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The NEW Liberty Science Center Planetarium ~ The Country’s Largest & Most Advanced Planetarium

In full disclosure, we were given passes to visit the Liberty Science Center Planetarium. We appreciate their support of Jersey Family Fun and our efforts to share fun things to do in New Jersey with our readers.

 

The NEW Liberty Science Center Planetarium _ The Region's Largest & Most Advanced Planetarium (1)

 

 

What is the best way to see the stars when the sun is still out?

A day at the NEW largest planetarium in the country… the largest in the Western Hemisphere the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium at the Liberty Science Center is an amazing way to see stars and planets like you have never seen them before. You would have to travel to Japan or China to find a planetarium as large as the one we now have in New Jersey.

Yesterday, yes yesterday we had the chance to visit the new Liberty Science Center Planetarium and Giant Dome Theater. We were so thrilled with our visit we could not wait to share with you the details and a ticket giveaway.

 

9 Facts about the NEW Liberty Science Center Planetarium

  • The Liberty Science Center Planetarium, named the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, is the largest in the Western Hemisphere.
    • The planetarium dome has a diameter of 27 meters from one end to the other – about 1.5 times the length of a bowling alley lane.
    • From the bottom of the theater to the highest part of the dome screen is 60 feet, which is more than the height of 4 female giraffes stacked on top of each other.
    • 585 perforated aluminum panels are seamlessly joined together to form a domed screen of 12,345 square feet, the size of a larger four-bedroom, 2.5 bath home!

 

The Liberty Science Center Planetarium, named the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, is the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

A planetarium so large we can’t fit it all in one picture.

 

  • The Liberty Science Center Planetarium is the most technologically advanced planetarium in our region.
    • The 10 projector system features a resolution of 88 million pixels – that’s 25 times the resolution of an HDTV and over 6 times the resolution of the new 4K television and movie screens.
    • The sophisticated software allows visitors to fly through the universe, experience the vastness of space, roam planetary surfaces, and navigate asteroid fields.
    • The lighting system can produce over 281 trillion individual colors. A human can see about 10 million colors, while a computer screen displays about 16.8 million colors for a “full-color” image.

 

The 10 projector system at the Liberty Science Center planetarium features a resolution of 88 million pixels – that’s 25 times the resolution of an HDTV and over 6 times the resolution of the new 4K television and movie screens.

 

  • Jennifer Chalsty, the New Jersey philanthropist and LSC Board Member, for whom the Liberty Science Center planetarium is named for, donated $5 million to create the planetarium. Her gift made the way for the IMAX Dome Theater to be converted from film to digital, the addition of software and hardware necessary for the theater to also function as a planetarium, the replacement of the screen, and the refurbishing of the entire theater.

 

What will the NEW Liberty Science Center Planetarium offer?

The new Liberty Science Center Planetarium will offer two live planetarium shows.

  • LSC’s all-live signature show, Wonders of the Universe, is an exhilarating 45-minute experience that explores our night sky and beyond. See the universe as it appears to the naked eye, as well as through the eyes of NASA’s robot probes, of the Hubble Space Telescope, and arrays of telescopes from around our planet. A portion of the show is set aside to include the latest breaking news in astronomy and aerospace, taking full advantage of LSC’s new Digistar 6 full dome system, which allows seamless passage from the night sky to another planet to the heart of another galaxy.
During a Liberty Science Center planetarium show we were able to see images of Jupiter's South Pole.

During the In To Worlds Beyond Liberty Science Center planetarium show, we were able to see images of Jupiter’s South Pole.

  • Experience a stunning 30-minute, full-dome movie, followed by an interactive live presentation. In To Worlds Beyond, you’ll tour the planets of our solar system – a tour that incorporates the latest information about the solar system as gathered by a fleet of robot probes. Travel from the hellacious surface of Venus, to the vast mountains and canyons of Mars, to the spewing methane geysers of Neptune’s giant moon Triton. After the film, a live presenter takes over and shows the audience where the planets are in the night sky that very evening.

 

Watch the To Worlds Beyond: Journey Through the Solar System + Live Show Trailer

 

The Liberty Science Center Planetarium also serves as a Giant Dome Theater where you can watch

Two films will be offered in the Liberty Science Center Giant Dome Theater.

  • Aircraft Carrier: Guardian of the Seas ~ The mission to protect and defend the world’s oceans has become far more complex and challenging in recent years, and naval aviation has become increasingly vital to success. One of the greatest engineering feats in the history of warfare, the modern Nimitz-class carrier is a masterpiece of technology, and the flagship of the fleet. With RIMPAC, the world’s largest and most comprehensive international maritime training exercise providing a stunning visual context for the story, find yourself aboard the carrier alongside the 5,000 highly skilled sea and air personnel conducting flight operations in the midst of simulated war exercises.

Liberty Science Center Giant Dome Theater Mysteries of China

  • Mysteries of China captures one of the great archaeological events of the modern age, telling the story of ancient China, the First Emperor, and the literal foundation of the China we know today. From modern China to ancient China and back again, the film is a visual adventure, using beautiful aerial photography and cutting-edge time-lapse techniques to reveal great majesty, tragedy, splendor and growth in a nation moving rapidly into the future.

 

Watch the Mysteries of China Trailer

 

The Liberty Science Center Giant Dome Theater will also offer a laser show.

  • Laser Wonderland ~ Get ready for a blizzard of exhilarating laser images set to holiday and winter-themed songs. In this family-friendly, 40-minute laser spectacle, you’ll enjoy frosty favorites by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Eurythmics, the Vince Guaraldi Trio, and more. If you’re like us you won’t be able to stop yourself from singing along. Bring the tissues because the tribute to our military just might make you teary-eyed like it did to me.

 

Liberty Science Center Planetarium selfie

 

For more details about the Liberty Science Center Planetarium at the Liberty Science Center, please visit the Liberty Science Center website.

 

For more pictures from our visit to Liberty Science Center, see our Facebook Photo Gallery. If you like these pictures, please click over to see the full album.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155243257315745.1073742600.71658875744&type=1&l=eda041d73c

 

To learn more about the Liberty Science Center visit our Liberty Science Center series.

 

Now who wants to win a Family 4 Pack of Liberty Science Center tickets?

 

Click over to our Liberty Science Center Ticket Giveaway.

Win Our Liberty Science Center Ticket Giveaway!

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