CosmoCaixa launches a new planetarium with 3D technology

The CosmoCaixa in Barcelona has inaugurated a new planetarium that incorporates 3D technology. The American company Sky-Skan has been in charge of a unique installation in Spain and the second in Europe. thanks to her, Three-dimensional images are projected throughout the dome, in such a way that the viewer sees himself surrounded by stars and planets thanks to images and reproductions captured through observation.

The new 3-D planetarium at Cosmocaixa, the second in Europe of this type, offers a surprising sensory experience, a digital projection on the entire dome of this planetarium adapted to 3-D technology, that immerses the spectator-cosmonaut in a space where he will almost touch the stars, constellations or pulsars, stretching out hand. To enjoy the trip, each spectator must put on stereoscopic glasses, your passport to any point in the observable sky and also in the atomic nanocosmos.

The person in charge of the scientific area of ​​the La Caixa social work, Ignacio Lopez, He explained to Efe that this planetarium is a great astronomical simulator, capable of approaching more than 110.000 stars, reflecting its brilliance and exact situation, show satellites or Earth cartography, to the Moon or Mars, with a single definition, or teach how eclipses are formed, among other wonders.

“All this gives us the feeling of being able to travel through time and space in a real and agile way.; It's like doing space tourism to any point in the deep universe, and even get out of it”, López explained about the “scientific license” What the promoters of the project have done by making a bit of gods and showing the universe from the outside, like an expanding sphere.

For your part, the coordinator of the La Caixa Social Work project, Jordi Aloy, has pointed out that “is an astronomical simulator that allows you to work like a regular planetarium and go beyond and enjoy the universe from a perspective never seen before”. According to Aloy, Innovative immersive 3D high-definition digital projection system pushes the boundaries of astronomy, given that “not only will the sky be seen from Earth”.

For 3-D reconversion, the Cosmocaixa planetarium, which is adapted to people with sensory disabilities (with self description, sign language using PDA or hearing aid app), has been closed for six months in order to install an immersive high definition system (the Definity3D 4 k from the American company Sky-Skan, one of the most prestigious firms in the sector) as well as Dolby Home Cinema sound 5.1. Programs are presented in four languages, Catalan, castellano, english and french.

Of the 17 al 24 December the entrance to the new planetarium, that has a capacity to 136 places, will be free. In addition to classic programs, aimed at school audiences, and another of audiovisuals for astronomical and astrophysics dissemination, there will be a third of scientific films dedicated to family audiences, that this Christmas the 3-D film will be released “natural selection” where spectators can sneak into Charles Darwin's house and accompany him on his journey aboard the Beagle.

After this approach to the figure of the English naturalist (with a production that has received various scientific and artistic awards) will be screened starting at Easter, the movie “We are astronomers!” which explains how these researchers work.

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