In early October of this year, the ATK IMAX Theatre will close for a complete makeover, and when it reopens audience members will once again be given state-of-the-art giant screen 3D experiences.

Beginning Monday, October 4th we will be installing new seats, a new screen, a complete new sound system and most importantly, new IMAX 3D digital projectors.

When the ATK IMAX Theatre reopens on October 29th, in addition to showing the documentaries our members and the public have enjoyed in the past, Clark Planetarium will also feature family-friendly ‘Hollywood’ content in the theatre in the evenings through a partnership with Megaplex Theatres.

During the remodel, the planetarium’s Hansen Dome Theatre, free exhibits and Planet Fun Science Store will be open to the public.

Clark Planetarium membership holders will continue to receive free entry into the Hansen Dome Theatre and documentary films shown in the ATK IMAX Theatre after rennovation is complete. Members also receive one free medium popcorn when they show their IMAX ticket at the concessions counter, discounts at Planet Fun and invitations to member’s only events in exchange for their support of our education programs.

Be sure to watch us on facebook and twitter during the remodel process as we will be posting pictures of the progress of the upgrade. We will also send out notifications of new programs and schedules as we get closer to completion.

The idea of what a planetarium even is has gone through a renaissance in just the last 5 years.  We were among the first dome theaters to “go digital” in 2003 – now there are over 500 in the world.  In this medium, “digital” is more than a great marketing buzz word.  Digital show production has literally exploded the boundaries of what planetariums can do.  Instead of capturing a “snapshot” of the sky or a 360-degree scene on another planet, everything is now full-color, high resolution animation.  Now we can show the universe the way it was really meant to be seen!

A great example of this is our newest production, Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens. Even though the ’still photos’ from the Cassini spacecraft are spectacular in their own right, our producers took the photomaps, wrapped them onto 3-dimensional spheres, and sculpted height map information to make them show true surface relief!  In other words, when you fly through the ice canyons of Enceladus, it’s like hitching a roller coaster ride on the spacecraft itself.

It’s also why our “Cosmic Light Shows” are like no other domed entertainment show.  3D-based art and scenery can go way beyond the “laser shows” of the old Hansen Planetarium…but that’s another subject for a future post.