Reach for the stars inside Tampa's only Planetarium!

May 19, 2008 - PRLog -- After 15 years in its present location, The Saunders Planetarium is getting an out-of-this-world upgrade! The planetarium will offer guests an opportunity to explore the night skies and get an up-close view of the cosmos.  MOSI will unveil the new $1 million planetarium on July 12, 2008.                                                                                                                                                                               The new Saunders Planetarium will be located inside Kids in Charge! The Children’s Science Center at MOSI and features a new projection dome, high-resolution video projection system, and seating arrangement.  Guest can explore the night sky like never before by using the GOTO Space Simulator Chronos projection system to look at 8,500 stars along with major planets, nebulae, and galaxies.  The Chronos projector is also capable of recreating the sky from any time in less than 20 seconds. The projector can view the sky in the past, present, and future from anywhere on the planet. This new addition will allow guests to view the night sky from the Galileo era to modern times. MOSI’s new interactive planetarium is also capable of playing movies, ultra 3D graphics and live video from NASA.
   The original planetarium was made possible through the Saunders Foundation and opened on October 3, 1992. Since then, nearly 700,000 visitors have experienced the wonders of astronomy under its dome. The new planetarium project is sponsored by the generous support of the Saunders Foundation, Andrew Krusen Family, Dick and Cornelia Corbett, and the William Stamps Farish Fund.  
   The new Saunders Planetarium will open on Saturday, July 12. For more information, visit www.mosi.org.

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MOSI is a not-for-profit, community-based institution and educational resource dedicated to advancing public interest, knowledge, and understanding of science, industry, and technology. With a total size of over 300,000 square feet, MOSI is the largest science center in the southeastern United States, and home to the only IMAX® Dome Theatre in the state of Florida.