Within the next few months Eastern University will be updating our planetarium. A brand new digital star projector called SciDome will be replacing our old optical mechanical star projector.

SciDome uses Starry Night as the main engine that creates the star field, and in conjunction with a program called ATM4 users will be able to automate planetarium shows. If that is not enough there are pre-made full dome shows which we will be able to purchase and show to audiences with just the push of a button. These full dome presentations are shown at planetariums all around the world, and basically make the planetarium feel like an IMAX theater.

The biggest difference in an educational sense comes with the Starry Night star field engine. Now instead of having static two-dimensional star fields, we will be able to show you a three dimensional universe. Instead of looking at the planet Mars we now can fly there, land on the surface, and experience what life might be like on the red planet. If you rather we fly out of the solar system or even out of the Milky Way galaxy we can go on a space cruise and start to get a feel for how awesome the universe truly is.

Tentatively we hope to be operational by January, so keep checking up with us we will keep you posted.

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