Stars Northwest Planetarium
Requirements
The planetarium dome requires approximately 25' by 25' floor space
with a ceiling clearance of 11.5 ft. The Starlab dome must be indoors,
there can be no low hanging light fixtures to get in the way, and the
area must be QUIET! If you want to set up the Starlab in a gym, then
don’t plan on any PE classes in the gym that day. Starlab will hold
approximately 30 students. Each program is approximately 45 minutes
long and with entry and exit times this will take about 1 hour. Normally
5 programs are all that can take place in a normal school day. I request
that students remove their shoes before entering, this cuts down on
the wear on the fabric. I also request that no pencils, pens or other sharp
objects be brought into the dome; and of course no drinks, food or gum.
A teacher should be with the class at all times to supervise their entry,
monitor their discipline inside the planetarium, and to see to their
safe return to their classroom. As students enter the dome, the opening
of the entrance airlock causes the dome to deflate slightly, therefore, the
teacher or aide supervising the students should allow three to four
students to enter the dome, then pause a few seconds to allow the dome
to fully inflate again, then let the next 3-4 students enter the dome.
Inside the dome I will have a small electric lantern and flashlights to
help in seating the students. When the teacher enters the dome he/she
will be given a flashlight and should check the seating of students; please
make certain their are no troublesome combinations of students seated
together. I would hate to have to ask some students to leave because of
their behavior, but I have and will if necessary. After everyone is
seated, all lights will be turned off and the dome will be extremely dark!
As the students' night vision increases, they will begin to see the night
sky projected on the dome.