The largest planetarium in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to reopen in Johannesburg, South Africa, early next year.
The renovated facility features a fully modernized digital dome that will illuminate the screen with vast images of the solar system.
Rebranded as Wits Anglo American, the new dome can offer an immersive experience, brought to life by 10 state-of-the-art digital projectors and surround sound.
Through this profound and immersive exercise, you could find yourself in the body of a cell, navigating the bloodstream and entering the various organs of the body. You can also imagine yourself traveling to the center of the galaxy at the speed of light. You can even imagine yourself as a gamer, projecting your games and playing with other games around the world onto this mega visual dome. It is therefore a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary project, drawing on the humanities, the arts, science, technology, and mathematics,” said Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor of Wits University.
According to the dome's manager, this new technology will change the learning experience for young children and adults.
“So it’s about things that aren’t limited to the screen. Not all screen time is bad. It’s about screen time, but those 20 or 30 minutes allow you to learn a lot. You’ll learn a lot from it. And I think it’s actually quite… And it’s not just a television, as you can see, it’s surrounded, so you have a 360-degree view. It’s very immersive. So I think it’s a very different experience,” explained Moumita Aich, director of the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome.
La rénovation du planétarium de Johannesburg permettra à un plus grand nombre d’écoliers et d’astronautes en herbe de s'initier à la science de l'univers, tout en servant d'espace de recherche pour les scientifiques
