Fiske Planetarium

I took some students to the Stars and Planets show this past weekend. Very neat technology in the show. It was a powerful platform for movement, detail, and perspective in the solar system. I was also impressed that, during the Q&A, the navigators controlling the visual show could immediately pull up animations related to the questions being asked. Added neat value.

The narration left a lot to be desired, however. A university student presented ad lib, and although it was pretty clear she knew a fair amount about astronomy and was very friendly, the style was unpolished and not well-suited to the show. It was at times tentative, low-volume, with regular empty space, and not content-heavy. (I think you can still be kid-friendly and content-heavy.) For example, while presenting the planet Venus, a couple of photographs of the surface (?) of Venus were put up, and the narrator said that these were some of the only photographs on record of Venus since cameras entering its hot atmosphere burn up so quickly. This made me interested, especially as the photos seemed to have a lot going on in them. However, the only comment the narrator made about the photos was that it looked like there was some "rocky business going on" (referring, I think, to some objects that looked like rocks). This was just one example of the general feel: a well-organized technical / visual presentation with subpar narration.

Presentations like this must have either scripted narration (which can totally still be engaging) or else very well-rehearsed commentary. Otherwise, the organizers' desire for a friendly, engaging presentation (a good desire) falls flat. This one was tough to listen to, and a little disappointing.