Blitz Bureau
JOHANNESBURG: The largest planetarium in sub-Saharan Africa is set to reopen in Johannesburg early next year with a fully modernised digital dome that will illuminate the screen with expansive visuals of the solar system, reported news portal africanews.com.
Star-gazers and tech lovers alike were treated to demonstrations recently of what the now-renamed Wits Anglo American Digital Dome has to offer at the Wits University planetarium. The immersive experience is brought to life by 10 state-of-theart digital projectors and surround sound.
The dome’s head says the new technology will change the learning experience for young children and adults, who often get lost in the screens of their cellphones. “So this is screen time, but you actually get to learn a lot from that whole 20 or 30 minutes. You will actually learn a lot from that,” said Moumita Aich.
Since its opening in 1960, the planetarium has seen tens of thousands of schoolchildren and would-be astronomers visit to experience the wonders of the solar system. Its renovation will help many more to embrace the science of the universe, while also serving as a research space where scientists can display and experience their findings on the 360-degree screen, said the news portal report.
