The world’s first projection planetarium has reopened at Munich’s Deutsches Museum following an interior refurbishment and tech upgrade.

Using ZEISS technology, the planetarium held its first presentation in recognition of the start of the International Year of Light, initiated by the UN’s General Assembly. The planetarium now has a new 15m (50ft) dome, a high-performance projection system and capacity for 160 visitors.

New tech installed at the planetarium includes a ZEISS Sykmaster ZKP4 opto-mechanical projector, as well as six ZEISS Velvet digital projectors, which deliver a contrast ratio of 2,500,000:1. The planetarium projector and digital projection are also coupled via the ZEISS powerdome computer system, with the combined technology offering a very natural-looking version of the night sky.

The planetarium first went into operation at the Deutsches Museum 90 years ago, opening on 7 May 1925. Since opening, it has welcomed 8.5 million visitors, averaging around 80,000 admissions on an annual basis.