'Beam me up, Scotty!'

Photo / Paul Estcourt

Visitors to Auckland's Stardome Observatory will feel like they're travelling through space in the centre's new digital theatre.

The observatory has been closed since December 23 for a $2 million upgrade of its digital technology and is open again to the public next Tuesday.

The new theatre includes powerful three-dimensional images and video on the interior surface of the observatory's planetarium dome. The images are created through two projectors which provide about 13 million pixels on the screen.

Visitors take the journey through the solar system while sitting on seats that lean back to a 45-degree angle and enjoying the surround sound.

Observatory chief executive Craig Garner said: "The immersive experience is like nothing you would have seen before ... a truly striking and memorable voyage into space."