Barco and RSA Cosmos create a stellar immersive experience at the Brussels Planetarium

For this digital planetarium, Barco has provided eight F70-4K8 laser phosphor projectors, while RSA Cosmos has provided the latest version of its astronomical software SkyExplorer 2021.

After its last renovation, he Brussels Planetarium has opened its dome. This has been equipped with projectors Barco state-of-the-art and has the latest version of SkyExplorer astronomical software 2021 of RSA Cosmos.

The new facility will provide visitors with an impressive 360° journey through the Universe. The project is the result of a collaboration between the Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ship and RSA Cosmos, a Konica Minolta Group company, digital planetarium specialist.

The Brussels Planetarium is one of the most important planetariums in Europe and an attraction that offers a high-quality immersive experience. It is part of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, globally acclaimed for research in Earth and Universe Sciences. It has an international scientific reputation and, with its dome 23 meters in diameter, It is one of the largest in Europe.

The planetarium wanted to update its immersive experience to current technological standards and, therefore, once again turned to the Barco-RSA Cosmos association. Both European companies have already jointly provided projection technology for the first digital planetarium in 2009, which allowed the creation of attractive and animated shows by immersing viewers in a 360° environment.

RSA Cosmos delivered the latest version of its SkyExplorer astronomical software 2021, for the new digital planetarium, and Barco provided 8 of its F70-4K8 projectors. A laser phosphor model that offers a brightness level of 7.500 lumens and a resolution of 3,840×2.400 (4K UHD), as well as unmatched black level quality and contrast, allowing the planetarium to display the brightest stars in a deep black sky.

By combining these technologies, Brussels Planetarium achieves best-performing system in Belgium with powerful 8K UHD system.

Realistic immersion in the Universe

New technology will offer an unmatched immersive experience, giving visitors the allure of a stunning starry sky and the ability to virtually travel to the solar system and even distant galaxies in real time. The visitor will be immersed in a rich color image with a surface of 840 square meters.

Barco was not only the best option in terms of image performance, but also in terms of durability. Its F70 projectors offer a light source life of up to 60.000 hours. This is a huge improvement compared to the previous projection system where the lamps had to be replaced every 700 hours, increasing both the reliability and sustainability of the solution.

Thanks to its turnkey solutions, RSA Cosmos delivers high quality performances across the Universe along with a wide range of educational and entertaining shows. SkyExplorer 2021, the latest version of your astronomical software, achieves highly realistic images in real time and delivers scientifically accurate data thanks to its direct connection to the astronomical community and scientific data sets.