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The centennial of the planetarium

The first planetarium projector was completed 100 years ago, providing the public with an unparalleled view of the night sky. The International Planetarium Society is marking this major anniversary with celebratory events across the globe.

The history of planetariums starts with the desire of humankind to reproduce the unique beauty of the night sky. Marvellous machines like the Gottorp Globe (1664), the Huygens Planetarium (1682), the Eisinga Planetarium (1774) and the Atwood Celestial Globe (1913) could reproduce the starry sky or the motion of our planet. Then Oskar von Miller, the founder of the Deutsches Museum, who was looking for an innovative apparatus for the museum, ordered the construction of what would become the first planetarium projector. Zeiss designer Walter Bauersfeld took on the job and some years later, on 21 October 1923, the ‘Wonder of Jena’ shone its first mock starlight and, on 7 May 1925, the first planetarium was opened in Munich, Germany.

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Fig. 1: The first planetarium projector.

dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo

Fig. 2: The first planetarium in South America.

Julio Etchart / Alamy Stock Photo

Fig. 3

Image courtesy of Phil Schrimsher and A. David Weigel, U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Fig. 4: Distribution of planetariums across the globe.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Planetarium Society, Chicago, IL, USA

    Michael McConville

  2. Planetarium Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Björn Voss

  3. Planetário da Unipampa — Universidade Federal do Pampa, Bagé, Brazil

    Guilherme F. Marranghello

Authors

  1. Michael McConville
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  2. Björn Voss
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  3. Guilherme F. Marranghello
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to
Michael McConville, Björn Voss or Guilherme F. Marranghello.

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McConville, M., Voss, B. & Marranghello, G.F. The centennial of the planetarium.
Nat Astron 7, 1140–1142 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02098-3

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  • Published: 17 October 2023

  • Issue Date: October 2023

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02098-3

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