-
Hey Guest!
British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Technology trivia
- Thread starter GTP1960
- Start date
Share this page
Online
Agree. Planetarium projector.
Offline
Definitely. These cost a fortune... could be programmed to show the night sky back in time too.
OP
GTP1960
Jedi Knight
Offline
Exactly right!
it is a Carl Zeiss mechanical planetarium projector (circa 1969).
It is able to accurately display a model of the nights sky from any time, past, present or future, oriented from any point on earth. Truly an engineering marvel.
.......today a computerized device the size of a toaster can do a comparable job.
it is a Carl Zeiss mechanical planetarium projector (circa 1969).
It is able to accurately display a model of the nights sky from any time, past, present or future, oriented from any point on earth. Truly an engineering marvel.
.......today a computerized device the size of a toaster can do a comparable job.
Offline
They had one at the universitie's museum in the town I grew up in. Used to enjoy the show when I was a kid. Got interested in Astronomy, finally got the bigger (not huge 90mm) refractor scope I always wanted. But now my neighborhood is both mature (trees) and commercialized not so far away,so I don't enjoy it or use it as much as I thought I would.
PC
Obi Wan
Offline
Back in the eighties, I went to a planetarium show at a small university. The projectionist explained how incredibly expensive they were to buy and that there was no way their little school could afford such a marvelous machine. So they built it themselves!, mostly out of parts scavenged form surplus aircraft gun cameras.
Yeah, I just checked their website. they've grown and apparently so has their funding. Nowadays they have one of those commercially built toasters.
Probably works a lot better. But nowhere near as cool.
Offline
Grew up with access to Buhl Planetarium, in Pittsburgh. Was awestruck by both the show and that clockwork thing projecting it. They have progressed. :thumbsup:
Silverghost
Yoda
Offline
Same here Doc! Many school field trips there. And the dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.