Floor Plan

The standard Science On a Sphere® set up includes 4 projectors in a square around a 68" carbon fiber sphere. For sites that don’t have enough space for the standard configuration, there are many options available:

Use projectors with short throw lenses
Use a smaller sphere (60" or 48" available)
Use fewer projectors

For questions about how SOS can fit in your site, email sos.support@noaa.gov.

Standard Four Projector Floor Plan

Diagrams illustrating the distance from the sphere to the floor and between the projectors and the sphere — Top-down and side view for a standard 4 projector installation

The four projectors are placed at the four corners of a square that is 25.5–28.5 feet (7.8–8.7 meters) on each side, depending on your projector. The Sphere is hung at the center of the square with a guard rail to prevent viewers from reaching the Sphere. Projectors can be mounted to the ceiling or on the floor. Floor-mounted projectors should be isolated from viewers with a protective wall (a "kick"). Projectors, whether floor-mounted or ceiling-mounted, require a stable mounting surface, such as a concrete slab. The SOS computers can be located up to 200 feet (60 meters) away from the sphere with the use of additional video cable boosters. The computers must be in a clean, well-ventilated area.

Printable PDFs for Various Sphere Sizes

Configuration Variations

If you don’t have room for four projectors, then using fewer projectors is a great option. The projectors remain 90 degrees apart from one another and one or two quadrants of the sphere are dark, depending on how many projectors are used. Some sites have opted to put the sphere in a corner or against a wall to help hide the dark areas.

Three Projectors

When using only three projectors, each projector is placed at each of the corners of an isosceles right triangle, with the Sphere placed at the center of the triangle's hypotenuse so that it is equidistant from all three projectors. The hypotenuse of the triangle should be 37–41 feet (11.3–12.5 meters) long, and the other two sides should both be 25.5–28.5 feet (7.8–8.7 meters) long, depending on your projector. In this configuration you'll have a viewing angle for the Sphere of 146°, past which the dark areas will become visible.

A presenter stands in front of Science On a Sphere. The dark area of the Sphere is not visible because it is on the side opposite the audience — A three projector system with a full sphere against the wall at the Science Museum of Minnesota

Two Projectors

When using only two projectors, each projector is placed at two corners of a rectangle. The rectangle should be 25.5–28.5 feet (7.8–8.7 meters) by 17.5–19 feet, depending on your projector. The projectors will be placed on the two corners of one of the long sides of the rectangle, with the Sphere hung at the midpoint of the opposite long side. In this configuration you'll have a viewing angle for the Sphere of 65°, past which the dark areas will become visible.

Two people stand in front of a semicircular rail looking at the half of a Science On a Sphere that protrudes from a wall — The first image shows a two projector system with a sphere hanging in a cutout in the wall (North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island). The second image shows a two projector system with the sphere in the corner (Kalamazoo Valley Museum).

A person stands that SOS Public Kiosk touchscreen in front of a Science On a Sphere that hangs in a corner — The first image shows a two projector system with a sphere hanging in a cutout in the wall (North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island). The second image shows a two projector system with the sphere in the corner (Kalamazoo Valley Museum).