Planetarium projector
![A Zeiss Universarium Mark IX starball projector](/Images/godic/202502/03/Schallwelle_2012_Img04_-_Opening_011747.jpg")
![Zeiss-Jena Universal Projection Planetarium Type 23/6
1 - Constellation Figure Projector (North)
2 - Star Globe (North)
3 - Mechanical shutter of star field projector
4 - Milky Way projector (North)
5 - Planetary projectors (North)
6 - Lattice ring for Sun, Moon and Vertical circle projectors
7 - Horizon circle projector
8 - Planetary projectors (South)
9 - Star Globe (South)
10 - Compass point projector](/Images/godic/202502/03/UniversalProjectionPlanetarium-Type23-61747.jpg")
![A Konica Minolta Infinium projection system at the Osaka Science Museum, with a starball in the back and the auxiliary projectors for planets in the front. These projectors are complemented by a Virtualium II digital projection system.](/Images/godic/202502/03/INFINIUM_L-OSAKA1747.jpg")
A planetarium projector is a device used to project images of celestial objects onto the dome in a planetarium.
The first modern planetarium projectors were designed and built by the Carl Zeiss Jena company in Germany between 1923 and 1925, and have since grown more complex. Smaller projectors include a set of fixed stars, Sun, Moon, and planets, and various nebulae. Larger machines also include comets and a far greater selection of stars. Additional projectors can be added to show twilight around the outside of the screen (complete with city or country scenes) as well as the Milky Way. Still others add coordinate lines and constellations, photographic slides, laser displays, and other images. The OMNIMAX movie system (now known as IMAX Dome) was originally designed to operate on planetarium screens.