Night Sky Contrast? - Carl Zeiss

Innovation 

The Magazine from Carl Zeiss – Special Edition 

7 

Video Projectors vs. 

Night Sky Contrast? 

Planetariums 

SPECIAL 

powerdome – Three Steps to Projection 

The New Wonder of Jena – Planetarium with ADLIP 

FullDome Festival in Jena

Preface 

Wilfried Lang 

Projection Solutions for 

the Demanding Customer 

Wilfried Lang 

Vice President 

Planetarium Division 

Background: 

The STARMASTER opticalmechanical 

projector is still 

demanded. Systems are in 

production for USA, Italy 

and Brazil. 

(Photo: CZ/sot). 

Dear planetarians, 

This year, the Adler Planetarium in 

Chicago hosts the IPS 2008. Participants 

from all over the world 

will meet for an exchange of ideas, 

and manufacturers of planetarium 

equipment will present their concepts, 

strategies and new products. 

We of Carl Zeiss have consistently 

advanced our products 

along our strategic line. On the 

one hand, our best efforts are devoted 

to the upkeep and advancement 

of our classical star projectors, 

while on the other hand we 

offer new digital projection solutions 

– not just any solution but 

the best for each respective dome 

size, and that at reasonable prices. 

Granted, this is an exertion (with 

regard to both manpower and 

costs) not every manufacturer can 

afford or would undertake, but our 

efforts are justified by success: 27 

high-caliber planetarium project 

contracts landed (and some of 

them already implemented) within 

two years make up an unprecedented 

boom. 70% of these 

projects are combinations of a star 

projector with a digital full-dome 

projection system based on our 

powerdome platform. The integrated 

control of analog and digital 

planetarium projection was first 

demonstrated in our 8 m dome in 

Melbourne in 2006, where we 

showed how the star projector 

and the digital planetarium, i.e. 

SKYMASTER ZKP 4 and SPACEGATE 

Quinto, complement each other in 

an intelligent way. Meanwhile, integrated 

control also works with 

our STARMASTER and UNIVERS- 

ARIUM machines. More and more 

planetarians realize that no digital 

system can convey the emotional 

impact of the starry sky produced 

by our glass fiber projectors. 

Besides developing its innovative 

power, Carl Zeiss also cultivates 

its long-term customer relations. 

It is not the quick deal we 

are out for, but one that yields a 

long-term benefit for both parties. 

This calls for frankness and sincerity. 

We do not, for example, leave 

the customer in the dark about the 

operating costs of a digital fulldome 

system, which can be much 

higher than those of a classical star 

projector. We disclose the upsides 

and downsides of the various 

video projectors, and inform about 

realistic life expectancies of system’s 

components. 

We continually test digital 

video systems of different makes 

and based on different technologies. 

Our measurements prove 

that the brightness and contrast 

performances of none of the projectors 

tested come up to the 

specified data, and differ considerably 

between units of the same 

model. This impairs the quality of 

the full-dome image, of course. A 

great number of pixels specified 

for a single projector is no guarantee 

for high image definition, 

which is substantially influenced 

by color fringes, edge blur and 

distortions caused by cheap optics. 

This proved by ADLIP HD, our 

laser projection system, which 

delivers the most impressive fulldome 

image even on large domes, 

although its nominal specification 

is below those of other systems. 

This observation has been confirmed 

by comments and evaluations 

made by our customers. 

We regard the dialog with our 

customers as an important prerequisite 

for optimizing our products. 

In 2007 we established the powerdome®Workshop 

as a new communication 

platform, in which our 

customers can train hands-on, 

practice-oriented operation of the 

powerdome®Systems and gather 

first-hand experience with the image 

generator and its upsides and 

downsides; at the same time, this 

gives us their feedback about the 

convenience of system handling. 

We encourage our customers to 

have an influence on further developments. 

In addition, the 

powerdome®UserGroup we initiated 

provides a forum for our customers 

to communicate with each 

other and involve Carl Zeiss in their 

discussions. 

Carl Zeiss guarantees quality, 

reliability and sustainability for all 

its products. This is honored by 

the market, as evidenced by our 

full order books. Thanks to topflight 

sales figures, Carl Zeiss has 

created around thousand new 

jobs worldwide and was elected 

Germany’s Best Employer. We 

would be pleased to see your success 

following in the wake of ours. 

Yours sincerely, 

Wilfried Lang 

Front cover: Carl Zeiss 

landed the order for the 

installation of a 

„powerdome®EDITION“ 

full-dome for the Jeju City 

Planetarium in South Korea 

(Photografic: Jeju City). 

Publisher’s Imprint 

Publisher: 

Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH 


07740 Jena, Germany 

Phone: +49-3641-642406 

Fax.: +49-3641-643023 

E-mail: planetarium@zeiss.de 

Internet: http://www.zeiss.de 

For the Publisher: 

Wilfried Lang 

Editor in charge: 

Volkmar Schorcht 

Contributions are welcome. 

58-247/11-d 

© Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH, 2008 

“Innovation Special Planetariums” is published in German and English language and numbered consecutively (first issue in 1998). Permission for the 

reproduction of individual articles and illustrations from “Innovation” – with due reference to the source – will gladly be granted after prior consultation 

2 Innovation Special Planetariums 7, Carl Zeiss, 2008 

with the editor. Articles may also be found on our Internet pages. If readers have any inquiries about how the magazine can be obtained or if they wish 

to change their address, we would kindly ask them to contact the editor, preferably by e-mail. Authors: If no information is given to the contrary, the 

authors of the articles are employees of Carl Zeiss and can be contacted via the editor.

New Developments 

Video Projectors vs. 

Night Sky Contrast? 

Ralf Hasse 

A black background is a factor 

of extremely critical importance 

to planetarium applications. The 

problem has existed ever since 

the projection planetarium was 

invented at Carl Zeiss. The sky 

photoplates used in first projection 

experiments brightened up 

the dome background far too 

much. The solution found then 

was to represent stars by pinholes 

perforated into copper foil. Today, 

Carl Zeiss fiber-optic projectors 

deliver the best contrast conceivable. 

For slide projection, partial 

covering and Kodalith sandwich 

masks helped. The culprits today 

are video projectors, which dispel 

the illusion of night with their 

background brightness. They just 

cannot provide the contrast 

needed for depicting a starry sky 

– with two exceptions: the technically 

obsolete, low-light-level 

CRT technology, and the high-end 

Laser Display Technology of the 

Carl Zeiss powerdome®ADLIP system 

[1] for top-quality full-dome 

projection. 

Other approaches to high-contrast 

projection on the basis of 

technologies such as GLV and 

LCoS, though under development 

for many years, have failed to attain 

the target specifications or 

marketability. 

Competence 

In recent years Carl Zeiss has developed 

comprehensive knowhow 

in technologies and optical 

systems for video display onto 

planetarium domes, and consistently 

pursues the goal of enabling 

night sky contrast by means of 

tried-and-approved chip technologies. 

The forthcoming powerdome® 

VELVET projector will, for the first 

time, harness the stable DLP ® technology 

of Texas Instruments 

(which has millions of applications 

worldwide) to present an absolutely 

black background with a 

Carl Zeiss system. And when we 

say “black” we mean it. VELVET 

will accomplish this while retaining 

all the familiar advantages of 

this technology. 

Status 

The requirement of high contrast 

for a video projector makes sense. 

The greater the difference between 

maximum and minimum 

brightness, the more brilliant is the 

projection. According to manufacturers’ 

specifications, projectors 

on the market today have contrast 

ratios of 15,000 : 1 and over. 

Should this not be enough? 

Looking for suitable projectors 

for our powerdome®EDITION solutions, 

we first verified the manufacturers’ 

specifications. The result 

was disappointing: None of the 

projectors tested reached the specified 

contrast. Moreover, the projectors 

of one and the same model 

varied considerably in contrast. The 

measurements of residual light in a 

black “image”, then, are quite sobering. 

Even in projectors that 

promised high contrast, the residual 

background brightness is 

hardly lower. What is worse, the 

background is mottled rather than 

uniformly gray. 

The results of our measurements 

were not altogether surprising. 

Home cinema or, not to mention, 

business projectors need not meet 

the requirements of multichannel 

projection in a completely dark 

room. Variations between such 

projectors with regard to contrast, 

white level and color do not really 

matter. 

In full-dome projection, they 

do. Any deviation in image parameters 

between the projectors of a 

set deteriorates the overall fulldome 

image. The effect is known 

from panorama and all-sky slide 

projections. If the color temperature 

of a single projector lamp differs, 

or if the slides have been exposed 

differently or are faded, the 

partial images fail to match. 

What is to be done, then? A 

thorough investigation into the 

technologies for full-dome projection 

and the verification of manufacturers’ 

data will soon reveal that 

there is no absolutely perfect solution. 

Even if investment and operating 

costs were no consideration, 

the upsides and downsides 

of the various technologies have 

to be weighed up. Nobody can 

help defining their own specific 

demands on full-dome projection. 

Demands 

What projection solutions do you 

expect to get from Carl Zeiss? Carl 

Zeiss has made itself a name because 

of its claim for excellence. 

Nobody can expect that Carl Zeiss 

will be content with cheap components 

at the expense of quality 

and reliability. On the contrary, 

our customers are aware that 

product developments at Carl 

Ralf Hasse 

Entwicklungsleiter 

Geschäftsfeld Planetarien 

Innovation Special Planetariums 7, Carl Zeiss, 2008 3


Zeiss are governed by perfection, 

precision and commitment. It is to 

be expected, then, that Carl Zeiss 

sets itself demanding goals for its 

full-dome projection systems. 

Accordingly, what should such 

a system be like? It should feature 

high definition, sufficient brightness 

and brilliant color rendition. 

These three criteria encompass all 

other parameters: high resolution, 

a homogeneous image, high contrast, 

etc. In Innovation Planetarium 

Special No. 5, Deter and 

Schorcht [2] explained the reasons 

why contrast, of all parameters, is 

of paramount importance. If we 

add to this the fact that the night 

sky, the most significant element 

of a planetarium, rendered with a 

video projector is not nearly comparable 

with the brilliance of a fiber-optic 

sky, it becomes clear that 

Carl Zeiss cannot aim at anything 

less than the perfect combination 

of optical-mechanical sky projection 

and video projection. Implementing 

this means assimilating 

the contrast or, strictly speaking, 

the background brightness of 

video projection to that of the star 

projection, resulting in video projection 

with night-sky contrast, i.e. 

with absolutely black background. 

Solution 

The VELVET video projector is a 

Carl Zeiss in-house development. 

The contrast enhancement is 

based on the special optics design, 

which excludes scattered light and 

a gray background from the start. 

The measurable on/off contrast 

ratio exceeds 1,000,000 : 1. 

This value is implemented in the 

image and has been verified by 

means of certified measuring 

equipment. 

VELVET high-contrast projector for powerdome, a DLP video projector with truly black 

background 

Thus, Carl Zeiss offers the only 

DLP ® projector worldwide to feature 

a contrast ratio comparable 

to glass-fiber star projection. VEL- 

VET is conceived for use in the 

planetarium, whether as a single 

projector for standard videos or in 

a set for full-dome projection. 

VELVET delivers a high-definition, 

steady, brilliant image as 

known from common DLP ® projectors, 

but with a completely 

black background: the perfect illusion 

of boundless space as in 

glass-fiber star projection. 

Manufacture 

All optical components for VEL- 

VET will be manufactured at Carl 

Zeiss in Jena, the group’s competence 

center for fabricating highprecision 

aspheric and free-form 

surfaces, where self-designed 

manufacturing and measuring 

processes and equipment are ingeniously 

combined with commercially 

available ones. For 

making free-form surfaces, stateof-the-art 

CNC grinding and polishing 

machines and local correction 

polishing techniques are 

available, which ensure the ultimate 

in form accuracy in a batch 

production process. These manufacturing 

capabilities are the decisive 

prerequisites for providing 

the projector optics with a freeform 

functional surface, the basis 

of contrast optimization. 

While VELVET is unique for its 

black background, its other characteristics 

are tailored to use in 

the planetarium as well. 

Illumination 

The illuminating system is separate 

from the image generator. The 

light source is arranged so that 

oblique installation positions in 

the domed auditorium are no 

problem. The lamp remains in its 

optimum position of use, which 

prolongs its service life. Lamp 

change is accomplished quickly 

and easily. 

The principle of a separate illumination 

unit allows scaling of the 

lamp’s output power. In future, the 

lamp can be replaced with one of 

higher power or a different type 

of light source. 

4 

Innovation Special Planetariums 7, Carl Zeiss, 2008


powerdome®VELVET 

powerdome®VELVET – Technical Data 

Projector 

HDTV-DLP ® (single-chip) 

Dome diameter 

8–20 m (26–66 ft) standard configuration 

Brightness 

>6,000 lm, scalable 

Contrast (sequential) >1,000,000 : 1 

Lens ZEISS DIGIGON Vario 80 

Projector position Dome periphery 

Projection fields 6 (standard, variable configuration) 

Resolution 

3k to 4k video 

Edge blending 

electronic blending by powerdome®IG 

Color rendition 30 bit internal 

Power supply 

100-240 V, 50/60 Hz 

Power consumption approx. 3.5 kVA (w/o IG) 

Projector dimension 550 (w) x 550 (h) x 350 (d) mm 

Colors 

VELVET uses a six-segment color 

wheel and employs the latest 

BrillantColor technology by 

Texas Instruments. Utilizing the 

spectrum of the projection lamp, 

this technology expands the 

gamut of colors and improves 

color saturation. It permits mixing 

of other primary colors (as turquoise, 

magenta and yellow) in 

addition to red, green and blue. 

This reduces mutual color influences 

and excludes the color 

break up in fast scenes, experienced 

with conventional DLP ® 

technology. 

Resolution 

VELVET employs the HDTV chip 

technology made available by Texas 

Instruments. At present, the projector 

operates with 1080 picture 

lines, but it is ready to accommodate 

the next chip generation with 

1200 lines as soon as this becomes 

available commercially. Both the 

imager and all optical components 

of the projector are designed to 

work with this picture format. 

An arrangement of six VELVET projectors 

will achieve a resolution for 

3k to 4k video output, the highest 

in present-day practice. For even 

higher resolution, arrangements 

with more projectors can be implemented 

without detriment to background 

blackness or edge blending 

quality. Costs excepting, there are 

practically no restrictions any longer 

for scaling the projection system. 

Homogeneity 

The HDTV aspect ratio affords 

ample space for overlapping the 

image channels. Compared to the 

1400 x 1050 chip format, this improves 

the homogeneity of the fulldome 

image. 

Thanks to the outstanding black 

level of the background, blending 

masks otherwise needed to eliminate 

disturbing overlap zones between 

the partial images can be 

dispensed with. Thus, the powerdome®ImageGenerator 

itself controls 

the geometry and edge blending 

of the image fields. This ensures 

the best possible edge blending 

quality and the flexibility required 

for arranging the projectors. 

Lenses 

Carl Zeiss only uses dedicated 

lenses for its planetarium products. 

The customer will not find 

any standard, mass-market lenses. 

Rather than a matter of snobbery, 

this is simply needed for excellent 

projection. TESSARs, COSMO- 

GONs and STELLAGONs are intended 

for perfect star projection, 

whereas outstanding digital images 

are projected with special 

lens developments, starting with 

the SCANLATAR for ADLIP systems 

up to the DIGIGON series (DIGI- 

GON 126, DIGIGON 178 and DIGI- 

GON 115). 

The latest lens of this series, 

DIGIGON 80 Vario, has been designed 

specially for VELVET. It 

goes without saying that it allows 

for the most exacting demands on 

contrast and imaging quality. The 

DIGIGON 80 Vario is equipped 

with zoom optics, focusing control 

and motor-driven iris diaphragm 

to provide flexibility for 

dome projection – the projection 

fields can be optimally adapted to 

the conditions of the particular 

dome. Consistently high quality is 

ensured by measurements and adjustments 

integrated in the manufacturing 

process. 

Thanks to its modular design, 

this high-end lens can also be used 

for HDTV projectors of the powerdome®EDITION 

series. 

The performance features of 

this lens are vital for pleasing and 

convincing full-dome images produced 

with Carl Zeiss powerdome®Systems. 

They ensure that 

your audience gets captured by 

your contents and messages rather 

than being distracted by technical 

deficiencies. 

Further reading: 

[1] Deter, A: 2nd Generation 

of Laser Display Technology. 

Innovation Special Planetariums 

6 (2006), p. 26 

[2] Deter, Ch. and V. 

Schorcht: Brightness, Color, 

Contrast and Resolution – 

Criteria for High Quality 

Digital Imaging. Innovation 

Special Planetariums 5, 

(2004), p. 22. 


Products 


The Broadest Product 

Spectrum Ever 

UNIVERSARIUM 

Model IX 

STARMASTER ZMP 

SKYMASTER ZKP 4 

The projection planetarium has left 

its mark all over the globe since 

1923. After 1945, the large projection 

machines were joined by 

small and medium-sized ones suitable 

to bring astronomy to schools 

and universities. Around the turn 

of the millennium, digital projection 

systems have begun to expand 

the spectrum of dome projection 

techniques. 

Among all competitors, Carl Zeiss 

offers the most comprehensive and 

highest-quality range of systems for 

optical-mechanical and digital dome 

projection. As an outstanding feature, 

both types can be coupled and 

used jointly in astronomy shows, still 

the most important subject matter in 

a planetarium. 

Projection 

planetariums 

Since the launch of its latest design, 

the new SKYMASTER ® ZKP 4 

small-dome planetarium, Carl Zeiss 

now offers fiber-optic projection 

machines for any dome size between 

6 and 35 m in diameter. The 

technology of illuminating each 

individual star through a separate 

glass fiber provides the benefit of 

a sky projection of unmatched brilliance 

and brightness. Forget about 

dark adaptation times. The stars 

remain to be visible even during 

events requiring a certain level of 

ambient light. 

UNIVERSARIUM 

UNIVERSARIUM ® Model IX is the 

most powerful large-dome planetarium. 

The latest customers of 

this flagship model are the longstanding 

Beijing Planetarium and 

the new Science Center in Nagoya, 

Japan, with the world’s largest 

planetarium dome. 

STARMASTER 

With its fiber optics and controlled 

shutters, STARMASTER is the model 

of choice for medium-sized 

domes. The latest version, the STAR- 

MASTER StarBall, concentrates on 

the analog projection of the stars, 

while leaving the projection of the 

planets and all didactic features to 

the digital system controlled by 

powerdome. The star brightness 

delivered by STARMASTER SB can 

be recommended for domes up to 

24 m in diameter. The Charles 

Hayden Planetarium in Boston, 

USA, and the new facility in Santo 

Andrè, Brazil, have chosen the 

STARMASTER or STARMASTER SB, 

respectively, as their star projectors. 


SKYMASTER ® ZKP 4 is distinguished 

by fiber optics, digital 

planet control and a user-oriented, 

highly flexible operating 

system. Within a mere two years, 

it has become the best-selling 

projection system for small planetariums 

in Europe, America and 

Asia. 

powerdome® 

Planetariums 

Under the brand name of powerdome 

® , Carl Zeiss offers digital 

dome projection systems, with or 

without combination with an optical-mechanical 

planetarium projector. 

The powerdome systems 

incorporate in-house products as 

well as third-party projectors. They 

are all controlled by the common 

powerdome platform, the software 

and hardware system that 

makes the compilation of planetarium 

shows (ShowManager) 

just as easy as their playback 

(Player). 

powerdome®SP 

dome®SPACEGA 

CEGATE 

Powerdome®SPACEGATE employs 

the DLP ® technology to supply a 

pin-sharp image impression in 

domes sized up to 12 m. The projectors 

are arranged in the center 

of the domed auditorium, close to 

the planetarium projector to avoid 

partial obscuring by the latter. The 

system is available in two versions: 

SPACEGATE Duo, two-channel solution 

for smaller domes, and 

SPACEGATE Quinto with five projectors 

for larger domes or more 

ambitious installations. Most SKY- 

MASTER ZKP 4 users have opted for 

a combination of their projection 

machine with SPACEGATE. 

powerdome®4DOME 

Carl Zeiss first launched the 4DOME 

projection back in 2005, using Sonys 

high-resolution SXRD-technology 

cine projectors. Users of powerdome®4DOME 

include the Kuwaiti 

National Planetarium and the Planetarium 

in Bogotá, Colombia. 

powerdome®ADLIP 

The second generation of powerdome®ADLIP 

delivers the supreme 

grade in digital full-dome projection. 

The proprietary Laser Display 

Technology fascinates by its excellent 

contrast and incomparably rich 

gamut of colors as well as its 

benchmark image definition. 

powerdome®VEL 

dome®VELVET 

VET 

Powerdome®VELVET fills a crucial 

gap in the range of projectors available. 

VELVET is the first DLP ® projector 

worldwide that offers a really 

black background with a contrast 

ratio greater than 1,000,000 : 1. This 

improvement adds perfection to the 

simultaneous projection of fiberoptic 

stars and digital objects also 

for medium-sized and small-dome 

planetariums. Powerdome®VELVET 

will become available in 2009. 

6 Innovation Special Planetariums 7, Carl Zeiss, 2008

Products 

powerdome®SPACEGATE powerdome®4DOME powerdome®ADLIP definiti TWIN 

powerdome®EDITION 

By their specifications and their 

optics, commercial video projectors 

are not intended for projection 

onto a spherical dome surface 

and, thus, less than optimum for 

planetarium use. With regard to 

some parameters (e.g., brightness) 

and to price, though, they may 

have advantages that may be of 

prime importance for certain planetarium 

projects. Carl Zeiss offers 

such custom solutions under the 

name of powerdome®EDITION. 

Examples of customized projector 

configurations are the planetarium 

of L‘Hemisfèric in Valencia 

(Spain) and the new planetariums 

in Jeju (Korea) and Cosenza (Italy). 

definiti TWIN 

Carl Zeiss makes and supplies the 

twin projector with DIGIGON wideangle 

lenses for the definiti 

TWIN projection system of Sky- 

Skan Inc., which is used in mobile 

and stationary domes up to 8 m in 

diameter. 

Combo Systems 

With the exception of TWIN, all 

digital projection systems supplied 

by Carl Zeiss can be directly 

coupled to the optical-mechanical 

planetarium projectors and 

jointly controlled via a classical 

control panel. 

Sensible combinations of analog 

star projection and digital fulldome 

video projection (powerdome) 

are listed in the table below. 

powerdome®VELVET 

Projection System 

Technology 

Dome dia. 

SKYMASTER ZKP 4 opt.-me. projection 6 m to 14 m 

STARMASTER opt.-me. projection 12 m to 20 m 

STARMASTER SB opt.-me. projection 12 m to 24 m 

UNIVERSARIUM M IX opt.-me. projection 18 m to 35 m 

Combo System 


(Galaxy) 

definiti TWIN DLP ® 4.5 m to 8 m 

powerdome®SPACEGATE Duo DLP ® 6 m to 8 m SKYMASTER ZKP 4 

powerdome®SPACEGATE Quinto DLP ® 8 m to 12 m SKYMASTER ZKP 4 


(DLP) 

powerdome®VELVET DLP ® 8 m to 14 m SKYMASTER ZKP 4 

powerdome®VELVET DLP ® 12 m to 20 m STARMASTER / SB 

powerdome®EDITION (HDTV) LCoS 8 m to 14 m SKYMASTER ZKP 4 

powerdome®EDITION (DLP) DLP ® 15 m to 24 m STARMASTER / SB 

powerdome®EDITION (Galaxy) DLP ® 18 m to 24 m UNIVERSARIUM M IX 

powerdome®4DOME SXRD 10 m to 14 m SKYMASTER ZKP 4 

powerdome®4DOME SXRD 15 m to 24 m STARMASTER / SB 

powerdome®4DOME SXRD 18 m to 24 m UNIVERSARIUM M IX 


(HDTV) 

powerdome®ADLIP LDT 10 m to 14 m SKYMASTER ZKP 4 

powerdome®ADLIP LDT 15 m to 24 m STARMASTER / SB 

powerdome®ADLIP LDT 18 m to 24 m UNIVERSARIUM M IX 

Innovation Special Planetariums 7, Carl Zeiss, 2008 

7

Product Applications 


powerdome ® : 

Three Steps to Projection 

Top: 

Resources window with 

opened video register. 

Bottom: 

Preview window with fulldome 

video. 

It is in handling digital image and 

sound data that powerdome 

brings its special strengths to bear. 

Three steps suffice to present digital 

data on the dome: loading, 

positioning, adapting and pictures, 

videos and sound are where 

you want them to be. And all this 

without entering a single code. Let 

a few characteristic examples 

demonstrate how this is brought 

about. 

Carl Zeiss digital powerdome®Systems 

offer solutions for full-dome 

projection that involve a variety of 

technologies. They cannot, nor are 

they meant to, replace an opticalmechanical 

planetarium projector. 

Although powerdome features the 

planetarium functions, no digital 

projection technology can compare 

with the brilliant sky projected with 

a fiber-optic projection machine. 

No video projector is capable to 

project individual pixels with a 

brightness of 1000 lux. 

Systems in unison 

Therefore, powerdome®Systems 

of every variety can be directly 

coupled with any of the recent optical-mechanical 

projectors made 

by Carl Zeiss, in which case digital 

projection consistently follows the 

astronomical parameters of optical-mechanical 

projection. This 

type of coupling goes beyond any 

hybrid solution in which two independent 

systems merely complement 

or replace each other. The 

integrated control concept renders 

an independent digital planetarium 

for classical presentations of 

the earth’s night-time sky superfluous. 

Rather, the digital planetarium 

functions of powerdome 

expand the presentation capabilities 

of the optical-mechanical projector, 

which can bring to bear its 

undisputed advantages at the 

same time. For user to employ one 

or the other of the two projection 

systems makes no difference: the 

integrated control ensures that 

both systems always work in unison. 

Whoever wants to use powerdome 

for presentations without 

an optical-mechanical projector 

can use the control panel and 

control program of the latter, with 

all its astronomical functions, to 

control the video projection system 

instead of the classical projector. 

The advantage of this solution 

is obvious: The video system 

is operated by the principle 

of the classical planetarium. Live 

operation through rotary controls 

and pushbuttons is just as simple 

as automatic or semi-automatic 

reproduction. Manual operations 

can be saved, edited and reproduced. 

It is no surprise, then, that the 

current version of the Carl Zeiss 

powerdome software is primarily 

focused on the easy handling of 

digital data to present. 

Full-dome video 

The simplest case of application is 

the playback of a full-dome video. 

Only two files are required: the 

video file for projection, and the 

sound. 

ShowManager, the Windows ® - 

based user interface of powerdome, 

allows users to manage, 

schedule and adapt all data for a 

dome presentation. A Resources 

window is used for data import. 

As the show elements are categorized, 

the user will not get lost even 

in case of complex shows comprising 

many files. The video file is 

loaded to the video resource window, 

and the sound file to the audio 

one. Right next to the Resources 

window, ShowManager 

offers a Preview window. Videos 

and still images can be played 

back and displayed, respectively, 

and audio sources listened to. No 

change to another program is required, 

should a file name fail to 

reveal whether this is the desired 

resource. 

The third window arranged in 

a row with the other two is the 

Properties window, in which all 

relevant parameters of a file are 

displayed automatically and can 

be modified as appropriate for the 

file type. Parameters for full-dome 

videos include running time, resolution, 

gamma, and mapping. Run- 



ning time and resolution are defined 

by the video, i.e. fixed, 

whereas the other two parameters 

can be adapted. The gamma parameter 

allows you to adjust the 

brightness of the video, while 

dome mapping is a prerequisite for 

full-dome videos; other settings 

can be made for plane (classical) 

videos or panorama presentations. 

In most cases, though, no changes 

need to be made to the properties 

of the source data files. 

Once video and audio files have 

been loaded to the powerdome® 

ShowManager, the second step is 

positioning them. For full-dome 

video, positioning merely means 

fixing the start time with the 

powerdome Timeline Editor, in 

which you can create chapters and 

levels with several tracks. For the 

application described, one chapter 

and one level with two tracks (for 

video and audio) are sufficient. 

Use the mouse to drag the files 

from the Resources window and 

drop them on the respective track. 

Powerdome automatically creates 

a show element characterizing the 

respective resource and its running 

time. The show elements can 

be shifted to the start of the 

timeline or to any other start times 

with the mouse. For precise positioning, 

the start times can be entered 

digitally in the Properties 

window. Once positioning is completed, 

the full-dome video is 

ready to be shown. 

Before that, however, it is possible 

to adapt (animate) the show 

elements with certain parameters 

if necessary or desired. For example, 

you can fade in the video 

or shorten the sound. Such processes 

are done conveniently in 

the powerdome Animation Editor, 

which provides all parameters 

that are variable for the resource 

selected (video, still image, 

sound, projector control, dome 

lighting, etc.). For fade-in, use 

the “Opacity” parameter. Setting 

it to “0” at the start of the video 

makes the video transparent, i.e. 

invisible. The opacity setting “1” 

in another key frame at the 2 sec 

time position causes the video to 

be faded in from 0 to 100 percent 

within two seconds. By the same 

principle, the user can set positions, 

motions, changes of size 

and color, or other parameters. 

Here again, no codes have to be 

programmed; powerdome saves 

the data from the graphic Animation 

Editor in the show file. This 

results in another advantage for 

the user: In powerdome, all control 

cues of a show are contained 

in a single show file. If parameters 

of a kind are to be varied for all 

relevant show elements, an text 

editor can accomplish this within 

seconds by means of the Findand-Replace 

function. 

With the animations completed, 

save the show file. The full-dome 

video is now ready for playback. 

Top: 

In the Properties window, 

powerdome displays various 

parameters of selected show 

elements. 

Bottom: 

Arrangement of the video 

and audio files of a fulldome 

video on the timeline, 

with player symbols for 

control. 


9


Classical shows run 

on powerdome 

Typical diagram of the 

projection systems of a 

classical planetarium 

consisting of panorama, allsky, 

video and multi-image 

slide projectors. For each 

projection system, a separate 

track is created in 

powerdome. 

(Source: Zeiss Planetarium, 

Bochum/Germany) 

One of the frequently asked questions 

is whether a full-dome video 

upgrade spells doom for older, 

“classical” planetarium shows, or 

whether they can be run on powerdome 

as well. 

The plain answer is, they can. 

Powerdome is compatible with 

your “old” shows or with classical 

planetarium shows procured 

from other suppliers, provided that 

all contents are available in digital 

form. This means that slides have 

to be scanned, videos transformed 

into digital formats, and music and 

narration converted into an audio 

file readable by the computer. In 

very many cases, the slide images 

were exposed on film from originally 

digital source data, which 

should be available. Likewise, videos 

are computer-readable files, as 

a rule. Planetarium shows produced 

today are almost always 

supplied in digital form on DVDs. 

With the powerdome®Show- 

Manager you can bring your classical 

shows into the digital age 

without much effort. 

Usually, every classical planetarium 

has a diagram of its projection 

systems, which shows the 

type of projections (slides, panorama, 

all-sky, etc.) and their image 

positions on the dome. Planetarium 

show productions offered 

for sale also assume more or less 

standardized projection facilities. 

You reproduce these projection 

systems in powerdome. 

First, create two levels: a dome 

level for all-sky and full-dome videos 

and a planar level for plane 

slides and videos. Create a number 

of tracks that correspond to 

your classical projection systems, 

e.g., two for the panorama A and 

B with edge blending. Assign different 

“object distances” for these 

levels by varying the respective “Z 

parameters”. This arranges allskies 

in the background, slides in 

front, and panoramas in between. 

In case of simultaneous projection, 

slides will then partially occlude 

the panorama, which in turn 

will occlude the all-sky. For this 

occlusion, the picture subjects 

need to be keyed, as a rule, and to 

be saved with a transparent background 

(alpha channel). 

Unlike slide projectors, powerdome 

does not limit the positions 

and sizes of slides. Nevertheless, 

it makes sense first to retain the 

original slide positions in powerdome 

and modify them later, if 

necessary. Assign each slide projector 

the respective position coordinates 

and image size on the 

dome in terms of powerdome coordinates. 

For this, powerdome 

uses no other parameters than the 

horizontal coordinates of azimuth 

and height (longitude/latitude) 

and the data for image width and 

image height in degrees. Create a 

separate track for each slide projector, 

and powerdome lets you always 

keep sight of everything. 

Once you have loaded all files 

needed to the Resources window, 

drag the elements to the desired 

start time position on the track assigned 

for them. Set the duration 

of the each element, and animate 

fade-ins and fade-outs as desired. 

With powerdome you can direct 

movements all across the dome. 

The essential steps of transferring 

an analog show to powerdome 

have now been completed. 

Saving the show loads all show 

elements to the main memory of 

powerdome, from which they are 

read out to the projectors in real 

time. No further operator interference 

is necessary. 

Show chapters 

“This Month’s Sky”, “The Stars 

Tonight”, “Stars Live” or the like 

are the titles of shows presenting 

the current aspect of the local sky 

in a planetarium. Powerdome 

turns such demonstrations into 

multimedia highlights, too. The 

starry sky is the domain of the 

optical-mechanical projector. By 

means of powerdome you emphasize 

particular objects in the sky, 

show computer animations that 

illustrate the physics behind the 

phenomena, or add recent sky 

photographs from the Internet. A 

potential scenario might look like 

this: 

Divide your live presentation 

into several chapters, in which, 

proceeding from the current day’s 

night sky, you present typical celestial 

bodies and illustrate events 

of topical interest. Create these 

chapters in powerdome. A first 

chapter, for example, may identify 

the positions of conspicuous 



Recent extensions of powerdome 

functionality: 

• Projection from an externally 

connected laptop, e.g., for 

Powerpoint and the like presentations 

• Control of external equipment 

such as video projectors 

or illumination from 

powerdome or from within 

a show 

• Coupling of powerdome and 

Uniview, integration of Uniview 

sequences as show elements 

in powerdome 

Top: 

„Lilli’s Journey to the Moon” – a children’s 

show of the Bochum Planetarium: 

The show elements for slides, videos, 

panoramas, etc., are arranged on different 

tracks of a level in powerdome according to 

the sequence of their occurrence (section). 

Bottom: 

Example of a show in powerdome consisting 

of many chapters (registers above the 

timeline). In the chapter selected, individual 

images are selected analogously to a 

Powerpoint presentation (bookmarks) and 

presented step by step (triggers). 

constellations and narrate about 

the origins of their names. A second 

chapter may deal with a selected 

object in a constellation, 

locate it in the sky, and zoom in 

on it with an animation. A video 

sequence in planar or full-dome 

format visualizes the object. The 

third chapter could deal with a 

planet that is well visible currently. 

Use the optical-mechanical 

projector to locate the position 

of the planet at the night sky. 

Make powerdome perform an animation 

showing the planet’s surface 

structure or simulates its view 

as seen from an approaching 

space probe. Landing on the 

planet is not a problem either – 

just add a suitable panorama. In 

the final chapter you may use 

Uniview to take your audience to 

the edge of our Galaxy. With a 

flight out of our solar system and 

to beyond the celestial sphere 

catalogued by the Hipparcos mission 

you can demonstrate how 

tiny the segment of the universe 

is we are able to see from our 

planet. 

The above descriptions will 

have made clear the principle. After 

every chapter, powerdome 

can stop automatically. Now you 

can continue operating the show 

manually via the control panel, 

respond to visitors’ questions, or 

immediately change to the next 

or any other chapter. You can set 

triggers and bookmarks within a 

chapter. These are useful if you 

want to stop or begin a show at a 

particular point (pauses) or jump 

to preset show segments. 

Entry to the world of digital 

full-dome projection is really easy 

with powerdome. You can base 

your production on familiar process 

steps, need not learn a script 

language and can integrate the 

optical sky. 


11

Basics 


The Basics of Fulldome 

For quite some time, 

full-dome has been the 

number one topic in 

the planetarium world. 

Digital full-dome projection 

is entering more 

and more planetariums 

and has a decisive influence 

on their future. 

Whoever has not 

gone into the matter 

yet will find a concise 

introduction to this 

medium below. 

The full-dome 

medium 

From the classical planetarium 

with its optical-mechanical projection, 

full-dome differs by three essential 

characteristics: 

• Per se, no restriction to astronomical 

contents. 

• Digital technologies employed 

for the entire process – from 

production to projection. 

• Potential of standardization and 

networking. 

For planetarium visitors, the 

change is visible by a higher degree 

of being involved – the closed 

image projection surrounds them 

on all sides. They experience a 

spherical screen live with the dynamics 

and the diversity of subjects 

known from modern media, 

but with audiovisual impressions 

to be found only in a full-dome 

theater. 

Full-dome is a new medium. It 

is based on existing media such as 

planetarium, virtual reality and 

movie, but raises them to a new 

level. The insistence on astronomical 

contents in most full-dome theaters 

results from their origins as 

planetariums and somehow contradicts 

their potential of full-dome 

presentation. Present endeavors to 

establish a special full-dome community 

(IMERSA = Immersive Media, 

Entertainment, Research, Science 

& Arts) is only a consequence 

of this development. 

More than half of the domes 

with full-dome projection facilities 

are mobile and small planetariums 

that essentially use the digital planetarium 

component without playing 

full-dome videos. The others, 

with a few exceptions, also have a 

primarily astronomical orientation, 

but offer full-dome shows with 

completely different subjects in 

addition to the typical planetarium 

shows. There is no telling yet 

whether and how much there will 

Fig. 1: Complete dome projection 

be a separation some day of dome 

theaters with specific planetarium 

functions and full-dome theaters 

without any planetarium context. 

Full-dome 

technology 

Full-dome requires the projection 

of a video image onto a spherical 

dome. There are three kinds: 

• Complete projection – the image 

extends over 360 degrees 

in azimuth and down to the 

dome horizon, approx. 180 degrees 

(Fig. 1); 

• Truncated projection – the 

“rear” part of the projection is 

truncated. The format is restricted 

to systems having fisheye 

projection lenses (see below), 

and is based on a compromise 

between full-dome projection 

and efficient utilization of 

the number of pixels on a rectangular 

imager (Fig. 2); 

• Panorama projection – using a 

segment of about 220° in azimuth 

and 120° in height. The 

format is applied only for multichannel 

projections. It is a costsaving 

compromise that is rarely 

ever used. 

Carl Zeiss always configures its 

powerdome®Systems for projection 

onto the complete dome. 

For full-dome video projection, 

three different techniques are employed: 

Fig. 2: Truncated dome projection 

Fig. 3: The five partial images of a 

SPACEGATE projection differentiated 

(image assembly). 

• Multichannel projection – several 

partial images are assembled 

to form a complete picture. The 

projectors may be placed at the 

periphery or in the middle of the 

dome (next to the planetarium 

projector). The multichannel solution 

provides a maximum of 

flexibility and the best possible 

quality (Fig. 3). 

• Fish-eye projection – a projector 

arranged in the middle projects 

a full-dome image by means of a 

fish-eye lens. Because of the limited 

resolution and image quality, 

this is only recommendable 

for small and mobile domes. 

• Single channel projection via a 

convex mirror at the dome periphery. 

Inexpensive method of 

lesser quality. 

Carl Zeiss powerdome®Systems 

are based on multichannel projec- 


Basics 

powerdome®SPACEGATE Quinto – 

five projectors 

DLP (720p), 3096 x 3096 dome master 

approx. 1400 lm, >1500 : 1 contrast 

powerdome®ADLIP – 

eight projectors 

LDT (UXGA), 4096x4096 dome master 

approx. 8000 lm, >15,000 : 1 contrast 

powerdome®4DOME – two projectors 

SXRD (LCoS) - 4x HDTV 

4096x4096 dome master 

approx. 14,000 lm, >1800 : 1 contrast 

Fig. 4: Three examples of 

full-dome configuration with 

different numbers of projectors 

and corresponding 

image partition. 

tion. They permit high-quality solutions 

for all projects. Partial images 

are assembled by blending 

their edges. Blended edges are a 

critical factor for image quality. 

Therefore, Carl Zeiss has taken 

many technical measures to successfully 

suppress edge visibility. 

The number of projectors comprising 

a full-dome system depends 

on several factors: 

• The desired resolution and 

brightness 

• Placement of the projectors, depending 

on the theater layout 

and available space 

• Consideration of obstructions 

by the planetarium projector 

• Aspect ratio of the imager 

• Availability of projection lenses 

The above illustrations are examples 

showing the image channels 

for three different projector 

systems (Fig. 4). 

Full-dome contents 

The equipment is but a means to 

an end. What is decisive for the visitor 

is what the projection equipment 

shows, what story is narrated 

or how the various media interact 

in a live presentation. The fulldome 

technology permits two approaches 

to content presentation: 

1. Presentation of pre-produced or 

pre-rendered contents 

2. Live presentation by means of 

data visualized in real-time. 

The powerdome®Systems allow 

both versions to be combined. 

With pre-produced contents it 

is sufficient to start a show, which 

then runs off without further interaction. 

Such shows may consist 

of full-dome videos, scenes, 

or complete shows assembled 

from individual show elements. 

Live presentations require suitable 

software for real-time visualization, 

such as Uniview. Uniview 

comprises the objects of the solar 

system and the Milky Way, and 

comprehensive data of the extragalactic 

space, and allows 

seamless navigation within these 

spaces. Interaction can be done 

via remote control; Internet data 

can be integrated live. 

It is obvious that pre-produced 

contents remain the same from run 

to run. A live presentation, even of 

the same subject, allows variation 

at any time, a fact that is appreciated 

by planetarium audiences. 

The full-dome format 

Fig. 5: Dome master (single frame). 

There are no standards for fulldome 

projection. Nevertheless, 

producers largely stick to uniform 

formats. 

The dome image has the form 

of a hemisphere. Therefore, the 

input image format (dome master) 

is circular (Fig. 5). In order that it 

does not appear compressed on 

the dome, like radiuses must correspond 

to like height angles. The 

bottom edge of the image is projected 

in front (“south” for planetariums 

on the northern hemisphere). 

The bigger the dome, the more 

pixels shall the input image have. 

For powerdome®Systems, dome 

masters with up to 4096x4096 pixel 

resolution are suitable. Whereas the 

NTSC format with 29.97 frames per 

second (fps) was dominating for 

some time, 30 fps have become 

common meanwhile. 

The dome masters are generated 

and saved in loss-free formats, 

either as Targa files (tga), or (more 

and more) in the PNG format, 

which is more efficient with regard 

to storage. 

As an audio format, 5.1 Surround 

is gaining ground. Some 

theaters use stereo or 7.1 sound 

systems, though. 

The frame part not used for 

image projection can be used 

for information. 


13

Basics 

Full-dome production 

performing 

powerdome®IG powerdome®IG 

video and sound 

music/sound/narration 

encoding 

live control 

control 

dome master 

rendering 

communication 

musik/sound/narration 

scaling 

To produce a full-dome video primarily 

means to create 3D animations 

and to render them for the 

dome format. Alternatively or in 

addition, videos taken with a camera 

can be used, and so can 2D 

video, photo and graphic imagery. 

Rendered sequences from Uniview 

can also be integrated. 

Depending on the quality intended, 

a full-dome production 

may consume much time and 

money. Budgets for shows consisting 

completely of high-grade 3D 

animations must be assumed to be 

higher by one or two orders of 

magnitude than those for classical 

planetarium shows. 

For this reason, full-dome productions 

are often licensed. Some 

companies such as INTERMEDIA 

and Mirage3D specialize in fulldome 

productions. 

Many planetariums prove, 

though, that producing ones own 

full-dome shows need not be 

dispended with, provided that 

technical and staff resources have 

been planned for. 

On the other hand, Uniview 

makes entry into full-dome projection 

very easy. This real-time application 

does not require pre-production 

and is easy to operate. 

Uniview can be regarded as a planetarium 

projector that is brought 

to life by the voice and enthusiasm 

of the operator/narrator. 

Fig. 6: The essential operations 

up to full-dome 

projection. Left: Pre-produced 

contents. Right: Realtime 

control with Uniview 

and powerdome. 

editing & compositing 

processing 

Uniview sequences 

photographs/graphics 

live video 

3D animation 

digital data 

navigation 

data bases 

Uniview 

prepared sequences 

pre-settings 

digital/opt.-me. planetarium 

powerdome 

The full-dome 

market 

Thanks to the digital technology, 

full-dome productions are easily 

marketable. With shows freely 

available on the market, a fulldome 

theater can flexibly extend 

its spectrum of shows. Last but 

not least, budget pooling between 

theaters and institutions for the 

purpose of joint full-dome show 

production is on the advance. Carl 

Zeiss offers its powerdome customers 

a number of full-dome shows 

for sale. 


Applications 

Uniview Goes Online 

Jan Warnstam 

Staffan Klashed 

In the last five years, Uniview has evolved and 

emerged as the leading visualization tool for 

datasets of vastly different scales, from our home 

planet to galaxies and quasars, distant in both 

time and space. Meanwhile, a parallel evolution 

has occured as the Internet has matured from the 

early days of static World Wide Web pages to 

today’s complex structures of web-based services 

and enormous global social networks. To the 

Internet user of today, content and knowledge is 

always available online somewhere. 

We believe that it is time for the digital dome 

industry to take this leap into the online world and 

we aim to do this by providing the tools to tap into 

online sources of both knowledge and content. 

Octopus 

What do we mean by knowledge in this context? 

Knowledge is people, the scientists, and the science 

communicators that tell the story about the data and 

turn it into information. We know that to tell a story, 

nothing beats human contact, and by letting the expert 

communicate directly to the audience a unique 

level of authenticity is achieved. Even better, the presentation 

turns into a dialogue where the audience 

has the option of giving comments and asking questions; 

thus adapted, the presentation will better suit 

their own needs and interests. 

In short: by putting real scientific data into the 

hands of dome users, and providing tools to bring 

forth the significant stories behind that data, we can 

create a unique and significant experience for digital 

domes. We do this via Uniview Octopus, a new 

networking technology that brings live stories from 

scientific data creators into the dome. Through Octopus, 

scientists and science communicators from 

around the world can connect and bring their data 

onto that very dome and help audiences around the 

world understand the impact of the data presented. 

Furthermore, the Uniview Octopus technology 

allows multiple scientists to connect to the same 

dome, to do joint presentations to public audiences 

or even decision-supporting debates and discussions 

with policy and decision makers. We believe that 

the role of the dome as a scientific outreach tool is 

important, and that this networking technology is a 

key step in increasing the sense of realness and closeness 

to scientific data for dome audiences. 

Octopus, together with the general interactivity 

of Uniview, adds true interactivity to the digital 

dome, bringing the experience to life and making 

every session unique. 

Geoscope 

Now that we have the knowledge, what about 

the content? In Geoscope, we set our focus on 

the most explored objecs in space; the Earth, the 

Moon and Mars, and all the amazing data about 

these that is being collected and shared among 

online communities. Geoscope supports two technologies 

to make this happen – WMS and KML. 

WMS, Web Map Services, is a way of downloading 

map textures of dynamic resolution, 

meaning that as the camera gets closer to the surface 

the resolution of the image increases accordingly. 

By doing this in a clever way – downloading 

and rendering only what is necessary at the 

moment – we can handle datasets vastly larger 

than what is normally possible – for instance the 

Landsat 7 satellite image catalogue which has a 

resolution of 15 meters per pixel over the whole 

planet. 

KML, Keyhole Markup Language, 

is an XML-based data format 

for vector and raster data; 

points, lines, text, images and 

placemarks that are all georeferenced, 

i.e. referenced to a position 

on the Earth. KML is best known 

from the Google Earth application, 

but it is an open format and, as of 

version 2.2, part of the Open Geospatial 

Consortium (OGC) implementation 

standard. Because of 

the connection to Google Earth, 

and several other online Earth 

browsers, the community for creating 

content in KML is very large 

and widespread, from amateur enthusiasts 

to researchers and GIS 

professionals. 

The result? Up-to-date exciting 

information on your dome, about 

planets that touch everybody’s 

life. Whether it is climate change 

on Greenland, the geography of 

the Alps, economy in Asia or the 

latest imagery from Mars, there is 

a story to be told for every dataset. 

And in the end, it is all about stories. 

Jan Warnstam 

SCISS AB, Sweden 

The Alps with elevation data. 

The Mediterranean with bathymetry data. 

The Great Lakes with object marker. 


15

The new Wonder of Jena: 

Planetarium with ADLIP 

Susann Jacobi 

Public Relations Officer 

Ernst Abbe Foundation 

For more than eight decades, the 

Zeiss Planetarium has been appreciated 

by families as a destination 

for day trips, and as an expert 

source of news on astronomy and 

space travel by hobby astronomers 

and friends of the stars. Since October 

2006, the listed building has 

boasted a special attraction: Within 

two weeks, an ADLIP Full-Dome 

Projection System based on six 

powerful lasers was successfully 

installed, an enormous challenge 

for the entire team, but first of all 

for the engineers of the Carl Zeiss 

and Jenoptik corporations. 

The conversion concluded a 

technology era that began with six 

panorama slide projectors and 

lasted nearly 30 years. The commissioning 

of laser full-dome projection 

made all old slide and effect 

projectors obsolete. Today, the six 

high-power lasers completely govern 

the 800 m² dome surface. The 

digital age has finally taken possession 

of the time-honored building, 

offering its audiences a thrilling 

symbiosis of history and future. 

With this technology leap, the 

house has reached another milestone 

in its history. Thanks to the 

combination of full-dome digital 

laser projection and an opticalmechanical 

star projector, the Jena 

Planetarium is unique in the world. 

The UNIVERSARIUM Model VIII 

projection machine of 1996 was 

upgraded with new control hardware 

and operating software. The 

expanded range of functions corresponds 

to that of a Model IX. The 

upgrade not only enhanced the 

systems reliability but also added 

new presentation capabilities. 

Already at the reopening gala 

in October 2006, visitors could 

choose between two astronomical 

shows and a childrens show. 

“Exploring the Universe – Probing 

the Heavens with Galileo” and 

“The ABC of the Stars” are fulldome 

shows produced by STERN- 

EVENT GmbH, the company operating 

the Planetarium, implemented 

by INTERMEDIA GmbH in 

Klagenfurt, and running with 

great success since. The shows are 

available for sale from Carl Zeiss. 

16 Innovation Special Spezial Planetariums Planetarien 7, Carl Zeiss, 2008

User Report 

February 2007 saw the world premiere 

of the latest production of 

Mirage3D, “Dawn of the Space 

Age”. Meanwhile, the number of 

full-dome shows has increased to 

nine, including “Infinity plus 

One”, the worlds first family musical 

in full-dome format, commissioned 

by the Zeiss Planetarium 

and starring Reinhard 

Lakomy. The Planetarium produced 

its own entertaining shows 

and, again collaborating with 

INTERMEDIA, the full-dome version 

of the successful music show 

“Queen Heaven”. 

A regular feature is “Stars 

Live” – live presentations of the 

current aspect and events of the 

night sky, with UNIVERSARIUM 

and ADLIP combining their specific 

advantages. 

The first FullDome Festival in 

March 2007 was a special highlight. 

On the initiative of the 

Bauhaus University in Weimar, 

students of several universities 

had taken up the challenge of 

the new medium and presented 

their full-dome animations and 

short films to the public. A first 

sequel to the festival in April 

2008 demonstrated an amazing 

quality leap in full-dome productions. 

Many special events add to 

the success of Jenas Zeiss Planetarium, 

not only from the economic 

angle. Companies like to 

use the exotic atmosphere under 

the starlit dome as an exceptional 

setting for conferences 

and entertainments. The planetarium 

seats can be replaced 

with tables and chairs for dinner 

parties, sufficiently illuminated 

by the bright star and laser projections 

on the dome; meals and 

drinks are provided by the inhouse 

“Bauersfeld” restaurant. 

A year after the ADLIP installation 

– on the first anniversary of 

the innovative projection system, 

as it were – the Jena Zeiss Planetarium 

received a federal award: 

The initiative “365 Places in the 

Country of Ideas” under the patronage 

of the German President 

Horst Köhler honors institutions 

anywhere in Germany for their 

innovative spirit and commitment. 

Upgrading to a full-dome theater 

has been a thorough success. 

The roughly 3000 shows and 

other events since the Planetarium 

was reopened have been 

attended by a total of 250,000 

people. In the summer of 2008 

we expect the 8.5millionth visitor 

since the Planetarium’s inauguration 

in 1926. 

In the listed building erected 

in 1924-25, state-of-the-art 

equipment provides scientific 

education and entertainment. 

New programs in the Zeiss 

Planetarium in full-dome 

format: “Infinity and One” 

(family musical, scene with 

Einstein), “The ABC of the 

Stars“ (childrens show), 

“Queen Heaven” and “Pink 

Floyd Reloaded” (music 

shows). 


17

FullDome Festival 


FullDome Festival in Jena 

The successful premiere of a 

FullDome Festival at Jena’s Zeiss 

Planetarium in 2007 encouraged 

a second edition this year. The 

2008 FullDome Festival was held 

on April 25th and 26th, comprising 

a workshop of all participants 

under the Carl Zeiss factory dome 

and a public presentation at the 

Jena Zeiss Planetarium. 

The Jena FullDome Festival is 

unique in Europe. In connection 

with the installation of a full-dome 

laser projection system at Jena’s 

Zeiss Planetarium, students of media 

science at the Bauhaus University 

of Weimar, supervised by Micky 

Remann, developed a project entitled 

“Astronomy & Media Spaces”. 

The project experiments with new 

contents suitable for the new capabilities 

of full-dome projection. 

Students at the Offenbach Academy 

of Art and Design had already 

been among the active participants 

of the 1st FullDome Festival, contributing 

short films. Further contributions 

came from the Kiel University 

of Applied Sciences, where 

Eduard Thomas directs the Media- 

Dome and has supervised fulldome 

projects for several years, and 

from the Muthesius Academy of 

Fine Arts in Kiel. 

The FullDome medium is still in its 

infancy, but it is growing at a fast 

rate, as shown by the imaginative 

works sent in for the 2nd FullDome 

Festival. The event was focused on 

artistic experiments, short films 

produced by students, and professional 

applications in the fields of 

edutainment, museum education, 

interactive worlds, music videos 

and games, exemplifying a broad 

spectrum of prospects that open 

up to the growing global FullDome 

community and the public. Carl 

Zeiss sees a great creative, entertaining 

and educational potential 

in full-dome projection. 

For the first time, Carl Zeiss Jena 

GmbH sponsored the FullDome 

Award. The award honored outstanding 

festival contributions in 

three categories: the Creative 

Award for the best idea, the Performance 

Award for the best performance, 

and the Audience Award. 

18 

Innovation Special Planetariums 7, Carl Zeiss, 2008

FullDome Festival 

The Creative and Performance 

Awards were decided upon by a 

professional jury comprising lecturers, 

experts in aesthetics, and the 

hosts, whereas the festival visitors 

chose the winner of the Audience 

Award. The FullDome Award is intended 

to acknowledge works by 

students that make visible the 

chances of the new medium in 

imaginative and exemplary ways. 

By sponsoring the awards, Carl 

Zeiss wants to motivate students 

for continued occupation with the 

medium of full-dome projection. 

On the first day of the festival, 

Carl Zeiss placed its factory dome 

at the students and other participants 

disposal for a workshop in 

which the students presented their 

productions and exchanged experience. 

The Creative Award was granted 

to Thomas Fritzsche and his festival 

trailer “The Diver”. This production 

creates the illusion that the 

festival site (the planetarium) is 

filled with water, with a diver starting 

the system and the festival. The 

jurors liked the idea because its 

originality and exciting image direction 

are bound to attract people 

to the new full-dome medium. 

The winners of the Performance 

Award, Nico Uthe and Bastian 

Böhm, study at the Muthesius 

Academy of Fine Arts in Kiel. With 

their visualization of „SciaFobia” 

(fear of shadows), they turned the 

dome into a stage on which twodimensional 

figures and objects 

and their shadows acted in a virtual 

three-dimensional world, in 

the style of classical wild chases 

and with quotations from film 

scores. This production displayed 

great practical and dramaturgical 

skills from the idea to the finished 

product. 

Having seen all twenty festival contributions, 

the audience in the 

filled-to-capacity Zeiss Planetarium 

chose as its favorite a pleasurable 

ballet staged by Thorsten Greiner 

of the Offenbach Academy of Art 

and Design. The prizewinner used 

his own programming to transform 

the subject in a completely abstract 

way under the apt title of “50% 

Illusion”. Using the dome in a truly 

innovative way, he made it evident 

how much our ways of thinking 

and understanding follow set patterns. 

The third FullDome Festival 

is scheduled to take 

place in April 2009. Its 

topic will be “Bauhaus and 

the Stars”, as a reminiscence 

of 90 years of the 

Weimar Bauhaus. Interested 

parties may directly 

contact the Zeiss Planetarium 

in Jena. 

Background: 

A scene from SciaFobia by 

Nico Uthe and Bastian 

Böhm, winners of the 

Performance Award 

Photo: Courtesy W. Don 

Eck, Zeiss Planetarium, 

Jena 


Projection Technologies 

Ann Wagner 

Ann Wagner 

Project Manager 



Compared in Saint Louis 

When the Mc Donnell Planetarium 

in Saint Louis was reopened in 

2001 after comprehensive renovation, 

its new concept surprised visitors 

and planetarium experts alike. 

A UNIVERSARIUM Model IX was 

put in service under the large 24 m 

dome that capped an auditorium 

without seats and not bounded 

by walls. Thanks to the fiber-optic 

system of the ZEISS projector, 

though, the projections are not 

impaired by the ambient light. (See 

Innovation Planetariums Special 

No. 4, 2002). 

UNIVERSARIUM 

Upgrade 

Carl Zeiss regularly carries out 

maintenance of the Saint Louis 

planetarium projector – the best 

precaution to ensure proper operation 

for decades. This does not 

mean that system electronics and 

software are left untouched by 

technical advancement. In 2006/ 

07, Carl Zeiss created an upgrade 

with new hardware components, 

which allows direct coupling with 

a Carl Zeiss digital full-dome video 

system, adds new presentation 

capabilities by the system software 

and enhances system reliability. 

The upgrade will be installed in 

the course of 2008. 

Presentation 

of Technologies 

Contemplating the installation of 

a full-dome video projection system, 

the management of the Saint 

Louis Science Center approached 

Carl Zeiss with the request to 

present different projection technologies 

on site for comparison. 

The large dome of 24 m diameter 

and the ambient light reaching 

the auditorium from the surrounding 

exhibition space poses 

a special challenge to digital fulldome 

projection. Having accomplished 

full-dome installations in 

Jena and Valencia, Carl Zeiss does 

have experience with extra-large 

domes; nevertheless, the situation 

in the Mc Donnell Planetarium 

was a tricky one. 

Optimum conditions for a temporary 

installation and friendly 

relations with the management 

and staff of the Mc Donnell Planetarium 

made it easy for Carl Zeiss 

to comply with the request. The 

demonstration was staged in February 

2008. More than 50 planetarians 

from different places in 

USA seized the opportunity to 

see, compare and assess the three 

major projection technologies of- 

Left: 

Scene from “Kaluoka‘Hina – 

the Enchanted Reef”, 

projected with a Galaxy 

projector – maximum 

brightness. 

Right: 

The same scene projected 

with ADLIP (Laser Display) 

– more intensive colors, best 

contrast. 



fered by Carl Zeiss with their advantages 

and drawbacks: DLP, 

SXRD and Laser Display. 

For the perfect organization of 

the event, our thanks are due to 

Seiler Instruments & Mfg. Company, 

the agent for Carl Zeiss planetariums 

on the American market. 

The systems 

With assistance from Barco, 

Sony und Jenoptik/RDE, Carl Zeiss 

installed three systems, each of 

which covered about half the dome 

with projected video imagery. With 

powerdome as the image generator, 

a 30-minute sequence had 

been prepared, which represented 

the full spectrum of full-dome applications, 

from the digital night 

sky to gloriously colorful computer 

animations. 

ADLIP, the Laser Display Technology, 

was particularly impressing by 

its pitch-dark background and extremely 

high color saturation. The 

DLP technology with projectors of 

the Galaxy 12HB+ series was considered 

the brightest by far. The 

participants found that the image 

definition perceived was about 

equal with all systems. A specific 

advantage of Sony’s SXRD technology 

is its high resolution. The two- 

projector system needs a single 

edge-blending zone only. Altogether, 

all three video systems 

stood the test under the large, 

weakly illuminated dome. 

Assessment 

Assessing the technologies, the 

participants set different priorities. 

For some, the deciding factor is the 

brightness of the projection system, 

whereas others go by high contrast 

and saturated colors. 

The temporary installation also 

demonstrated that powerdome allows 

different projection technologies 

to be used without any problems 

and widely differing requirements 

to be met. For the image data 

in the powerdome®ImageGenerator 

it makes no difference which 

projection system is employed. 

Once the parameters for the projector 

configuration have been 

changed, the same image data can 

be played back on another projection 

system. There is no need for 

repeated slicing or other conversion 

of the video stream. Powerdome 

is the ideal platform for all 

the solutions demonstrated. 

Comments from the Carl Zeiss 

demonstration: 

• “Only the laser offered sufficient 

contrast.” 

• “This demonstration favored 

the ADLIP. The ADLIP had the 

best background blackness 

and channel blending.” 

• “ADLIP, although lower brightness, 

didn’t look less bright. 

Color saturation added a lot of 

life to the presentation. Could 

not see blend region of projectors.” 

• “Sony most immersive feel of 

the 3. I felt a part of the scene.” 

• “I liked the sharpness of the 

Sony. I like the idea of integrating 

the Universarium with 

fulldome because I felt fulldome 

starfield was not great 

at representing the real sky, 

where fulldome does an excellent 

job representing planets 

and allowing traveling in 

space.” 

• “Sony – amazing with two 

projectors.” 

• “BARCO was very bright but 

the black level wasn’t very 

good.” 

Left: 

Scene showing Galileo from 

“Exploring the Universe”, 

projected with ADLIP (Laser 

Display) – maximum 

contrast and intensive colors, 

no edge blending visible. 

Right: 

The same scene projected 

with a Sony SRX projector – 

high definition and brilliance. 

Photo credits: 

CZ/has. 


21

User Report 

First powerdome® 

Planetarium in U.S.A. 

Sheldon Schafer 

Director 

Lakeview Planetarium 

Lakeview Museum, Peoria 

Lakeview Museum’s planetarium 

is an astronomical resource serving 

all of Central Illinois, staffed 

with professionals qualified in 

astronomy education and interpretation. 

Public programs bring the 

wonders of the universe and current 

astronomical discoveries to 

the residents of Central Illinois utilizing 

the latest projection technologies 

available. 

Plans for the new museum 

complex include a planetarium 

with a larger dome. 

Computer graphic: 

Peoria Lakeview-Museum 

The Lakeview Museum 

Planetarium was the first 

component of Lakeview Museum in 

Peoria, a city with about 100,000 inhabitants 

located in Illinois approx. 

200 kilometers southwest of Chicago. 

It was opened in 1963, two 

years before the Museum was constructed. 

A Goto M-1 star projector 

was installed in the 10 meter plaster 

dome. The initial construction was 

funded by a donation from Murray 

Baker, with additional assistance 

from members of the Peoria Astronomical 

Society. Principals among 

these were R.P. Van Zandt and Dr. 

Ernest Landen. 

In 1977 the seating was rearranged 

to face one direction, and a 

Spitz Model 512 Star Projector was 

installed. A computer controlled 

special effects system was also installed 

built by volunteers from the 

Caterpillar Computer Club. 

In 1989, through a grant from 

the Bielfeldt Foundation, a video 

projection system was installed. The 

system included three video projectors 

and a Sky-Skan Spice Control 

System. 

The planetarium serves about 

30,000 visitors per year, including 

20,000 students from area schools 

and colleges. Nearly 1,000,000 visitors 

have been to the planetarium 

since it opened in 1963. 

New: powerdome 

On January 26, 2008 the planetarium 

in the Lakeview Museum 

in Peoria, USA, reopened its doors 

to the public after six weeks of 

conversion work equipped with a 

powerdome®System from Carl 

Zeiss. 

The powerdome®System has 

not only exceeded our staff’s expectations, 

but also those of our 

public audience. Their reaction 

has been overwhelmingly positive. 

Teachers have been similarly 

impressed, and can’t wait for their 

students to experience the new 

system. We are delighted about a 

starlit sky ten times brighter than 

before and the unequalled precision 

of the astronomical presentations. 

The projections are much 

more crisp and the colors much 

more brilliant. The observation of 

individual stars’ magnitudes and 

the determination of their luminosity 

classes can only be done 

with a precision optical starfield. 

These observations prompt students 

in class to discuss stellar 

evolution, which is then illustrated 

by a full-dome show. Only the 

ZEISS powerdome®System has the 

versatility to do it all. 

Carl Zeiss installed the SKYMAS- 

TER ZKP 4 planetarium projector 

and SPACEGATE Quinto in January 

2008. The combination of 

opto-mechanical and digital projection 

offers a wide range of new, 

hitherto inconceivable possibilities, 

which add diversity to the 

program. We expect growing audiences, 

and families in particular. 

This assumption was confirmed by 

the throngs of visitors during the 

initial days. 

Outlook 

Plans are under way now for the 

erection of a new, larger and more 

attractive museum in the city center, 

with a bigger planetarium 

dome. The powerdome®Planetarium 

is a foretaste of the intended 

modernization. The planetarium 

equipment will be moved into a 

new dome as soon as the foundations 

for the new museum are 

ready. 


User Report 

Judenburg‘s Star Tower: 

a Successful Concept 

Judenburg’s city tower was constructed 

in the years 1449 – 1509. 

In the fall of 2006, a planetarium 

equipped with SKYMASTER ZKP 4, 

powerdome®SPACEGATE and 65 

seats was built into the late medieval 

structure. To get to the star 

theater situated at a height of 

46 m above the tower entrance, 

visitors use a glass-walled panorama 

elevator running in a glass 

well up to a level of 38 m, from 

where they walk up 20 steps to 

the lookout gallery with the cash 

desk and a cafeteria. 

The planetarium with its 8.5 m 

dome was provided with the most 

advanced equipment available for 

planetariums of this size: a SKY- 

MASTER ZKP 4 and the powerdome®SPACEGATE 

Quinto fulldome 

video system, both from Carl 

Zeiss. Together with the Dolby surround 

system, the illumination and 

the open auditorium, from which 

parts of the ancient masonry are 

visible, provide an overall impression 

that is without equal in the 

planetarium world. 

Shows in the Star Tower comprise 

two parts: the demonstration 

of the current night sky, and 

a full-dome video film. 

At present, not less than eleven 

different full-dome shows are offered, 

with themes from astronomy, 

biology, history and astronautics. 

In addition there are programs 

for children and adolescents, and 

music shows. 

In all out thematic shows we attach 

great importance to live 

moderation. The operator-cumnarrator 

explains the current aspect 

of the starry sky by means of 

the ZKP 4 and tells, in an entertaining 

manner, whatever is 

worth knowing about the nakedeye 

celestial objects. 

For special guests and professional 

audiences we run special 

shows on astronomical subjects 

and specialist lectures making 

use of Powerpoint presentation. 

Other events include live concerts, 

mainly by instrumental soloists. 

We also rent the star theater 

out for family parties, business 

luncheons and the like. To 

all such occasions, the starry sky 

lends an enchanting touch. 

Since recently, our visitors can 

use the interactive astronomy 

program “Uniview” and an X-Box 

controller to travel through the 

solar system in real time, to visit 

the planets and their moons, to 

fly round our Galaxy, and to get 

to the boundaries of the observable 

universe. The tremendously 

impressive visualization and the 

flexibility of presentation make 

this an exceptional experience, 

which our visitors will remember 

for a long time and which is liable 

to make them come again. 

After more than 18 months of 

operation and a total attendance 

figure of almost 70,000, it is justified 

to consider our concept a 

great success. This is no reason, 

though, for us to rest on our laurels. 

We intend to expand our activities 

to sites outside the Star 

Tower. In 2008 we plan to lay out 

planet paths that extend from the 

tower radially and lead into 

Judenburg’s surroundings. An 

observatory on the Brandkogel 

mountain at a height of 1760 m 

is at the planning stage, same as 

a star hotel in the town. For these 

and other projects, sponsors, the 

local government and the town 

councilors have willingly promised 

their support – another sign 

that we have taken the right path. 

The Star Tower, Judenburg’s tallest 

structure (76 m) is an attractive 

feature of the town not only 

by its mere conspicuousness, but 

also by its activities. Judenburg 

will probably develop into a 

widely known meeting place for 

(prospective) astronomy fans. 

Hannes Fally 

Manager and Technical 

Director, Planetarium 

Judenburg Star Tower 

Auditorium and foyer of 

modern design. 

Judenburg’s landmark: the Star Tower with the planetarium. 


23

New Star Theaters 

Norway‘s Most Advanced 

Planetarium 

Ann Wagner 

Project Manager 


Sandnes in the south of Norway 

lies a mere 15 km from Stavanger, 

the fourth-largest Norwegian 

city. In the course of 

time, the two places have almost 

merged. Therefore, a new regional 

education center named 

the “Science Factory” established 

in Sandnes forms part of 

Stavangers activities as European 

Capital of Culture 2008. 

Intended to introduce children 

and adolescents to science and 

technology, the facility was 

opened on May 22nd, 2008. Its 

core is a planetarium equipped 

by Carl Zeiss. 

Umoe Planetariet 

Vitenfabrikken 

Storgata 26 

4307 Sandnes 

Norway 

Director: 

Mrs. Gro Persson 

Dome dia.: 8 m 

Seats: 60 

ZEISS SKYMASTER ZKP 4 

powerdome®SPACEGATE 

Opening: May 22, 2008 

Tenders for designing the building 

of nearly 6,000 m² floor space 

had been invited from all over Europe; 

the contract was awarded 

to Askim og Lantto Architects AS. 

The planetarium, the chief attraction, 

presents itself as a 

sphere hovering in a glass palace, 

the architectural highlight and 

visitors’ center of the Science 

Factory, which accommodates exhibitions, 

auditoriums, a library, 

workshops, a restaurant and a 

museum shop. The sphere has 

seats for 60 viewers. Carl Zeiss 

landed the order for supplying the 

entire technical equipment, featuring 

a SKYMASTER ZKP 4 planetarium 

projector, coupled with 

a powerdome®SPACEGATE fulldome 

digital projection system. 

It is the third European installation 

of this most advanced planetarium 

solution for small planetarium 

domes. The first two installations 

are in Judenburg (Austria), 

and Lichtenstein nr. Chemnitz 

(Germany). 

Carl Zeiss also supplied the projection 

dome, the LED dome illumination, 

the sound system, a 

number of full-dome shows, and 

Uniview as an astronomical realtime 

software program. 

The successful show “Exploring 

the Universe – Probing the 

Heavens with Galileo” created in 

Jena, which combines opticalmechanical 

and digital projections 

in an intelligent way, will 

have its foreign-language debut 

in Sandnes. The planetarium’s 

program also includes the two 

Mirage3D shows “Origins of Life” 

and “Dawn of the Space Age” in 

Norwegian versions. 

The planetarium staff were 

thoroughly trained by specialists 

of Carl Zeiss. The training covered 

operation and maintenance of the 

equipment and was also attended 

by members of the Stavanger Astronomical 

Society. 


Workshop 

First powerdome® 

Workshop in Jena 

Antje Wulff 

The first powerdome®System was 

delivered by Carl Zeiss almost two 

years ago. Since then, the number 

of users of this system has grown 

steadily and worldwide – a good 

reason for us to enter into an intensive 

exchange of experience 

with users and testers of powerdome. 

In November 2007, Carl 

Zeiss invited them to Jena for a 

powerdome®Workshop. 

The Carl Zeiss powerdome®System 

comprises an image generator 

and a platform for combining digital 

and analog dome projection. 

The emphasis of the workshops 

was on training planetarium staff 

to compile simple shows themselves. 

The workshop started at Jenas 

Zeiss Planetarium. The 22 participants 

saw two in-house productions, 

“Exploring the Universe – 

Probing the Heavens with Galileo” 

and the family musical “Infinity plus 

One”, followed by “Dawn of the 

Space Age”, a show by Mirage3D. 

Planetarium director Jürgen Hellwig 

and his assistant Tobias Wiethoff 

gave insights into the conversions 

involved in upgrading the planetarium 

with powerdome®ADLIP, 

and into the production of shows 

using this tool. 

The second day started with detailed 

introductions to powerdome 

and Uniview, the SCISS planetarium 

software for presenting the 

universe in 3D. Under the test dome 

on the Carl Zeiss premises, twelve 

completely equipped workstations 

were available to the participants. 

Full-dome producers and experienced 

powerdome users reported 

about their experiences and gave 

useful tips on the production of 

full-dome picture content. 

On the third day, the participants 

practiced what they had learned 

the day before, and implemented 

their own ideas using powerdome. 

They could immediately visualize 

the sequences they created on the 

factory dome. Discussions with the 

powerdome users gave Carl Zeiss 

suggestions for further improvements 

and extensions. 

After work, the workshop participants 

relaxed in a bowling contest, 

clad in uniform powerdome 

jerseys. 

We would like to thank all participants 

for their keen interest and 

many suggestions. The success of 

the event and the great demand for 

it have prompted us to repeat it, 

and so we are looking forward to 

the next powerdome®Workshop. 

Bowling in the “powerdome 

team”: Antje Wulff (CZ), 

Johan Öhlund (SCISS) and 

Wilfried Lang (CZ). 

Bochum’s classical show for 

children, “Lilli’s ”Lilli’s Journey to 

the Moon”, converted for 

digital projection with 

powerdome. 

Background: Under the 

powerdome factory dome, 

twelve completely equipped 

computer workstations were 

available to the workshop 

participants. 


25

New Projects 

Three New 

Star Theaters in Brazil 

Luiz Sampaio 

Director 

Omnis Lux – 

Astronomia & Projetos 

Culturais, Brazil 

Ever since the first Carl Zeiss planetarium 

was installed in Brazil 50 

years ago, the number of ZEISS planetariums 

there has constantly increased. 

In addition to the wellknown 

large-dome star theaters in 

Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, a 

great many medium- and smalldome 

facilities have come into being 

that are equipped with Carl 

Zeiss projection equipment. Since 

1984, Omnis Lux has been the exclusive 

and highly successful Carl 

Zeiss agent for planetariums in Brazil. 

The year 2008 is marked by the 

introduction of digital projection 

technology. Omnis Lux has landed 

several big, demanding projects 

centered around the coupling of 

optical-mechanical and digital projection: 

• The first Brazilian planetarium to 

have digital full-dome projection 

is under construction in Belo 

Horizonte. Equipped with SKY- 

MASTER ZKP 4 and powerdome®SPACEGATE, 

it is scheduled 

to be opened in the second 

half of 2008. 

• Another system comprising SKY- 

MASTER ZKP 4 and powerdome® 

SPACEGATE has been sold to Feira 

de Santana, the second-largest 

city in the State of Bahia. Here, 

too, the planetarium is intended 

to become operative in 2008. 

• A large planetarium is being 

built in Santo André near São 

Paulo. The 18 m dome will accommodate 

the latest planetarium 

technology from Carl 

Zeiss: A STARMASTER StarBall 

and a powerdome®4DOME system 

will combine to deliver fantastic 

projections. 

With these three new projects, Carl 

Zeiss remains the leading planetarium 

supplier on the Brazilian 

market and proves its strong position 

in the digital realm. 

The Planetarium in Belo Horizonte will be part of the “Science Square” in the city 

center, a joint project of the Brazilian federal government, the Federal University and 

the company TIM Brasil. 

The Planetarium in Feira de Santana will be the heart of the 

new cultural park, the city’s prime cultural center. 

The architect’s design shows the Planetarium of Santo André at 

the heart of the SABINA Education Center, a science park that 

will also be devoted to art and technology. 


New Projects 

Unbroken Trust in 

Carl Zeiss Technology 

Our order books are well filled. 

The majority of orders are for 

combinations of an optical-mechanical 

projection machine 

with a digital powerdome®System. 

We see this as a sign that 

our customers have embraced 

our concept of combining classical 

projection of the star-studded 

sky with digital full-dome 

projection. 

Orders for our new SKY- 

MASTER ZKP 4 small-dome planetarium 

are absolutely outstanding: 

We have booked almost 

twice the number of orders expected. 

Certainly, the integration 

of fiber-optic systems, digital 

control of the planet projectors 

and direct coupling with our 

powerdome®Planetarium are 

the decisive reasons for the extremely 

great interest in the 

ZKP 4. 

The demand for large-dome 

systems is undiminished, too, as 

evidenced by the projects in 

Beijing, Nagoya, Boston and 

Santo André. The city of Nagoya 

is erecting the worlds biggest 

planetarium and has ordered a 

UNIVERSARIUM Model IX for it. 

The first single starball will be 

delivered to Santo André: A 

STARMASTER SB creates the bright 

starry sky, whereas all didactic 

projections are generated by the 

powerdome®Planetarium. 

Grown trust in our competence 

in digital full-dome projection 

finds expression also in 

projects exclusively comprising 

full-dome technology, as in Jeju, 

South Korea (see front cover). 

We can offer customers for our 

powerdome®Systems a great 

number of full-dome shows. We 

have all the capacities needed for 

their marketing, source data processing 

and providing ready-toplay 

video and audio files. 

Bogota, USA Colombia 

Boston, USA 

Bucheon, Korea 

Fort Worth, USA 

Gaziantep, Turkey 

Kearney, USA 

Beijing, China 

Almaty Planetarium 

Almaty, Kazachstan 


10 m dome 

Beijing Planetarium 

Beijing, China 

UNIVERSARIUM Model IX 

23 m dome 

Belo Horizonte Planetarium 

Belo Horizonte, Brazil 


powerdome®SPACEGATE Duo 

9 m dome 

Planetario de Bogotá 

Bogotá, Colombia 


23 m dome 

Charles Hayden Planetarium 

Museum of Science 

Boston, MA, USA 


18 m dome 

Bucheon City Library 

Bucheon, South Korea 


powerdome®SPACEGATE Quinto 

10 m dome 

Planetario della Citta 

Cosenza, Italy 



15 m dome 

Planetarium Feira de Santana 

Feira de Santana, Brazil 



13 m dome 

Noble Planetarium 

Museum of Science & History 

Fort Worth, TX, USA 



11 m dome 

Planetarium in the Science Park 

Gaziantep, Turkey 



10.8 m dome 

Jeju City Planetarium 

Jeju, South Korea 


18 m dome 

Museum of Cosmonautics 

“K. E. Tziolk 

ziolkovsky” 

ovsky” 

Kaluga, Russia 



10 m dome 

Univ. of Nebraska Planetarium 

Kearney, NE, USA 


9.1 m dome 

Bays Mountain Planetarium 

Kingsport, TN, USA 



12.2 m dome 

Nagoya City Science Museum 

Nagoya, Japan 

UNIVERSARIUM Model IX 

35 m dome 

SABINA Planetarium 

Santo André, Brazil 

STARMASTER SB 


18 m dome 

Novins Planetarium 

Ocean County College 

Toms River, NJ, USA 


12.2 m dome 

Planetarium 

Mt. San Antonio College 

Walnut, CA, USA 


11.5 m dome 


27

Applications 

A Selection of Shows for 

powerdome®Planetariums 

“The ABC of the Stars“ is a 

basic program for children 

and families. It can well be 

combined with optical-mechanical 

projection of the 

sky. 

Tim, while watching the 

stars together with his 

brother Mark and Mark’s 

friend Tina, sees a shooting 

star and has the wish to fly to 

the Moon. Suddenly the children 

are beamed to aboard 

the spaceship “Observer”. 

Once they have overcome 

their initial fright, they travel 

across the solar system and 

visit the planets. They experience 

how different the planets 

are by nature, land on 

Mars and traverse Saturn’s 

rings. Then they come perilously 

close to the Sun and are 

in danger of burning out, but 

the space ship manages to escape 

and brings the children 

to the Moon at last. 

Age group: 6 years and over 

Running time: 35 min 

Languages: German, English 

Production: INTERMEDIA 

Klagenfurt commissioned by 

STERNEVENT GmbH 2006 

“Exploring the Universe” offers 

fundamental astronomical 

knowledge within a suspense 

story. Galileo’s ghost 

accompanies us on an excursion 

into the depths of space. 

His personal life story was 

closely intertwined with the 

painful realization that our 

home planet had lost its position 

as center of the universe. 

Galileos observations 

initiated further research, 

which finally led to the Copernican 

perspective on the 

universe, and to Keplers laws. 

In addition to historic discoveries, 

the show also presents 

the current state of 

knowledge on the structure 

of our solar system and the 

universe. The exciting combination 

of classical planetarium 

and digital video 

projection adds much to the 

effect of the show. 

Age group: all, families 


Languages: German, English, 

Norwegian, Korean 

Production: INTERMEDIA 

Klagenfurt commissioned by 

STERNEVENT GmbH 2006 

“Origins of Life” is about the 

fundamental questions of biology 

– origin of life, and the 

search for extraterrestrial life. 

The show informs about the 

chemical principles of the 

universe, the origin of which 

is hidden in the Big Bang, 

and illustrates the development 

of stars and planetary 

systems. It looks into the beginnings 

of life on Earth, 

touches upon the extinction 

of dinosaurs, and deals with 

the search for life forms on 

other planets. 

“Origins of Life” is a fantastic 

journey through time 

and pays respect of the living 

beings inhabiting the 

Earth. Presenting many discoveries 

made in the recent 

past, the show promotes our 

awareness of the exciting 

goings-on in present-day scientific 

research. 



Languages: Arabic, German, 

English, French, Japanese, 

Korean, Dutch, Norwegian, 

Spanish 

Production: Mirage3D 2005 

“Dawn of the Space Age” is a 

reminiscence of 50 years of 

space travel. 2007 was the 

50th anniversary of the launching 

of Sputnik 1, the first artificial 

satellite that orbited the 

Earth. 

Experience the exciting beginnings 

of space travel, from 

the start of Sputnik 1 to the 

landings on the Moon, and 

from the assembly of the International 

Space Station to the 

first private spaceflights. Trace 

the initial competition of political 

systems for supremacy in 

space, and the peaceful collaboration 

between nations 

today. Join in the vivid, historically 

accurate reconstruction 

of mankinds first steps into the 

cosmos. Learn about the men 

and women who braved the 

risks of space travel. Witness 

their courage, their passion and 

their perseverance in “Dawn of 

the Space Age”. 




French, Korean, Dutch, Norwegian 

Production: Mirage3D 2007 


Applications 

Once upon a time, a sea journey 

was one of the most hazardous 

adventures. Seafarers 

cautiously followed the coastlines, 

as they might easily lose 

their bearings on the open sea. 

Fear accompanied them wherever 

they sailed – the fear of 

plunging over the edge of the 

world. Courageous men like 

Columbus and Magellan dared 

to sail far out across the ocean 

and thus proved that the Earth 

is not a disk, but a sphere. 

Join the voyage to the limit 

in expedition to the edge of the 

world! 

Age group: school students, 

families 



French, Italian, Korean 

Production: Lucerne Museum of 

Transport 2005 

An endangered reef, a mystery 

about the Moon, two fish, and 

the adventure of their life. 

“Kaluoka’Hina – The Enchanted 

Reef” offers a gripping story, is 

full of humor, and teaches us in 

a playful way to protect our environment. 

Kaluoka’Hina, a gloriously colorful 

tropical reef, is under a 

spell: It is undiscoverable by men. 

Kaluoka’Hina’s colorful inhabitants 

have thus always lived in 

peace, until the volcano erupts, 

and the spell is broken. Now it’s 

up to Shorty and Jake to restore 

the magic of Kaluoka’Hina. Their 

only lead: the ancient legend that 

tells of touching the moon. 

Age group: children, families 



Korean, Spanish 

Production: Softmachine 2004 

Three things are essential for a 

fantastic trip through the solar 

system: a cardboard rocket, a 

helpful astronomy textbook, and 

a measure of imagination. 

The rocket is quickly built from 

some cardboard box. Load the 

cargo balloons filled with fresh 

air, a board computer made from 

a shoebox, the astronomy book 

from the library – don the helmets 

and here we go! The adventurous 

journey takes the young astronauts 

past the Sun, to the terrestrial 

planets and the giant gas balls 

with their nice rings. The trip is 

not without risks, but the astronomy 

book helps them survive 

all dangerous situations. 

Age group: children, families 


Languages: English 

Production: Clark Planetarium 

2003 

People have looked to the stars 

with questioning and dreaming 

minds. All of them, and everyone 

who has ever looked heavenward, 

have also found questions 

in the cosmos. Perhaps the 

most common question pondered 

over thousands of years 

is, “Are we alone?” Does life exist 

anywhere else in the universe? 

The Search for Life takes visitors 

on a once-in-a-lifetime journey 

from the depths of Earth’s 

oceans to the outer regions of 

the universe and depicts how 

scientists are searching, as never 

before, for signs of life beyond 

our world. 



Languages: Engl., German, a.o. 

Production: American Museum 

of Natural History 2002 

A number of full-dome productions 

have been made by Loch 

Ness Productions. Some of them 

deal with new topics, while others 

are remakes of successful 

classical shows. The shows are 

distinguished by their excellent 

price/performance ratio. 

• MarsQuest: The Red Planet 

from a cultural and scientific 

perspective. 2007, 40 min. 

• SkyQuest: An instructive exploration 

of the night sky. 

2006, 25 min. 

• Hubble Vision 2: The universe 

observed with the eye of the 

Space Telescope. 

2004, 30 min. 

• Oceans in Space: The search 

for life in the universe. 

2006, 30 min. 

• Larry Cat in Space: Picture 

story of a tomcat who flies to 

the Moon. 2006, 30 min. 

• Seasonal Stargazing: 2x four 

shows introducing to the sky 

after sunset. 

2007, 14 min. each. 


29

News 

News from the Planetarium 

Division 

New Faces in 

Customer Service 

In February 2008, Robert 

Miethe (30) joined the Planetarium 

Division as a service 

engineer. His primary job is installation 

and maintenance of 

the planetarium systems. Presently 

specializing in the 

powerdome®Systems and SKY- 

MASTER ZKP 4, his activities will 

gradually extend to the divisions 

entire product range. 

Mr. Miethe, from North 

Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, 

studied electrical engineering 

and computer science at the 

Osnabrück University of Applied 

Sciences, and electronics 

at the Copenhagen University 

of technology (Denmark). He 

speaks English and Danish fluently. 

Before he joined Carl 

Zeiss he was employed as a service 

engineer with a Danish 

company selling electronic devices. 

In his leisure time he is a 

passionate cyclist and biker. 

In the interest of our customers, 

we wish Mr. Miethe 

every success and satisfaction 

in his new job. 

Mario Rauh (46) will already be 

known to many of our customers. 

He has been working with 

the Planetarium Division as a 

service technician since September 

2006. His job is the installation 

and maintenance of 

our planetarium projectors, 

whether optical-mechanical or 

digital. 

Mario Rauh is not a novice 

in the planetarium field. He has 

been familiar with Carl Zeiss 

star projectors as well as with 

planetarium operation. His vocational 

training as an electrician 

and mechanic at Carl Zeiss 

in Jena was followed by 13 

years of employment with Carl 

Zeiss, during which he had to 

do primarily with the SPACE- 

MASTER and COSMORAMA 

planetarium projectors. Subsequently 

he was a technician at 

Jena’s Zeiss Planetarium for 14 

years. 

He likes to go on cycling 

tours in the countryside and is 

a passionate angler. 

We wish Mr. Rauh much 

pleasure and creative power in 

his responsible job. 

Planetarium 

Newsletter 

Since the end of 2007 the Carl 

Zeiss Planetarium Division has 

been sending quarterly newsletters 

by E-Mail to subscribers. 

The Newsletter reports on 

news from the Division, including 

new developments, 

projects and installations, and 

other topical news from the 

world of planetariums. The 

newsletter contains concise 

texts in English and telling illustrations, 

to be informative 

without being tedious. 

In case you do not receive 

the Newsletter yet, you can 

subscribe to it on the Carl Zeiss 

planetarium homepage: 

• www.zeiss.de/planetariums, 

Link: “Subscribe to the 

Planetarium Newsletter” 

(English wibe sites) or 

• www.zeiss.de/planetarien, 

Link: ”Newsletter 

abonnieren”. 

The new product overview on DVD 

can be ordered from the Planetarium 

Division. 

Product Overview 

on DVD 

A new DVD-ROM in English 

and German presents the Carl 

Zeiss spectrum of opticalmechanical 

and digital dome 

projection systems. 

The menu-driven catalog is 

organized by dome sizes, allowing 

the prospective customer 

to quickly select the 

projection system(s) eligible 

for the intended planetarium 

size. The overview also includes 

related products such 

as Uniview, the astronomical 

software for real-time presentation, 

and a number of shows 

available from Carl Zeiss for 

sale. Textual information is 

supplemented by many diagrams, 

photos, computer animations 

and videos to make 

technical details and the differences 

between the systems 

understandable to lay people. 

Texts are reduced to a minimum, 

to allow managers, sponsors 

and other decision makers 

to get an overall view 

quickly. 

Moreover, the DVD presents 

some selected planetarium 

projects from all parts of the 

world, briefly describes important 

innovative Carl Zeiss technologies, 

and gives the contact 

data of responsible Carl 

Zeiss staff. 

You can order the DVD from 

our foreign sales agents or direct 

from our sales department 

in Jena: 



+49-3641-642406 

planetarium@zeiss.de 


News 

powerdome® 

UserGroup online 

The number of users of digital 

powerdome®Systems from 

Carl Zeiss is growing fast. To 

be sure, powerdome is not an 

image generator designed 

once and for all. The software 

with its functionality and its 

user interface, as well as the 

contents and hardware solutions 

are continuously being 

advanced. New contents are 

not only generated by Carl 

Zeiss; users also readily make 

selected productions of their 

own available to other powerdome 

users free of charge – 

from simple images to fulldome 

video sequences. As the 

community of powerdome users 

increases, the exchange of 

information and experience 

becomes more meaningful and 

useful. 

To support such exchange, 

including that of contents, Carl 

Zeiss makes its Extranet accessible 

to all powerdome users. 

The powerdome®UserGroup 

established itself at the first 

powerdome®Workshop in 

November 2007 in Jena. Its 

members are not only users of 

powerdome®Systems, but 

producers of powerdome applications, 

and, of course, Carl 

Zeiss specialists. 

Carl Zeiss offers to render advice 

and support to the User 

Group on request, while not 

intending to control its development. 

The Extranet is meant 

as a platform that can be used 

by all users and whose contents 

are largely developed by 

themselves. 

Offers to the members of the 

UserGroup include, among 

others: 

• powerdome®Library 

with still image, video and 

sound databases. The Library 

is a platform of exchange 

among members. 

Users can freely download 

contents and make their own 

contents available to other 

users. 

• powerdome®Resources 

makes available user-relevant 

documents. These include 

technical descriptions, 

operating instructions, a 

glossary, etc., all in PDF format. 

• powerdome®Forum 

This is a forum of discussing 

all questions about powerdome 

or related to it, and 

finding answers jointly. 

• powerdome®UserList 

offers a list of powerdome 

users for direct contacts 

and questions. 

Nagoya Erects 

Biggest 

Planetarium 

Since 1962, the Science Center 

in Nagoya (Japan) has had 

a Carl Zeiss Model IV planetarium. 

After 45 years of 

successful educational work, 

plans for a grand new building 

of the science center are 

taking shape in Nagoya. 

Again, the planetarium will 

be at the heart of the complex, 

and with a new dimension 

at that: A projection 

dome 35 m in diameter will 

vault the world’s biggest 

planetarium with more than 

400 seats. 

Carl Zeiss landed the order 

for supplying a Model IX planetarium 

projector. By virtue of 

its excellent technologies, 

Carl Zeiss prevailed over Japanese 

competitors. The press 

talked about the “top model 

from Germany”. 

The impressive quality of 

the UNIVERSARIUM’s realistic 

starry sky was a decisive 

factor for Nagoya. The enormous 

dome size selected results 

from the fact that the 

similarity of the artificial sky 

to the natural one increases 

with dome size. For the same 

reason, Nagoya opted on a 

projector that projects the 

very number of stars visible 

to the human eye in the natural 

sky. 

The Planetarium in Nagoya 

has attracted about 250,000 

visitors annually. When the 

new building is ready, annual 

attendances are expected 

to reach a million. 

Intended for the education 

of young people, the modernized 

science center will 

feature large exhibition areas 

and interactive exhibits, with 

the new planetarium being 

in the focus of interest. The 

vast complex is scheduled for 

completion in 2011. 

Carl Zeiss will specially 

configure the planetarium 

projector for the Nagoya installation. 

It will be one of an 

international family of large 

UNIVERSARIUM projectors in 

use in planetariums in New 

York, Los Angeles, Rio de 

Janeiro, Hamburg, Vienna, 

Jakarta, Beijing, Jena and 

other places. 

Project sketches of the architecture and 

the auditorium of the new science 

center in Nagoya. A 35 m dome will 

make it the world’s biggest planetarium. 

(Graphics: Nagoya Science Centre and 

Konica-Minolta Ltd.) 


31



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