A planetary scanner (also called an orbital scanner) is a type of

image scanner An image scanner (often abbreviated to just scanner) is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object and converts it to a digital image. The most common type of scanner used in the home and the office is the flatbe ...

for making scans of rare

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

s and other easily damaged documents. In essence, such a scanner is a mounted camera taking photos of a well-lit environment. Originally, such scanners were expensive and could only be found in

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...

s and

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

s, but with the availability of cheap, high- resolution

digital camera A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...

s, DIY planetary scanners have become affordable, and for instance are being used by volunteer scan providers for

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

. Flatbed scanners often come in contact with at least part of the object to be scanned. They also require books to be fully opened most of the time (there are some exceptions where the scanning surface ends at the edge of the flatbed scanner, so that a book can be opened partially). Both practices can damage rare books; For example, opening a book 180 degrees can be damaging to its spine. These scanners are also implemented to scan other fragile documents such as old maps. However, planetary scanners that allow the book to open to a full 180 degrees have special features that protect the book binding from being damaged. Many of those scanners are equipped with self-balancing book cradles, gaps for the binding to be placed in, and pressure-sensitive glass controls. It is argued that by opening the book to a full 180 degrees and using scan glass, the scanner is able to capture further into the binding than those using a V cradle. National Mine Map Repositor
"State-of-the-Art Equipment at the National Mine Map Repository"
/ref> Planetary scanners tend to touch fewer parts of a book, and provide an option of only opening a book partially.

Notes

{{Compu-hardware-stub Image scanners

See also

Notes