In addition to planetarium shows, the Boonshoft will also offer 3D movies, IMAX style. First up is “Sea Monsters 3D: A Prehistoric Adventure,” a 40-minute journey to Earth’s prehistoric oceans from National Geographic Cinema. Showings are listed in the movie section of the newspaper.
The new technology includes:
The Digistar 4 that adds a wide variety of color options and fancy graphics to the black-and-white stick figures you've seen in the past.
The Mirage Christie projector, a separate system that creates the 3D technology. The special glasses you'll wear are valued at $75 each and are unlike those you're used to donning in a movie theater. This system uses a set of projectors that run video at twice the normal frame rate, interweaving right and left eye imagery. It's known as "active stereo." The glasses receive an electronic signal from the 3D projection system.
Cheri Adams, director of astronomy at the museum, calls the new additions “phenomenal.”
“They give us more versatility and hundreds of options,” she says. New LED lighting illuminates the planetarium and provides additional effects.
If the oohs and aahs of the third-graders from Rosa Parks Elementary school in Dayton are any indication, the new technology is bound to be a hit. The class gathered Thursday morning for a sneak preview with planetarium operator Kimberlee Gresham.
“We’re going to take an adventure into space,” she told the excited kids. “We used to have this big projector in the middle and black-and-white images, but today you’ll see full color and images that move around.”
A variety of shows will be offered including live planetarium shows, full dome films and 3D movies. A children’s show, “One World, One Sky” features Sesame Street characters that teach youngsters that the night sky in China is the same as theirs.
A Kinect system will allow individuals, including the birthday child at a birthday party, to directly “drive” the planetarium from the center of the room, driving through the rings of Saturn, for instance.
“We can even control the system from an iPad when we present live shows,” says Adams.
At 7:30 p.m. every Friday night, the museum will offer “Friday Night at the Movies,” an opportunity to see three planetarium shows in one evening for a single ticket. The cost on those nights is $4 for members, $7 for nonmembers. There will also be a 9:30 p.m. single show.
Says Adams: “This new technology brings complicated concepts to life.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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