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Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Dome Theater
 When the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center opened the world’s first IMAX Dome Theater (formerly “Omnimax”) and tilted dome planetarium in 1973, audiences were awestruck by the image quality, astonished by the immersive dome screen experience and amazed by the illusion of being suspended in space.
Over the years, visitors of all ages have watched awe-inspiring large-format films on topics ranging from ancient Egypt to space exploration—all shown on a giant 76-foot-tall dome screen. Audiences have also experienced breathtaking planetarium shows that transport viewers to constellations, galaxies, black holes and beyond.
After 105 IMAX films, 100,000 projector hours and 15 million visitors, the Fleet’s Theater has undergone an extreme technological makeover. The Heikoff Dome Theater has been transformed into the most advanced facility of its kind. Visitors encounter a state-of-the-art immersive environment in which they experience not only large-format films and astronomy presentations, but also scientific explorations, music visualizations, children’s programming, digital art and much more.
Phase I: New Dome = New Sights, Sounds & Experiences
The Fleet Science Center is the first IMAX Dome Theater to show films on a “NanoSeam” seamless screen, allowing for sharper colors and brighter, higher-contrast images. A new, 16,000 watt digital surround sound system, more comfortable seating, new carpeting, upgrades to the IMAX projection system and numerous other improvements have also been installed as part of Phase I renovation, completed in December 2008.
Phase II: Digital Dome
Phase II projects include the installation of a state-of-the-art, full-dome digital projection system that will augment the existing IMAX projector. The full-dome video projection technology will take the Fleet Science Center’s popular planetarium shows to a new level, featuring stunningly immersive visuals and incredibly realistic simulations of cosmic phenomena. In addition to planetarium shows, the new digital dome will allow the Fleet Science Center to present other high-definition multimedia video productions that explore scientific topics as well as entertain with music visualizations, children’s programming and much more.
Phase III: Visualizing Science
Phase III will place the Fleet Science Center at the forefront of scientific video, with a digital production studio that will develop educational content with the support of multiple institutions, including the American Museum of Natural History, the San Diego Supercomputer Center, the Salk Institute and others. Shows produced will use scientific data collected and interpreted from partner institutions to take the public on extraordinary immersive journeys—inside the Space Theater—into a human stem cell, an atomic nucleus or virtually any environment imaginable. Moreover, local scientists, students and artists will be invited to use the Fleet Science Center’s digital projection technology to present data and other visualizations on the giant tilted-dome screen.
NEXT: Education & Exhibits…
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