Museums List of Job Titles & Descriptions

Planetarium Technician Job Description - Installs, modifies, operates, and maintains sound and projection equipment used in presentation of planetarium classes and shows: Consults with personnel who plan classes and shows to determine feasibility of achieving specified effects, modifications in equipment necessary to create desired effects, and additional equipment or properties to be incorporated into technical equipment layout. Modifies projectors, electro-optic equipment, console controls, and auxiliary instruments, following script or lecture outline, to adjust equipment for producing desired visual effects, basing modifications on knowledge of equipment capabilities, and using handtools, precision instruments, and circuitry diagrams. Selects tapes of musical compositions from planetarium files and records portions of each, as designated in script, to produce tape recording with musical background. Modifies sound system to permit synchronization of recorded commentary and background music with visual presentation. Installs special effect properties, such as models of space ships or slides of ancient interpretations of constellations, in designated positions in dome of theater, and secures properties to control wires or machinery to facilitate manipulation of properties according to script or lecture outline, using handtools. Operates electro-optic, audio, and auxiliary equipment to present show or to complement presentation of class lectures. Repairs and maintains equipment, using handtools and precision calibrating and testing instruments, applying knowledge of electronic circuitry and electro-optics, and following manufacturer's maintenance instructions and diagrams. Constructs and installs permanent or temporary displays, incorporating electromechanical or electronic components, in planetarium's exhibit area.
Planetarium Technician Dot Code: 962.261-010