Matthew McMahon, Collections Officer at AOP and lead editor of latest e-book ‘100 Years of Planetaria’. Picture Credit score: AOP
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) is celebrating a serious milestone within the historical past of astronomy and science training with the launch of a brand new worldwide publication:100 Years of Planetaria: 100 Tales of Individuals, Locations, and Units, co-edited by AOP’s personal Matthew McMahon.
Revealed by Springer Praxis, the e-book honours the centenary of the primary public planetarium, which opened its doorways on the Deutsches Museum in Munich in Could 1925, showcasing the ground-breaking Zeiss Mark I opto-mechanical projector. Over the following century, the planetarium developed into a world image of science, tradition, and creativeness.
Because the lead editor of this landmark quantity, McMahon labored alongside co-editors Pedro M.P. Raposo, Mike Smail, and Katherine Boyce-Jacino within the USA to carry collectively 100 tales from all over the world, from greater than forty contributors. The e-book explores the worldwide affect of planetaria by way of key folks, pioneering applied sciences, and cultural moments which have formed public understanding of the cosmos.
“Planetaria are greater than domes – they’re cultural touchstones the place science meets storytelling,” mentioned Matthew McMahon, Museum Collections Officer at AOP. “This e-book was created to honour the inventiveness and keenness of the numerous people who’ve formed and superior the fashionable planetarium.”
To mark the 100-year anniversary, AOP is providing a free neighborhood dome present at 3pm every day from Tuesday sixth to Friday ninth Could, open to all members of the general public. The present will spotlight the historical past of the planetarium, its international affect, and AOP’s distinctive function on this evolution.
Picture Credit score: AOP
Prof. Michael Burton, Director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, praised the e-book’s contribution to worldwide science communication:
“Matthew’s work on this e-book places Armagh firmly on the worldwide stage and the contributions Armagh has made to the event of the fashionable planetarium. It recognises the planetarium as an unbelievable software for science outreach and training – one thing we at AOP are deeply dedicated to. We’re proud to have fun each this worldwide milestone and the achievements of our personal crew in bringing this historical past to life.”
Accessible now by way of Springer and Amazon, 100 Years of Planetaria connects readers to a various vary of contributors – together with scientists, planetarium professionals, historians, artists, and educators – who replicate on how these areas proceed to encourage surprise and curiosity throughout generations.
