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Our Burning Planet

Our Burning Planet

A new era for stargazing and science in Joburg as Wits reimagines iconic planetarium

A new era for stargazing and science in Joburg as Wits reimagines iconic planetarium
Spectators watch a show at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome. (Photo: Wits University)
Julia Evans
By Julia Evans
14 Nov 2024
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The iconic Johannesburg Planetarium has been transformed into the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, marking a new chapter for science, humanities and education in South Africa. The R90m Digital Dome, funded by Anglo American and Wits University, will open to the public in February 2025.

‘For the past 64 years, the planetarium has entertained, inspired and educated millions of visitors from Gauteng and beyond,” said Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University. 

johannesburg planetarium The old Johannesburg Planetarium has relaunched as the state-of-the-art Wits Anglo American Digital Dome after undergoing major refurbishments. (Photo: Wits University)



“Personally, I visited the old planetarium in 1981 at the height of apartheid. It left a huge and indelible mark on me, and I believe that it played a key role in igniting a scientific spark that led to me becoming a nuclear physicist.”

Read Vilakazi’s op-ed in Daily Maverick: Seeing stars in a whole new light as Johannesburg Planetarium goes digital

Much like the Vice-Chancellor, many of us will remember visiting the old Johannesburg Planetarium at Wits University as schoolchildren – first completed in 1960 and marking the first full-sized planetarium in Africa. 

digital dome vilakazi naidoo Wits Vice-Chancellor Prof Zeblon Vilakazi and Head of the School of Physics Prof Deena Naidoo at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome launch on 12 November 2024. (Photo: Wits University)



Now, after a R90-million investment by Anglo American and Wits University—an upgrade that began two years ago—the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome has launched as the largest facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

The Digital Dome is no longer just a planetarium that projects the night sky — it’s an interdisciplinary hub that can integrate climate modelling, artificial intelligence, digital arts and more.

wits digital dome First completed in 1960, the old planetarium was the first full-sized planetarium in Africa. The new Digital Dome is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, made possible through an investment of R90m from Anglo American and Wits University. (Photo: Wits University)



digital dome The original Zeiss projector has been replaced by 10 brand new digital projectors to render an 8k full dome resolution. Each projector has its own image generator, which is controlled by a master computer. (Photo: Wits University)



“Visitors, students and researchers will enjoy an immersive experience and will feel as if they are part of the shows – whether they are gliding through the middle of the International Space Station or following a herd of wildebeest through the migrations in the Serengeti,” said Dr Moumita Aich, astrophysicist and head of the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome.

digital dome aich Dr Moumita Aich at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome launch on 12 November 2024. (Photo: Wits University)



The revamped Digital Dome swapped the original Zeiss projector with 10 new digital projectors to render an 8k full resolution, and will serve as a teaching venue and a collaborative research space, where scientists and students can explore a range of fields: big data, astrophysics, digital arts, microbiology and precision medicine. 

 

“This new Dome transforms the original planetarium into a hi-tech, research-intensive centre that will open doors to those who wish to contribute to solving some of the greatest challenges facing our society,” said Duncan Wanblad, Anglo American chief executive, during a launch for donors on Tuesday night.

Wanblad said that to make the experience accessible, Wits and Anglo have allocated a budget to allow for school children from selected quintile 1-3 schools from underprivileged areas to attend shows at no cost at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome in 2025.

digitial dome wanblad Anglo American chief executive Duncan Wanblad at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome launch on 12 November 2024. (Photo: Wits University)



The Digital Dome is in a pilot phase and will officially open to the public in February 2025. Initial shows include six full-dome productions which cost $1-million to produce, but were donated by the American Museum of Natural History. In the next phase, Wits plans to produce locally developed shows, reflecting an African perspective and content (although not at that cost).

Beyond astronomy: an interdisciplinary focus


“In an age of increasing specialisation, we need spaces that remind us of the interconnectedness of knowledge,” said Professor Thokozani Majozi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, at the Tuesday launch event.

“The questions posed by the cosmos – about our origins, our place in the universe, and our future as a species – cannot be answered through any single field of study.”

digital dome majozi Wits Dean of Engineering and the Built Environment Professor Thokozani Majozi at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome launch on 12 November 2024. (Photo: Wits University)



Majozi explained that the new Digital Dome would be a place where engineering students studied optics and precision mechanics, computer scientists developed visualisation algorithms, environmental scientists modelled climate patterns and medical researchers projected detailed 3D medical imaging data in unprecedented detail.

“The same technology that delivers us to distant galaxies will help train the next generation of surgeons and anatomists,” he said.

But it won’t just be a place for the traditional sciences.

“Our humanities scholars will explore how different cultures throughout history have interpreted the celestial dance above us, enriching our understanding of human civilization’s relationship with the cosmos,” said Majozi. 

Professor Christo Doherty, Chair of Research at the Wits School of Arts, told Daily Maverick that there was already a global culture of creation for digital domes with dedicated festivals and artist exchanges, showcasing immersive art installations, interactive gaming through to virtual storytelling, historical reenactments and even live performances. 

The Wits Anglo American Digital Dome. (Photo: Wits University)



“Wits is now situated to contribute and exchange with this creative international community which will be a catalyst for redefining immersion and collective experience in the digital age from an African perspective,” he said.

Embracing indigenous knowledge


The Digital Dome will also celebrate Africa’s rich astronomical heritage. Professor Nithaya Chetty, Dean of Science at Wits, noted, “There hasn’t been a civilisation that’s not looked up into the heavens, and asked the simple question; why?

“There’s a lot of indigenous knowledge and understanding of the universe through different eyes and cultures, and in southern Africa we definitely embrace that.”

Dr Aich spoke to Daily Maverick on Wednesday about the value of indigenous knowledge.

“I come from India and we have our own stories about how the constellations work, and so do the Africans,” she said.

digital dome spectators Spectators watch a show at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome. (Photo: Wits University)



For example, she pointed to how the Egyptians used the star Algol to time crop cultivation. Algol is a binary star system, with two stars orbiting each other – one brighter than the other – but to the naked eye on Earth, Algol appears as a single star that brightens and dims periodically, due to one star passing in front of the other.

She explained that ancient cultures noticed this periodic “blinking” pattern and used it as a natural calendar for agricultural activities.

“They knew that it was a fixed time when the star was dimming and getting bright. And they used that for their own purposes,” she said, adding, “they had a lot of knowledge about the constellations, and that is something which we should also understand.”

Both Chetty and Aich mentioned Professor Thebe Medui, a renowned astrophysicist from North West University, who is considered an authority in indigenous astronomy in Africa. His work emphasises the importance of traditional African astronomy, which he believes has been overlooked in mainstream scientific discourse.

For example, research has shown that the San people historically linked the appearance and positions of certain stars to seasonal changes, which directly influenced their hunting and gathering practices. For instance, the heliacal rising of specific stars signalled key times for hunting or gathering certain foods.

Revitalising Joburg


Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi attended the Digital Dome’s preview event for donors on Tuesday, where he told the audience that he received a call from the President yesterday confirming that Gauteng would host the G20 next year.

He then invited Wits and Anglo America to add the Digital Dome to the itinerary of G20 attendees who will visit Johannesburg in 2025.

“We are thrilled that at least we’ve found something that can not only be the hallmark, but can be a tourist attraction and the home of research and development,” said Lesufi.

He said Wits and Anglo American’s investment, “is also an affirmation that if we work together as public institutions, private institutions and NGOs, we are capable of rebuilding something that will make not only our children happy, but generations to come.” DM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REeWvTRUpMk

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