Stars of the Screen
"Hayabusa" (C) HAYABUSA Dome-movie Production Committee
Japanese planetariums use computer graphics and 3D technology to put together realistic high-tech presentations that can blast audiences into space. Planetarium production companies often include computer graphics artists on their design teams, famous for their work on films and video games. This has led to more realistic and compelling shows than ever before. Particularly popular at the moment is a computer graphics show at the Cosmo Planetarium, which opened in 2010 in the Shibuya area of Tokyo. This show introduces "Hayabusa," an unmanned Japanese space probe that brought back samples from an asteroid in deep space in 2010, using amazingly realistic graphics to take viewers through space.
"Hayabusa" (C) HAYABUSA Dome-movie Production Committee
Roppongi Hills
Another special event currently underway at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo lets visitors walk through space in a transparent tube equipped with some 4,000 light-emitting diodes, creating a vivid sense of viewing stars from outer space.
Sapporo Science Center
In March 2011 Nagoya City Science Museum will open a new planetarium with the biggest dome in the world—a stunning 35 meters in size. One of the things that children are looking forward to most is the chance to listen to the explanations of curators as they talk about the quest for new constellations and the wonders of the skies.
A planetarium festival is held every year at the Sapporo Science Center in Hokkaido. One of the most popular events in the festival takes visitors behind the scenes to see parts of the planetarium that are normally closed to the public.
Sapporo Science Center
(Updated in March 2011)