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Transcript/ScriptSouth Africa Digital Dome
HEADLINE: Digital Dome Brings the Stars to South Africa
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 02/09/2025 at 8:30 pm
BYLINE: Zaheer Cassim
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Johannesburg, South Africa
VIDEOGRAPHER: Zaheer Cassim
VIDEO EDITOR: Zaheer Cassim
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, Baragona
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original
PLATFORMS: Web__ TV _x_ Radio _X_
TRT: 2:35
VID APPROVED BY: Baragona
TYPE: TVR
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[An old planetarium in Johannesburg has been transformed into the state-of-the-art ‘Wits Anglo American Digital Dome.’ After undergoing major renovations, the facility offers visitors an immersive look at the wonders of the universe. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.]]
((Narrator))
Curious visitors and astronomy fans joined the official launch this month of the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome of the University
(Video Courtesy: Wits Anglo American Digital Dome)
of the Witwatersrand – formerly known as the Wits Planetarium.
(VOA original footage)
Nestled in the heart of Johannesburg, this state-of-the-art dome offers a rare and immersive look at the Universe.
[[FOR RADIO: Moumita Aich heads the facility.]]
((Moumita Aich, Wits Anglo American Digital Dome)) (English 14 SECONDS))
“This kind of view, the 360 degree image and the audio, gives you what is called an immersive environment, where you feel like you part of the journey, like whatever is happening in the dome, you (are) part of the journey, so if you’re flying through the stars, you actually feel like you are flying through the stars.”
(Video Courtesy: Wits Anglo American Digital Dome)
((Narrator))
The facility says it is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
It offers not only a spectacular experience, but also a teaching venue and collaboration hub for scientists, artists, and students.
(VOA original footage)
Officials say, here they can bring their work to life in dazzling, immersive detail.
Cindy Pienaar is an astronomy fan who visited with her two children.
(Cindy Pienaar, Visitor (English 14 SECONDS))
“When I was at school we came here, so I said one day when I have my own kids, I would love to bring them. So, when we looked on Google, we realized it's still existing. So that's when we decided we (are) going to come. And lucky for us, we saw today they are opening.”
((Narrator))
The old-school analogue Zeiss projector, once the heart of the planetarium, has been swapped out for a futuristic setup. Ten digital projectors now beam an ultra-crisp 8K resolution picture across the entire dome.
(Video courtesy: American Museum of Natural History in New York)
((Narrator))
On this day, the featured show is Cosmic Collisions. It is one of six productions donated by the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Each show costs about $1 million to produce, making them a valuable contribution to science education in Africa, according to former National Research Foundation official Beverly Damone.
[[For radio: She played a key role in forging the partnership between Wits University and the American Museum of Natural History.]]
((Beverley Damonse, Former National Research Foundation Official - (English 16 seconds))
((Courtesy: Zoom))
“The fact that we are under license to them but without the payment of a license fee for two years means that really, we have content, high quality content that we can share with our public audiences without incurring astronomical costs at this stage.”
((Narrator))
The films will be showcased until 2026, allowing visitors like Cindy Pienaar and her family to experience world-class science education.
(Cindy Pienaar, Visitor (English 4 SECONDS))
“It was amazing! It was an awesome experience, especially for the kids.”
((Narrator))
And her son, Christian, was over the moon.
(Christian Pienaar, Visitor (English 12 SECONDS))
“You get to learn and experience a lot instead of just watching it from a phone and YouTube or whatever instead of experiencing it, in real life.”
The Wits Anglo American Digital Dome plans to create their own content after the donated films end their run.
(Zaheer Cassim, VOA News, Johannesburg, South Africa)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateFebruary 10, 2025 15:13 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
