancri, RA 08^h 53^m Dec +28° 20′.

Links

1. Wikipedia Links:
   Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
   Sirius 51 Pegasi υ Andromedæ γ Cephei HD 37124 ε Eradini Orion Nebula


2. Southeastern Planetarium Association show page.


3. Narrated by Kate Mulgrew, Captain Kathryn Janeway of Star Trek:Voyager.


4. Trailer.


5. Cheat sheet.