Prague Planetarium is set to reopen on 14 June after two years of renovations. The major project began in November 2023 with the core idea of replacing the 63-year-old projection dome. Already one of the biggest of its kind, “Planetum” can now also claim to set new continental standards, as its brand new LED dome makes it the most technologically advanced planetarium in Europe, and among the most advanced in the world.
This new dome will feature an extended 22-meter LED dome display with 8K+ resolution and more than 45 million individual diodes distributed across 12,000 panels. These panels can deliver up to a hundred times the luminosity of a standard projector, thus allowing for sharper contrasts to create convincing 3D effects. In addition, this new system also has a far longer life expectancy than traditional projector domes (up to 25 years), as well as lower maintenance and operating costs all around.
The new technology will also allow the Planetarium to develop and host new groundbreaking content. The opening weekend, for example, will feature a special 20-minute projection, which runs several times throughout the day and includes night sky simulations and demonstrations of the new technical possibilities. Additionally, the building’s reopening coincides with Prague’s Museum Night, and will remain open late into the evening of Saturday 14 June. “What awaits visitors is absolutely unique. Everyone we have shown the system to has been impressed throughout,” says Planetarium Director Jakub Rozehnal.
Although the renovation works were centered around the dome, they weren’t exclusive to it. As part of the replacement of the projection technology, it was also necessary to modernize the distribution, air conditioning and waste heat recovery system, which now provides heating for the entire building, thus achieving a higher efficiency in the process.
