October 2020

Buffalos Ticket to the Stars

Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium of Buffalo State University equipped with SKYMASTER ZKP 4 LED

ZKP 4 installation Buffalo State University
Specialists install a ZEISS SKYMASTER ZKP 4 LED planetarium projector in the dome of the new Whitworth-Ferguson Planetarium in Buffalo, NY. (Image courtesy of Howard George, Seiler Instrument)

Good spirits are at work here. The countdown is on for virtual journeys to the stars at Buffalo State College, New York State. The modern industrial port city is located not far from Niagara Falls. The opening date for the new Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium is still a secret, but the technology has already found its way inside. Pictured here, specialists from our US representative, Seiler Instruments, install a SKYMASTER ZKP 4 LED in the 13 m dome. The optical-mechanical planetarium projector is able to conjure the stars, sun, moon and planets of the night sky onto the dome with extraordinary brilliance thanks to powerful LED light sources. Especially in the age of digital projection technology, this artificial optical sky is ideally suited to inspire visitors with the stars and to open them up to science and technology.
But the planetarium in Buffalo is not only designed for astronomy students, it is also suitable to be used as a new type of classroom across multiple disciplines, from anatomy and geology to art classes. University teachers should be encouraged to integrate the planetarium firmly into their curricula.
The planetarium can accommodate 48 people. In addition to university lectures, it will offer a series of presentations for the public.
Buffalo is already the eighth city in the USA to show its residents and visitors the artificial starry sky with the help of a ZEISS SKYMASTER ZKP 4. Buffalo's first class ticket, direct to the stars!