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Las Vegas Sphere: Huge ball lights up US city skyline
A huge sphere has appeared in the city of Las Vegas in the US. It has lots of LED lights on its surface which allow it to be lit up in various eye catching designs. But what is it all about? Find out more here.
Culture & Entertainment
If you’ve seen the Sphere’s displays light up the Las Vegas skyline or the memes about the Sphere online and wanted to know more about the venue — look no further.
Here’s are some fast facts about the Sphere and its upcoming plans:
‘Big Sky’ camera developed to create Sphere shows
Sphere Entertainment Co. developed the “Big Sky” at Sphere Studios in Burbank, California, which is believed to be the most sophisticated camera system on Earth.
The system, which began development in 2021, can produce ultra-high-resolution images for large screens, like the Sphere’s 16,000-by-16,000 resolution indoor screen. It was used to create the Sphere’s first film “Postcard from Earth,” which debuts Oct. 6.
To test “Big Sky,” Sphere Studios built Big Dome, which is exactly what it sounds like — a 28,000-square-foot, 100-foot high dome the quarter of a size smaller than the Sphere in Las Vegas, according to Sphere Entertainment.
In addition to “Black Swan” and “Requiem for a Dream,” director Darren Aronofsky is adding another film under his belt on one of the biggest screens in the world.
Aronofsky directed “Postcard from Earth,” a film that will play four times a day starting in October.
The film will be an immersive experience for viewers with temperature changes, wind effects and smell, along with advanced sound technology and vibrating seats.
Sphere’s current construction cost is $2.3 billion
Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced in May that the estimated total for construction costs for the Sphere would be $2.3 billion. But, as of May, the actual construction costs for the project were about $2.08 billion.
The total cost of the Sphere has grown in the past few years, starting with a $1.2 billion price tag when it was first announced in 2018, then growing to $1.8 billion in 2019, $2 billion in 2020 and $2.2 billion last year.
The company has cited supply chain disruptions and the COVID-19 pandemic as reason for the higher costs and construction delays, the Review-Journal previously reported.