The Planetarium Shows Production Unit was launched in 2010 upon the conversion of the BA Planetarium to a Full-Dome showing system, as well as the production of the “Sky of Alexandria” show, which marked the first production of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East. “Sky of Alexandria” was produced in collaboration with the Arab Academy of Science and Technology.
The Planetarium Shows Production Unit aims to produce complete Planetarium Shows, which entails:
- Scientific Content Development;
- Script Writing;
- Storyboarding;
- Photography;
- Graphic Design and Animation;
- Music and Multi-Lingual Narration;
- Film Direction and Editing.
Work on the first Planetarium Show to be produced entirely by the BA was initiated in 2012; “Alexandria, the Cradle of Astronomy” is scheduled for showing in October 2014. The Planetarium Shows Production Unit has also started working on two new shows; one about the Solar System, and the other about Arab scientists and their contributions. Other than BA-produced Planetarium Shows, the Planetarium Shows Production Unit is open for collaborative projects with other organizations.
The Planetarium Shows Production Unit also offers the following services:
- Translation and dubbing of foreign Planetarium Shows;
- Rendering of 3D graphic material.
It is worth mentioning that the BA Planetarium was inaugurated 2002, at which time it ranked 9th in the world, featuring a both Star Ball and Video Panorama Projection system, as well as an IMAX projection system.