Tokyo Planetarium Rated 'World's Most Advanced'

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The planetarium at the Tamarokuto Science Center in the city of Nishitokyo was recognized last August by Guinness World Records as the most advanced planetarium in the world.

The planetarium's dome is 27.5m in diameter. Inside the building, the Chiron II projector developed by Tokyo-based Goto Inc., recreates the night sky.

According to the center, the planetarium is the world's most advanced for three reasons. One is the size of the dome; the second is the projector, which can display 140 million stars; the third is the projector's ultra-bright LED light source.

Although the dome is the world's fourth largest for a planetarium, it can show far more stars than any other. Ordinary planetariums typically show tens of millions of stars at most, according to the center.

The Guinness World Records accolade is proving a big draw for the planetarium, which is expected to pull in a record high 172,000 people this fiscal year ending March.

The center has many other attractions designed to stimulate people's interest in science. "If people know more about science, they will be able to look at the town where they live from a new perspective. I hope our center will give such a chance to as many people as possible," said Yuichi Takayanagi, the center's director.

(The Nikkei, Feb. 9 morning edition)

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