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1998

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1998 IPS Conference -- London -- see http://www.ips-planetarium.org/ips-conference.html

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May 11-13, 1999 -- Association of French-Speaking Planetariums at the council of Europe at UNIVERSITE LOUIS PASTEUR- STRASBOURG; OBSERVATOIRE ASTRONOMIQUE; PLANETARIUM. This meeting will welcome the european IPS meeting with Susan Reynolds. For registrations: APLF - Planetarium de Strasbourg - Rue de l'Observatoire 67000 Strasbourg - Fax 33 3 88 21 20 45. [submitted by Dr Jean-Michel Faidit (fax 33 4 67 61 10 08)]. TEL. 03 88 21 20 40/44. If you are interested, Ray Worthy (raymond@stargazr.demon.co.uk) may help to get a copy of a reg form sent to you.

May 12th, 1999, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.--day-long Spitz workshop in Chadds Ford, PA, on immersive video and computer graphics production for dome theaters. Free workshop conducted by Spitz Sales and Creative Media departments to introduce colleagues to Spitz? ImmersaVision format, production techniques, hardware, software, and how it can benefit a planetarium. Topics will include: compatibility among different video systems; ElectricSky theaters as flexible, multi-purpose theaters; 3-D and 2-D graphics production and the integration of immersive video with all-skies. Call or write Joyce Towne to reserve your spot (610-459-5200, jtowne@spitzinc.com).

May 12-15, 1999 MAPS Conference will be held in Pennsylvania Dutch Country - Lancaster, Pennsylvania at The North Museum of Natural History and Science, home of the North Museum Planetarium, under the leadership of the planetarium's director John "Skeeter" Eliason. The conference seminars will be based at The Eden Resort Inn, a ten minute drive from the museum. The Eden Resort Inn boasts a tropically landscaped indoor pool area with added benefits of a whirlpool spa, Finnish saunas, and an exercise room. The Inn is also home to two restaurants and a lounge. Workshops and planetarium programs will be presented at the North Museum. The museum's plantetarium has a 41 foot solid dome with a Spitz A4 projector. Contact: John "Skeeter" Eliason; North Museum; P.O. Box 3003; Lancaster, PA 17604; voicemail: (717) 291-4315; email: nmastro@ptd.net

May 30 - June 3, 1999; AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY (AAS); Chicago, Illinois; Contact Richard Kron (rich@oddjob.uchicago.edu)

June 22 - 26, 1999 SEPA; Jacksonville, Florida at The Museum of Science and History, Alexander Brest Planetarium; Planetarium Director Patrick McQuillan. Cost: $140 per conference attendee. Plus 1999 SEPA dues. Registration includes most meals, dinner cruise on Wednesday evening and trip to KSC on Thursday. includes a guided tour of the Space Station Processing Building and exhibits, the Vehicle Assembly Building (may see a shuttle begin processed), and the launch pad. Space shuttle Columbia will be on the pad with the Chandra X-ray Telescope in the cargo bay. For registration packet, call the Museum of Science and History and ask for a registration packet (904) 396-7062 ext 253, 234 or 242. Or go to SEPA's website, download the forms: http://www.sepadomes.org/ Workshops: Planets 101 - An Introduction to Planetary Geology (Session 2); Space Music 101 - Space Songs for Kids (Session 1). --Patrick McQuillan, Planetarium and Challenger Learning Center Director

July 1 - 7, 1999 ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC (ASP) -- Toronto, Canada; Contact L. Keechler (lkeechler@aspsky.org)

July 12 - 16, 1999, Summer Program in Planetarium Operations (click here for more details), Ball State University; Cost: about $360 for both in-state and out-of-state students. On-campus housing is available. For more information contact: Ronald Kaitchuck; Dept. of Physics & Astronomy; Ball State University; Muncie, IN 47306; 765-285-8871; E-mail: 00rhkaitchuc@bsuvc.bsu.edu

October 2 - 5, 1999, ASTC; Tampa, Florida

October 2nd, 1999 The Fall '99 Meeting of FlorPlan will held at our humble establishment, the Seminole Community College Planetarium in Sanford, Florida (just the other side of Orlando from the guy with the ears.) If you are planning to come, please let me know as soon as possible, particularly if you will need to spend the night. While we plan to have no fee for the meeting itself, we should be able to group rates at a nearby hotel if there are enough of you needing them. Let me know, Laurent Pellerin, Operations & Production, Seminole Community College Planetarium, 100 Weldon Blvd., Sanford, Florida 32773-6199; 407 328 2409; pelleril@mail.seminole.cc.fl.us October 8 - 11, 1999, DIGISTAR USERS GROUP; Phoenix, Arizona; Arizona Science Center, Dorrance Planetarium; Planetarium Manager Ryan Wyatt

October 10 Italian Planetaria's Friends Association (IPFA) XIV Conference in San Giovanni in Persiceto (near Bologna). Italian projector model in a 9 meter dome. Also public Observatory.

October 13 - 16, 1999 Desert Skies '99 Conference at the Dorrance Planetarium at the Arizona Science Center Phoenix, Arizona. Regional Participants (as of May 1, 1998): Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association, SouthWest Association of Planetariums, Pacific Planetarium Association. Other Invited Regionals: Great Plains Planetarium Association, Great Lakes Planetarium Association. Events: papers, workshops, shows, great food, great speakers, and a fantastic view of the night sky! Located in downtown Phoenix, the science center's new 150,000-square-foot facility opened its doors in April 1997, and has a large-screen Iwerks theatre and more than 350 interactive exhibits. The Dorrance Planetarium boasts a Digistar projector, Sky-Skan interactive system, and five multimedia video projectors and a wide array of slide technology and special effects. Conference Web page at http://www.azscience.org/DesertSkies.html Ryan Wyatt, Dorrance Planetarium Manager (602-716-2077; wyatt@earthling.net), Christine Shupla, Dorrance Planetarium Assistant Manager (602-716-2078; shuplac@azscience.org)

October 20-23, 1999, GLPA -- The 35th annual Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan, hosted by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, a part of Kalamazoo Valley Community College located in downtown Kalamazoo at 230 North Rose Street. The conference hotel will be the Radisson Plaza hotel, located one block south of the museum at the intersection of West Main and Rose Streets. Special activities will be held for people working with small and portable planetariums. Conference highlights include: Dr. James Kaler, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign presenting the 1999 Astronomy Update and the prestigious Armand N. Spitz Lecture; Dr. Bernhard Beck, DePaul University, speaking about Origins, Structure of the Universe, and Sun Earth Connections programs of NASA; Dr. John Percy, University of Toronto, speaking about Astronomy Education Partnerships; Dr. C. Robert O'Dell, Rice University, speaking about Exploring the Orion Nebula with the Hubble Space Telescope. People wishing registration materials or more information should contact: Eric Schreur, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, P.O. Box 4070, Kalamazoo, MI 49003-4070 (616) 373-7978, ESCHREUR@gwgate.kvcc.edu

Nov. 20 - Nov. 23, 1999 -- ILDA'99 Conference, hosted by Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida; Includes Trade Show, Advanced Technology Workshops, evening event at Epcot, business Meeting, Design and production Workshops; Contact: International Laser Display Association; 4301 32nd Street West, Suite B-23; Bradenton, FL 34205 USA; fax: 941-758-1605; phone: 941-758-6881; email: ildadirect@aol.com; WWW: http://www.ilda.wa.org

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March 19, 2000, Day of Planetaria -- planetaria from different countries collaborate, promote twinships, exchanges, and cooperation between planetaria. IPFA suggests planetariums to include an "open window" in their programs -- a small exhibition, projection or talk, where activities of foreign planetaria that accept this mutual collaboration are described.

March 25, 2000, -- FLORPLAN meeting at Bishop Planetarium in Bradenton, Florida -- FLORPLAN is an unofficial meeting of Florida Planetarians that meets twice a year to tour various facilities around the state and to discuss "hot topics" and other Planetarian concerns. Tentative Agenda includes Tour of Planetarium & Production facilities, Star Show -Rusty Rockets Last Blast, Laser Show - Space Rock (FLORPLAN only), Tour Observatory and Solar Observing, Cosmic Classics Classical Music laser light show (public performance), The Explorers star show (public performance. Evening presentations: Skies Over South Florida - features More Than Meets the Eye in addition to a "LIVE" tour of the current evening sky, The Tonite Show (telescope observing session, weather permitting, through the Cohen-Sabin 8" refracting telescope), Classic 80's Rock & Roll laser show, AC/DC laser show. People wishing to make presentations should contact George Fleenor (Jetson1959@aol.com) or Brett Jacobs (Laserfuzz@aol.com) with Technical requirements. RSVP by March 15, 2000 Call or E-mail George Fleenor (941) 746-4132 x.20 or Jetson1959@aol.com A recommendation of local Hotels & Motels is available from George, Brett or checking the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce web site at http://www.manatee-cc.com/tourist.htm

April 7, 2000, Deadline to apply for Emil Buehler Internship for FY 2001. Stipend is $20,000 per annum. It starts July 1, 2000 for one year. Deadline is April 7, 2000. Contact Dr. David Menke at FamAstro@AOL.com -- The Emil Buehler Observatory, Planetarium, and Science Center

April 8, 2000, Astronomy Day http://www.astroleague.org/astroday.html

May 3 - 6, 2000, Middle Atlantic Planetarium (MAPS) Conference 2000. Current info at http://www.voicenet.com/~mcdonald/MAPS.html#conf99 -- Location: Prince Frederick, Maryland. Host Facility: Arthur Storer Planetarium. Hotel: Holiday Inn Select, Solomons, MD. MAPS 2000 will be held in Southern Maryland's Calvert County from May 3 - 6, 2000. The Arthur Storer Planetarium will host the event under the leadership of planetarium director Shawn Laatsch. The Arthur Storer Planetarium uses a Spitz 512 star projector in a 30 foot dome with 71 unidirectional seats. Special effects include: East Coast Control System's Three Color Cove Lights, Panoramas and All Sky, Video Projection, Meteors, and a variety of other special effects. The planetarium serves about 20,000 students a year in the Calvert County Public School Systems. Public events are held twice each month. Conference Paper Sessions will be based at the Holiday Inn Select in Solomons, Maryland. The hotel has water front views and is within walking distance of the Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent River. For further information contact: Shawn Laatsch, Arthur Storer Planetarium, 600 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678; phone: (410) 535-7339; email: 102424.1032@compuserve.com

May 7-8, 2000, Association of German Planetariums (ADP) Conference at Bochum Planetarium.

April 29, 2000, -- Indiana state GLPA meeting. Marion High School in Marion, IN. Contact Keith Turner at 765-664-9051 or e-mail to wkturner@iquest.net

June 20-21, 2000, SEPA Conference at the SciWorks Planetarium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. To get registration packet, or if you would like to present a show or lead a workshop at the conference, e-mail Starfield1@aol.com and give your address or call 336-767-6730 ext. 139. (An extension is set up just for SEPA questions or problems). , please let us know. --Duke Johnson and Karen Osterer

June 26-30, 2000, Summer Program in Planetarium Operations--Ball State University--Astronomy A382/582, course on Instruments and Techniques in Planetarium Operations (3 credit hours). More details below.

July 9-13, 2000, IPS 2000 Conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Pierre Lacombe, Chairman, Local Organizing Committee. Planetarium de Montreal, 1000 rue Saint-Jacques Ouest, Montreal, QC H3C 1G7 Canada. Most of the Conference will be at the Queen Elizabeth hotel. Preliminary plans include invited speakers on "Supernovae and the Hubble Constant" and "The Glass Giants: Telescopes of the 21st Century." Panel Discussions: "What Does it Take To Keep the Dome Open?" "Is the Planetarium More than Just Its Theater?" "Education vs Misconceptions in Astronomy." Special Oral Presentations: "A Planetarium for All: Reaching the Handicapped" "How Do Children Learn?" Workshops: "The Sound Environment in the Theater" "Full Dome Video" "Portable Planetarium Sessions." Poster Sessions. Registration fees estimated currently at $295US. For latest info check http://www.planetarium.montreal.qc.ca/IPS2000/

July 13-18, 2000, 112th Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Pasadena, California -- UNIVERSE IN THE CLASSROOM 2000 A National Workshop on Teaching Astronomy in Grades 3-12 will be offered at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, CA, on July 13-16, 2000, as part of the 112th Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The workshop will include a series of sessions for teachers who are just starting to teach a unit on astronomy, as well as a strand of innovative ideas and updates for veteran science teachers. Teachers who may be a bit nervous about teaching any astronomy at all are especially encouraged to attend.
Half of the four-day program will be devoted to hands-on classroom-tested activities that convey basic astronomy and physical science concepts. Topics covered include how to teach the phases of the moon, have students discover the reasons for the seasons, deal with questions on UFO?s and astrology, measure out the scale of the solar system, and explain black holes without math. The other half of the workshop will feature talks on recent developments in astronomy in everyday language, a "Kid's Space" where children of all ages learn and experience astronomy concepts while having fun, together with an astronomy expo and fair offering the latest astronomy tools. Participants will receive a thick package of activities and resources to take with them. Credit will be available through a local university.
For more information and a registration packet, teachers, librarians, curriculum supervisors, or youth group leaders should contact the non-profit society by:

• e-mail: meeting@aspsky.org
• FAX: 415-337-5205 (attn: 2000 Education Symp)
• mail: Mail: Universe in the Classroom 2000, A.S.P., 390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112.
  

July 19-22, 2000, the 54th annual convention of the Astronomical League hosted by the Ventura County Astronomical Society. With the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, American Association of Variable Star Observers, International Occultation Timing Association, The American Association of Amateur Astronomers, International Dark Sky Association, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute and the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers. Info: http://www.vcas.org/astrocon/ -- Email: astrocon2000@vcas.org

September 21-24, 2000, INTERNATIONAL METEOR CONFERENCE of the Millenium IMC 2000 Pucioasa, Romania. the yearly conference of the International Meteor Organization- http://www.imo.net . Pucioasa is a little town, situated at 400 m altitude, on the hills of South Carpathian Mountains, at 100 km far away from Bucharest, the Capital of Romania.It have over 460 years of recorded existence and 170 years of spa resort activity. The official website of IMC 2000 is available at the next address http://sarm.romwest.ro/imc2000 with a mirror at http://sarm.ccs.ro/imc2000

September 30, 2000 -- FLORPLAN meeting at Dr. Buzz Aldrin Planetarium in West Palm Beach, Florida. FLORPLAN is an unofficial meeting of planetarians in the state of Florida, U.S.A., that meets twice a year to tour various facilities around the state and to discuss "hot topics" and other Planetarian concerns. The meeting is informal and open to anyone who works in or with planetariums and related fields. Events include Tour of Planetarium & Production facilities; Tour Observatory and Solar Observing; Lunch at the 391st Bomber Group; Star Shows including: The Night Sky Over the Palm Beaches, Laser Fun for the Whole Family; Informal Discussion Time; 12 midnight - Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Carefree Theater. People wishing to make presentations should contact Erich Landstrom (starlite@sfsm.org) with technical requirements. Please RSVP by September 15, 2000 with phone call or e-mail to Erich Landstrom # (561) 832-1988 x24 or starlite@SFSM.org; HTTP://WWW.SFSM.ORG

Oct 3-8, 2000 -- PPA, SWAP, RMPA, GPPA conference a the Highland Park ISD Planetarium in Dallas, Texas. See conference website http://andrews.esc18.net/PLANET/texas2000.htm. Pre-tour to Johnson Space Center. Post-tour to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Conference Dates: Wednesday, October 4 - Saturday, October 7; Conference. Hotel: Harvey Hotel, 7815 LBJ Freeway (& Coit Rd), Dallas, 75200. Contact: Donna Pierce.

Oct. 11-14, 2000 GLPA Conference at Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL

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December 31, 2000-January 6, 2001 -- THE INSPIRATION OF ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA -- THIRD CONFERENCE (INSAP III) Palermo (Sicily), Italy -- This meeting will explore mankind's fascination with the sky by day and by night, which has been a strong and often dominant element in human life and culture. The conference will provide a meeting place for artists and scholars from a variety of disciplines (including Archaeology and Anthropology, Art and Art History, Classics, History and Prehistory, the Physical and Social Sciences, Mythology and Folklore, Philosophy, and Religion) to present and discuss their studies of the influences that astronomical phenomena have had on mankind. Papers from the first meeting were published in "Vistas in Astronomy" (1995) and in "Leonardo" (1996), and those from the second will appear shortly in book form. These papers are described on our Website , http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~white/insap. The meeting will be held overlooking the Mediterranean, a few minutes from the center of Palermo, and will start with a New Year's Eve (and Millennium Eve) banquet December 31, 2000. All presentations and discussions will be in English. More information at http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~white/insap or by contacting Prof. Salvatore Serio, Palermo Observatory (Chair, Local Organizing Committee) (insap3@oapa.astropa.unipa.it); Dr. Rolf M. Sinclair, Chevy Chase MD (International Organizing Committee) (rolf@santafe.edu); Prof. Raymond E. White, Steward Observatory (International Organizing Committee) (REWhite1933@aol.com)

March 19-24, 2001 -- Sri Lankan Skies and Sir Arthur: a 2001 Odyssey -- Location: 2 days in Colombo and 3 days in the interior; Host: T. C. Samaranayaka planetsam2000_1999@yahoo.co.uk, Sri Lanka Planetarium; Theme: Teaching the Universe in the 21st Century. The Conference will feature a keynote address by Sir Arthur C. Clarke CBE, the acclaimed space prophet, writer, visionary and the author of the celebrated book 2001: A Space Odyssey. More info (from Dale Smith) at srilanka.html. More info at http://www.slplanet.lgo.lk or http://www.slnews.net/slplanet

March 31, 2001 -- Queensland Astronomy Education Conference -- Queensland, Australia. This is Australia's only bi-annual educator's conference targeting the teaching of astronomy and astronautics in primary and secondary schools. The programme varies but usually includes portable planetarium sessions, lectures, workshops and a night observing session. Contact: Paul Floyd; Email: ssemps@ozemail.com.au; URL: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~ssemps/confer/index.html

May 9-12, 2001 -- MAPS Conference at Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh, PA. See conference website at http://www.buhlplanetarium.org/MAPS/

April 21, 2001 -- Spring FLORPLAN meeting at Astronaut Memorial Planetarium & Observatory, Cocoa, Florida from 9am - 5pm. The agenda for the meeting will include planetarium shows, tours of the facility and plenty of time to chat with friends and colleagues. Info from Mark Howard <HowardM@brevard.cc.fl.us>

June 26-30, 2001 -- SEPA, GLPA joint conference at the Hummel Planetarium, Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. Contact Jack Fletcher 859-622-1547; jack.fletcher@eku.edu; http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/glpa.html. 37th annual GLPA conference. Highlights: Dr. James Kaler, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Shampaign presenting the 2001 Astronomy Update Lecture; John Stoke from the Space Telescope Science Institute delivering the prestigious Armand N. Spitz Lecture.

July 13-18, 2001 Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) 113th Annual Meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. Includes star party hosted by the Minnesota Astronomical Society and the ASP; two CCD workshops conducted by former Astronomy magazine editor and noted author Richard Berry; Universe 2001 EXPO with talks by noted astronomers such as Alan Dressler, Alex Filippenko, and Virginia Trimble, renowned writers such as David H. Levy, Bob Berman, and William Sheehan, and astronaut Claude Nicollier, who has flown on two Hubble servicing missions and an exhibit hall with the latest NASA missions and approximately 45 vendors displaying telescopes, books, videos, software, T-shirts, and other products; weekend activities for children at the Science Museum of Minnesota by the Minneapolis Planetarium and the Science Museum; Universe in the Classroom -- a hands-on teachers workshop for grades 3-12; high-Energy Universe in Sharp Focus: A Symposium of Chandra Science -- a science symposium for research astronomers. For more information, please visit the Annual Meeting website at http://www.aspsky.org/meetings.html -- Lori Ducey White, Meeting Coordinator, lwhite@aspsky.org, 415-337-1100, x109

July 29-Aug 1, 2001 California State University Northridge is offering a Genesis mission Chautauqua course for educators at Kennedy Space Center in conjunction with the launch. Genesis Outreach Coordinator and Director of the California Chautauqua Field Center Dr. Gil Yanow will lead the three-day course. Teachers can learn more about this course and register online at: http://davinci.csun.edu/~scnet/chautp27.html

August 1, 2001 there will be a special one-day, all-day, FREE training workshop GENESIS: SEARCH FOR ORIGINS, to field test Genesis education materials with hands-on activities. Workshop is at Astronaut Memorial Planetarium,Brevard Community College campus, 1519 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, Floria 32922-6597 http://www.brevard.cc.fl.us/~planet. Lunch and snacks are provided. The workshop is for K-12 classroom teachers, planetarium personnel, JPL Solar System Ambassadors, JPL Solar System Educators. Instructors will derive lessons from interdisciplinary sources, all suitable for immediate use in the classroom; including language arts, theater, social studies, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and earth science. All lesson plans are designed to match national education standards and strands. Materials including posters, videos, and CD-ROMS to take back for the new school year will be distributed at no charge. Example: The middle school education module titled Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom http://www.genesismission.org/educate/scimodule/Cleanroom.html Contact http://www.genesismission.org or http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov if you would like to enroll in the free Aug. 1 field testing workshop. The Genesis Spacecraft is scheduled for launch from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on July 30, 2001. The aim of the mission is to give the best estimate ever made of the starting materials from which the solar system formed, with a sample return of solar wind particles.

October 4 - 7th, 2001. This year's Western Alliance Conference is being held in Eugene, Oregon. You can now register on-line, book your hotel room, sign up for presenting a paper, and let us know whether you're interested in going to Crater Lake. Check the web-site out at http://www.2001-western-alliance-conference.org Refer to this site for future up-dates. --Jon Elvert

Dec. 14, 2001 (Fri), SOLAR ECLIPSE -- maximum 2:25 PM PST Annular in a track across the Pacific Ocean and Central America; greatest duration 3m,53s. Partial phases from Hawaii, all but the northeastern U.S. and some of eastern Canada. http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html

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March 1-3, 2001; CONTACT 2002 Conference--The Search for Life in the Universe; Santa Clara, CA, USA; ; www.softwaremanagement.com/contact and www.cabrillo.cc.ca.us/contact -- Join some of the foremost international social and space scientists, science fiction writers, and artists to exchange ideas, stimulate new perspectives, and encourage serious and creative speculation about humanity?s future. Conference highlights include a day at NASA Ames and a banquet with keynote speaker Rusty Schweickart, former Apollo and Skylab astronaut and president of NRS Communications. Contact: Judith Marx Golub, Registrar; CONTACT 2002 Conference; B10 ? Suite 237, 4546 El Camino Real; Los Altos CA 93022 USA; Tel: 650-941-4027; Fax: 650-941-4028; Email: contact@softwaremanagement.com

March 18-22, 2002. The Prague conference, "Planetariums: mature Age diseases". Director Marcel Grun and Secretary of the Conference, Jan Sifner, are coordinating events. You can access details at http://www.planetarium.cz/conference2002, or email Jan Sifner at sifner@planetarium.cz

April 20 through May 10, 2002 evenings -- 5-PLANET GATHERING -- a gathering: all naked eye objects of the solar system will be visible in the west immediately after sunset. The planet span degrees through Taurus and Gemini on May 5 after which Mercury rapidly recedes.Starting from lowest to the horizon: Mercury (mag +1.8), Saturn (mag -0.4), Mars (mag +1.7), Venus (mag -3.9), and finally Jupiter (mag -2.0). The waxing crescent Moon moves through the scene May 6-16.

May 8 to 11, 2002. ---MAPS 2002 -- Astronomy educators from all over the northeast will meet in Massachusetts for the 2002 Conference of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society (MAPS). The theme of the conference will be "The Whole Spectrum: From Radio to Gamma," emphasizing the complete spectrum of astronomy, not just the visible. The EcoTarium's Alden Planetarium in Worcester, Mass. will host the meeting. For details and registration info see the MAPS web page at: http://www.maps-planetarium.org . Invited speakers: "Seeing the Most Violent Objects in the Universe in Gamma Rays", Dr. James Ryan, University of New Hampshire; "Seeing Light Through the Dark: Infrared Astronomy Revealing the Origin of Stars and Planets", Dr. Charles Lada, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; "MAPping the Universe", Dr. Gregory Tucker, Brown University; "X-ray's 'Great Observatory' Probes the Unseen Universe", Dr. Rick Harnden, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; "Margaret Nobel Address" Derrick Pitts, The Franklin Institute Science Museum; "What's New in the Ultraviolet, Near, Far and X-treme!", Dr. Andrea Dupree, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. For more information about the EcoTarium, go to http://www.ecotarium.org. For more information contact: Ed Frederick, Curator of Astronomy, EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA 01604; ed@ecotarium.org 508-929-2723

June 10, 2002 (Mon), SOLAR ECLIPSE -- maximum 6:16 PM PST Annular in a track across the Pacific Ocean; greatest duration 23s. Partial phases from eastern Asia, Australia, and most of western North America. http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html

June 25-June 29. SEPA 2002, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Annual conferemce of the Southeastern Planetarium Association. Host: Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Arts & Science Center. Telephone: 225-344-9478 Fax: 225-344-9477 web sites: http://www.sepadomes.org/ and http://www.lascmuseum.org

July 8-12, 2002. International Astronomical Union (IAU) sponsored Commission 51 Bioastronomy conference at Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, (Tropical winter). There will be both a scientific and an education meeting, held in tandem, with teacher-participants attending portions of the scientific meeting as well as education workshops and poster sessions. Both conferences will share the same themes, and scientists and educators will be encouraged to move between sessions as they wish. The preliminary program is Session 1: Reviewing the Field: Exoplanets, Astrobiology, SETI Session 2: Astrochemistry Session 3: Origin, evolution, and discovery of planetary systems Session 4: The solar system: Evidence for life in the solar system Session 5: Biogenesis and the astronomical conditions for evolution of life Session 6: The search for extra-terrestrial life Session 7: Education and outreach: Bioastronomy as a tool for scientific education in schools and universities Session 8: where do we go from here? Conference website: http://seti.uws.edu.au/bioastronomyau/default.htm Education Conference Committee is: Edna DeVore, SETI Institute, Krisstina Wilmouth, NASA Astrobiology Institute (Ames Research Center), Carol Oliver, University of Western Sydney, Les Vozzo, University of Western Sydney

July 28- August 1, 2002 IPS 2002 Conference at Exploration Place, Wichita Kansas. More info at IPS 2002 website -- http://www.exploration.org/ips2002

October 15 -19, 2002 -- Western Alliance Planetarium Conference (SWAP, GPPA, RMPA, PPA) Optional preconference tours of Space Center Houston, Johnson Space Center and the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tours (landings) in the Challenger Center, Patricia Reiff, Director, Rice Space Institute, Paul Spudas --The Once and Future Moon, Virginia Trimble, World Space Congress. Conference website -- Space City Celebration web page: http://www.hmns.org/space2002

October 23-26, 2002 -- GLPA (Great Lakes Planetarium Association) conference at Menasha, Wisconsin, Barlow Planetarium, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley. Speaker: Dr. James Kaler, U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Speakers: the Astronomy Update will be given by Dr. James Kaler; Dr. Dale Smith will present the Spitz Lecture at the GLPA Banquet; and, Nagin Cox of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will speak on the last day of the conference. The Barlow Planetarium has a 48-foot, 12-degree tilted Astro-Tec dome, and the "old campus planetarium," which closed in 1998, is now an empty room with a clean, 24-foot zero-tilt smooth dome which will be available to vendors to demonstrate small-dome projectors.

October 25, 2002---Reopening of the Fels Planetarium at The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, PA. Closed for renovations since last January, the new Planetarium will offer the latest cutting-edge planetarium and multimedia technology available. Enhancements, including a state-of-the-art dome, upgraded video projection and super-fidelity systems, theater controls and lighting system, will offer visitors a more intimate and richer viewing experience of the night sky. The Franklin Institute's Chief Astronomer, Derrick Pitts, describes the all new Planetarium experience as "a window pane on the universe." The Planetarium's unveiling will coincide with the opening of Space Command, a new Astronomy/Space Science exhibit. Visit http://www@fi.edu.

Nov. 18-19, 2002 LEONID METEORS David Asher of Armagh University in the United Kingdom and Robert McNaught of the Australian National University predict a "meteor storm" to rival 1966, with up to 30,000 meteors per hour (that's nearly 10 a minute!). An almost full Moon will wash out most of the fainter meteors, but Andrew Ellicott witnessed the Leonids off the coast of Florida under a full Moon in 1799. "At any one instant," he described, the meteors were "as numerous as the stars." As if in retaliation for spoiling the show, the full Moon has it's light dimmed the next night by a penumbral eclipse. Eastern North America should watch for a slight dimming of the Moon's upper lefthand side on the evening of the 19th centered around 8:45 PM EST, as the Moon transits the outer cone of Earth's shadow.

2003

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May 3, 2003 (Saturday) Michigan Spring GLPA Meeting hosted by Mark Reed at the Peter F. Hurst Planetarium in Jackson, Michigan. 517-841-3860 or email marksreed@aol.com%20 Directions can be found at http://www.jps.k12.mi.us/hurst

May 7-10, 2003 MAPS Conference -- Owens Science Center (Lanham, MD) will host the 2003 MAPS Conference. Details will be available soon on the MAPS web site at: http://www.maps-planetarium.org.

July 7-11, 2003 Ball State University Planetarium Operations workshop 1--5-day, hands-on course for both experienced and inexperienced persons in the planetarium field. http://www.bsu.edu/planetarium. Contact Ron Kaitchuck rkaitchu@bsu.edu

June 17-21, 2003 SEPA Conference at the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Conference materials were mailed last week and and many of you should have already received your registration packets. If you are not on the SEPA mailing list, you can download the entire conference packet at http://www.sepadomes.org/confer/index.html. There is a separate vendor packet available at this web site as well. The schedule and the conference registration form are also available at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum web site:
http://www.lasm.org/stage/html/frameset.html. Questions about the conference: Michael D. Sandras 504-471-2149 or Cherry Dean at 225-344-9478

July 21-25, 2003, Ball State University Planetarium Operations workshop 2. http://www.bsu.edu/planetarium. Contact Ron Kaitchuck rkaitchu@bsu.edu

July 28 to Aug 2, 2003, Sri Lankan Skies and Sir Arthur 2003, "To Propagate Astronomy Education in Developing Countries" The programme will include Paper Sessions, Planetarium Shows, School Visits, Night Sky Observation Camps, and a choice of two tours, one covering the cultural sites and the hill country of Sri Lanka and the other covering the golden beaches and the wild life parks. For further information please e-mail planet2003sam@yahoo.com or visit the conference web site http://www.srilankanskies2003.com. T C Samaranayake (Sam) Conference Host

October 6-8, 2003. Digistar User's Group meeting immediately before Western Alliance Conference at Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City.

October 8-11, 2003. Western Alliance of Planetariums conference at Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City. We'll have a lot of representation from JPL and NASA, including visualization resources. We'll have workshops, panel discussions, a tour of the Morton Thiokol plant, and other surprises still in planning. Registration information on the RMPA website: http://www.rmpadomes.org. The conference hotel (just three blocks from the Planetarium and one block from the Salt Palace Convention Center) is set, and reservations are already being accepted. Conference rates are $99/night single-double; just let them know you're part of the Western Alliance Planetarium meeting:
Wyndham Hotel Salt Lake City
215 W South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/SLCWY/main.wnt
801-531-7500
866-833-9330

October 22-25, 2003. The 39th annual Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) conference in Cleveland, Ohio, hosted in part by the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Conference highlights include: Dr. James Kaler, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign presenting the 2003 Astronomy Update Lecture; Dr. Lawrence Krauss, Case Western, author, "Beyond Star Trek"; Dr. Paul Hodge, author "Higher Than Everest"; Guy Consolmagno, co-author "Turn Left at Orion"; The prestigious Armand N. Spitz Lecture. Contact: Joe DeRocher; Shafran Planetarium; Cleveland Museum of Natural History; 1 Wade Oval Dr. University Circle; Cleveland, OH 44106-1767; (216) 231-4600 x 362; jderoche@cmnh.org.

November 8-11 ASTC conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. Deadline for session proposals is December 31, 2002. http://www.astc.org/conference/2003.htm

2004

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June 22-26, 2004. MAPS-SEPA Joint Planetarium Conference at Science Museum of Virginia, Ethyl Corporation IMAX Dome and Planetarium. Theme is "Partnerships." http://www.smv.org/sepamaps/

June 30-July 2, 2004, Japan Planetarium Society Conference, Kawaguchi Science Museum, Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

July 3, 2004. IPS Council Meeting in Valencia, Spain.

July 4-8, 2004. IPS Conference in Valencia, Spain. http://www.cac.es/ips2004/

Sep 26 - 27, 2004. Digistar Users Group conference in San Diego hosted by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. http://www.rhfleet.org/wac/

Sep 29 - Oct 1, 2004. The Western Alliance of Planetariums conference in San Diego hosted by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. http://www.rhfleet.org/wac/

October 1, 2004, Deadline for "International News" column for
"Planetarian" 4/4. Send contributions to Lars Broman: lbr@du.se

October 9-10, 2004. XIX National Meeting of Italian Planetaria, Naples (City of Science) and Rome (Museum of Roman Civilization), Italy. http://www.colibrionline.it/MG/planetari_news.htm

Oct 20-23, 2004. Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Co-hosted by the Cranbrook Institute of Science and the New Detroit Science Center, this anniversary conference will feature visits to digital and traditional planetaria at the New Detroit Science Center, the Cranbrook
Institute of Science, the Argus Planetarium in Ann Arbor, and the Exhibit Museum, also located in Ann Arbor. http://www.glpaweb.org and http://www.cranbrook.edu/institute/glpa/

November 4-6, 2004, European collaborative for science, industry and technology exhibitions (ECSITE) Annual Conference, Museu de la Ciencia de la Fundacio Ç la Caixa È, Barcelona. Planetarium activities are scheduled on Thursday 4th November afternoon and Friday 5th November all day
http://ecsite.ballou.be/new/meeting_bar_2004.asp

November 6-7, 2004. Meeting of the Australasian Planetarium Society, Launceston Planetarium, Tasmania, Australia. Enquiries to Martin George <martin@qvmag.tas.gov.au>

November 8-12, 2004. AAS Division of Planetary Science (DPS) (Louisville, Kentucky, USA) http://dps04.org/

November 17, 2004, Association of Dutch Speaking Planetariums Meeting (ADSP), Brussels Planetarium, Brussels, Belgium.

November 23-26, 2004, Association of Mexican Planetariums Meeting (AMPAC), Hermosillo and Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. http://cosmos.astro.uson.mx/Proxiactiv.htm; congreso@cosmos.astro.uson.mx.

2005

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January 10 and 11, 2005. Tennessee Organization of Planetariums (TOP) Hosted by the Sudekum Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Contact Kris McCall at krismccall@csmisfun.com or 615-401-5077

March 1, 2005, Deadline for application for the program that starts August 22, 2005, about Master of science communication at Dalarna University, Sweden. http://www.sciencecommunication.se/

March 20, 2005. International "Day of Planetaria" http://www.planetaritaliani.it

April 10-11, 2005, Conference of German Speaking Planetaria (ADP), Genk (Belgium). http://www.adp2005.org

April 15. 2005. Yearly deadline for the applicants of "A week in Italy for an American Planetarium Operator" http://www.bresciascienza.it/cityline/cult/photog.htm

April 29/30. 2005 WIMPS (Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota Planetarium Society) meeting in Hibbing, MN. If you are interested in attending please send Marc Rouleau <marcrouleau{@}hcc.mnscu.edu> a message and I will get information to you.

5-8 May. Third European Meeting of Itinerant Planetaria, Palais des Congres, Nantes (France) in conjunction with the yearly meeting of Association of French-Speaking Planetariums (APLF). aplf@astro.u-strasbg.fr, http://www.aplf-planetariums.org.

13-15 May 2005. British Association of Planetaria (BAP), Annual Conference, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, United Kingdom. It will be a joint meeting with the AAE (Association for Astronomy Education).

May 25-28, 2005, Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society Conference (MAPS), Fels Planetarium, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). Host: Derrick Pitts. Conference website is http://www.maps-planetarium.org/MAPS2005/ with the preliminary schedule, registration information, and pictures of the
conference site.

2-3-4 June, 2005. Canadian Association of Science Centres meeting (which includes the Canadian planetarium group), Montreal Science Centre, Montreal Quebec (Canada). Contact: pierre_lacombe{at}astro.umontreal.ca

June 10-12, 2005, European collaborative for science, industry and technology exhibitions (ECSITE) Annual Conference, Heureka, Vantaa (Helsinki), Finland. http://www.ecsite.net

June 14-17, 2005, Communicating Astronomy with the Public, ESO/ESA/IAU Conference, ESO HQ, Garching, Munich, Germany. Closing date for registration March 2005. http://www.communicatingastronomy.org/

June 14-18, 2005. South Eastern Planetarium Association (SEPA) conference hosted by Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, GA. See http://www.sepadomes.org/conference/ for information as it becomes available.

July 12-14, 2005, Japan Planetarium Society Conference (JPS), Osaka Science Museum, Japan.

July 15-17, 2005 . DomeFest2005. http://www.domefest.com/2005.html. More about fulldome (mega-resolution, large-format, immersive, digital technologies for hemispheric screen theaters) at http://www.domefest.com/WhatIsDF.htm, http://www.fulldome.org, and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fulldome
E-mail: DBeining[at]nmmnh.state.nm.us

July 18 - 21, 2005. Spitz Digital Institute. Chadds Ford, PA. The Institute will focus on using software to enhance education in both the classroom and the planetarium. Info and form at http://www.spitzinc.com/digital_institute/index.html Space is limited. Contact 610-459-5200.

July 24 to August 6. The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine offers a two-week, four-credit residential summer institute for teachers that includes a course on instruction using a portable planetarium and information about grant writing for participants to acquire a portable planetarium. Website - http://www.coa.edu/summer/sumworkshops/index.html - contact person: Jean Boddy, (800) 597-9500.

13-14 August, 2005. Australasian Planetarium Society meeting, Stardome Observatory and Planetarium, Auckland, New Zealand. Contact: Martin George, Secretary, APS, at martin{at}qvmag.tas.gov.au

August 31, Yearly deadline for the applicants of "A week in Italy for a French Planetarium Operator". http://www.colibrionline.it/MG/international_collaboration.htm

5-7 September, Japan Planetarium Society, Workshop for popularizing the results of the latest astronomy, Nishiharima Astronomical Observatory, Hyogo, Japan. The workshop is organized for the professional development for the staffs of planetariums and science centers. As the first workshop, JPS selects the theme: "The seek for Extra-solar Planets".

September 7-9, 2005. Western Alliance Conference of Planetariums (RMPA, PPA, GPPA, SWAP) in Colorado at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. See Conference Website for more info.

September 12-16, 2005 WORKSHOP IN IMMERSIVE CINEMA - 1st European Workshop in FullDome, in Espinho, Portugal. See http://fulldome.multimeios.pt - contact: fulldome{at}multimeios.pt - Organized by Navegar Foundation, the workshop will be held in September 2005 at the Centro Multimeios de Espinho, Portugal. The workshop will cover ...the projection and projection systems, content creation, direction, production and production tools. The maximum number of participants is 40, and a small number of Grants will be available for students. Scientific organizing Committee: Ed Lanz (Visual Bandwith); Johan Gijsenbergs (Sky-Skan, Inc Europe); Paul Bourke (Swinburne Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing,Swinburne University of Technology); António Pedrosa, Navegar Foundation; Pedro Russo, Navegar Foundation; Luís Calçada, Navegar Foundation

September 14-16, 2005, Building Community: The Emerging Educational and Public Outreach (EPO) Profession, as part of ASP's 117th Annual Meeting in Tucson, Arizona. http://astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html

September 16-18, 2005, Nordic Planetarium Association Conference, Orion Planetarium, Jels, Denmark.

September 24-25, 2005: The 2005 IPS Council Meeting will be held in Beijing, China, at the Beijing Planetarium and will include a visit to the old Beijing Observatory and possibly astronomical sites near Beijing.

September 30, 2005. Yearly deadline for the applicants of "A week in Italy for a Spanish and a French Planetarium Operator". http://www.colibrionline.it/MG/international_collaboration.htm

9 Oct 2005. XX National Meeting of Italian Planetaria, Brescia (Italy). http://www.colibrionline.it/MG/planetari_news.htm

17-23 Oct 2005. A week in Italy for an American Planetarium Operator (each year since 1995). http://www.bresciascienza.it/cityline/cult/photog.htm

19-22 Oct 2005. Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) Annual Conference, Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. 40 th anniversary conference. Most events will take place at the Van Andel Museum Center of the Public Museum of Grand Rapids.  Keynote speaker: Dr. Anne Kinney, Director of NASA's astronomy and physics division.  Contact: David DeBruyn 
http://www.grmuseum.org/chaffeeplanetarium/chaffee.shtml
http://www/glpaweb.org/conference.htm

31 Dec 2005. Deadline of Eugenides Foundation Scriptwriting Contest (contestants can submit scripts from July 1, 2005). For more information contact Steve Tidey

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