Rollins Planetarium to begin full dome digital video

The Rollins Planetarium at Young Harris College recently received a grant from the Rollins Foundation to upgrade with state-of-the-art, full dome digital video technology. The 40-foot dome theater, one of the largest in Georgia, will be upgraded over the summer with new digital video projectors to supplement the existing Chronos star projector. As a result, the planetarium will be temporarily closed beginning in May for preparation and installation of the new equipment. The final Friday evening public show before the closure will be the Cosmic Concert on April 25 at 8:00 p.m.

"We're very excited about what this new technology will mean to our students and visitors," said Steve Morgan, planetarium director and astronomy professor at Young Harris College. "This will replace the old, obsolete slide projectors currently in use and will give us a much greater ability to present the latest astronomical discoveries with dramatic realism and breathtaking imagery. Once installation is complete, we'll be able to offer a wider variety of exciting planetarium presentations. In combination with the Chronos, it really gives us the best of both worlds. The teaching capabilities will be tremendous." Morgan says the planetarium will re-open later this summer, hopefully sometime in July.

The new system utilizes six Sky-Skan edge-blended video projectors with digital light processing (DLP) technology to cover the entire dome with full-color, high resolution video. The software's database includes more than 118,000 stars accurately positioned in space, allowing the planetarium to move audiences freely through a 3D universe viewing endless astronomical phenomena and employing advanced teaching aids.

"We are so grateful to the Rollins Foundation for making this leap in technology possible," said Morgan. The Rollins Foundation was established by O. Wayne Rollins, head of the pest control company Orkin Inc., who served as a trustee of Young Harris College for twenty one years prior to his death in 1991. The Rollins family has been a generous benefactor of Young Harris College for many years. Originally opened in 1979, the planetarium is one example of that generosity, and was named for Mr. Rollins and his wife, Grace C. Rollins.