When traveling through Washington, DC, only monuments and history can monopolize your time. All that tourism can take a giant toll on your feet.
The Smithsonian, like the Louvre in Paris, is a must-see even if you only have one day in the city. Your best bet to get through the day is to find a place to sit once in a while. And, if you can immerse yourself in the science, history and culture of the District while doing so, you have won. One brilliant option is the Albert Einstein Planetarium.
Planetarium renovation
The planetarium is one of the highlights of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. All you need to do is choose a seat in one of the 233 seats in the completely renovated Albert Einstein Planetarium on the second floor of the National Mall building and look up.
In 2014, a new ultra-high-quality Digital Full Dome System was installed in the planetarium. The projection system has 16 times the resolution of HD, providing an exceptional level of detail, clarity, contrast, brightness and color saturation. The renovation also featured a new state-of-the-art immersive digital sound system.
The Definiti projection system is a workhorse, playing at least 17 shows in the planetarium every day. The new projectors get so hot that there is a small corridor built just behind the theater walls to keep the air fresh and circulated.
The planetarium was closed to the public for about two weeks when it got its biggest update since the theater went digital in 2002. The rugs and seats, which had been in use since the museum opened in 1976, were ripped out and replaced.
The shows
The planetarium is a great idea for a sweltering summer day, snowy day, or rainy day and misery outdoors. Most of the shows are designed for all ages. You can bring your stroller to the theater. Parents recommend sitting in the back rows to get the best views.
The daily show is usually a journey through time and space showing the night sky in Washington, DC. The show is generally curated live and lasts less than half an hour.
Visitors to the museum returning from before 2014 will notice a difference between the projection system of the past and the present when they see a show like “Dark Universe”. As galaxies form at the beginning of the universe, they become a subtle web of black and gray stars that benefits greatly from the projector’s strong contrast. As narrator Neil deGrasse Tyson describes the way light waves stretch as they travel through the universe, the dome appears to jam as red-shifted rays part the sky.
“To Space & Back” is another show that shows the myriad technologies that astronomers and astronauts use to explore the universe, and how those engineering marvels are adapted to benefit life on earth. One invention, a laser developed to study Earth’s atmosphere, is now used in surgery to clear blocked arteries.
Combined IMAX billet
If you buy a ticket to the planetarium, for a reduced fee you can also watch an IMAX movie with the combined ticket discount.
