Dome expands universe

The astronaut's heart beats faster, and her adrenaline starts flowing as the countdown to lift-off begins.

The Carnegie Science Center planetarium's new projection system, which debuted Wednesday, gives visitors a view of more than just stars and planets. The ocean floor, microscopic "nano-bots" and even the inner workings of an excited astronaut are part of the updated programming.

"This will forever change the way you think about the universe and the dreams you dream," Joanna Haas, director of the Science Center, told seventh-graders from Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside before the system's debut show, "Windows to the Universe."

To reflect the fact that the 67-year-old planetarium will show more than space-themed programs, its name was changed from the "Henry Buhl, Jr., Planetarium" to the "Buhl Digital Dome."

The planetarium bought the high-definition DigitalSky system, manufactured by New Hampshire-based Sky-Skan Inc., with $1 million from The Buhl Foundation in May. Fewer than 10 percent of planetariums worldwide have the technology.

The system uses two washing machine-sized projectors positioned at either side of the dome to seamlessly create a 360-degree picture. Images of telescopes, astronauts or fish move around the dome, making viewers feel as though they are in the middle of the scene.

"That was amazing," Allison Bartlett, 12, of Squirrel Hill, said afterward. "A lot of times I thought it was the theater that was moving, and not the picture."

For showtimes, call the Carnegie Science Center at 412-237-3400.