NEW YORK CITY - American Museum Natural History - Hayden Planetarium - Astronomy For Sale

NEW YORK CITY - American Museum Natural History - Hayden Planetarium - Astronomy: The original Hayden Planetarium was founded in 1933 with a donation by philanthropist Charles Hayden. In 1935, the Hayden Planetarium, designed by architects Trowbridge & Livingston, opened, after its construction was funded by a $650,000 loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and a $150,000 donation from banker Charles Hayden of Hayden, Stone & Co. Its mission was to give the public \"a more lively and sincere appreciation of the magnitude of the universe... and for the wonderful things which are daily occurring in the universe.\" Joseph M. Chamberlain, hired as an assistant curator in 1952, became Chairman of the Planetarium in 1956. In 1960, a Zeiss Mark IV projector was installed, followed by a Zeiss Mark VI projector and new seats in 1997. In January 1997, the original Hayden Planetarium was closed and demolished. In August 1999, a new, customized Zeiss Mark IX projector was installed, accompanied by a digital dome projection system that provides a 3-D visualization of the universe based on images generated in real time by a Silicon Graphics supercomputer. This is the intricate machine which reproduces the heavens in all their beauty. It is Zeiss Optical multiple stereopticon Planetarium projector, a super magic lantern, with more than 120 different projection units giving a complete picture of the sky. The motions of the heavenly bodies are shown as the projector turns on the axes of its \"cradle.\" In the background is a projection of the moon. The card is in good conditon, but shows some edge wear.