[School Culture Festival] Handmade Planetarium Ideas

Planetarium with cardboard and paper plates

At-Home Exciting Science Class: 'Handmade Planetarium'

It’s a pointed, triangular device that projects a starry sky, made by combining black construction paper, aluminum foil, and a paper plate.

Cut the construction paper into a half circle, mark the star positions, and punch holes.

Cut out the center of the paper plate so a light bulb can be set in, and wrap the entire plate in aluminum foil to reflect the light.

Then roll the construction paper into a cone and set it into the paper plate; attach a light on the inside, and you’re done.

You can punch holes at random to highlight the beauty of the night sky, or add lines to accurately recreate specific constellations—that could be fun too.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

Empty Bottle Planetarium

From ages 2 and up: Bring the starry sky into your room! Easy-to-use planetarium

This is a planetarium that projects a starry sky by combining an empty bottle, a light, and black construction paper.

Because the light passes through the bottle material, it adds a gentle, warm quality to the glow.

The steps are very simple: cut the black paper to match the height of the bottle and the length of its interior, then punch holes according to your star layout.

Next, spread the paper along the inside of the bottle, close the lid with the light attached, and you’re done.

Place the untouched bottom on the desk so it projects light around the bottle, like a halo of stars.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

A planetarium made from an empty box and aluminum foil

Just four steps, yet the satisfaction is off the charts! A planetarium you can make using only things you have at home! [Tried Making It Series]

This is a planetarium that projects a starry sky by poking holes in aluminum foil placed over an empty box and shining light through them.

On the side opposite the aluminum foil, make a hole so you can insert a light.

In addition to freely punching holes to create constellations, layering cellophane will spread a colorful starry sky, which is also recommended.

Depending on the brightness of the light, it may not project onto the wall, so be sure to think about ways to intensify the light—such as using multiple lights or lining the inside with aluminum foil.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

cylindrical planetarium

Tohoku Electric Power Green Plaza Experimental Workshop: "Enjoy Stargazing as a Family ☆ Let's Make a Planetarium"

This activity involves punching holes in a sheet of paper drawn with the arrangement of stars visible in the night sky, assembling it into a tube, and shining light from the inside to project the starry sky indoors.

The structure and angle of the paper tube are important: by setting a rotating tube at a slight tilt, you can effectively demonstrate how the real stars move.

The part attached like a lid on the tube represents stars visible in any season, while the stars that disappear when the tube is rotated are ones visible only in certain seasons—making it a great lead-in to learning constellations.

Since the stars in the night sky each have their own characteristics in brightness and size, it’s also recommended to be particular about how you punch the holes to faithfully reproduce their actual sizes.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

box-type planetarium

Summer Vacation Craft! Home Planetarium — Let’s Make a Planetarium for the House! —

A cardboard planetarium—its key feature is that you can project a starry sky wherever you like.

The setup is simple: attach black paper with holes punched in the shapes of constellations to a cardboard box with one side cut out.

If you place a light inside the box, the constellations will be projected onto the walls of a dark room.

Or, hold the box up to a room light and peek inside to casually enjoy the feeling of visiting a planetarium.

Since only one side is used for projecting the stars, you can freely decorate the other sides to create your very own planetarium device.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

Mini Planetarium

[Let's Make a Mini Planetarium for a Summer Vacation Project 🌌] #AtHomePlay #StayAtHomeTime #Crafts #IndoorPlay #SummerVacation

This is a compact planetarium device that lets you easily project a starry sky using your smartphone’s light.

Create the star field by punching holes in a sheet of black construction paper and rolling it into a tube—be mindful of the placement of the holes that let the light through.

If you also attach cellophane to the inside, the projected stars will look even more beautiful, so that’s recommended as well.

Next, cut out the bottom of a paper cup and wrap it in aluminum foil to make a reflective base, then attach the black construction paper you prepared—now it’s complete.

Secure it firmly over your smartphone’s light and project the starry sky in various places.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

A planetarium made by a high school student

@sapporoshinyo

We tried making a planetarium: third-year students in the inquiry course spent a year building it ⭐️Shinyou High SchoolPlanetariumExploration Course

♬ Planetarium (MP3 catalog number) – Ai Otsuka

You might think a planetarium would be hard to make without a dome or professional equipment, right? But with the right ideas, even high school students can create one! In this example, they’ve built a solid dome.

Is that black construction paper lining the inside? These days, affordable home planetariums are available, so if you’re making a smaller dome, you can actually set one up quite easily just by getting one of those.

A quiet, traditional planetarium is great, but you could also mix in lively visuals and use it as a photo spot, too.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem