ZEISS to equip three planetariums in Brazil with UNIVIEW and the latest technology in 2022

Three cities in the Brazilian state of Ceará will receive state-of-the-art planetarium technology from ZEISS this year powered by UNIVIEW. UNIVIEW is the operating system that ZEISS planetarium technology uses to stage all its presentations. The cities of Fortaleza and Sobral already have planetariums with ZEISS technology, and a new star theater is being built in Crato. After completion of the upgrades and new installations planned for September, all three planetariums will have uniform equipment with hybrid technology. In hybrid projection systems, the optical-mechanical star projector and digital projections are coupled by means of UNIVIEW. This enables the digital projection of didactic and astronomical objects to be synchronized with the analog night sky, the brilliance of which digital systems cannot achieve. The joint ZEISS technology will enable the three planetariums to directly exchange programs in the future.

The planetarium at the "Centro Dragao do Mar de Arte e Cultura" in Fortaleza has been using a star projector from ZEISS since it opened more than 20 years ago. In 2010, the first hybrid projection system moved into the 10.5 m dome of the cultural and educational center. Since then, visitors have not only been able to experience the night sky from Earth in impressive simulation, but also to travel into the depths of the universe. The ZEISS VELVET projectors installed in 2018 for digital projection will be upgraded to modern LED light sources in late summer. Visitors will experience brighter projections and improved color reproduction, while the customer will save on energy and the cost of regular lamp replacement in the future. Fortaleza, as well as the other two planetariums, are licensing new shows that will expand the program lineup starting in the fall.

In Sobral, a fire in 2019 led to the closure of the local planetarium. It is part of the "Museu do Eclipse", which since 1999 has commemorated the observation of the total solar eclipse in Sobral in 1919. The results of the observation confirmed the General Theory of Relativity of Albert Einstein, who subsequently became famous worldwide.
The reopening of the planetarium is also planned here at the beginning of autumn 2022 with renewed projection technology from ZEISS and updated software.

A new planetarium, also with a diameter of 10.5 m, is being built in Crato. ZEISS is supplying all planetarium technology, including the projection dome, the hybrid system with a ZEISS SKYMASTER ZKP 4 LED star projector, a 2-channel ZEISS VELVET fulldome system and the sound system.

In Brazil, numerous planetariums rely on ZEISS technology, including three large planetariums in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Thanks to modern digital projection technology, the planetariums are transforming from astronomical education centers to multimedia experience venues. In addition to astronomy-related topics, new science themes and entertainment programs are attracting more and more visitors to the modern venues.