American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Hayden Planetarium. Hall of the Sun; Astronomy; Hall of Astronomy; Astronomy, Planetarium; Copernican Planetarium; Copernican Chamber; Hall of the Sun
birth: 1935
death: 1971
Permanent exhibition. Opened October 3, 1935 and closed 1971. Located on Floor 1, Section 18. The Hayden Planetarium's Hall of the Sun or Copernican Room featured models of our solar system's planets, which mimicked their axes and revolutions around the sun at proper relative speeds. On the blue walls surrounding the chamber were depictions of zodiac constellations showing principal stars and mythological figures. The floor featured a replica of the Aztec Calendar Stone, a cast of which has been exhibited in the Hall of Mexico and Central America. The corridor surrounding the Hall of the Sun included photographic transparencies of astronomical subjects and a collection of meteorites (1, 1935, p. 7-8). The hall also served as visitors' introduction to the Sky Theater. It closed in June 1971 and was replaced by the Guggenheim Space Theater (1, 1970, p. 20).
Additional location information: Northeast Court. Section 1-P indicated in AMNH General Guides for 1953, 1956, and 1958.
For additional related resources and information see Relation.