Sky gazers will be better immersed in spectacular views at the University of Colorado Boulder鈥檚 Fiske Planetarium since the dome鈥檚 nearly 40-year-old analog projector was replaced with a new digital 鈥渟tar ball鈥� in a project completed this week.
The modernized Fiske, which now can show a wider range of media including ultra high-definition movies, will reopen to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12.
鈥淛ust like movie or IMAX theaters, Fiske will show a variety of programs for adults and children,鈥� said Doug Duncan, director of Fiske. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be open to the public every weekend and some evenings while still serving college and K-12 students in classes Monday through Friday.鈥�
In addition to movies and space odysseys, the planetarium will continue to offer its popular series of laser shows.
The new star ball can display up to 20 million individual stars -- a vastness not fully visible to the naked eye.
鈥淭he naked eye can see about 6,000 stars,鈥� said Duncan, who also is a CU-Boulder research associate in astrophysical and planetary sciences. 鈥淥ur new projector is so powerful that you can use binoculars inside the planetarium to see millions of stars and the beautiful Milky Way.鈥�
Fiske also now boasts a refurbished video system, which projects high-definition pictures at 8,000 by 8,000 pixels in size, giving audience members a clearer and deeper 360-degree view.
鈥淭he size and quality is the equivalent of 40 Blu-ray players projecting 40 sections of one video image at once,鈥� said Duncan.
All regular shows will include a live demonstration of the capabilities of the new Fiske, showing the stars and flying visitors through the universe.
鈥淛ust like at an IMAX theater, we can take you near a black hole, through the Grand Canyon, under the ocean, or up to a super volcano,鈥� said Duncan. 鈥淭he sky is no longer the limit.鈥�
Featured on opening weekend will be 鈥淏lack Holes,鈥� 鈥淒ynamic Earth,鈥� 鈥淪upervolcanoes,鈥� and 鈥淶ula Patrol鈥� -- a family show -- as well as laser shows set to everything from the music of AC/DC to Lady Gaga. Tickets range from $7 to $10.
Fiske, which offers some programs in Spanish, is the largest planetarium of its kind between Los Angeles and Chicago. The technology upgrade project -- the first of its extent at Fiske since the planetarium was established in the early 1970s -- has been under way since January 2013.
鈥淚鈥檝e been to several of the most beautiful sky gazing sites in the world, from Hawaii to Chile,鈥� said Duncan. 鈥淔iske is the only indoor planetarium that I鈥檝e seen that makes me feel like I鈥檓 really out there.鈥�
For more information about Fiske Planetarium, including schedules, visit or call 303-492-5002.
