Renovated planetarium makes its debut
Analog technology moved to digital
E s me a nd T hea Larschan wiggled with excitement as they waited recently for the doors to open and let them inside the revamped planetarium at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. Once seated, they tapped their father, Brad, on the shoulder repeatedly to remind him to look up at the domed ceiling overhead.
Larschan and his 7-yearold twin daughters were one of many families who visited the Pink Palace for the grand reopening of the AutoZone Dome at the Sharpe Planetarium, where a yearlong renovation has been completed.
The president of Konica Minolta Planetarium Co., who came from Tokyo, was present for the opening, as was the president of Magna-tech Electronic Co. of Miami.
Konica Minolta provides digital planetarium systems and Magna-tech installed it.
As for visitors l i ke Larschan and his daughters, it didn’t matter who provided the system.
“The girls are studying the stars and the night sky at school, and so we thought it would be great to come and see it at the planetarium,” Larschan said.
The planetarium now features new seats and car-
peting, and a switch from the analog technology to digital video technology, said Ronda Cloud, marketing and public relations manager for the museum.
The renovation of a little more than $1 million was funded by the museum and the city, assisted by the museum’s board of trustees and AutoZone, a naming partner.
During the renovations, a fire destroyed the dome so it was replaced as well, Cloud said. The new technology and lighting allow for a variety of shows and effects, she said.
The new software can show the night sky a million years into the future and the past. The planetarium offers three shows, and the new technology allows the museum to produce its own shows.