Major Planetarium to Close

[Volans]

G'day All,

A sad bit of news for all those who want to learn about astronomy and are living in London. The London planetarium is not exactly closing but is dramatically altering its show content. Read this article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2017210,00.html

What I found of particular interest is who owns Madame Tussauds and therefore by extension, the London Planetarium.

Since digital systems have been installed in planetaria, there has been an increasing drive by the "bean counters" in charge of such operations to use the planetarium dome for purposes other than astronomy. Basically this turns a planetarium into just another cinema but with a slightly odd screen.

Peter.

[Argonavis (William)]

The "problem" with planetaria is that they do one thing and one thing only, which is simulate the night sky. Everything else is just as good on a normal flat screen. When you have this limited functionality, you have a very limited market who are prepared to pay for this experience, especially in the modern world of PC games and IMAX and home theatres. Even normal cimemas are having a problem with falling attendances. I really think that the era of the planetarium is almost over. The world of the suburban cinema is certainly over, as movies are now shown at large cimema complexes, and some of these are marginal.

It is a numbers game, you need to fill seats. Planetaria have trouble competing with other entertainment options, and it is an entertainment option as any educational functions can be adequately done by other means. PC planetarium programs projected onto a white screen are adequate for educational purposes.

The problem is that someone has to pay for these facilites, either by direct payment at the door or via a subsidy. You will only get a subsidy as long as you are a cultural icon, which means you are competing with the more popular museums and art galleries and theatres. You probably get a subsidy equivalent to, say, a popular theatre yet (I suspect) have far fewer attendees. It is going to be a real challenge for planetaria directors to persuade their funding bodies that they are a protected species, and not just another entertainment venue subject to market forces like the rest of us.