Joburg Planetarium transformed into modern facility

View of an irrigation system on a farm. AFP/Nelson Almeida
JOHANNESBURG – Johannesburg’s 62-year-old Planetarium is being transformed into a world-class digital research, training and science engagement facility.
It will become the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, providing access to a cutting-edge 360-degree visual experience.
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According to the Director of the Wits Centre for Astrophysics, the centre will not offer new perspectives on the universe, but also offer a multi-dimensional, cross-disciplinary approach to research.
“You’re now able to launch into the universe. You’re able to go into orbit around other planets and perhaps see what the stars look like from there,” said Roger Deane.
“We do these incredible simulations, of all these things at the moment and we’ve got amazing telescopes that are capturing data that just give us a completely transformed view of the universe compared to when these first analogue star projectors were designed about 100 years ago.”