What is "Where Fingers Meet the Stars"?

"Where Fingers Meet the Stars and Beyond" is a tactile planetarium consisting of four tent-like, I2-foot diameter domes with 6-foot ceilings. The domes have tactile representations of the major constellations in the configurations of the four seasons from a mid-northern latitude perspective. The domes are self-standing and portable to allow diverse groups of students and adults alike to experience a hands-on exploration of the night sky.

A fifth dome will be unadorned to provide a close surface to project celestial images upon. This will provide a "low-vision friendly" planetarium setting to help individuals with visual impairments to conceive, in their mind's eye, a picture of the celestial sky and to develop an appreciation for the lore of the constellations.

 "Where Fingers Meet the Stars and Beyond", in its second phase of development, will support a 16-foot diameter model of the solar system consisting of computer programmed, electrical motor-driven configurations of planetary orbits. The planets move independently of one another and revolve around a glowing sun in their proper rotational periods. The high wattage, "hot, glowing" sun provides a means of illustrating energy reduction over distance and conceptualization of the environments on the outer planets.