Dr. Mussers' Personal Copernican Planetarium Prototype
Again, In our continuing effort to preserve our rich planetarium heritage, the Museum is proud to announce that we have acquired Dr. Mussers' original
Copernican Planetarium Prototype built in 1958 during the International Geophysical Year. The planetarium, which was invented and developed by Dr. Clair O. Musser of Scientific Space Industries, which was a subsidiary of Hughes Aircraft Company at the time, was ideal for classroom use. A lecturer could control the black light, read from the calendar clock, set the time register, attenuate the sun, planets and asteroids, control the planets individually, control orbital speeds, reverse orbital movements and produce eclipsing binary effects. The Planetary System is portrayed in color and includes each of the nine major planets, the moon, the region of the asteroids, and the sun. A separate light source produces each of the objects shown, generally by rear projection from inside the cabinet onto the surface of the translucent viewing screen. Each object is controlled by a separate electrical circuit with provision for dimming, so that a lecturer can show only those objects which were required for his demonstration. We believe less than 50 of these were made by Scientific Instruments of Los Angeles and distributed by Central Scientific Company (Cenco) of Chicago. They were sold mostly to Planetariums, Museums, and Institutions during the 1960s for around $ 6,000 and it stands seven feet tall when it is on its stand which holds its interchangeable disks. A smaller home version was also manufactured and sold to individuals reportedly at the 1962 Worlds Fair in Seattle Washington. The Museum is indeed fortunate to have acquired this historic instrument which is another piece of our fascinating planetarium heritage!
Owen Phairis, P.O. Box 3400, Big Bear Lake, California 92315 ophairis301@gmail.com (909) 806-5698
