Morrison Planetarium explores comets in new film ‘Incoming!’

More black-and-white photos show scientists building the Star Projector, the behemoth scientific centerpiece in the old planetarium that entertained Bay Area children and adults from its opening in 1952 until the Golden Gate Park museum was razed and rebuilt in the 2000s.

“Incoming!” is the latest planetarium show from the academy’s in-house production team, continuing the facility’s long tradition of creating its own scientific magic.

“It was always a priority to keep the DIY quality of the original planetarium,” says Ryan Wyatt, the planetarium’s director, and writer-director of the new movie.

The Star Projector was gone, the seating was no longer in the round, and many little touches were changed, including the memorable silhouette of the San Francisco skyline around the rim of the screen.

Each of the Morrison Planetarium’s five homegrown films has included contributions from academy scientists and the Bay Area’s abundant science community.

The visual team also makes use of regional filmmaking resources, with former Industrial Light & Magic and Pixar workers involved in the effects-heavy productions.

“Incoming!” is a return to astronomy for the Morrison Planetarium team, whose last two earthbound features centered on earthquakes and ecosystems.

The film weaves in current events, including the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft’s recent close encounter with a comet, and NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flyby of Pluto.

“Incoming!” was made underneath the theater, in a production facility that has a warm vibe, despite the concrete walls, exposed pipes and banks of computers filling the work space.

Since there’s only one planetarium screen in San Francisco, the filmmakers must wait until the public is gone to view their works in progress.