Matthew McMahon, Collections Officer at AOP and lead editor of latest e-book ‘100 Years of Planetaria’. Picture Credit score: AOP
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) is celebrating a serious milestone within the historical past of astronomy and science schooling with the launch of a brand new worldwide publication:100 Years of Planetaria: 100 Tales of Individuals, Locations, and Gadgets, co-edited by AOP’s personal Matthew McMahon.
Printed by Springer Praxis, the e-book honours the centenary of the primary public planetarium, which opened its doorways on the Deutsches Museum in Munich in Might 1925, showcasing the ground-breaking Zeiss Mark I opto-mechanical projector. Over the following century, the planetarium developed into a worldwide image of science, tradition, and creativeness.
Because the lead editor of this landmark quantity, McMahon labored alongside co-editors Pedro M.P. Raposo, Mike Smail, and Katherine Boyce-Jacino within the USA to deliver collectively 100 tales from around the globe, from greater than forty contributors. The e-book explores the worldwide impression of planetaria by way of key folks, pioneering applied sciences, and cultural moments which have formed public understanding of the cosmos.
“Planetaria are greater than domes – they’re cultural touchstones the place science meets storytelling,” mentioned Matthew McMahon, Museum Collections Officer at AOP. “This e-book was created to honour the inventiveness and keenness of the numerous people who’ve formed and superior the trendy planetarium.”
To mark the 100-year anniversary, AOP is providing a free neighborhood dome present at 3pm every day from Tuesday sixth to Friday ninth Might, open to all members of the general public. The present will spotlight the historical past of the planetarium, its international affect, and AOP’s distinctive position on this evolution.
Picture Credit score: AOP
Prof. Michael Burton, Director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, praised the e-book’s contribution to worldwide science communication:
“Matthew’s work on this e-book places Armagh firmly on the worldwide stage and the contributions Armagh has made to the event of the trendy planetarium. It recognises the planetarium as an unbelievable device for science outreach and schooling – one thing we at AOP are deeply dedicated to. We’re proud to have a good time each this worldwide milestone and the achievements of our personal staff in bringing this historical past to life.”
Accessible now through Springer and Amazon, 100 Years of Planetaria connects readers to a various vary of contributors – together with scientists, planetarium professionals, historians, artists, and educators – who replicate on how these areas proceed to encourage marvel and curiosity throughout generations.
