IN PICS: Beyond the stars - Wits Planetarium goes digital

JOHANNESBURG - A world of endless possibilities was uncovered on Wednesday at the launch of the largest digital dome in Africa at the University of Witwatersrand. 

Sixty-four years ago, the university made history for having the first full-sized planetarium on the continent, and on Wednesday, it again made history for having the first largest digital dome in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Previously a home for stargazing, refurbishments now allow for cutting-edge research, digital-age teaching and visualisation theatre screenings.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi said this was where the future was created.

"The planetarium is about the stars, but the digital dome is about more than that. It is a multi and trans-disciplinary space, where the future of knowledge is blurred boundaries between disciplines like arts, medicine, technology and more."

The famous analogue Zeiss projector has now been replaced with 10 digital projectors to give an 8K resolution of the dome.

Media guests were told to buckle into their reclining seats as they watched short films on an 8.2 audio system, and experienced first-hand a visually entrancing trip around our galaxy.

Wits spokesperson, Shirona Patel, said the research opportunities the dome presented signified change for the country. 

"For students studying climate change, for instance, they study weather patterns that go decades back, and they can use the digital dome to visualise and project different environments.

"If you take someone studying human science and you need to see inside the body, it’s one thing seeing it in 2D, but to dissect in 3D in a large space like the dome will help you be immersed in that experience," said Patel.

The planetarium, now dubbed the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, owes the massive upgrade to the mining giant’s R90 million investment. In addition, the dome will be able to accommodate selected schools in Quintile 1-3 to visit the dome for free during career guidance visits to the university.

The dome will be open to the public from February 2025.