Classic STARLAB® Cylinder

The STARLAB Projection Cylinders are the secret to the versatility of STARLAB. These interchangeable, computer-generated mylar cylinders fit over the projection lamp of the STARLAB Projector to create vivid images on the inside of the STARLAB Dome. They make it easy to demonstrate the night sky, the inside of a biological cell, a global projection of the earth or ancient mythological characters.

Constant development of new cylinders, many in a variety of new disciplines, has made STARLAB a truly versatile tool for every area of education. These cylinders may be purchased individually at any time, allowing you to add onto your system to accommodate your budgetary and curriculum needs.

“Inside the dome, a cylinder projector is not only able to show us the night sky devoid of any light pollution; it can take us on a journey from the South Pole to the Equator and on to the North Pole. We can see the sky as it looks right now in New Jersey as well as at the far end of the Australian outback. We can observe our whole galaxy and study the Solar System. We can look deep beneath the Earth’s crust to see the tectonic plates and study causes and effects of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. STARLAB can also serve as a great vehicle for exploring different cultures. We can see the sky through the eyes of ancient Egyptians and Greeks, learn the legends of ancient China and Africa, and study the tales of Native Americans. . . . Having the STARLAB as a cross-curricular learning tool may open the door for our students to explore well beyond the realm of imagination.”

STARLAB Astronomy Cylinders. . .

Milky Way Starfield

The Starfield Cylinder now includes an extraordinarily precise depiction of the Milky Way based on the beautiful and highly accurate all-sky panoramas created by Dr. Axel Mellinger. From July 1997 to April 2000 Mellinger used specialized tracking cameras and Kodak film to take 51 wide-angle photos of the northern and southern hemispheres. These precise images have been carefully adapted to the cylindrical starfield projection creating a night sky so detailed, one can easily pick out features like the Coal Sack and the Milky Way center, as well as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and Andromeda Galaxy.

The digitally-produced starfield simulates the night sky at any time, season or location on earth. Over 3,000 stars are projected to a limiting magnitude of 5.5 with the brightest stars individually lensed to produce intense pinpoint images. Star locations are accurate to within 1 minute of right ascension and 6 minutes of declination. Betelgeuse, Rigel, Antares, Spica, Arcturus, Capella and Pollux appear in full color. Twelve aperatures show the position of the sun throughout the year. For beginning and advanced astronomy.Item #SL-321

Note: The Milky Way shown above is brighter than on the actual cylinder for web viewing purposes.

Urban Starfield

This scaled-down version of the traditional Starfield Cylinder accurately simulates the night sky in areas where light pollution screens out a significant number of stars. The Urban Starfield cylinder features 600 stars, with the 14 brightest stars individually lensed. Perfect for beginning students of astronomy and/or people who live in urban areas. Item #SL-324

Deep Sky Objects

Ninety-six deep sky objects on a background of 3000 stars (including many of the Messier objects) are coded for easy recognition. The cylinder shows variable and double stars, open clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Detailed identification numbers/symbols and the object’s location in right ascension and declination, as well as its relation to a nearby constellation, are shown. Applications: An excellent training device for learning telescope use. Perfect for junior high, high school and college students with an astronomy background. Item #SL-327

Constellations

Using the well-known constellation identification system of H. A. Rey, this cylinder features the 48 major constellations, the ecliptic and celestial equator, colorfully displayed for the ultimate in visual retention. Applications: Star identification, planetary positions and the path of the sun and moon. Useful at all grade levels to facilitate rapid orientation for outdoor observations. Item #SL-322

Celestial Coordinates

A full projection of 3000 stars are displayed here against a background of the celestial coordinates, the ecliptic and the galactic equator. Right ascension is marked in 1 hour intervals, declination at 10° intervals, with precessional axis plus or minus 13,000 year increments. Extremely useful for angular measurement, location of faint celestial objects and spherical geometry. Applications: Physics, telescope use, positional astronomy, celestial navigation and precession at the junior high through college level. Item #SL-326

This exciting cylinder projects scaled representations of the sun and the principal bodies of the solar system in color with tables of basic statistics. The enormous distances between the planets are shown to scale. The cylinder also features a colored depiction of the Milky Way Galaxy, complete with spiral arms and a scaled distance line. Full supporting curriculum and suggested lesson plans are included. An indispensable aid for the teaching of astronomy for middle school and up! Item #SL-328

Radio Sky

The observable universe beyond the thin slice of the visible spectrum is often overlooked. The Radio Sky Cylinder immerses the audience in the radio universe, yielding a firsthand experience with a part of the electromagnetic spectrum of which most are unaware. The program consists of a radio view of the sky projected on the portable planetarium dome which can be removed and replaced with the visible sky view of the Milky Way. Newspapers and magazines, television and the internet, broadcast almost daily, news about discoveries in astronomy that have been made at radio, millimeter, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths. This cylinder can help students relate to these discoveries and become excited about them. For middle and high school students, this cylinder is accompanied by a 16- page curriculum with background information, a cylinder script and activities.
Item #SL-362

Moon

The most prominent feature in the night sky, to even the youngest children, is the Moon. The Moon is the only night-sky object beyond the clouds that appears larger than a dot. Yet, it is greatly misunderstood. Why it changes its phase, how it moves through the heavens, what the surface features really are — these are all aspects of the Moon that can be readily observed but that are plagued with misconceptions.

The Moon Cylinder, in conjunction with its curriculum guide, will help you teach your students about phases, eclipses, the Moon’s motion through the heavens, and features on the Moon’s surface. You will be able to examine and compare sites of the Apollo Moon landings, compare the near and far sides of the lunar surface, and distinguish between such surface features as highlands, maria, craters, mountains, ejecta rays, and rilles.

The cylinder comes with a masking cover, which can be used to obscure parts of the cylinder from view, thus keeping your students on task. With the phase identification activity, the wall mask is designed to allow viewing of only one phase at a time. This allows you to unveil the correct phase once your students’ phase predictions have been cast. Recommended for elementary and middle school students. Item #SL-369

STARLAB Earth Science Cylinders. . .

STARLAB Mythology Cylinders. . .

Ancient Egyptian Culture

This cylinder shows a dramatic representation of the skies as seen by both Pharoahs and slaves of Ancient Egypt. An identification key contains descriptions and legends for 36 extraordinary constellations that represent religious, political and Egyptian social life upon a starry background. The position of the stars have been calculated for the year 2500 BC. The projection compensates correctly for the phenomenon known as precession. The supporting curriculum Ancient Egyptian Culture and the Stars, explains precession as well as the love, hope, fear and humor that the Egyptians felt for the lights in the sky. Useful for astronomy, mythology, and ancient history for all grades; archeoastronomy and positional astronomy for the high school level. Item #SL-322

Much can be learned about the culture of the Ancient Chinese people by simply looking at the sky. Constellations were of tremendous significance and were carefully monitored by astronomers. Ceremonies, relationships and decisions of all types were structured around predictions based on these celestial figures. This window into the life of people in China 5,000-10,000 years ago can now be viewed in the STARLAB with two exciting cylinders. Each cylinder is useful for astronomy, mythology, art, literature, social studies and ancient history for all grade levels. Item #SL-458: Set of both Chinese cylinders

Ancient Chinese Legends

Featuring more than 30 exciting, colorful constellations such as the Royal Couple, the Supreme Commander, the Awakening Snake, the Four Pillars of Heaven and the Prisoners of War, this celestial panorama is full of wonderful stories that represent the cultural ideas of the time. Item #SL-357

Ancient Chinese Seasons

This vivid cylinder features the four beasts representing the ancient seasons: the White Tiger (autumn), the Black Tortoise (winter), the Blue Dragon (spring) and the Red Bird (summer). These beasts influenced every aspect of life of the Ancient Chinese. Each of these larger constellations contains smaller figures that serve as seasonal reminders.
Item #SL-356

The Lapp (or Sámi) Mythology cylinder depicts the outlines of figures from Nordic Lapp folklore. The cylinder tells the story about a great Cosmic Moose Hunting Scene. The large constellation, Sarva, the Moose, is composed of several Greek constellations – Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Auriga. In the Nordic Lapp folklore, Gemini, Orion, Ursa Major and other figures are hunting Sarva. For astronomy, art, literature, social studies, and ancient history for all grade levels. Item #SL-355

Hindu Mythology

The Hindu Mythology cylinder features over 30 exciting stories of constellations and stars collected from the Vedas, Ramayana, Malhabharta, and Puranana. These wonderful legends tell of the significance of a heavenly couple similar to Adam and Eve, an evil “blinking” star, hunters and warriors, explanations of the role of the sun and moon in the heavens, tales of monsters and fierce creatures, and much more. Useful for astronomy, mythology, art, literature, social studies, and ancient history for all grade levels.Item #SL-322

Polynesian Voyaging

This cylinder displays the four star groups that are used for navigation in Hawaiian astronomy. These “star lines” run north to south and are marked by bright stars and prominent constellations. Star line 1, which translated means “The Canoe-Bailer of Makali’i” is formed by six stars, Capella, Castor and Pollux, Procyon, Sirius, and Canopus, curving across the sky from north to south in the shape of a bailer with Orion in the middle. Star line 2, “The Backbone”, runs from Polaris and The Big Dipper near the north celestial pole through Arcturus to the Southern Cross near the south celestial pole. The stars in this line represent vertebrae along a backbone, a metaphor for a genealogical line with each vertebra representing a generation. Star line 3, “The Chief’s Fishline”, goes from Cassiopeia in the north to Scorpius in the south, and is dominated by the Navigator’s Triangle, made up of Deneb, Vega, and Altair. Finally, the northern part of star line 4 or “The Kite of Kawelo” is made up of Cassiopeia and the Great Square of Pegasus, while the southern part includes Fomalhaut, Alnair, Dipha, Ankaa, and Achernar. The cylinder includes a 20-page curriculum with an introduction to Hawaiian Astronomy, a section on Polynesian Voyaging and Wayfinding, and complete descriptions (including traditional Hawaiian names) of the Hawaiian constellations and star lines. 
Item #SL-363

Inuit Star Lore

This cylinder created by Ole Knudsen takes the students on a journey of the constellations and star lore of the Arctic night sky as related by Inuit elders. Much of the lore is based on extensive research from John MacDonald’s book entitled The Arctic Sky(available from Amazon).

Of the arctic cultures and beliefs much has been written down by various travellers, anthropologists and other friends of the Arctic peoples, the Inuit. It is also obvious that much has been lost forever. In the few written accounts surviving only a few constellations are mentioned; between ten and twenty. There is some reason to believe that in the old days many more existed, but the cultural chain has been broken and knowledge of Inuit stars and star lore is not a living thing among the young anymore. This cylinder and notes are mainly an attempt to give the stars back to the children of the Arctic.

There seems to have been a twofold use of the stars and constellations. One use is very practical and pragmatic: for timekeeping and for navigation. The other use, mainly for the same stars and constellations was for storytelling. This could be just a pastime or a way of teaching the proper way to behave in a world of gods and spirits. The myths, legends and stories cited here are as they were recorded. They reflect the values and thoughts of a people that has survived the harsh arctic conditions for millennia. Item #SL-364

Additional STARLAB Cylinders. . .

STARLAB Cylinders for Social Studies. . .