Miraikan Planetarium/MEGASTAR II Cosmos The New Program, "A New View," was opened to the public in July 2004!

Transcription

1 Miraikan Planetarium/MEGASTAR II Cosmos The New Program, "A New View," was opened to the public in July 2004! - The integration of the latest space science and 5 million fixed stars, the most in the world! - TO PRESS June 2004 The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (2-41 Aomi Koto-ku Tokyo, Director Mamoru Mohri) and the developer of the planetarium, Mr. Takayuki Ohira, have newly developed "MEGASTAR-II cosmos" which projects 5 million fixed stars, the most in the world. It was opened to the public in July and will be permanently exhibited at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation's all sky panoramic theater Dome Theater GAIA. *The Attraction of the Realistic Starry Sky Formed by 5 Million Fixed Stars The film, which will be shown for the opening, is "A New View." As we searched for the possibilities of MEGASTAR-II with Mr. Takayuki Ohira, without getting caught with the image of existing planetariums being seen as "aimed for children," or "healing entertainment," etc., it was produced targeting adults with intellectual curiosity that had no specific interest in space or astronomy. In order to fully bring out the attraction of MEGASTAR-II, which was highly praised by Director Mohri in terms of "the most comparable thing to the stars which were seen from the space shuttle," computer graphics based on the latest observation research and natural sounds taken from field recordings have been integrated. *A Planetarium, which links people and space The new program is offered along with the starry sky of MEGASTAR-II, which truly recreates the Milky Way's spatial effects including its thickness and the dark nebulae's fine details. The sound effects and the narration take the viewer's mind far away from ordinary life, providing a sensation as if the mind was expanding into a vast universe. Through computer graphics supervised by

2 Dr. Eichiro Kokubo (Assistant of Division of Theoretical Astrophysics of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan) that are used in the film, we hope visitors will get the sense of space's scale and its majesty. Its awesome vastness is about to be revealed by the latest observational research with the hope that people evoke their internal interests towards space, where we all live. < Schedule for MEGASTAR-II cosmos of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation > July 11 (Sun.), Permanent Show 1. Opening: - 2. Running time: 16:00 - (Approx. 30 min.) *regular opening days 3. Venue: 6F Dome Theater GAIA, Miraikan 4. Press preview: July 9 (Fri.), 2004 *Details will be provided later. Inquiries from general visitors National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation 2-41 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo TEL: / FAX: URL: For information on this release, please contact: Mr. Mutsuhiko Masuda (press@miraikan.jst.go.jp), Public Relations Division Ms. Chika Sato (press@miraikan.jst.go.jp), Public Relations Division National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation TEL: / FAX:

3 Reference: 1. Details on the showing program, "A New View" - Why do people look up at the night sky? The film "A New View" starts from this simple question. Maybe the mysteries and wonders felt by people in ancient times as they looked up at the night sky led to today's latest astronomy and space science. From those kinds of thoughts, the MEGASTAR-II cosmos aims at becoming a planetarium, an interactive device, which links people and space as it stimulates the intellectual curiosity of adults. It appeals to a primary sense of humankind, like looking up at the night sky and thinking about the stars up in the sky, as a start. - Evoke a gasp of admiration from viewing the "Milky Way" at its distant reaches. When you look up at the night sky of clear air with no city lights, there up in the sky runs a white belt, the hazy cloudlike Milky Way that looks down upon us. The "MEGASTAR-II cosmos" truly recreates the Milky Way's spatial effects and its thickness and the dark nebulae's fine details that were thought to be impossible with existing planetariums. By the way, do you know what the Milky Way really is? To find that out, as we enjoy the view of the Milky Way that changes along with the season, our minds will get closer and closer to the Milky Way. The first thing that will come into our eyes as we depart the earth will be the starry sky seen from the altitude of the International Space Station (ISS). The clear view with no fluctuations of the atmosphere, definitely different from aboveground, is an exact image of the starry sky which astronaut Mohri had seen. Released from gravity, we will get closer to the Milky Way as we watch various nebulas within the Milky Way. What will happen when we jump into the Milky Way as we depart the solar system, where the earth is situated in, and pass through the closest fixed star to the sun? The starry sky of MEGASTAR-II, with its CG perfectly blending with each other and the climax of passing through the Milky Way, will surely make us feel the grandest aspects of the universe as a new view

4 is delivered to us. - CG images of the great model structure of the universe by the research team of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan What does the universe look like when you pass through the Milky Way? Today, the latest observation can not only identify the position of stars but also accurately identify the position of a galaxy 2 billion light years away. In space, there are many galaxies like the galaxy where we live, and recently we have come to understand that those galaxies create a gigantic structure, which spreads across several hundred million light years. Now, what kind of shape does the structure have? With the full support of The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan's "4D2U Project," the large-scale structure of the universe based on the latest observation data will be represented using full-cg. Today, how far do human beings understand the entity of the universe? One of its answers will spread in front of your eyes. - Sensory Sound-scape, which links the audience, starry sky and the universe Yoshihiro Kawasaki of the "Sound Bum" will be in charge of all of the sound design. He, who has collected sounds from all over the world, will create a space of three-dimensional sound, which will expand the minds of the audience widely, highly and far away. He has always been particularly loyal to real sounds, like sounds of Tokyo, sounds of the ocean, sounds of the wind and sounds of the seasons. Our five senses will become more sharpened and our minds will be able to feel the further deepness of the universe as we pay attention to the stars, not only visually, but also listen carefully to their sounds. And, after experiencing many new views, a message intimate, yet universal, from astronaut Mohri, which he felt when he saw the earth from outer space, will be shared. After you finish watching the program and leave Miraikan, you will get the urge to look up at the night sky. And there, you will find your own "new view."

5 2. Major Specifications "MEGASTAR-II cosmos" 1) Fixed Star Projector (body) -Size: Height 70 cm Width 58 cm Depth 42 cm -Weight: Approx. 50 kg -Method of projection: Projection of lens cut into 32 -Projecting number of 5 million fixed stars: -Fixed star data: Star charts, etc., based on the observatory data of Hipparcos Satellite (ESA) -The date range of AD 2000 ± 100 years reproduction: 2) Supporting Projector - Planetary Projector (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Newly developed Jupiter, Saturn): - Sun Projector: Newly developed 3. "Dome Theater GAIA" Diameter:15.24 m Capacity: 108 seats Venue: 6F National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation 4. National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Established:July 10, 2001 Director: Mamoru Mohri Address: 2-41 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo Japan TEL: (Main) URL: Access: Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Yurikamome (Shimbashi - Ariake),5 minutes walk from "Funeno-Kagakukan station", 4 minutes walk from "Telecom Center station" 5. Takayuki Ohira Background history Born at Kawasaki in Kanagawa prefecture in He began creating planetariums in his elementary school days. In his years in college, he completed the lens type planetarium "Astroliner" in 1991, and it was well received in various places. Mr. Ohira continued creating planetariums while working at an electronics manufacturing company he

6 joined in In 1998, he introduced a portable planetarium which projected 1.7 million stars, the "Megastar" which only weighed 30 kg. In 2003, he completed the new type "Megastar II," an upgraded version that projected 4.1 million stars. After he left the same electronics manufacturing company that same year, he became a freelancer of a planetarium developer. In December 2002, as a Christmas event, the "Megastar" was shown and received a good reception at the tent dome specially prepared for the event. In December 2003, the "Megastar II" was shown at the all-sky image Dome Theater GAIA which was widely reported in the news. Also starting that same year, work on the development of "Megastar-II cosmos" along with the staff team of Miraikan began.