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

• 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 three year limited warranty is three times 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.
• Simulate the solar system over a two million year time range.
• Show the effects of precession of the equinoxes and star proper motion over time.
• Show annual motion, including retrograde planetary motion. (No portable analog system can demonstrate annual motion!)
• Simulate celestial phenomena such as transits, eclipses, and meteor showers.
• Display orbits of the planets and moons.
• Display paths of solar system bodies 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 astrophotos 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 (Western, Polynesian, Chinese, Navajo, ancient Egyptian, Lakota, Inuit, Inca, and more).
• 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
• Three 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.

• 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.

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.