UNIVERSARIUM Model VIII belongs to the top-of-the-line opto-mechanical planetarium projectors. It was developed for the largest planetarium domes in the world in the 1990s. Model VIII comprises a computer-controlled astronomical projection system for the complete display of the starry sky and solar system objects. It allows the most realistic representation of the night sky from all observation points on Earth by means of topocentric representations and with the highest accuracy for the time span from -10,000 to +10,000 years. The UNIVERSARIUM Model VIII was the first projector series to use the fiber optic projection technology invented by ZEISS. Later, fiber optics were also used in the smaller projectors for medium and small-size domes. Compared to all other astronomical projection systems, the UNIVERSARIUM Model VIII and IX series are characterized by the particularly high brightness and beauty of the representation of the starry sky.