Generations of Pittsburghers can now rediscover the Zeiss Model II Star Projector—originally used from 1939 to 1991 at the Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science—through a new exhibition at the Carnegie Science Center.
Located in the Atrium on the first floor, the exhibition pays tribute to the legacy of the Buhl Planetarium while offering interactive experiences related to the iconic artifact. Highlights include a “time machine” that lets visitors select any year from 1939 to the present to explore astronomical events of that year, and a star clock that displays the constellations visible in the sky at any selected date and time.
The Zeiss Model II Star Projector served as the centerpiece of the Buhl Planetarium from its opening in 1939 until the Carnegie Science Center opened in 1991. It was then used for special programming until it was officially retired in 1994. The projector’s intricate clockwork mechanisms allowed it to accurately display the night sky as seen from any point on Earth at any time in history. During World War II, Air Corps pilots trained with the device to learn celestial navigation. At the time of its retirement, it was the last remaining unaltered Zeiss Model II in the world.
“The Zeiss Projector is an important part of Pittsburgh’s history, and we are very excited to return this amazing piece of technology for the generations of visitors who walk through our doors,” said Ann Metzger, Henry Buhl, Jr. Co-Director. “Thanks to a generous gift from the Buhl Foundation, we are able to honor our past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future with this exhibition.”
The Buhl Foundation, established in 1927 in honor of philanthropist Henry Buhl, Jr., spearheaded several major civic projects, including the construction of the Buhl Planetarium—the fifth major planetarium in the United States. It featured a 492-seat “Theater of the Stars” and a 65-foot-diameter dome, serving millions of visitors over the decades, from the merely curious to aspiring NASA astronauts.
Since 1991, the Buhl legacy has continued at the Carnegie Science Center with support from the Buhl Foundation for the Buhl Digital Planetarium and related programming. The Science Center has earned a global reputation for producing innovative planetarium shows. Over 1,000 programs have been distributed across the U.S. and four continents, with translations into 18 languages.
In 2006, the Science Center installed a full-dome digital projection system funded by a $1 million gift from the Buhl Foundation. This upgrade dramatically expanded the scope of the planetarium’s offerings beyond astronomy to include fields like biology, chemistry, and engineering.
The new Zeiss Model II Star Projector exhibition was made possible by a $100,000 gift from the Buhl Foundation. High-resolution historical images of the projector and the original Buhl Planetarium are available on the Science Center’s Flickr page.