Movies and shows seem very plug-and-play in our digital era. Pop in a DVD, program the DVR, or go to the movie or IMAX theater where they play a digital file from a hard drive. However, a planetarium show is more a choreography between the digital and the mechanical- a theatrical performance where the actors are projectors and computers. If the audio, star projector, lasers, and 3 immersive video projectors don't all work in concert, the show will not be accurate and entertaining. This week, the planetarium staff has been hard at work installing and programming the new holiday show, Seasons of Light. It is more theatrical media than movie theater, and the process is interesting for anyone who likes to tell a story using technologies and digital media. When you purchase a planetarium show, what does it look like? You get three things; a CD with a soundtrack, a DVD full of image files, and a script that includes the timeline and the production notes for all your special effects. Next comes the work of integrating and editing all of these components into a single show program that the theater's main computer will follow. This program is what tells the star projector to turn on and off when you want to see the night sky, it shows the 3 projector immersive movie that wraps around the front of the theater, it points the laser constellation outlines and makes meteorites flash across the dome, it synchs the music to the video, and finally, this program will move planet and sun projectors around in their proper seasonal locations. We hope you will come and see Seasons of Light this holiday season, but know that these shows are much more than just a movie, they are mechanical movements and hours of programming and planning, all for the love of the stars. For Season of Light show times, see http://louisville.edu/planetarium/events
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