ann22009 — Announcement
Astrophotographer Creates Planetarium Show About the Gemini South Telescope
21 March 2022: A unique fulldome planetarium show starring the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF’s NOIRLab, has been released today. Produced by Kwon O Chul, a world-renowned astrophotographer from South Korea, Gemini Observatory and the Southern Sky takes the viewer on a journey from sunset to sunrise through the zodiacal light, the Milky Way, several constellations, galaxies, nebulae, and meteor showers. The show was shot from Cerro Pachón in Chile, home to the 8.1-meter Gemini South telescope. Kwon’s goal is to help people feel the wonder of the night sky, and he creates planetarium shows using real imagery for backgrounds, which he shoots during his astrophotography travels. Most planetarium shows today, even those featuring real objects and locations, largely rely on computer-generated images and renders for the final product. Kwon made one of the first virtual reality videos of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, and his second …