We are pleased to publish the result of a survey conducted by planetarian Alan Gould of The Lawrence Hall Of Science (Berkeley, University of California) to get a sense of how many planetariums present various types of shows: Recorded, Live, Combination, Audience Participation.

The survey results are shown in the bar graph below.

A large percentage — 55% of the planetariums surveyed — present mostly recorded shows but include live presentations before and/or after the recorded show.

What's interesting is that more than a third of the planetariums present "mostly live" or "only live" programs. The research team was also reassured that over 1/4 of the planetariums had audience participation program elements.

In years past, the team conjectured that about 20% of planetariums do audience participation shows, but the survey result shows it to be a tad bit higher than originally thought.

We look forward to such researches and development about the best ways engage audiences in planetarium programs.

Published with permission.