AAS Resolution on the Importance of Planetariums

Adopted 22 October 2008

The American Astronomical Society supports planetariums as an effective means to educate the public about the wonders of the night sky. More than 30 million people visit planetariums each year in the United States and more than 100 million do so worldwide. In our modern age, when most people live in cities where the night sky is drowned out by light pollution, planetariums offer an effective way to introduce the public to the motions of the planets, stars and comets. The projection of these objects onto the curved ceiling of a planetarium requires the use of sophisticated projection systems that are capable of projecting stars not only as they appear today, but as they appeared in the past and will appear in the future. Such projection systems are expensive, but their purchase and installation represent an important investment in the education of the public, and the AAS supports all planetariums in this endeavor.