Sue Nelson reports: "Advanced technology will let people see exactly the same sights as from space"

It is part of a project to gain detailed knowledge of the Milky Way using astronomical data.

Visitors to the Hayden Planetarium will be able to navigate through an accurate map of our galaxy for the first time.

Now we can find our way round the galaxy

The digital galaxy project is using the European Space Agency's star-mapping satellite to reconstruct more than 100,000 astronomical objects using computer software and seven digital projectors.

The 3-D galaxy map across a 21-metre dome will give people the same view of the Milky Way as a travelling spacecraft.

The only other place in the world that uses seven projectors, but in a smaller dome, is Teeside's Hemispherium.

It is now operating as New York's test site, and was installed by the UK company Trimention, which will provide the latest software and technology for the American planetarium.