Visitors will enjoy brighter and more colorful images on the dome at Cernan Earth and Space Center in River Grove after a new JVC laser phosphor projector was installed.

“The original projector was installed in 2015,” explained Kris Kovach McCall, Cernan’s director. “There is a certain estimated lifespan of a projector like that based on the number of hours it’s run because the hardware itself also takes a beating.”

McCall said Cernan started having problems with the hardware three years ago. They finally discovered the reason for the problem but weren’t able to get the necessary part to repair it.

“Lamps were also becoming a little bit harder to acquire,” she added.

In addition, the technology has changed.

“Instead of high-energy arc lamps, they are now using laser phosphor,” McCall

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