NEWS RELEASE

Updated:  August 2008

ROLLINS PLANETARIUM UPGRADES TO FULL DOME DIGITAL VIDEO

Thanks to a grant from the Rollins Foundation, the Rollins Planetarium at Young Harris College was recently outfitted with state-of-the-art, full dome digital video technology. The 40-foot dome theater, one of the largest in Georgia, was upgraded over the summer with new digital video projectors to supplement the existing Chronos star projector.

"We're very excited about what this new technology means to our students and visitors," said Steve Morgan, planetarium director and astronomy professor at Young Harris College. "This replaces the old, obsolete slide projectors and gives us a much greater ability to present the latest astronomical discoveries with dramatic realism and breathtaking imagery. Now that installation is complete, we are able to offer a wider variety of exciting planetarium presentations. In combination with the Chronos, it really gives us the best of both worlds. The teaching capabilities are tremendous."  

The new system utilizes six Sky-Skan edge-blended video projectors with digital light processing (DLP) technology to cover the entire dome with full-color, high resolution video.  The software's database includes more than 118,000 stars accurately positioned in space, allowing the planetarium to move audiences freely through a 3D universe viewing endless astronomical phenomena and employing advanced teaching aids.   

"We are so grateful to the Rollins Foundation for making this leap in technology possible," said Morgan. The Rollins Foundation was established by O. Wayne Rollins, head of the pest control company Orkin Inc., who served as a trustee of Young Harris College for twenty-one years prior to his death in 1991. The Rollins family has been a generous benefactor of Young Harris College for many years. Originally opened in 1979, the planetarium is one example of that generosity, and was named for Mr. Rollins and his wife, Grace C. Rollins.

Founded in 1886, Young Harris College is a private, liberal arts college currently in the transition process of becoming a baccalaureate-granting, four-year institution.  Historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, a primary goal of Young Harris College is to provide a quality education for the whole person: intellectually, socially, culturally, and spiritually.  To learn more about Young Harris College, visit us at www.yhc.edu.

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