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The planetarium, one of the main features of Emory’s new Mathematics and Science Center, is a 56-seat classroom space designed for teaching undergraduate astronomy and hosting events and seasonal programs that explore and celebrate the cosmos. When the house lights go down, it’s a place to sit back in comfortable chairs, relax, gaze up and imagine that the 35-foot domed ceiling above really is filled with countless stars as it appears to be. In fact, each one is being projected by a relatively small but hard-working piece of equipment.
There are over 500 Zeiss planetariums world wide. The Emory Skymaster, installed on July 24, 2002, is the only one built on its own rising platform; when not in use, it descends below floor level to be hidden out of sight. Then the planetarium becomes a normal classroom, perfect for lectures and colloquia.
Our planetarium has a direct video feed from the 24-inch telescope located several stories above in the building's rooftop observatory. This means that live astronomical events can be projected and viewed by a large audience in a classroom setting in the planetarium. The image that the audience sees is exactly the same as the image seen through the eyepiece of the telescope at exactly the same time.
The planetarium's primary mission is to enhance the teaching of undergraduate astronomy in the department of physics. It also serves as a resource for other departments and areas of the University interested in cross-disciplinary applications. Faculty and staff members with ideas for collaborative projects are invited to contact the planetarium director, Dr. Richard Williamon or the Chairman of the physics department, Kurt Warncke.
There are a number of special events and seasonal programs are planned throughout the year for the enjoyment of the Emory community and local groups. Topics are most often astronomical, but the planetarium’s cozy ambience and intimate scale make it a setting for live music and the performing arts on campus whenever possible. |
| What can the Skymaster do? |
 The Skymaster ZKP3 shows everything you would see with the naked eye on a clear night under perfect viewing conditions.
It projects over 7,000 individual stars in addition to star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, the Milky Way, constellations, the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and the Earth’s Sun and Moon.
It excels at representing the apparent movement of celestial objects and can accelerate their motion to help make a point.
It is usually programmed to simulate the sky over Atlanta; however, it can easily represent the night sky from any place in the northern or southern hemispheres.
It can also function as a time machine by recreating the night sky for any moment in history—past or future.
And, it can even project line drawings that outline the major constellations—an especially helpful feature for those of us with less imagination than the ancient astronomers who named them thousands of years ago. |
| Observatory |
Few pieces of modern scientific equipment have the majesty of an astronomical telescope. The gleaming white, yellow and black DFM Cassegrain telescope housed in Emory’s new observatory is no exception. Located within the silver dome atop the Mathematics and Science Center, it is the centerpiece of the physics department’s new astronomy program and one of the major attractions on campus.
This telescope's 24-inch mirror affords it the "light gathering" ability to see deeply into the universe. Those using it can either look through the eyepiece directly into the heavens, or they can attach a CCD camera and observe their chosen subject on a computer monitor. In this case, the camera's small but powerful chip makes a record of what is being observed. Data is collected as long as the shutter stays open; when it closes, the data is read out from the camera and collected by the computer.
The observatory also includes a spacious observation pad where mounts for 10 smaller telescopes await astronomy students throughout the year. It’s a great place to survey the campus and enjoy an evening under the stars. |
| Contact, Address and Website |
| Phone: 404-727-6584 - Address: Department of Physics, Math & Science Center, 400 Dowman Dr., N201, Atlanta, GA 30322 - Emory University Planetarium and Observatory Website |
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