A planetarium at home: how to download a fascinating film about Chile’s large telescopes for free

Great astronomy either Large-scale astronomy It is a film which tells the stories of the people and places that make great astronomy and great science possible. It’s a film designed for planetariums that literally transports the viewer to Chile, where the dark sky and dry, isolated environment create ideal conditions for observing the Universe.

This award-winning bilingual film takes the viewer beyond the domes and reveals behind the scenes of some of the world-class observatories installed in our country.

Now this feature film is available online for direct and free download, providing an opportunity to see the people working on cutting-edge telescopes.

The film is a multimedia research and dissemination project supported by various institutions and funded by the United States National Science Foundation. The planetarium show transports viewers to northern Chile, where dark skies and dry, isolated environments create ideal conditions for observing the Universe. Set against the backdrop of stunning visuals and a hypnotic soundtrack, Large-scale astronomy shows the diversity of people who enable scientific discovery, surpassing the limits of technology, expanding our knowledge of the Universe and using cutting-edge telescopes to do so.

Produced by the California Academy of Sciences the film first during the pandemic as a 360-degree immersive experience presented at Great Astronomy YouTube Channel . But now the film is available for free in all planetariums like direct download in standard fulldome formats in 4k and 2k.

Tim Spuck Associated Universities, said it’s a statement of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) “making the film available for free download equalizes the market and allows any planetarium to have access to it, regardless of its size or location.

A bilingual flat-screen version is also available in English and Spanish.

The project Large-scale astronomy doesn’t stop at the planetarium spectacle, as explained by the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab), the U.S. federally funded research and development center for optical and infrared astronomy Night on Earth, which operates some of the major telescopes in the country.

The team also developed a guide for educators (English , Spanish ) and one Expansion Tool Kit . Also there are postcards And electronic posters also available for free download. All these pieces, including the planetarium show demonstrate a new research-based model to inform how to create more engaging future planetarium shows.

The NOIRLab facilities in Chile that appear in this extraordinary planetarium production are the Cerro Tololo Observatory (CTIO ), he International Gemini Observatory and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory , jointly funded by the United States National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy (DOE) of the same country. Likewise, the Atacama Large millimeter/submillimeter array (SOUL ), a consortium from Europe, North America and East Asia, in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.

The CTIO houses 35 telescopes located at an altitude of 2,200 meters atop Cerro Tololo in northern Chile. A CTIO icon is the Víctor M. Blanco 4 meter telescope equipped with Dark Energy Chamber manufactured by the DOE. Large-scale astronomy introduces viewers to electronic detector engineer Marco Bonati, astronomer Kathy Vivas and observational specialist Jacqueline Seron who describe their work with the telescope and with the dark energy camera, in particular.

The International Gemini Observatory is comprised of two 8.1 meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located in Chile and Hawaii. Gemini South in Chile, at the top of Cerro Pachón, began observations in 2002 . Large-scale astronomy features electronics engineer Vanessa Montes and observational specialist Alysha Shugart which describe how observations are made with the Gemini Planet Camera (GPI).

On the other hand, both scenario as well as the film’s original soundtrack are also available in English, Spanish, German and French. Additionally, to broaden the scope of Large-scale astronomy.

In this link you can also consult the trailer of Large-scale astronomy in fulldome format, also available in 360° version English And Spanish .

In this link you can download the movie for free.