A person who loves astronomy and space and wants to make its fascination known to as many people as possible. Someone who is easily enthusiastic about things and likes to interact with people.

The job is to explain the starry sky projected on the ceiling of the planetarium, plan and conduct astronomical observation events to learn about celestial bodies, and convey knowledge and fascination of the universe and celestial bodies in an easy-to-understand manner. In addition to operating the planetarium's projectors and creating programs to be shown, they also provide customer service, such as showing visitors to their seats. In addition to astronomy, they are also responsible for collecting the latest information on environmental issues and space science so that people of all ages can enjoy the planetarium.

There are more than 300 planetariums in Japan, most of which are operated by public science museums. As a result, employees of prefectural and municipal government offices are often assigned to them. Although the facilities sometimes recruit staff directly on an irregular basis, the number of recruits is small and highly competitive. Recruitment notices are often placed in astronomical magazines and local government PR magazines, so it is necessary to check them frequently. Planetarium facilities operated by private companies are the best places to find employment. Most of them do not require any particular qualifications as a condition for application, but knowledge of natural science, especially astronomy and space science, is necessary. Studying natural science at university is a good way to show off your knowledge when being hired. It is also advantageous to have a "curator" qualification, as some companies require one (see "Curator" for more information on "curators"!) For more information, please read "Curator"!

Planetarium machines are improving rapidly and are capable of projecting many stars clearly and colorfully and reproducing the universe as seen from stars other than Earth. The planetarium staff's ability to make good use of these state-of-the-art machines depends on their ability. The ability to conceive and plan attractive programs is also indispensable.

Employees of public planetarium facilities are local government employees, and their salaries vary depending on the municipality in which they work. The average salary for general administrative positions in all local governments is approximately 400,000 yen per month (average age 42). In the case of private companies, the salary follows the regulations of the company.

The basic rule is two days off per week. You may take one day off per week in addition to the facility's regular holidays.

A place where planetarium facilities are located. In many cases, they are located in museums, science museums, etc.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to getting a job as a planetarium employee!