Digitarium Planetarium Systems

Digitarium Model Lineup

The current Digitarium lineup includes a number of base models with configurations for fixed or portable domes. This page contains general Digitarium information and specifications (scroll down). For model specific details click on the model names in the table below (US prices are shown).

Base model:	Digitarium Delta	Digitarium Gamma	Digitarium Epsilon
Maximum dome diameter (approximate):	23 feet/7m	54 feet/16.5m	48 feet/14.5m
Projection quality:	Standard	Best	Best
Projection Mode(s):	Full Dome	Full Dome	Full Dome	Truncated
Resolution (pixel diameter):	1080	1050	1200	1344x1200
Field of View (degrees):	180 (full sky)	180 (full sky)	180 (full sky)	180x~155
Angle of Projection (degrees):	~175	175	155	180x155
For fixed domes:	Digitarium Delta $16,950 Most affordable. Most compact.	Digitarium Gamma Fixed $41,350	Digitarium Epsilon Fixed $51,350 Best fixed dome projection angle.
For portable domes:		Digitarium Gamma Portable $43,230	Digitarium Epsilon Portable $53,230

Product Overview

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. 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.

Distinctive Features of Digitarium Systems

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, and the operating software is stored on a highly reliable solid state flash disk. 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 can 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, Nightshade. 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.

Digitarium Features and Benefits

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 break
• Two year limited warranty on all components except the DLP projection component, which is warranted through the original manufacturer (see specific models for details).
• 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 typical cost.
• Opportunity to generate extra revenue introducing the Digitarium to other interested organizations through our Customer Referral Program.

Digitarium General Specifications

These specifications apply to all current Digitarium models. Please also see the specifications for each model in the table of models above.

Projection technology	DLP
Lens features	User adjustable focus and centering
User Interface	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.
Stars	100,000+
Internal Storage	1000 GB supplemental hard drive for images, videos, and scripts built in to the system.
Software	The planetarium software used is Nightshade, an open source program. Please download a version if you are curious. Our Digitarium OP3 software operating platform allows very flexible image and video display. Place media on the dome where you want it in real time and even mirror it for better audience visibility. All distortion correction is done on the fly so you can easily show regular "rectangular" media on the dome. And of course, playing fulldome videos is a breeze. Underlying everything is the open source Linux operating system, although this is completely hidden from you. Source code for all open source software used in the system is available to our customers. Also included is a USB thumb drive with images and videos which go along with our free lesson plans.
Multimedia Support	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 copy files to the large internal drive. A DVD drive gives access to unencrypted DVDs, such as NASA mission DVDs. Use the remote control to browse the directory structure on your disk, and select videos or images to view. MPEG-2 is our supported video format, although other codecs may work. Most image formats are supported. 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.

Additional Digitarium Information

• Dome Shots give you an idea of what can be projected.
• Comments from Educators.
• Feature Comparison to other portable planetarium projectors.
• Differences between the Digitarium Alpha 1 and Alpha 2.
• Reference specifications for discontinued models.

All specifications and prices subject to change without notice.
Product photos may differ slightly from actual models.
Updated Dec 29 2009