Behind the scenes at We The Curious planetarium

We The Curious planetarium manager Lee Pullen opens a hidden door on the first floor of the science centre. “This is where the magic really happens,” he says.

Lee, who previously worked for NASA and the European Space Agency, is now almost as knowledgeable about how to clean 3D glasses as he is about the secrets of the solar system.

Behind the door is a room known among We The Curious staff as the ‘gogglewash’, where the 3D glasses used by guests at the UK’s first 3D planetarium are washed after every use.

“We are very particular,” says Lee, as he points to the machine that washes the glasses, the racks on which they are dried and a handheld gadget that ensures they are working properly.

Lee, also president of the British Association of Planetaria and UK representative for the International Planetarium Society, spoke on a recent Thursday morning at the fortnightly We The Curious all-staff meeting, only half-joking that he could have talked for a couple of hours about washing 3D glasses.

The 3D glasses in action inside We The Curious’ planetarium – photo by Lee Pullen

The planetarium – known colloquially by We The Curious staff as the ‘plano’ – is located inside the big silver ball on Millennium Square. It now contains two 4k projectors, each operating at 120 frames per second, producing 1.6 billion pixels per second.

Soon after starting at what was then At-Bristol, Lee was the only member of the planetarium team. That team has since grown to four, with Anna Henley, Antonia Forster and Paul Cornish as planetarium officers.

Alongside them, more than 20 members of We The Curious staff are trained as planetarium presenters, with these presenter-led shows one of the factors that makes Bristol’s planetarium a world leader.

Anna, despite her modesty, is also a reason why Lee’s role representing the UK’s planetaria at international events often sees him talking about his own place of work.

With a degree in astrophysics, Anna began as a member of We The Curious’ live science team before finding her niche in the planetarium, where she is responsible for creating the unique shows.

“What’s the best part of my job?” Anna asks. “Space is cool!

“When I first come into work and first switch on the stars, I often have to pinch myself. I get to fly around the universe for my job. It’s insane. I love it so much!”

Anna writes the code for a programme called Digistar to create the shows at the planetarium, which can take up to six months to create from the initial idea to the first public show.

The ideas for new shows usually come from visitors’ questions, with the planetarium team currently working on a new show about life in the universe.

Lee puts dozens of 3D glasses back in their rack in the gogglewash room. “The end goal for me is to give an amazing experience to visitors,” he says.

“The planetarium can really strike a chord with people, crying tears of joy, or children wanting to become astronauts, as they are able to appreciate our place in the galaxy.”

Anna Henley and Lee Pullen inside the We The Curious planetarium

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