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Digitarium Planetarium Systems
The current Digitarium lineup includes six models. This page contains general
Digitarium information and specifications. For model specific details click on the model names in the
table below.
A planetarium helps students grasp abstract astronomical concepts and
can spark enjoyment and interest in science. Digitarium
digital planetarium systems stand out in price and performance,
putting a full-featured planetarium within reach.
Digitarium models are available in either a
portable or a fixed configuration.
Set up the portable version of this projector and
a Digitalis inflatable dome in a gym for an
instant planetarium. Portability and ease of set up and use allow you
to share one system and its cost with other area groups.
The fixed versions are designed to be bolted down for permanent installation in a fixed dome,
with the Digitarium Alpha 2+ suitable for domes up to approximately 56 feet/17 meters in diameter.
Digitarium systems offer an enormous range of features at a
fraction of the cost of other fixed dome projectors.
Think of the possibilities of having your own easy to use, full-featured
planetarium at
your disposal. Avoid the headache and expense of organizing
a fieldtrip to an off-site planetarium. You can use your projector
as often as you need to cover your subject matter fully, and you can
tailor your lessons to your students.
Digitarium systems offer advanced features to excite and engage
your students. Zoom in on and label any object; demonstrate annual
motion; display constellations from many cultures
; and much more. The system's vast
capabilities make it relevant for audiences of all ages.
Project your own content on any subject.
Digital technology makes these systems significantly more powerful
than analog ("pinhole") portable planetariums you may be familiar with.
Think of the power of a computer versus a slide projector.
Affordable and flexible, a Digitarium digital planetarium system will revolutionize your astronomy teaching.
A number of features make our Digitarium system stand apart from other digital planetarium systems:
- Best usability.
We believe our unique handheld, backlit remote control offers the
best usability in the industry. It is easy to learn and use, and icons make
it intuitive for any user around the world.
With no separate control computer required, educators are liberated from complex software interfaces,
aren't tethered to the projector, don't need to block audience sight lines,
and need only a fraction of the setup time. Devote your attention to your students rather than your system.
- Lowest training costs. Due to its excellent usability, no special operator training is required other than
reading how to set up and put away the system. Our free lesson plans can get you started teaching right away.
- Fast setup/takedown time. With the portable version, from the moment you open the transit case until
the sky is projected on the dome takes only a couple of minutes. Takedown requires about
the same amount of time. Watch how easy it is to set up.
- Fully immersive experience. We believe projecting the full sky and horizon is
absolutely critical for effective planetarium teaching. If parts of the sky are missing,
not only is it harder for students to orient themselves, but it places limitations on what you can demonstrate easily.
The full immersive experience for an audience will be ruined by standard application windows,
desktops, projector reconfigurations, and other awkward and jarring transitions.
That's what makes our embedded system so magical.
- Reliable.
The Digitarium systems do not use laptops which could overheat, nor mechanical hard drives, which will eventually fail. Our two year limited warranty is twice as long as that of most other sytems.
- Upgradable and modular
The modular design and shared components between Digitarium systems means
they can be upgraded or serviced down the road at lower cost. Most components can
be serviced locally in developed countries. The computer control unit can even
be serviced by the user (with our instruction) should there be a problem.
- Small footprint.
When in use, Digitarium portable systems take up less than a 20 inch/51 cm square area in the
center of the dome. That's roughly the equivalent of just one adult sitting cross-legged. The remote
control fits in your hand.
- No software headaches.
We manage your software for you, so you don't have to worry about it. We
fix bugs and add features over time, and all you have to do is connect your
system to an ethernet network and ask it to update itself. Software updates
don't require hardware upgrades as one competitor cautions.
- Unique software expertise.
We are one of the main developers of the open source planetarium software
that we use, Stellarium. Unlike many
competitors, this means we are intimately familiar with the planetarium
software in our systems. We can easily fix bugs, add features, and make
these changes available to our users.
- Most cost effective full-sky digital planetarium system.
We designed from the start for higher volume, lower overhead production and distribution, and lower pricing than our competitors
in order to put our tools within reach of most educational institutions.
Even at affordable prices, we believe our systems match or outperforms many more expensive models
on the most important criteria for practical astronomy education.
We invite you to compare competing products in person and see this value for yourself. Paper
comparisons just are not the same as seeing in person.
- The market leader.
You don't have to take our word that we have the best portable planetarium
for astronomy educators.
Our Digitarium systems are the best selling portable digital planetarium
systems in the world. With the first model introduced in late
2003, we now have users across five continents.
Capable
- Demonstrate
beginning through advanced astronomy concepts.
- Simulate the sky from any point on Earth or from other planets and moons.
- Move forward or
backward in time at varying speeds.
- Show annual
motion, including retrograde planetary motion. (No portable analog system can demonstrate annual motion!)
- Show the effects of precession of the equinoxes over time.
- Simulate celestial phenomena such as transits, eclipses, and meteor showers.
- Display orbits of the planets.
- Display paths of the planets against the stars.
- Display ecliptic,
celestial equator, meridian, and equatorial and azimuthal grids.
- Show the entire
celestial sphere with ONE piece of equipment.
- Experience atmospheric effects, such as sunsets or a blue sky
(or turn off the atmosphere to view the stars during the day).
- Zoom in on or
label items of interest.
- View actual
images of more than 100 deep space objects in situ.
- Show
constellation outlines, names, and artwork one at a time or all at once.
- Show constellations from multiple cultures (currently Western, Polynesian, Chinese, Navajo, ancient Egyptian, Lakota, and Inuit).
- Label the sky in different languages, including Hawaiian.
- Easily project your own image or video content using a USB thumb drive or the integrated DVD drive.
- Use the video-in port to project other applications from a separate computer, if desired.
- Play fulldome video shows with 5.1 channel surround sound support.
- Use the powerful scripting feature to create your own shows, short segments, or special effects.
- Easy, automated
software upgrades over the Internet keep you up to date with the
latest features.
Compact
- One projector does
it all. No need for constellation projectors, slide projectors,
multiple cylinders, etc.
- Remote control
with backlit buttons works from anywhere in the dome. No need to hover
over the projector and block your audience's view.
Quick and Easy
- Our unique backlit handheld remote control is the easiest interface to learn and use. No separate computer
or extensive training is required.
- Plug it in, turn
it on, and you're ready to project in about one minute.
- Start up to your
default settings for latitude, longitude, sky time, and more.
- Automatic positioning and phasing of celestial objects.
- It's so
straightforward, you don't need to be an astronomer to run it!
Dependable
- Low maintenance.
- No laptops to overheat or mechanical hard drives to fail
- Two year limited warranty (DLP projection component is warranted through Panasonic.)
- Countdown of
projector bulb life helps avoid the surprise of a burned out bulb.
Cost Effective
- Modern fixed planetarium
features at a fraction of the cost.
- Opportunity to
generate extra revenue introducing the Digitarium to other
interested organizations through our Customer
Referral Program.
These specifications apply to all current Digitarium models. Please also see the specifications
for each model in the table of models above.
Angle of projection
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175 degrees
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Field of view
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180 degrees (full sky)
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Projection technology
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DLP
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Lens features
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User adjustable focus and centering
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User Interface
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Most interaction with the projector is
with a hand-held remote control, much like a TV remote. The primary remote is
backlit for use in a dark dome, and buttons are labeled with icons. This remote
controls all aspects of the sky, your settings, and multi-media display.
No keyboard, mouse, monitor, or laptop is required. Using a remote control, all
commands are at your fingertips anywhere in the dome.
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Stars
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100,000+
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Software
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The planetarium software used is
Stellarium, an open source program. Please download a copy if you are curious.
We use a slightly modified version to work specifically with our lens configuration and remote control.
Other differences include higher resolution images, some additional constellation artwork, some enhanced scripting features,
and more deep space objects than the standard version of Stellarium.
We also do not have the many Windows and Mac specific bugs that are problems on those platforms.
Underlying everything is the
open source Linux operating system,
although this is completely hidden from you.
A DVD is included with each system which contains source code for all open source software used in the system.
This DVD also contains a copy of images and videos included on a USB thumb drive, which go along with
our free lesson plans.
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Multimedia Support
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For increased flexibility you can project your own video or images.
Simply copy your files to a USB thumb drive and plug it into the system.
You can also burn your files to a recordable CD or DVD, and pop it into the drive in the system.
Use the remote control to browse the directory structure on your disk, and select videos or images to view.
Most video and image formats are supported, but not Windows Media.
This feature opens up your dome to any topic you might want to explore, even other subject areas besides astronomy.
Free videos and images on countless topics are available on many websites, and you can also purchase third party
pre-recorded planetarium shows.
Audio (for video soundtracks) is supplied through three audio jacks on the
system for full 5.1 channel surround sound (when your video source supports this).
Good sound quality can be achieved with standard PC-type amplified speakers that you supply.
A video-in port allows you to project from a separate computer should you need to. This gives you complete
projection control if you have special requirements.
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Additional Digitarium Information
Updated February 4, 2008
All specifications and prices subject to change without notice.
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