Looking Up at the Planetarium

The year 2023 marked the 100th anniversary of the first public trial of the Zeiss planetarium at the Deutsches Museum. Over the past three years, commemorative events have been held across Japan and around the world, and on May 24th, a finale event will be held at the Akashi Municipal Planetarium, where Mr. Inoue serves as director. When did the planetarium first open to the general public at the Deutsches Museum?

It was May 7, 1925. This day was the birthday of Oskar von Miller (1855-1934), the civil engineer who founded the Deutsches Museum and conceived the idea of "exhibiting the starry sky on the ground." The planetarium was opened to the public in the new building of the Deutsches Museum on Miller's 70th birthday.

So, they chose the birthday of the person who conceived the planetarium as the opening day.

I heard Miller was in very high spirits that day.

Your book, "Machines That Create the Starry Sky: A 100-Year History of the Planetarium," is a very valuable resource for understanding the history of planetariums.

I did a lot of research to write that book. Thanks to that, I came across many interesting anecdotes.

GOTO INC (Goto Optical Research Centers and Institutes) also has an employee who is very knowledgeable about the history of planetariums. He is also an enthusiastic researcher of planetariums in Japan and around the world.

That would be Mr. Mitsuyoshi Kodama. He was very helpful to me as well. I visited GOTO INC many times and listened to many of his stories. Among them, the episodes about the founder, Seizo Goto (1891-1982), were particularly passionate! Seizo was your great-grandfather, wasn't he?

That's right. The Goto family's family business was the manufacture and sale of telescopes. My great-grandfather originally worked as an engineer at Nippon Kogaku Kogyo (now Nikon), where he learned lens and astronomical telescope technology under a German engineer.

In an era before the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan existed, most observation equipment such as telescopes at the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, which was affiliated with the Imperial University, were either imported or expensive products made by Nippon Kogaku Kogyo. In that environment, my great-grandfather thought, "In order to spread astronomical education, we need inexpensive, high-quality equipment," and began making telescopes. The first astronomical telescope made by GOTO INC had an aperture of 1 inch (2.5 cm).

My great-grandfather conducted joint observations of a total solar eclipse with the Asahi Shimbun. He reportedly observed it in Okoppe, Hokkaido, using his company's telescope.

Speaking of observations in Hokkaido, that would be 1936.

The results of that observation were immediately published in the American magazine "Amateur Astronomy."

During the observation of the annular total solar eclipse on Rebun Island in 1948, the American observation team reportedly called for cooperation from the Japanese side because it would have been too massive an undertaking for them to bring in their own observation equipment. The agreement was that the machines made in Japan would remain in Japan, but because the equipment made by Goto Optical was of such high performance, the American observation team took it back with them. This was the event that made the name of GOTO INC known within the United States.

All the documentary photographs from that time remain at our company.

The story of Seizo Goto entering the world of astronomy is the prehistory of planetariums in Japan. GOTO INC will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026, won't it?

That's correct. We are currently working hard to put the company's history into print.

What made me think "Seizo is so passionate!" was that his awakening to astronomy was triggered by Halley's Comet.

Most recently, in 1986, Halley's Comet made its closest approach to Japan and was observed in various places, but the one my great-grandfather saw was the Halley's Comet before that.

That was in 1910. At that time, it approached so closely that the Earth passed through the comet's tail, causing a worldwide sensation. There is a classic anecdote that at the age of 19, Seizo looked out of a bathroom window and was amazed to see Halley's Comet trailing a long tail across the sky, which awakened his interest in astronomy.

You know more than I do (laughs). According to "Tenmon Yawa" (Astronomical Night Tales) written by my great-grandfather, he went on inspection tours to various places overseas and was moved by the planetarium machine he saw at the Beijing Planetarium. He then felt that "this kind of machine is necessary for astronomical education" and began aiming for the domestic production of planetariums.

However, there seems to have been opposition. When he consulted with professors at national universities who were researching astronomy after returning to Japan, he was told, "You should stop." My stubborn great-grandfather insisted on making it anyway, and in the 1950s, he began manufacturing and exhibited a test machine at a trade fair.

That was the 1959 "Tokyo International Trade Fair." The device Seizo presented at that time was called the M-1 model.

By the way, the planetarium opened to the public at the Deutsches Museum in 1925 was a machine that could only project the German sky. The machines that appeared later, which could project stars from all over the world, were "dumbbell-shaped" projectors with two star balls for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, commonly known as the "Zeiss type."

The dumbbell type spread throughout the world, but because Germany was a defeated nation in World War II, Zeiss was in a position where it could not produce planetariums. Meanwhile, Sputnik was launched, and interest in space grew.

It was in this context that the momentum for domestic planetariums increased. The M-1 model announced by GOTO INC in 1959 is a shape called the "Morrison type." I feel Seizo's incredible foresight in a design that leads to modern planetariums.

The Morrison type is a device developed by the California Academy of Sciences, but the reason my great-grandfather arrived at this shape independently was that it is difficult to drive when the heavy spheres that project the star balls are separated at both poles. The idea was to gather heavy things in the center, which led to this shape.

In the earliest period, represented by the Zeiss Model II, the dumbbell type was the mainstream.

Minolta (now Konica Minolta) adopted the dumbbell type, while Goto Optical adopted the Morrison type. Some very old Morrison-type devices still remain and are still in active use.

Planets move in mysterious ways, as their name suggests, but planetarium devices are equipped with mechanisms with different parameters for each planet to reproduce their respective movements.

Old machines reproduced the movement of planets using the number and angle of gears. They might be antiques now.

Is the current mechanism different?

Now, machines have come out that can be operated by calculating everything with a computer. Along with this, the machines are becoming smaller and smaller.

What kind of person was the Seizo you knew?

We were a large family, so my great-grandfather lived with us until I was in high school. When I was in elementary school, it was my job to take walks around the house with him. He told me many stories.

Since our family made and polished lenses for battleships and other things during the war, a large amount of returned items remained in the basement of our house even after the war. They were probably dead stock, but there were glasses of truly various shapes. My great-grandfather would explain each one, saying, "This is a lens for such-and-such."

That's a historical scene.

Growing up in that environment, when I was in the first grade of elementary school, I was told, "You should study about the stars too," and was taken to the Goto Planetarium at the Shibuya Tokyu Astronomical Museum, which opened in 1957. I attended the children's program every Sunday at 8:00 AM.

That's a gifted education.

My great-grandfather passed away when I was a first-year student at Keio Senior High School. I remember it well; it was the day I arrived in Hokkaido for a school trip. I rushed back to Tokyo.

That was 1983. I heard from Seizo's wife that he had said he wanted to see Halley's Comet again when it was observed three years later.

Tsutomu Seki, known as a comet hunter, also stayed with us. My great-grandfather told me, "This person is someone who discovers famous comets," and Mr. Seki wrote a message on a signature board for me when I was in elementary school, which said "Perseverance and Effort." Discovering a new comet truly boils down to those words.

コメットハンターとして知られる関勉さんが泊まり込んでいたこともあります。曾祖父は「この人は有名な彗星を発見する方だぞ」と教えてくれて、関さんも小学生の僕に色紙を書いてくれたのですが、そこには「忍耐努力」とありました。まさに新彗星を発見するというのはその一言に尽きます。

What was the relationship between Seizo and Mr. Seki?

Mr. Seki is from Kochi, and the roots of the Goto family are also in Kochi. Because they were from the same hometown, my great-grandfather reportedly doted on Mr. Seki. The catalyst for their interaction was when Mr. Seki discovered Comet Ikeya-Seki in 1965 with a self-made telescope; my great-grandfather said, "There is an amateur astronomer with an inquiring mind," and donated a 60 cm astronomical telescope.

The astronomical telescope donated at that time was used at the Geisei Observatory within the Kochi Prefectural Geisei Astronomical Learning Center.

Mr. Seki used that astronomical telescope to discover many more comets and asteroids afterwards. He named several of those stars after my great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and father. Last year, Mr. Seki also named the last star he discovered that hadn't been named yet after me.

Actually, the name of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium's original character, "Orbital Star Squad Shigosen-ger," was also given to one of the asteroids discovered by Mr. Seki. Mr. Seki is great as an observer, but he also has a very strong desire to nurture astronomical culture. And he has a strong attachment to Kochi.

That's true. When the Nankoku Expo (Nankoku Kochi Industrial Grand Exhibition) was held in Kochi in 1950, a planetarium that Mr. Seki made with his friends was exhibited.

That's the cast-iron device where they drilled nearly 5,000 pinholes, right?

That's right.

Despite the hard work, Mr. Seki himself wrote that the stars in Kochi Prefecture were so beautiful that planetariums didn't catch on. I thought it might be a joke, but when I asked a staff member at the Aki City Museum of History and Folklore, it seems to be true.

Since most of the Pacific coast in Kochi is a southern slope, you can see a wonderful starry night if you climb to a high place.

I see. The night sky at Cape Muroto was indeed wonderful.

  Since we have the opportunity today, we are talking in front of the planetarium made by GOTO INC at Keio Senior High School. It's a GS-8-S model made in 1973, but how is it usually utilized in classes and other activities?  

The students in the Earth Science Research Club use the planetarium the most. They create their own programs and operate the screenings themselves. I also check them before the screening and point out any mistakes. They look very lively as they operate and discuss things themselves.

プラネタリウムを一番使っているのは地学研究会の生徒たちですね。自分たちで番組を作り、自ら操作して上映しています。私も上映前にチェックし、間違いがあれば指摘したりしています。自分たちで操作したり議論したりしている様子は生き生きとしています。

It's wonderful to have such an environment. Is the planetarium room about the size of one classroom? It's a good size.

It has 70 seats. Recently, more domes have inclined spaces to show full-sky images, but this room is concentric and the floor is flat.

The inclination is the same as in a movie theater, a mechanism to allow everyone to concentrate in the same direction. Concentric circles are a seating arrangement designed for learning about the starry sky, and this was the mainstream for old planetariums. This space is relaxing (laughs).

The Earth Science Research Club sometimes invites astronomy clubs from other high schools to this room to hold planetarium exchange meetings. They create and screen programs for each other, and sometimes the students of the Earth Science Research Club instruct them on how to use the control console.

That's great. At the Akashi Municipal Planetarium, we also have initiatives where high school students actually provide commentary for the planetarium. As expected, everyone seems to find speaking more fun, and it gets very lively.

The "Seishun ☆ Planetarium" by high school students held at the "Hamagin Space Science Center" in Yokohama was also popular. It was a project where students from various schools actually screened programs, and the Earth Science Club participated in it previously.

There used to be schools with planetariums all over the country, but has that number decreased significantly now?

That may be so. Kobe Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School, which is near Akashi, has an E-5 model made by Goto Optical Research Centers and Institutes. It is a pinhole type, which is rare nowadays, but it is still in active use.

Pinhole types were made in large numbers in the past, so if they still remain, there might be quite a few. The difficulty is that replacement light bulbs are hard to find, though.

So there was an era when many pinhole types were produced.

They have the advantage of being inexpensive to manufacture.

The planetarium at Keio High School is a general lens projection type, where the light source, original plate, and lens are inside the device, and it uses the lens to converge light and project a bright image. The pinhole type works by making holes in a sphere and distinguishing between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd magnitude stars by the size of the holes. While it has a simple construction, the sharpness of the stars is inferior to the lens projection type.

The "Kaneko-style pinhole" invented in the 1950s by Isao Kaneko (1918-2009), known as an astronomy popularizer, is still in active use at Kobe Kita High School. According to those involved in its introduction, they actually wanted to buy one made by Goto Optical Research Centers and Institutes. There may have been many schools that introduced pinhole types due to budget constraints.

The planetarium at Keio High School is maintained twice a year and is still in active use even after more than 50 years.

Optical projectors have a great direct feel, where you touch it and it moves like this.

Actually, recently there has been an increase in facilities that do not place an optical projector in the center of the dome and instead project using only video projectors. Also, self-luminous LED screens have high resolution and are vivid, but they are expensive. In the US, self-luminous spheres (spherical domes) are being built at a cost of hundreds of billions of yen.

On the other hand, self-luminous types have the disadvantage of light reflecting off the screen. It's close to the feeling of watching a giant television, and the inside of the dome is bright. It doesn't feel like you are looking at stars in the night sky.

Human vision is so delicate that it can perceive even slight differences in gradation in the dark. Will places with projection-type planetariums become precious spaces in the future?

We also realize the amazingness of the human eye every day. As a planetarium manufacturer, we are always aiming for a realistic starry sky, and it is precisely because the human eye is so amazing that we continue development with the feeling that we must go this far.

What kind of trial and error is involved in making star charts closer to reality?

There are things that you can't see clearly even when looking up at the night sky, but you feel that "the eye is seeing it." Such subtle differences are hard to perceive in the Japanese night sky, but in my experience, you can tell when you go to the top of a mountain in Hawaii or to Chile. The planetarium development members are struggling to express even differences as small as the "somehow perceivable shades of black" inside a pitch-black dome.

How to utilize actual sensations is important, isn't it? Last year in Berlin, I was finally able to see the Zeiss Model I, which was the first projector. What was surprising was that the projected sun and moon were very small.

It's because they are made faithfully to the dimensions seen from the ground, but that feels insufficient. Modern planetariums project the sun and moon a bit larger, don't they?

I think they are quite large.

But that feels more right as a mental image. The struggle to find a balance between such scientific evidence and human sensation must be the real thrill of planetarium development.

One tends to think that a planetarium can be made just by matching spectral data and measurement codes, but when you actually project it, it feels different. This difference comes from the actual experiences each person has, and the way it is perceived differs between the general public and veterans.

Creating the Milky Way is particularly difficult. Everyone has their own "Milky Way within themselves," and there is heated debate within the company. It's hard to decide on a direction.

What kind of things are discussed regarding the Milky Way?

The appearance differs depending on the location. Even in Japan, you can see the Milky Way if you go to mountainous areas, but the impression varies depending on how it assimilates with the surrounding atmosphere. Discussions arise when we all try to give direction to that "impression."

In the first place, the idea of representing the movement of celestial bodies in a dome is genius. Even though the actual night sky doesn't look like a dome, the movement of the stars appears to draw an arc.

The concept of the celestial sphere is said to have been established in ancient Greek times, but I feel a tremendous backing of knowledge in the way of understanding the starry sky by likening it to something like a planetarium and having celestial bodies move within it. A planetarium where you can experience that is an important device.

It was such a great invention.

Because of the celestial sphere, humans became able to understand the universe. I want to say, "Celestial sphere-y much" (Thank you very much).

That's a good one (laughs).

Setting that aside (laughs), I think the important points of the invention of the planetarium are that it is a machine that projects stars and that it is a dome.

At the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, the Atwood Sphere, made in 1913, is on display. This was a mechanism where a person enters a giant sphere and sees the movement of celestial bodies through light from holes pierced in the sphere. The sphere itself rotated so that the diurnal motion could be understood, and it can be called the prototype of the modern planetarium. Although it was popular at first, its popularity vanished instantly with the appearance of the projection-type planetarium. It is now recognized as a historical technology of astronomy and was put on display after being refurbished.

By the way, at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, currently being held, the Farnese Atlas, said to have been made in the 2nd century AD, is being exhibited at the Italian Pavilion. This is something that depicted celestial bodies on the outside of a sphere a long time ago.

It's amazing because they switched from the idea of depicting things on the outside of a sphere about 2,000 years ago to the idea of looking at them from inside the sphere.

Furthermore, by placing a machine that projects stars in the center of the sphere, the movement of celestial bodies can be expressed just by rotating the device instead of the sphere. This breakthrough is also amazing.

I heard that Mr. Inoue immediately went to see the Farnese Atlas at the Expo.

I had wanted to see it once in my life, so I went right away. It is truly wonderful that the Farnese celestial sphere became the modern planetarium along with the development of astronomy, and that it is now spreading to every corner of Japan.

In this history, there is of course Seizo Goto, who contributed to the popularization of astronomy. When I visit planetariums in various places, I feel that Mr. Seizo's wish is being realized.

Nowadays, planetariums are no longer just tools for appreciating the starry sky, are they?

They are becoming increasingly diverse.

Recently, there are facilities that screen healing programs for couples, and customers visit with the same feeling as going to a movie theater. There are events for pregnant women to look at stars while listening to music, and there are also specialized projects where you can hear academic commentary. I thought the "Deep Sleep Planetarium" that Mr. Inoue worked on was wonderful.

It seems you can really sleep well in a planetarium.

I hear many voices saying that leaning back in a reclining seat in a pitch-black space makes them sleepy. The project at the Akashi Municipal Planetarium takes advantage of that, with the idea of "Please, go ahead and sleep."

The "Deep Sleep Planetarium" gets a big response every time, and some people come highly motivated wearing pajamas. It makes me feel like I should seriously try to make them sleep (laughs).

The first time was over ten years ago. It goes back to when I dared to start my commentary by saying, "I'm going to talk about some complicated things that I don't usually talk about, so I'm sure you'll all get bored and fall asleep." At that time, some people said, "The talk was so interesting I couldn't sleep," while others said, "I really slept well."

What I learned by doing it is that whether they sleep or not is ultimately decided by the customers, who are the main characters. There is a demand for hearing specialized talks in a planetarium, and sleeping customers also contribute to creating the atmosphere of the venue. It seems those who listened without sleeping also have a sense of satisfaction, like they "stayed up all night" (laughs).

There was a demand for the relaxation effect. This project spread nationwide.

The number has increased year by year, and it is now held in 70 locations every year. For people living in bright urban areas, looking at stars and dozing in a pitch-black space must be a precious time. A planetarium seems like an artificial space, but I feel it is actually a very natural place.

So, to investigate how much one can relax, we asked for the cooperation of customers and measured their pulse before and after the screening in collaboration with a university professor. As expected, the relaxation effect was confirmed, but when I also had mine measured as a subject before and after giving the commentary, the results showed that I was extremely tired. I must have been speaking with all my might (laughs).

At one planetarium, an event was held where it was okay for kindergarten children to be noisy. Usually, you have to be quiet in a place like a planetarium, but this time it was "Please, go ahead and make noise."

In Akashi, we also do Baby Planetarium, where babies are allowed to cry as much as they want. This event has a good reputation among young couples who find it difficult to go to a planetarium because they have small children, and we thought of a screening menu that would make them feel glad there was a place like this. Interactions also happen between the people who meet there, and there is a very good atmosphere every time after the Baby Planetarium.

The Akashi Municipal Planetarium is famous for its extensive facilities. I imagine many customers gather from all over the country, but it originally opened as a facility related to the 135th meridian that passes through Akashi, right? Was the planetarium there from the beginning?

The meridian markers have been standing since before the war, and the planetarium has also been there since it opened in 1960. The epicenter of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake was directly beneath the building, and the building almost collapsed, but the planetarium was miraculously unharmed.

I joined the science museum in 1997, two years after the earthquake. At that time, it was still closed for construction, but since the planetarium equipment would rust if not moved, my seniors were constantly working to light it up and move it.

The reopening in 1998 was my debut as a planetarium commentator. It was amidst an overflowing sense of expectation from a packed audience.

It must have been a lot of pressure.

I remember vividly that my hands were shaking from nervousness, and I accidentally pressed a switch while the sun was setting, making it disappear quite high above the horizon. For everyone who participated, it was a long-awaited moment, and there was thunderous applause after it finished.

I realized that while such facilities have few occasions to be useful immediately after an earthquake, they become a great emotional support during the recovery stage. I felt that everyone accepted the starlight of the planetarium as a symbol of recovery.

At the Sendai City Observatory, the planetarium program "Together with the Starry Sky" was produced the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Even now, it is screened at planetariums nationwide on March 11th.

A planetarium is something that can be appreciated precisely because we are in a state of peace, but it is also a place that becomes a great force for moving forward when something happens.

Nowadays, in schools, one can learn living knowledge through actual operation of planetariums, and in public facilities, understanding of celestial bodies can be deepened through the screening of programs. There are many facilities where commentators like Mr. Inoue operate them themselves to convey information, and it is truly diversifying. Among them, aren't there many repeaters who go because they want to hear a specific person's commentary?

We are supported by such people.

The fact that each commentator has their own style is also part of the fun of planetariums. At the Sendai City Observatory this April, the final screening by Hiroko Takahashi, who had been in charge of commentary for 50 years, took place.

I rushed there as well. Mr. Takahashi is someone who has been in charge of commentary for many years, dating back to when the Sendai City Observatory was located in Nishi Park before moving to its current location.

Fans from all over Japan gathered on that day, didn't they?

The Sendai City Observatory also has a wonderful history. The influence of Yoshio Kato, who served as the first director, and Yuzuto Kosaka, who served as the second, was significant. Mr. Kosaka is likely a mentor-like figure for astronomers in the Tohoku region. Now, as the director of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium, I also feel Mr. Kosaka's greatness.

Until Mr. Kosaka became the director, there was no observatory that was so open. He called out to young people to "touch the machines more," and transformed the planetarium from a "place for viewing" into a "place for using."

Makoto Tosa, who served as the 7th director of the Sendai City Observatory and is currently the honorary director, is one of those who entered the path of astronomy after being invited by Mr. Kosaka. Mr. Tosa has also continued a lecture series called the "Twilight Salon" ever since the observatory moved to its current location. He has continued it for a long time, totaling over 800 sessions.

Sendai City also accepts training camps for high school students. Previously, they could stay at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, where high school students conducted observations and research using a 50cm educational astronomical telescope. Since then, the Sendai City Observatory has taken over, and initiatives continue where graduate students provide guidance while students stay overnight to create presentation materials using the Sendai City Observatory's telescope.

That's "Kimi-Ten" (The 3 or 4 Days You Become an Astronomer), right?

Now it is called "Moshi-Ten" (If You Became an Astronomer in the City of Trees). I think managing the events is truly difficult. I can feel the passion of the observatory staff.

Perhaps thanks to these activities, I feel that the number of young people aspiring to work in space and astronomy is increasing.

There are many graduates of Keio Senior High School who work in space-related or astronomical fields. When I looked into it recently to put together a special feature for the alumni magazine, I was surprised to find so many.

The rising interest in astronomy among young people might be largely due to the Hayabusa boom. Hands-on events are being held in various places for children interested in both astronomy and space development. Hasn't the number of planetarium visitors also been increasing?

The total number of visitors nationwide is in the millions. The Japan Planetarium Association also called for commemorative events for the 100th anniversary of the planetarium, and officially recognized projects have been held in various locations over the past two years. The participants for those alone exceed one million.

That is an incredible number. It is said that Japan has the highest density of planetariums in the world.

While the United States has more facilities, Japan is number one in terms of density per unit area. Incidentally, in the U.S., there are large science facilities in each state, but because access is difficult, most high schools and colleges have their own planetariums. That is part of the reason why there are so many planetariums in the U.S.

There was also a project like a stamp rally to visit Carl Zeiss planetariums across the country, wasn't there?

In 2013, which marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of the planetarium, we held the "National Carl Zeiss Planetarium Tour." It was a project to visit all nine Carl Zeiss planetarium projectors across seven facilities in Japan, including the Akashi Municipal Planetarium.

How many Carl Zeiss projectors are currently active in Japan?

Among the old machines, only the one in Akashi is still active. The ones in Osaka and Shibuya have retired. New machines have been installed in Asahikawa City, Takamatsu City, Nagoya City, and Munakata City.

The lens projection type reproduces the movement of celestial bodies mechanically. They must be valuable as cultural properties as well.

Planetarium projectors have no waste and possess a visual beauty. Some people come to Akashi just to see the machine.

While recent machines are becoming increasingly compact, the device in Akashi occupies the center of the space in a particularly symbolic way, and its size is overwhelming.

Actually, after the Zeiss tour event, we started calling rare planetariums in Japan "Pla-'Rare'-riums" and held an event called the "National Tour of 33 Pla-'Rare'-riums." It was a project to visit facilities from Hokkaido to Okinawa over three years, and 50 people completed it. Near the end of the event period, Professor Junichi Watanabe, who was the Vice Director General of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan at the time, came with his wife and said, "I've visited them all."

That is impressive initiative.

In the fields of astronomy and space development, many people have special feelings for planetariums. Recently, when an international online event was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the planetarium, Professor Watanabe, JAXA's Makoto Yoshikawa (the developer of Hayabusa), and astronaut Naoko Yamazaki sent messages from Japan.

Ms. Yamazaki shared an interesting story about how NASA uses planetariums for astronaut training. If a spacecraft's system breaks during flight, astronauts look at the stars through the window to determine the spacecraft's orientation. Ms. Yamazaki said she enjoyed that training, but apparently, the Space Shuttle she was on actually had a system failure before docking with the space station.

She said the training in the planetarium was useful at that time and has become a good memory for her, but I thought it was an incredible story.

So even the Space Shuttle breaks down.

Ms. Yamazaki also grew up with the planetarium in Matsudo. Planetariums really have all kinds of reach. As the first place where children encounter astronomy, we want to further explore the possibilities.