Did you know ...

The UNIVERSARIUM projector by Carl Zeiss creates starry skies in the biggest planetariums around the globe. The planetarium in the Japanese city of Nagoya is the world’s largest, with a dome measuring 35 meters in diameter. A UNIVERSARIUM projector was installed there just a few weeks ago. The same projector forms the heart of the largest European planetarium, located in Moscow (dome diameter: 25 meters). The largest American planetarium at the St. Louis Science Center is only slightly smaller, with a dome measuring 24 meters in diameter. A UNIVERSARIUM projector is responsible for the star projection there as well.
 
The larger an artificial night sky is, the more natural it appears to the human eye. The realism of the experience is enhanced by the projection onto the dome of precisely the number of stars that the human eye can perceive. Moreover, in the planetarium the stars are shown in their actual punctiform shape and in all their twinkling splendor.

The state-of-the-art, computerized system by Carl Zeiss also facilitates the development and presentation of complex shows. Visitors big and small can thus learn about the workings of the night sky in an easily understandable and enjoyable manner. And they’ll certainly recognize more constellations than merely the Big Dipper the next time they examine the night sky.

June 29, 2011