Photo/Illutration The star projector at the Akashi Municipal Planetarium (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Located on the 135th meridian east, the city of Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture is home to the Akashi Municipal Planetarium, the oldest functioning planetarium in Japan.

Its star projector, made in the former East Germany and standing about 3 meters tall, has mesmerized visitors with images of stars since the planetarium opened in 1960.

I visited the facility the other day, having heard that the projector undergoes its annual cleaning in late December.

“It’s worked hard this past year, and I’m sure it’ll be fine for many more years,” beamed Takeshi Inoue, 54, the planetarium’s director.

This year marks the centennial anniversary of the first planetarium in Europe. That, Inoue said, put Akashi’s “veteran” star projector into the spotlight.

Planetarium staffers on stepladders dusted the projector with mops, carefully removing dust that had collected in the crevices. The projector’s glossy black metal body somehow looked proud, as if enjoying the cleaning.

I enjoyed a short projection show during the cleaning. After the first star rose, the entire sky began to fill with stars. The lights appearing in the pitch-black space looked incredibly gentle and modest.

I felt soothed by their subtle glow and the darkness of the sky, which is disappearing from our daily lives.

What attracts people to planetariums? Inoue seriously answered my abrupt question with: “When you look at those beautiful stars here, you feel as if you are in outer space and that you are a part of it. And you probably realize how miraculous that is.”

Author Atsushi Nakajima (1909-1942) described the brilliant brightness of the star Sirius in his poem in Chinese:

“Above an open forest on a frigid night, the star shines alone from the world.”

I contemplated the infinite universe for a moment in late December--when time seems to pass as fast as light.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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