Minnesota Planetarium
Encyclopedia
The Minnesota Planetarium Society (MNPS) is a Minneapolis, Minnesota
, landmark, located inside the Minneapolis Public Library
. The Society currently isn't open to the public, and public shows are not available on a daily basis.
In 1950, the City of Minneapolis built a new central downtown library and, to honor its partnership with science, a planetarium was included within it, the only library outside of Alexandria, Egypt, to contain such a feature. 170,000 visitors came to see the night skies during the early years after opening. From 1974 to 1982, the Minneapolis Library had an agreement with the Science Museum of Minnesota to jointly run the planetarium. The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library agreed to take over its funding and management in 1982. The Minneapolis Planetarium was shuttered when the central library was torn down in 2002 to make way for the new Cesar Pelli-designed facility that would be funded largely through a city referendum. Plans called for a new planetarium with surrounding exhibit space to be built as the library’s fifth and sixth floors. Financing for construction of this project was to come through bonds authorized by the State of Minnesota. When this strategy was initially determined, it seemed quite likely to gain State support as it was a statewide resource: From the opening to the closing of the old planetarium, over 4 million Minnesota visitors took advantaged of the facility and its star-shows programs. Even in its last years, with no new capital investment or equipment since its inception, no marketing and no formal school contracts, the planetarium thrilled 70,000 visitors per year.
When the Minneapolis Public Library
was torn down in 2002, the former planetarium was shuttered with the understanding that it would be rebuilt as part of the new library.
in New York City
. The system utilizes innovative software, Uniview, and was designed by Swedish academics at Linköping University
along with scientists at the American Museum of Natural History
. The software digitally contains all the known imagery in the universe. Now visitors are not bound by earth with only a view of the stars, as in old planetariums, they can travel anywhere in space, fly through the Orion nebula
to witness the birth of new stars, or visit billions of galaxies in the vast regions of space. Looking back from space, visitors see Earth as never before, watching the changes on its surface from yesterday or from billions of years ago. This immersive imagery is possible because of a revolutionary fish-eye-lens projection system developed by Elumenati Inc. With Uniview, a visitor steps into a 3D world where huge leaps of time and space can be taken—all proportioned to a small convex space. The space? An inflatable, mini, portable planetarium fabricated in Minnesota especially for Uniview. This dome seats 25-35 visitors, can be collapsed and transported (easily fitting into the back of a minivan) and sets up relative quickly in a school gymnasium or other similar expansive indoor space. The Minnesota Planetarium Society, realizing the power of this technology combination, was the first organization in the world to purchase the package. It named the dome “The ExploraDome” and the program it was to field “the ExploraDome Immersive Learning Program.”
2004: The Minnesota Planetarium Society submitted a $24.1 million funding request for a Minnesota Planetarium & Space Discovery Center to be built in the new Minneapolis Public Library
building. The planetarium didn't make it onto Governor Tim Pawlenty's
list of capital bonding projects.
2005: The Minnesota Legislature granted $22 million in funding via a bonding bill. The new Planetarium was intended to be built on the 5th floor of the new Minneapolis Public Library
building.
2011: During the July 2011 special "Government Shutdown"
session of the Minnesota Legislature, the bonding authorization of $22 million for the Minnesota Planetarium was cancelled. During the 2011 legislative session, the House Capital Investment Committee looked closely to de-fund projects bonded in previous years, but had yet to start construction. The intent was to free up money for projects that are ready to go. In this bill, several projects were marked for defunding, including the Minnesota Planetarium, which was approved at $22 million in 2005. On the morning of July 14, 2011, Governor Mark Dayton
announced that he would reluctantly sign the budget proposed by the Republican legislative leadership.
professor and MnPS board member was interviewed by the Star Tribune
. The interview disturbed cherished assumptions about astrology
: many people assumed that they had been born under a particular sun sign, associated with their birthday according to a table dating back to the time of Claudius Ptolemy. Kunkle has published a new table, corrected for the precession
of the Earth's orbit, which changes the signs of most people. For example, a person born in early July would be a Gemini
, not a Cancer
.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, landmark, located inside the Minneapolis Public Library
Minneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
. The Society currently isn't open to the public, and public shows are not available on a daily basis.
History
In 1889 the Minnesota Academy of Science was granted space in the Minneapolis Public Library for a science museum. When the Academy disbanded in 1929, the Library assumed responsibility for the science museum in a partnership that has evolved and endured for almost 80 years.In 1950, the City of Minneapolis built a new central downtown library and, to honor its partnership with science, a planetarium was included within it, the only library outside of Alexandria, Egypt, to contain such a feature. 170,000 visitors came to see the night skies during the early years after opening. From 1974 to 1982, the Minneapolis Library had an agreement with the Science Museum of Minnesota to jointly run the planetarium. The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library agreed to take over its funding and management in 1982. The Minneapolis Planetarium was shuttered when the central library was torn down in 2002 to make way for the new Cesar Pelli-designed facility that would be funded largely through a city referendum. Plans called for a new planetarium with surrounding exhibit space to be built as the library’s fifth and sixth floors. Financing for construction of this project was to come through bonds authorized by the State of Minnesota. When this strategy was initially determined, it seemed quite likely to gain State support as it was a statewide resource: From the opening to the closing of the old planetarium, over 4 million Minnesota visitors took advantaged of the facility and its star-shows programs. Even in its last years, with no new capital investment or equipment since its inception, no marketing and no formal school contracts, the planetarium thrilled 70,000 visitors per year.
When the Minneapolis Public Library
Minneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
was torn down in 2002, the former planetarium was shuttered with the understanding that it would be rebuilt as part of the new library.
ExploraDome
To provide programming to a state without a public planetarium, the Minnesota Planetarium Society in the fall of 2006 purchase purchased a revolutionary combination of technology providing sensational new views of the known universe as previously only displayed in large planetariums such as the Hayden PlanetariumHayden Planetarium
The Hayden Planetarium is a public planetarium, part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, currently directed by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The system utilizes innovative software, Uniview, and was designed by Swedish academics at Linköping University
Linköping University
Linköping University is a state university in Linköping, Sweden. Linköping University was granted full university status in 1975 and is now one of Sweden's larger academic institutions. Education, research and PhD training are the mission of four faculties: Arts and Sciences, Educational...
along with scientists at the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
. The software digitally contains all the known imagery in the universe. Now visitors are not bound by earth with only a view of the stars, as in old planetariums, they can travel anywhere in space, fly through the Orion nebula
Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's Belt. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light...
to witness the birth of new stars, or visit billions of galaxies in the vast regions of space. Looking back from space, visitors see Earth as never before, watching the changes on its surface from yesterday or from billions of years ago. This immersive imagery is possible because of a revolutionary fish-eye-lens projection system developed by Elumenati Inc. With Uniview, a visitor steps into a 3D world where huge leaps of time and space can be taken—all proportioned to a small convex space. The space? An inflatable, mini, portable planetarium fabricated in Minnesota especially for Uniview. This dome seats 25-35 visitors, can be collapsed and transported (easily fitting into the back of a minivan) and sets up relative quickly in a school gymnasium or other similar expansive indoor space. The Minnesota Planetarium Society, realizing the power of this technology combination, was the first organization in the world to purchase the package. It named the dome “The ExploraDome” and the program it was to field “the ExploraDome Immersive Learning Program.”
Funding
2002: The Minnesota Legislature agreed to Phase 1 funding for the Minnesota Planetarium and Space Discovery Center at the level of $9.5 million. Governor Jessie Ventura vetoed over 300 million dollars for capital bonding projects - including $9.5 million for the Planetarium.2004: The Minnesota Planetarium Society submitted a $24.1 million funding request for a Minnesota Planetarium & Space Discovery Center to be built in the new Minneapolis Public Library
Minneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
building. The planetarium didn't make it onto Governor Tim Pawlenty's
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
list of capital bonding projects.
2005: The Minnesota Legislature granted $22 million in funding via a bonding bill. The new Planetarium was intended to be built on the 5th floor of the new Minneapolis Public Library
Minneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
building.
2011: During the July 2011 special "Government Shutdown"
2011 Minnesota state government shutdown
The 2011 Minnesota state government shutdown was a government shutdown affecting the U.S. state of Minnesota, due to a fiscal dispute between the Governor and the state legislature. The shutdown started at midnight, July 1, 2011...
session of the Minnesota Legislature, the bonding authorization of $22 million for the Minnesota Planetarium was cancelled. During the 2011 legislative session, the House Capital Investment Committee looked closely to de-fund projects bonded in previous years, but had yet to start construction. The intent was to free up money for projects that are ready to go. In this bill, several projects were marked for defunding, including the Minnesota Planetarium, which was approved at $22 million in 2005. On the morning of July 14, 2011, Governor Mark Dayton
Mark Dayton
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
announced that he would reluctantly sign the budget proposed by the Republican legislative leadership.
2011 astrological comments
Parke Kunkle, a Minneapolis Community and Technical CollegeMinneapolis Community and Technical College
Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a community and technical college located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The college is located near Loring Park and serves over 14,000 students annually...
professor and MnPS board member was interviewed by the Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
. The interview disturbed cherished assumptions about astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
: many people assumed that they had been born under a particular sun sign, associated with their birthday according to a table dating back to the time of Claudius Ptolemy. Kunkle has published a new table, corrected for the precession
Precession
Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotation axis of a rotating body. It can be defined as a change in direction of the rotation axis in which the second Euler angle is constant...
of the Earth's orbit, which changes the signs of most people. For example, a person born in early July would be a Gemini
Gemini (astrology)
Gemini is the third astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the Zodiac between the 60th and 89th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between May 21 to June 20 each year...
, not a Cancer
Cancer (astrology)
Cancer is the fourth astrological sign in the Zodiac. It is considered a water sign and one of four cardinal signs. Cancer is ruled by the Moon. Individuals born when the Sun is in this sign are considered Cancerian individuals...
.