Johannesburg’s 64-year-old Planetarium, in the Wits University campus in Parktown, has had a major technological upgrade.
Sporting a new name – the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome – the facility has been completely reimagined using high-resolution digital projectors.
TechCentral attended the media launch of the Digital Dome earlier this week and put together the video below, which includes footage captured using a 360-degree camera as well as an interview with the dome’s long-serving supervisor, Constant Volschenk.
Watch the video:
The Digital Dome, which will be opened to the public in February 2025, offers a “360-degree immerse experience” and will showcase a variety of shows aimed at school groups and members of the public.
It will also serve as a modern teaching venue and a collaborative research space where scientists and students can visualise their work – be it in big data, astrophysics, the digital arts, artificial medicine, microbiology and precision medicine, Wits University said in a statement.
It won’t only be used for serious work, though: the dome will also be made available from time to time for immersive videogame events. With its vast domed roof and high-resolution projectors, it promises to be an immersive gaming experience unlike anything available elsewhere.
“First completed in 1960, the old Planetarium was the first full sized planetarium in Africa,” Wits said. “The new Digital Dome is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, made possible through an investment of R90-million from Anglo American and Wits University.
“For the past 64 years, the Planetarium has entertained, inspired and educated millions of visitors from Gauteng and beyond,” said Prof Zeblon Vilakazi, vice chancellor and principal of Wits University, who spoke at the launch event.
“Personally, I visited the old Planetarium in 1981 at the height of apartheid. It left a huge and indelible mark on me, and I believe that it played a key role in igniting a scientific spark that led to me becoming a nuclear physicist. Through the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, we hope to continue inspiring people from various disciplines, including those working in climate modelling, artificial intelligence and digital arts.”
The original analogue Zeiss projector has been replaced by 10 4K-quality Sony digital projectors that render an 8.6K-resolution image on the curved ceiling of the dome structure. Each projector has its own image generator, which is controlled by a master computer. The audio in the Digital Dome has also been upgraded to an 8.2 surround sound system. A new north wing expansion houses operational offices, exhibition areas and specialised spaces for Digital Dome show planning and design.
Read: Remembering Barry Dwolatzky, Wits University’s ‘Grand Geek’
The Wits Anglo American Digital Dome will enter a pilot phase from November to the end of January and is expected to open its doors to the broader public in February. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media
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