Cosmosdyssee Portable Planetarium

As a result of a new agreement between the East of England Science Learning Centre and TSN, the Portable Planetarium will now be held by TSN from September to mid - December each year. It will be available for schools in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to borrow during this period. The loan period is for a week (collect on Friday, return the following Thursday) and the new charge will be £50, to include training if necessary. It is essential that schools who have not borrowed the planetarium before complete a short training session. This will be held at the John Innes Centre and will cover setting up, running and dismantling the equipment. Up to 3 teachers from each school can attend.

The Cosmodyssee offers a wide range of advanced features. It can project the entire Northern and Southern celestial sphere, show a realistic version of the Milky Way, the phases of the moon and images of the planets. A planetarium allows astronomical concepts to be demonstrated in a 3D environment that significantly aids spatial understanding. The inflatable dome is 3 metres high with a diameter of 5 metres and is large enough to accommodate a group of 20 students.

The photograph below shows the 3 components of the Cosmodyssee:the blue bag (aprox 120 x 60 x 50 cm) contains the inflatable dome, the small brown box (50 x 50 x 25cm)contains the pump for the dome and the large brown box (75 x 62 x 50cm) contains the planetarium. The second photograph show the 3 components packed into the back of a car and the third one shows the inflated dome and entrance doorway. The last photograph show the planetarium in place inside the dome.

For more information please contact Carol Hince at TSN carol.hince@bbsrc.ac.uk

going in

inside the dome

Click here to watch a short video clip showing the planetarium being set up during a training session at the John Innes Centre