St. Louis Science Center Reopens McDonnell Planetarium After $2.5 Million Upgrade
Updated
Updated · stlpr.org · Jul 14
St. Louis Science Center Reopens McDonnell Planetarium After $2.5 Million Upgrade
1 articles · Updated · stlpr.org · Jul 14
Summary
Saturday’s reopening ends a five-month closure at the McDonnell Planetarium, where visitors can now view immersive 3D journeys to places such as Saturn, black holes and exoplanets.
The $2.5 million overhaul added a Goto Chiron III hybrid star projector, a Digistar projection system and upgraded surround sound, making the venue one of the largest and most advanced hybrid planetariums in the U.S.
Managers said the previous projector dated to 2001 and was largely limited to showing the sky from Earth, while the new system can better reflect today’s far broader space knowledge.
The Science Center said the upgrade, funded by the Centene Foundation, is meant to connect audiences to a fast-changing era of space activity that now includes more than 10,000 satellites in orbit.