| Armagh
Planetarium was the brainchild of Dr.
Eric Mervyn Lindsay, the seventh Director
of Armagh
Observatory. Dr. Lindsay recognised the
need to bring astronomy to a wider audience
and so set about the enormous task of raising
the capital to construct a Planetarium in
Armagh. After many fruitless attempts Dr.
Lindsay finally secured the funding in 1965
from the Northern Ireland Ministry of Commerce
with some additional capital coming from the
city of Armagh. The project cost a total of
£70,000 which included £12,000
for a Mars Goto star projector. On 1st May
1968 Dr. Lindsay's vision was finally realised
when the Planetarium opened its doors to the
public. |
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WHAT CHANGES
HAVE TAKEN PLACE THROUGH THE YEARS? |
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| Since
1968 the Planetarium has undergone many changes.
In 1974 the main building was extended to
incorporate the Lindsay Hall of Astronomy.
In 1995 the Eartharium was added in anticipation
of increasing interest in the Earth Sciences. |
| In
1970 a dome was erected to house a telescope
for use by the general public. Today the 16"
reflecting telescope remains Ireland's largest
telescope dedicated solely for public use. |
| The
next decade saw the Planetarium branch out
into the production of educational resources
such as slide sets, posters and videos. From
this grew the highly successful Mail
Order department which still operates
today and which has recently been upgraded
to deliver the very best service in modern
on-line shopping. |
| The
Astropark, a themed walkway around the grounds
of the Planetarium and Observatory, was added
in 1995. Visitors exploring the park exhibits
can reflect on the size and scale of the Universe
as they stroll through the beautiful surroundings. |
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| The
star projector has also been replaced many
times to exploit the latest advances in visual
technology. Today the Planetarium uses a state
of the art three-dimensional digital projector
called the Digistar
II to create the night sky. The theatre
also uses digital video and sophisticated
all-sky projection techniques to immerse the
audience in an amazing visual experience.
In the early days, star shows were simple
affairs without panoramas or special effect
projectors but throughout the years the Planetarium
has led the way in embracing new ideas and
technology. Indeed, in the 1980's, Armagh
Planetarium was the first interactive star
theatre in Europe, allowing the audience to
influence the direction of the show by using
push-buttons attached to their seats. Armagh
Planetarium turned the humble star show from
a passive event into a truly interactive experience
for the whole audience. |
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ARMAGH
PLANETARIUM, COLLEGE HILL, ARMAGH, BT61
9DB TEL: 028 3752 3689
© 2003 ARMAGH PLANETARIUM
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