Sometimes something so odd happens in our endeavors that we first dismiss it as absurd. Its well known acts of creation, assembly and such go through stages. Yet do we always always known when we are 'done'? In construction of my 16 foot revamp I have found such a quandry. Having built up a dome-like roof for the projection of stars, I left two small zenith open spaces for access purposes. These would be last covered to keep out the weather. However, as I sat in the partially completed structure on a starry predawn January morning, I could see REAL stars shining down upon my through the opening. I saw a high flying plane go by. I began to think .. here is the real universe peeping down into my created one. Just a little. And an absurd notion sprung up that .. I could show projected stars, then if conditions permitted, a telescope could actually peak through those triangles .. like looking up the shafts in the Great Pyramid into heaven. I could have a combination planetarium and observatory. A planetservatory. Logistical questions abounded of course - how much rain falls through a given size hole .. how could a 'hatch' be opened and closed 15 feet above my head .. But what an absurd notion to think that maybe an unfinished roof really can be finished ....
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Better Buy Twenty
Hobbies generally require the acquisition of 'stuff' .. and then you 'do' them. In golf, one acquires clubs and golfballs, shoes, gloves, wardrobe, then pays to play. Bowling has much lower overhead, a ball and shoes perhaps. Collections of any kind merely involve seeking out and acquiring new items, with possibly storage/display costs. What about home planetariums. There are some crazy things needed.
For those who restore old commercial planetariums - like old cars or old anything... the supply is scarce and dwindling. Getting the units is hard enough - many are scrapped and disappear. Fixing them, getting parts and manuals and expertise is even harder. For those who MAKE home planetariums, its a strange mix of the commonplace and the exotic. The problem seems to be - whats commonplace TODAY may not be tomorrow.
In making planetariums, if you find something that just 'works' and you need five of them - better buy twenty. The textbook case is the lenses that were so plentiful, so cheap back in the 60s-90s via Edmund Scientific. 9mm by 265mm .. they now cost about 7 dollars EACH. Building supplies are similar - a roll of vinyl flashing perfect for needling starfields was easily obtainable in my town 10 years ago, but has vanished. Galvanized trailer skirting for dome building could be had easily - gone so expensive now I could never have bought the 40 pieces I could afford 10 years ago. Light sources - bulbs, lanterns, flashlights - years of search have yielded only a few that produce really good results. Do we buy 5?
Better buy twenty!
For those who restore old commercial planetariums - like old cars or old anything... the supply is scarce and dwindling. Getting the units is hard enough - many are scrapped and disappear. Fixing them, getting parts and manuals and expertise is even harder. For those who MAKE home planetariums, its a strange mix of the commonplace and the exotic. The problem seems to be - whats commonplace TODAY may not be tomorrow.
In making planetariums, if you find something that just 'works' and you need five of them - better buy twenty. The textbook case is the lenses that were so plentiful, so cheap back in the 60s-90s via Edmund Scientific. 9mm by 265mm .. they now cost about 7 dollars EACH. Building supplies are similar - a roll of vinyl flashing perfect for needling starfields was easily obtainable in my town 10 years ago, but has vanished. Galvanized trailer skirting for dome building could be had easily - gone so expensive now I could never have bought the 40 pieces I could afford 10 years ago. Light sources - bulbs, lanterns, flashlights - years of search have yielded only a few that produce really good results. Do we buy 5?
Better buy twenty!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Enthralling Though Useless
Enthralling Though Useless
The book on all this I'm contemplating, like a home planetarium or any crazy endeavor in life, seeks to find the enthralling within the ultimately useless. Nobody NEEDS a home planetarium. But then nobody needs a swimming pool unless they need physical therapy they cant get anywhere but at home that involves swimming. I always thought that the mark of great nonfiction was encapsulated in this idea - that the work or endeavor has utterly NO relevant or practical application in anyone’s life or problems. Building a planetarium is on the same continuum as a model railroad maybe, or any hobby done because it cannot NOT be done. Its an oxymoron or contradiction ultimately - we find a true passion in the useless. But I found that it DID have meaning in my life in myriad ways, like the myriad stars I would project. And like contemplating life around our star, the inevitable wondering was this … would it resonate with anyone else out there? On any of those other suns?
The book on all this I'm contemplating, like a home planetarium or any crazy endeavor in life, seeks to find the enthralling within the ultimately useless. Nobody NEEDS a home planetarium. But then nobody needs a swimming pool unless they need physical therapy they cant get anywhere but at home that involves swimming. I always thought that the mark of great nonfiction was encapsulated in this idea - that the work or endeavor has utterly NO relevant or practical application in anyone’s life or problems. Building a planetarium is on the same continuum as a model railroad maybe, or any hobby done because it cannot NOT be done. Its an oxymoron or contradiction ultimately - we find a true passion in the useless. But I found that it DID have meaning in my life in myriad ways, like the myriad stars I would project. And like contemplating life around our star, the inevitable wondering was this … would it resonate with anyone else out there? On any of those other suns?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
