Oct 17, 2024

Space Shots under a Full-Dome: What It Was Like

The final part of this year’s space week was the Noosphere Association’s “Space Shots: Science VS Cinematography” event. This year’s theme was “The Day After Tomorrow.” For the first time, we also held two separate sessions, one for children and for adults, and also arranged a viewing of films on the full-dome screen in the Noosphere Planetarium!

“Space Shots” is both a scientific and entertainment event, during which guests watch excerpts from popular films about space while experts in the field of astronomy, physics, aerodynamics, and ecology help to clarify where what is cinematic myth and what is scientific reality.

This year, we had about 200 guests, including more than 70 for the children’s session and almost 120 adults. At the first of the sessions, participants watched excerpts of the films “Interstellar,” “Elysium,” “2012,” and “The Fast and the Furious.” These were the experts who helped them to understand truth versus fiction:

  • Lyudmila Marchenko, an astronomer and science popularizer with over 50 years of experience.
  • Kateryna Sergeeva, the Deputy Director of the “StartUm” Communal Institution of Out-of-school Education Center for Development of Children and Youth, a representative of EOS Data Analytics, and associate professor in the Department of Information Technologies and Computer Engineering in the National Dnipro Polytechnic University.
  • Tetyana Mizichenko, head of the “Interesting Astronomy” section.
  • Anna Nikitina, a space guide from Planetarium Noosphere.

“It is very symbolic that, this year, the Space Shots event, part of World Space Week, took place at Planetarium Noosphere, where every day we introduce children and adults to the exciting world of astronomy and the full-dome films created by us, which have captivated audiences at international festivals for two years in a row and contribute to development of the creative industry of full-dome animation in Ukraine” said Hanna Nikitina.

The following experts visited the adult session to watch such films like “Star Trek,” “The Fast and the Furious,” “The Creator,” and “Avatar”:

  • Vasyl Shevtsov, a Candidate of Sciences and Associate Professor of the Department of Rocket, Space and Innovative Technologies of DNU.
  • Vladyslav Taran, the head of the sector at Flight Control Propulsion.
  • Yehor Tur, the Senior Space Guide of Planetarium Noosphere.
  • Yuriy Buchavyy, an ecologist, candidate of biological sciences, and lecturer at Dnipro Polytechnic University.

“This year, the Space Shots were held for the first time in a full-dome format, so participants and experts had a unique opportunity to enjoy shots of famous films against the background of spectacular space landscapes, which immersed them in the atmosphere of space travel. Due to the technical capabilities of the Planetarium Noosphere, the footage of the films was simultaneously displayed on opposite sides of the dome, which made their viewing comfortable for both participants and experts,” said Yehor Tur.

Traditionally, the Space Shots event is moderated by the project coordinator at Noosphere, Serhii Perun. Guests discussed not only films, but also such global issues as global climate change, ecology and the future of humanity, space travel, the issue of launching rockets and devices from Earth, and more.