Presentation of the Planetarium Noosphere space retreat program at the International Association of Planetariums IPS 2024 conference in Berlin

23 July
On July 22, 2024, within the framework of the International Association of Planetariums IPS 2024 conference in Berlin, an innovative space retreat program developed by the Planetarium Noosphere team to restore the mental health of internally displaced persons and persons affected by Russian military aggression was presented.

The IPS 2024 conference is a major international event in a series of events celebrating the 100th anniversary of planetariums, bringing together representatives of planetariums, prominent scientists and full-dome film producers from around the world at Arena Berlin and online to discuss the mission of planetariums and the challenges they face in the modern world.



One of these challenges is using the planetarium's capabilities to restore mental health, which was highlighted in an online report by Planetarium Noosphere space guide Anna Nikitina “Space Retreat: The Practice of Mental Health Recovery in a Planetarium for Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine”.

The space retreat involves the use of the planetarium's architecture and acoustics, full-dome projection, and modern software that guarantees a high level of realism and detail in three-dimensional models of astronomical objects to recreate a space journey in real time. During the space retreat, space objects take the place of untouched nature: planets and their satellites, nebulae and star clusters, where no one has ever been before. Stimulation of the five senses, different types of intelligence, awakening of the emotional sphere, and analogies between macro- and microcosm are intended to promote post-traumatic personal growth.

This socially significant project was launched at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. As of June 1, 2024, more than 9,500 people, including 7,800 children under the age of 18, have already attended space retreat sessions. This practice has already attracted the attention of the international community: in particular, in December 2023, Martin George, Chairman of the International Development Committee of the International Association of Planetariums, wrote an article in the Planetarian magazine about this program.



The report on the space retreat sessions aroused great interest in the project among the participants of the IPS 2024 conference, including Dr. Bjorn Foss, Dr. Anna Green and Dr. Martin George, who hold key positions in the International Association of Planetariums, who supported the report with a standing ovation, emphasized the social significance of the project, which has no analogues in the world, and expressed a desire to personally attend the space retreat at Planetarium Noosphere.



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