Loch Ness Productions is marking its 31st year of show production with the release of a fulldome version of a perennial favorite in planetarium circles, Light Years from Andromeda. The show, which is making its digital debut the same week that astronomers are announcing new advances in measuring the extent of the universe, takes a very human approach to the story of cosmic distances and the quest to understand the universe.
“In
Light Years from Andromeda, we focus on a distance that most people have heard of: the light-year,” said Carolyn Collins Petersen, vice-president of Loch Ness Productions and the show’s author. “It's the distance that light travels in a year at a speed of roughly 300,000 kilometers per second. And, we also focus on light-speed, which is a number that astronomers deal with all the time. We wanted to give people an understanding of what those both mean.”
Petersen said she decided to take viewers out to the Andromeda Galaxy, which lies some 2.5 million light-years away, to illustrate the enormity of cosmic distances. “We begin the show there, 2.5 million years ago,” she said. “Then, we bring viewers back home to the Milky Way, across time and space at the speed of light and show them how human history progressed while the light was traveling. Ultimately, we get back to Earth and learn more about the concept of light speed and the light-year.”
The show’s visual sequences were programmed by Mark C. Petersen, who also created original music for the soundtrack. It is narrated by actor Michael Dorn, who played Worf in Star Trek movies and TV shows. For this version,
Light Years from Andromeda has been updated with a modern look. “It’s been very satisfying to see this show come to life as a fulldome presentation,” said Mark. “It features immersive flights between galaxies that we could never have done in the early days. We’re really happy to provide a new fulldome experience who those loved this show in its classic, slide-based format. Our work can live on with a new generation of audiences.”
Previews and ordering information for
Light Years from Andromeda are available through Loch Ness Productions’ website at:
http://www.lochnessproductions.com/shows/lya/lya.html The company is also providing new visuals and soundtrack files for classic planetarium theaters who wish to update their slide-based version of the show. The show will be premiered at the Southeast Planetarium Association meeting in Nashville,
Tennessee, June 16-20, 2009
Contact: Carolyn Collins Petersen. Carolyn@lochnessproductions.com
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