How is a Planetarium Similar to a Celestial Sphere?
Both the planetarium and celestial sphere are similar in that they are important tools of astronomy. According to Princeton University's WordNet, a planetarium can be a building, device or model used to house, project or show a celestial sphere. The celestial sphere is the imaginary surface of the night sky.
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Astronomy
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The concept of a sky shaped like a sphere has been around since 2000 B.C. in China. However, it was Eudoxus of Cnidos from Greece who created the first known complete celestial globe. Since ancient times, astronomers have been curious about celestial spheres that show information about the stars and the planetariums that can house these celestial spheres.
Planetarium
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The first structure to become a large planetarium projector was Carl Zeiss' geodesic dome built on the roof of his optical works in Jena, Germany, in 1922. This lightweight steel structure and the projector used were invented by Dr. Walter Bauersfeld. Both the planetarium and projector created the illusion of a celestial sky indoors by placing stars and other celestial bodies against the inside of the dome.
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Celestial Sphere
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The celestial sphere is what is projected onto a planetarium's roof or against a simple planetarium like a globe. The artificial celestial sphere is usually hemispherical and contains all the celestial bodies that would normally be seen at night. Earth's natural celestial sphere is everything an observer can see from the surface of the earth.
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