Space Odyssey: Denver Museum of Nature & Science's Cutting-Edge All-Digital Gates Planetarium


Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s
Cutting-Edge All-Digital Gates Planetarium


The words “cosmic perspective” and “planetarium show” have just taken on new meaning. Respond to your desire for space travel and head far beyond the familiar night sky in the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s innovative, all-digital Gates Planetarium, opening June 13, 2003.

Gates Planetarium is now the most sophisticated planetarium in the world. Its realistic and accurate view of the universe and its sophisticated technological infrastructure provide new and exciting ways to tell compelling science stories and experience our beautiful universe.

The Planetarium experience includes

  • The Cosmic Atlas™, a new digital technology developed by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, which


    o Is the most accurate 3-D map of the cosmos ever created, enabling visitors to “leave” the Earth’s surface and fly through the solar system and beyond
    o Beautifully re-creates the night sky and features the world’s most sophisticated simulation of the Milky Way
    o Continually incorporates new data gathered from telescopes, satellites, and probes
    o Contains more than 250,000 objects in the solar system and more than 4 billion stars
    o Shows the solar system at any moment in time with extreme accuracy (accurate within 25 meters for objects 1 A.D ± 3,000 years)
    o Can be used as a preeminent space science research visualization tool

  • The highest resolution display system of its type in the world, simultaneously projecting over three million pixels for each of the 11 separate digital projectors
  • Unidirectional, semi-reclining stadium seating that gives you a great view. You’ll feel like you’re flying through space as you watch the show (125 seats and four wheelchair spaces)
  • An adrenaline-kicking 16.1 surround-sound system featuring one of the largest Ambisonic, 3-D spatial sound system in the world
  • Stunning new images from NASA and other leading research institutions
  • Eleven digital ultra sharp, ultra bright projectors (5,000 lumens), powered by the most powerful single-use visualization supercomputer in the world, displaying a 3-D flythrough at 60 frames per second
  • A perforated metal dome, 56 feet in diameter and tilted 25 degrees
  • A theatrical stage for use by live actors

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