In 1949 the Fort Worth Children's Museum got its first planetarium. An oblate spheroid, about 18 feet in diameter, constructed of plywood and cardboard was erected under a tent in the museum's backyard. Under this dome, one of Spitz' first instruments, a model "A," was set on casters to facilitate moving the instrument to the side of the room when not in use. The seating consisted of steel folding chairs.
When the Museum moved to its present location, a new Spitz A-1 was purchased, placed under a spherical 30-foot dome of plaster, and dedicated to Miss Charlie Mary Noble. It was the first planetarium in the world to be named for a woman.
At the heart of the Noble's astronomy programs was the Spitz A3P star projector. In conjunction with special effects projectors and a rich sound system, the star projector allowed guests of all ages to imagine memorable journeys through space and time.
When the new Museum campus opens in 2009, it will feature a state-of-the-art Noble Planetarium that will be unequaled in the Southwest. The planetarium will feature the first Zeiss-manufactured hybrid planetarium system – featuring a 3-D digital projection system – and an exhibit area that will provide viewing screens with up-to-the-minute views of the Sun and downlinks offering the latest information from the Hubble Telescope.
