His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi has unveiled Sharjah Planetarium at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology (SAASST).

Sheikh Al Qasimi is ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The planetarium is one of UAE's iconic landmarks that looks like the sun from outside.

The facelift has revamped the planetarium. The renovation plan has refurbished the planetarium's lofty dome, added new lighting and sound equipment, a high-quality control system, and entertainment facilities.

The dome is more than 18 meters in diameter and can seat more than 200 guests. It is equipped with a set of high-precision digital projectors. It is a Japanese made MegaStar which can display about 10 million celestial bodies.

The facelift has covered the MegaStar, the optical star projector and equipped the facility with high integration and synchronization to align it with the newly installed remote-control system.

The revamped planetarium now boasts cutting-edge technology, including eight primary projectors backed by gadgets that are among the most advanced of their kind. The new platform supports both 4K and 8K resolutions.

The facelift is part of a larger renovation plan that includes some of Sharjah University's landmark buildings renowned for their Islamic architectural designs.

The refurbished Sharjah Planetarium now has the capacity to host conferences and guests from peer establishments in the region and beyond.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Sharjah's Deputy Ruler and President of the University of Sharjah (UoS), and Chancellor Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, attended the unveiling ceremony.

"With the development of technology in the related scientific fields, we could not stand as observers, so we insistently wanted this Sharjah Planetarium to remain at the forefront and to be distinguished by its equipment with the latest technology," Prof. Al Naimiy said in remarks made during the ceremony.

The facelift added a new control system to the planetarium to manage the lighting, sound, and images. The control system will manage the operation of servers and display devices in the dome and the advance computer programs and simulators that were added to the facility as part of the facelift.

The Sharjah Planetarium is not merely confined to its state-of the art structure and most advanced astronomy technology. In its Blue Galaxy Hall, visitors can experience a touch of how ancient astronomers gazed at the stars.

There are samples of the simple astronomical instruments like those used by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, and Arab astronomers like Al-Biruni and Al-Sufi through which visitors can experience how our ancestors strived to discover the universe

SAASST is part of the University of Sharjah, the largest in the UAE. Inaugurated in 2015, the academy aims to study astronomy and space sciences and promote the discipline within the region and globally.

The academy has seven laboratories: the CubeSat, the Space Weather & Ionosphere, the Radio Astronomy, the Meteorite Center, the Space Artificial Intelligence, the High Energy Astrophysics, and the Rockets Propulsion and Exhaust Systems.

The revamped Planetarium is open to the public.