BERLIN, JENA/Germany, 18.08.2016.
On 25 August 2016 the large ZEISS planetarium in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district will reopen following extensive renovation work and upgrades in the form of new ZEISS technology. The centerpiece of the refurbishment is a ZEISS hybrid planetarium, comprising a video projection system complete with ten ZEISS VELVET projectors for full-dome projection and a star projector of the type ZEISS UNIVERSARIUM Model IX specially built for the Berlin planetarium. This system enables planetarium shows like never before. With its new ZEISS technology, the planetarium is one of the world's state-of-the-art star theaters, says Dr. Martin Wiechmann, Head of the Planetariums business unit at ZEISS.
The ZEISS VELVET projection system enables extremely high-resolution films, videos and visualizations piloted live such as the space flight through the universe to be projected onto the 23-meter dome surface in a realistic way. The ZEISS VELVET projection system generates images with more than 25 million pixels eleven times as many as a movie theater projector. The ZEISS technology allows us to rethink the planetarium. The technical possibilities open the door to the authentic and breathtaking presentation of all sciences. It the first major step to a science theater that redefines our place in the cosmos in the here and now beyond the limits of astronomy, says Tim Florian Horn, Head of the large ZEISS planetarium.
While the star projector makes the night sky shine with natural brilliance, the digital projection system supplements the programs with a wide diversity of didactic presentations and colorful astronomical objects taken from current research. Although there are two different projection systems one mechanical and analog, the other digital the control software from ZEISS ensures that the two projectors are always in sync. For example, the digital portrait of the Orion Nebula always appears at the right location under the stars.
The ten ZEISS VELVET projectors are spread around the edge of the dome, with each projector generating a partial image. Using automated calibration from ZEISS, all of the partial images are merged so exactly on the dome that visitors see the entire image on the over 700 m2 dome surface. The ZEISS VELVET projectors guarantee the world's highest contrast. While other projectors always generate a gray haze on the dome, ZEISS VELVET projectors deliver absolute black and therefore exceptionally brilliant colors. With the ZEISS VELVET system we achieve pitch black, which means that the brilliance of the starlit sky is always reproduced in a hybrid planetarium. The ZEISS VELVET lenses generate such tiny and perfect pixels that visitors can enjoy extremely sharply defined dome images.
This interplay of star projector and digital projection will allow future visitors to the large ZEISS planetarium to leave the earth and embark on a virtual journey through the solar system, discovering space as they do. 3D software based on astronomical databases visualizes the entire observable universe. A flight on the orbit of the Cassini spacecraft shows an outsize Saturn with its characteristic rings passing by on the dome. When flying into intergalactic space, our home galaxy with 200 billion stars, the Milky Way, shrinks to a mere dot of light among billions of other stars. The dome-filling cosmic background radiation testifies to the evolution of the universe.
The large ZEISS planetarium with its impressive 30-meter external dome was opened in 1987 as one of the largest and state-of-the-art star theaters in all of Europe. It is located in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district and, since July 2016, has been part of the newly formed Stiftung Planetarium Berlin (Berlin planetarium foundation) alongside the Archenhold Observatory and the Wilhelm Foerster Observatory and Planetarium on the city's Insulaner hill. With this merger, Berlin is making further efforts to become the no. 1 place for astronomical popular science in Germany. The star theaters are being transformed into modern theaters that present science in a comprehensible way, says Sandra Scheeres, Senator for Education, Youth and Science for Berlin. Renovation and modernization work on the planetarium began in April 2014. Serving as an important testimony to the history of planetariums, the original ZEISS COSMORAMA star projector is being accorded pride of place in the foyer as part of the new exhibition.
$DAM-B1EB402D4D2A5ACCC125801300481D58
Press contact
Gudrun Vogel,
Carl Zeiss AG
Planetariums
Phone: +49 3641 64-2770
Fax: +49 3641 64-2941
gudrun.vogel@zeiss.com
About ZEISS
ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries. The ZEISS Group develops and distributes semiconductor manufacturing equipment, measuring technology, microscopes, medical technology, eyeglass lenses, camera and cine lenses, binoculars and planetarium technology. With its solutions, the company constantly advances the world of optics and helps shape technological progress. ZEISS is divided up into the four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Research & Quality Technology, Medical Technology, and Vision Care/Consumer Optics. ZEISS is represented in over 40 countries and operates more than 30 production sites, over 50 sales and service locations and about 25 research and development facilities. In fiscal year 2014/15 the company generated revenue approximating 4.5 billion with around 25,000 employees. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. Carl Zeiss AG is the strategic management holding company that manages the ZEISS Group. The company is wholly owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation).
Further information at www.zeiss.com
Consumer Optics
The Consumer
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
BERLIN, JENA/Germany, 18.08.2016. 
