Planetarium rebirth: multi-media 'omnitarium' coming to York

by Cathy Carlyle

Andrew Findlay used his expertise to dismantle the projector at the McLaughlin Planetarium.

When the McLaughlin Planetarium was closed about four years ago, it marked the end of Toronto's classic star-gazing venue. It seemed as though the 27-year-old gargantuan projector - the main player in the planetarium's operation - would die a death that only a robotic instrument can. It sat, seemingly ignored, waiting for the day that it would be dismantled lens by lens, mechanical-optical piece by mechanical-optical piece, and sent to some obscure storeroom.

That is, until Dean Robert Prince of York's Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, came to the rescue and purchased the projector for a token $1. "It cost us a lot more to dismantle it," added Prince. Albeit, the one-tonne projector was punctiliously taken apart in the end by Andrew Findlay, an expert from Calgary. It now sits crated in the basement of the Petrie Building, but one day it will dazzle people again with its ability to project 10,000 stars all at the correct brightness.

Plans are afoot to display it as a working exhibit in a new "virtual-reality space, one step beyond a planetarium," Prince said. "Many people are filled with awe and wonder at the wonderful device, with its 32 major lenses and hundreds of smaller ones. The movements of its gears are beautifully choreographed. It would be interesting to have this epitomy of electrical-mechanical devices as an interactive display - the old with the new."

Prince described the concept of a new, multi-media building as "a blockbuster of an idea to draw people back to astronomy. The trouble with the old planetarium was, it was like seeing Niagara Falls many times: 'been there, done that'. You're limited with a traditional planetarium and the projector itself is in danger of wearing out its gears. The modern ones are more reliable - though they don't yet project as sharp an image as the old ones - because they don't rely on so many moving parts."

The one now owned by York was crafted in the 1960s by Zeiss Jena in the former East Germany, and is described by Prince as the culmination of more than 300 years of development of mechanical-optical instruments.

After a feasibility study was completed, architects came up with figures on the space required, costs and viability of the project. A detailed report on the plan is underway, and now a suitable site needs to be found. Prince envisages an "omnitarium" where the public can do more than just look at a virtual-reality sky. They can 'see' inside a human cell; they can 'be' in a rainforest or a historic pioneer village. "Black Creek Pioneer Village is, in itself, a virtual-reality space," said Prince. "The idea behind it is partly to convince you that you're in an 18th or 19th century Ontario village. We think it would make sense to have a tie-in with not only the Village, but also with Tennis Canada and the Ice Palace. These are all places that rely, to some extent, on tourists. There could even be something like two-for-one ticketing. These are ideas that we're throwing around."

He sees an undertaking that would encompass several disciplines, such as fine arts, education, kinesiology and science. It would be more than just a venue for visiting tourists and public school students. There is a possibility that university students could work in the facility and earn credits toward their degrees. "Astronomy is a way of bringing people into science," he said. "There are many amateur astronomers around the world, and collectively their information becomes very important. They provide the professionals with a good database. Like people who take up bird-watching as a hobby with a book and binoculars, all you need are simple things - a book and a small telescope to start out in astronomy."

Prince sees an important additional benefit to the University as well. "If we have 100,000 to 200,000 thousand visitors on campus at the omnitarium it's bound to give York a higher profile."

Sounds as though he started by reaching for the stars - and got a whole galaxy.