Moscow Planetarium has contracted digital theatre company Global Immersion to design and install digital display systems into three of the site's theatres.
The theatres are a key part of the planetarium's modernisation and expansion plans and are scheduled for completion in December 2010 when the building will reopen to the public.
Having first opened in 1929, Moscow Planetarium closed in 1994 when building modernisation talks first began. Renovation plans have at last been finalised and will see an expansion of the historic building from 32,000sq ft (2,973sq m) to 182,000sq ft (16,908sq m), making way for a Museum of Astronomy and History of Space Travel and the new theatres, facilities and exhibits inside it.
The 25m (82ft) 364-seat planetarium will house a seven-channel/14-projector Fidelity Bright digital fulldome system. The dome periphery will feature a separate digital panoramic hybrid display, synchronized with a new optical star projector. To expand upon the fulldome functionality, a third Fidelity 3D display using the new Sony SRX-T420 4K projector will project a 17m (56ft) giant screen 3D image from the rear of the theatre.
West Sussex, UK-based Global Immersion will also be installing a 47-seat Intensity 4D theatre fitted with motion seating, ambient sensory effects and special effect lighting and audio systems.
