Scientists Help Design Colorful New Star Show

Harvard scientists brought color to the galaxy for the first time when their scientific advice helped produce a high-tech laser show that formally opened at the Hayden Planetarium in Boston last night.

Matthew H. Schneps, an associate of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Christine Jones, an X-ray astronomer at the Center, used their five-year-old research project to create a splashy new kind of planetarium show, called "Image Processing: The New Astronomy."

Vivid Colors

The show features "image processing," the method developed by the scientists to turn invisible electromagnetic waves from galaxies into vivid colors visible to the human eye. With image processing, computers transformed radio waves, gamma rays and X-rays into bright graphics of stars and planets.

Jones said what the human eye can see "is like one note in a symphony," but the technology in the show will let people see a much wider range of colors than they can in traditional shows.

The 30-minute show, which will run at the planetarium until September 7, is accompanied by a soundtrack of Phil Collins, Howard Jones and Joe Jackson, and a narration by Channel 5 newscasters.

```Image' is a dramatic departure from the usual, family-oriented planetarium fare," said Larry Schindler, artistic director of the show. "We used over 90 slide projectors, a Zeiss star-projector and a number of special effects, including lasers and strobes."

The show's creators said they want to wean people away from the 40-year-old fare that is standard in planetarium shows.

"The show is designed to convey high technology to the general public," said Jacobson.