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.
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.
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 Barco
Barco designs technology to enable bright outcomes around the world. Seeing beyond the image, we develop visualization and collaboration solutions to help you work together, share insights, and wow audiences. Our focus is on three core markets: Enterprise (from meeting, classroom and control rooms to corporate spaces), Healthcare (from the radiology department to the operating room), and Entertainment (from movie theaters to live events and attractions). In 2020, we realized sales of 770 million euro. We have a global team of 3,300 employees, whose passion for technology is captured in 430 granted patents.
For more information, visit us on www.barco.com, follow us on Twitter (@Barco), LinkedIn (Barco), YouTube (BarcoTV), or like us on Facebook (Barco).
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.
For more information, visit us on www.planetarium.be or follow us on Facebook (planetarium.be).
Press contacts:
Rodrigo Alvarez (French) - rodrigo.alvarez@planetarium.be
Anne-Lize Kochuyt (Dutch) - anne-lize.kochuyt@planetarium.be
About RSA Cosmos, a Konica Minolta Group Company
RSA Cosmos provides high-quality turnkey solutions for planetariums worldwide. Our purpose is to satisfy our customers and achieve the best fulldome experiences. For over 30 years, we have been offering planetariums around the globe a cutting-edge software, SkyExplorer, and high-quality turnkey solutions for every dome size and every level of technology required: 2D & 3D for 2 K to 10K+ installations, hybrid solutions & LED Dome Display Technology. In 2019, we integrated the Konica Minolta Group to merge our technological strengths, satisfy more than ever our customers, & expand our growth further. Konica Minolta's philosophy reflects our innovative & customer-centric DNA: “The Creation of New value”.
For more information, visit us on www.rsacosmos.com, follow us on LinkedIn (rsacosmos), YouTube, Vimeo or like us on Facebook (rsacosmos).
Press contact:
Samantha Green - samantha.green@rsacosmos.com
© Copyright 2021 by Barco
Corporate Communications Officer
+32 56 36 80 52 [email protected]Gracias
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