講演情報
[PO1-03]Appearance Evaluation of the Milky Way
*Midori Tanaka1, Kenichi Otani2, Saori Setoguchi2, Takahiko Horiuchi1 (1. Chiba University (Japan), 2. Konica Minolta Planetarium Co., Ltd. (Japan))
キーワード：
Faithful reproduction、Preference、Perceptual depth
In planetariums, reproducing a realistic star field requires an appropriate gradation across a wide dynamic range from faint to bright stars. Although individual faint stars are difficult to perceive, dense aggregations such as the Milky Way become visible to the human eye. In optical planetariums, the luminance, size, and density of stars are empirically adjusted to reproduce the Milky Way’s gradation; however, clear design guidelines for achieving perceptually faithful reproduction remain unclear.
This study aims to identify the physical factors necessary for perceptually faithful reproduction of the Milky Way. Subjective evaluations of fidelity, preference, and depth impression were conducted for star fields projected onto a dome screen. The target region was the dense area of the Milky Way around Scorpius. A psychophysical experiment was performed by manipulating three physical factors—luminance, apparent size, and stellar density—and observers rated 12 reproduced star-field patterns using a five-point Likert scale.The stimuli were derived from a standard pattern created by an experienced planetarium engineer, designed to appear perceptually faithful to the real night sky though not physically identical. The standard pattern included approximately 60,000 stars brighter than magnitude 6.0. Variations in luminance, density, and size were generated by applying ND filters and modifying star plate processing.
A total of 37 observers (22 males and 15 females, aged 20–50+) participated in the experiment. Based on their evaluations, a predictive model was developed to estimate the three perceptual indices as functions of the physical factors using a log-normal distribution. The model achieved high accuracy, revealing that stellar density is the most critical factor for perceptual fidelity, while star size had negligible influence on observers’ impressions.
This study aims to identify the physical factors necessary for perceptually faithful reproduction of the Milky Way. Subjective evaluations of fidelity, preference, and depth impression were conducted for star fields projected onto a dome screen. The target region was the dense area of the Milky Way around Scorpius. A psychophysical experiment was performed by manipulating three physical factors—luminance, apparent size, and stellar density—and observers rated 12 reproduced star-field patterns using a five-point Likert scale.The stimuli were derived from a standard pattern created by an experienced planetarium engineer, designed to appear perceptually faithful to the real night sky though not physically identical. The standard pattern included approximately 60,000 stars brighter than magnitude 6.0. Variations in luminance, density, and size were generated by applying ND filters and modifying star plate processing.
A total of 37 observers (22 males and 15 females, aged 20–50+) participated in the experiment. Based on their evaluations, a predictive model was developed to estimate the three perceptual indices as functions of the physical factors using a log-normal distribution. The model achieved high accuracy, revealing that stellar density is the most critical factor for perceptual fidelity, while star size had negligible influence on observers’ impressions.