Planetarium technology

The Planetarium am Insulaner works with a so-called hybrid system that combines a star projector and 360° full dome projection. This makes unique three-dimensional visualizations possible.

For the projection of the starry sky into the 20m dome, a historical planetarium projector of the type Zeiss Vb from 1965 is used, which can conjure up a total of over 8,900 stars. Additional devices can also display comets, shooting stars, coordinate systems or lunar and solar eclipses.

With the powerdome®VELVET system from Zeiss, images and videos have been projected into the dome since 2010 using eight ZEISS VELVET video projectors for 360° full dome projection. The combination of analogue star projector and digital planetarium allows visitors not only to see the stars from Earth, but also to leave Earth and the solar system and travel through the universe in three dimensions. The 3D software, based on astronomical databases, visualises the entire observable universe. Scientific and cultural events also become a unique visual experience through the use of 360° full dome projections.

The laser is a diode laser from Omicron-Laserage. The control and effects consoles, also from Omicron-Laserage, were built in 1997. Currently, the laser is rarely used for technical reasons and is mainly used for special events with already programmed laser short clips.

Since 9 July 2023 the Planetarium am Insulaner is closed for modernisation works, expected to last until 2026. Also the whole technology and instruments will be updated. We will keep you updated.