The World’s 1st REAL 10K 3D planetarium, by RSA Cosmos & Sony!

The 3D Planetarium of La Coupole, in Helfaut (France), is the 1st planetarium in the World to have a REAL 10K 3D system, achieving a 10K resolution on the meridian, in a 15m digital dome.
To achieve this, we installed the latest version of our astronomical software SkyExplorer 2021 along with 12 x 4K 10 000 lumens VPL-GTZ380 Sony projectors.

The rendering is revolutionary & the overall experience is mind-blowing as we installed further advanced equipment along with this leading system.

La Coupole is a History and Remembrance Center located in Helfaut in the North of France. The V2 rocket, the ancestor of all modern rockets, was destined to take off from there. Today, on what was planned to be a launching site, the planetarium offers visitors unforgettable journeys through the Universe in an ultra-modern 360° environment.

A revolutionary REAL 10K 3D system

We installed in the 15m digital dome the latest version of our astronomical software SkyExplorer 2021, along with 12 x 4K VPL-GTZ380 Sony projectors, to offer ultra-realistic and stunning images in real time and in 3D with the highest levels of brightness and contrasts.

Sony’s VPL-GTZ380 projectors reach 10 000 lumens through a laser light source, achieve very high levels of contrasts thanks to the SXRD 4K panels, and offer rich colors reproducing the DCI-P3 color gamut without losing any brightness.

By combining Sony’s and our leading technologies, the highest resolution, image quality and rendering were achieved throughout the dome with the finest level of pixel. The 3D Planetarium of La Coupole achieves a total brightness of 120 000 lumens and displays the most complex content with the finest rendering.

“The goal of this modernization project was to achieve an image quality we no longer had. Thanks to the Sony projectors we obtain a magnificent sky, splendid colors and great contrasts”, says Nicolas Fiolet, the planetarium manager of the 3D Planetarium of La Coupole.

An absolute immersive experience

Users & the audience will feel as if they are really travelling through the Universe & stepping into educational shows.

To offer visitors an always greater visual & interactive experience, we also renovated the entire equipment of the planetarium.

We installed new seats integrating our unequaled Audience Response system. Each armrest is equipped with one control panel allowing the audience to participate to quiz, select scenarios, & take direct control of the movement of the camera in the simulation, offering highly dynamic planetarium sessions and bringing great interaction between users & the audience.

We also renovated the lighting systems using ChromaCove technology, the carpets, and all the necessary to offer the planetarium a spectacular makeover & amaze the audience.

“We have a very positive feedback from visitors”, says Amélie Fivey, animator of the 3D Planetarium of La Coupole.

Take a look at the splendid rendering in this video.

Read more about this great installation here, on Sony’s website & La Coupole’s social network.