About the EMU Planetarium

History

The EMU Planetarium opened January 5, 2011 and commenced public shows in January 2013. The Planetarium is home to over 250 students studying astronomy each semester.

Facility

Digitalis Lambda
Digitalis Lambda projector
Digitalis Lambda

Digitalis Lambda projector

The EMU Planetarium is a full-dome digital theatre driven by a Digitalis Education Systems Lambda Projection System, upgraded from their Epsilon model in early 2023. The system runs Nightshade G3, a feature-rich version of the open-source software, Stellarium. The EMU Planetarium is a 37-seat facility with a 28 foot-diameter domed ceiling, featuring:

  • Digitalis Lambda planetarium projector
  • High-definition presentation projector
  • 7.1 Dolby surround sound
  • LED lighting
  • Dell touch screen 4K monitor

The facility resides in a spherical classroom suspended four stories above the ground in the atrium area of the Mark Jefferson Science Complex. The atrium ground floor features glacial rocks common to Michigan with a theme of "Space above, Earth below". The Sphere can be viewed dramatically from some distance especially via the north approach, the Halle Library, library walkway, Student Center, and the south-facing rooms of the new Lakeview Apartment dorm complex on north campus.

Donations

All of the equipment in the new EMU Planetarium was acquired through the generous donations of friends, faculty, and emeritus faculty of the Department, as well as the Department of Physics and Astronomy and EMU. To make a donation to the "Projector System Fund", please visit the EMU Foundation's Make a Gift webpage. Future generations of students will benefit from your generocity.