Celebrate the Centennial of the Planetarium! Since the beginning of time, man has been fascinated by the starry sky and the secrets of the universe. The sky was brought down to earth in October 1923 when the first planetarium projector was unveiled in Jena, Germany. The first planetarium opened to the public on May 7, 1925, when the Deutsches Museum opened in Munich.

Today, planetariums reveal the secrets of the universe – they are a gateway to space. They inform and inspire by creating audiovisual worlds of experience. Since 1923, planetariums have evolved. Windward Community College’s Hōkūlani Imaginarium opened in 2000 as one of the earliest fulldome planetariums.

The entire universe can now be represented realistically, allowing everyone to experience distant worlds and the wonders of the cosmos as if they themselves had their very own spacecraft. In addition to vivid representations of scientific content, live concerts, laser shows and other cultural events fascinate visitors. Every visit to a planetarium stimulates the imagination like no other venue can.

Produced by artist Rocco Helmchen

Runtime: 3 min 50 sec

Audience: suitable for all audiences

Funded by: International Planetarium Society (IPS)

Educational Resources
     planetarium's history