Barco

Kortrijk, Belgium, 2 April 2021 – Today, the Planetarium of Brussels opens its newly renovated dome equipped with 8 state-of-the-art Barco projectors installed by RSA Cosmos along with the latest version of their powerful astronomical software, SkyExplorer 2021. The new installation will provide visitors with a breathtaking 360° journey through the Universe. The project is the successful result of a long-lasting collaboration between the Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, Barco and RSA Cosmos, a Konica Minolta Group company, worldwide specialist in digital planetariums.

The Brussels Planetarium is one of the most important planetariums in Europe and a leading attraction in Belgium with a high-quality immersive experience. The planetarium is part of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, acclaimed worldwide for quality research in the Sciences of the Earth and the Universe. The planetarium has an international scientific reputation, and with its dome of 23 meters in diameter, it is one of the largest in Europe. 

Barco laser phosphor projectors & RSA Cosmos's digital solutions to immerse spectators in 360° environment

The planetarium wanted to upgrade its immersive experience to today's technology standards and therefore called upon the successful Barco – RSA Cosmos partnership again. Both European based companies already jointly provided projection technology for the first digital planetarium in 2009, which made it possible to create attractive and lively shows by immersing spectators in an impressive 360° environment. 

RSA Cosmos delivered the latest version of its powerful astronomical software, SkyExplorer 2021, for the new digital planetarium, and Barco provided 8 of its F70-4K8  projectors. The laser phosphor projectors deliver a brightness level of 7,500 lumen, stunning images in 3840 x 2400 (4K UHD) resolution, as well as an unrivaled black level quality and contrast, enabling the planetarium to show the brightest stars onto a deep black sky. By combining these leading technologies, the Brussels planetarium achieves the best performing system in Belgium with a powerful 8K UHD system.

Stunningly realistic immersion into the Universe

But above all, the new technology will offer an unmatched immersive experience, giving visitors the enchantment of an impressive starry sky and the possibility to virtually travel into our solar system and even to galaxies far away in real time. The visitor will literally be immersed in a color-rich image with a surface of 840 square meters. 

For the Planetarium of Brussels, RSA Cosmos & Barco were ideal partners to achieve this high-performing system. Barco was not only the best option in terms of image performance, but also in terms of durability. Barco's F70 projectors offer a light source lifetime of up to 60,000 hours. This is a huge advancement in comparison to the previous projection system where lamps needed to be replaced every 700 hours, increasing both the reliability and sustainability of the solution. On top of that, Barco will also provide priority support and preventive maintenance for the next 10 years, according to its EssentialCare service program.

Thanks to its cutting-edge turnkey solutions, RSA Cosmos achieves high-quality renderings through the Universe along with a wide range of educational and entertaining shows. SkyExplorer 2021, the latest version of their powerful astronomical software, achieves ultra-realistic and stunning images in real time and offers scientifically accurate data thanks to its direct connection to the astronomical community and scientific datasets. 

About the Planetarium of Brussels

The Planetarium of Brussels is the educative service of the Royal Observatory of Belgium. It is one of the largest (a dome of 23 m diameter) planetariums in Europe. It proposes 360° full dome movies and outreach content on space and Earth sciences to a large audience.