Virtual Planetarium

The Virtual Planetarium is a research building used to simulate the exploration of locations discovered by Telescope. Once a world’s telescope-locked sites have been revealed, a Duplicant can operate the Virtual Planetarium to convert Data Disk into research progress for the appropriate research track.

Only Duplicants with Astronomy in the base game or Data Analysis Research in the DLC can use it. Using the building counts as a research task, and Data Disk are consumed at a 1:1 rate to generate research points. The activity also receives a built-in 200% research speed bonus, with further speed increases from the operator’s Science attribute, from being in a lit work area, and from being in a Laboratory.

Its Data Disk consumption rate is determined mainly by the Duplicant’s total Science, and can be summarized as:

• Base consumption is 0.02 Data Disk/s
• The research speed bonus adds another 200%
• Total Science contributes strongly to the final rate
• Bright work area adds a small increase
• Being placed in a Laboratory adds a small increase

In practical terms, a Duplicant with low Science will consume Data Disk much more slowly than a highly trained scientist. For example, a Duplicant with 5 Science uses Data Disk at 0.1/s without light and outside a Laboratory, while a Duplicant with 30 Science uses them at 0.3/s under the same conditions. Light increases the rate by 0.003/s, and a Laboratory increases it by 0.002/s, so those bonuses matter less than Science itself.

As a Science Building, the Virtual Planetarium receives a +10% efficiency bonus when placed inside a Laboratory. This makes it a good candidate for inclusion in a dedicated research room, especially if you expect to use it heavily. Since the building is tied to telescope discoveries, it is part of the late-game exploration and research pipeline rather than a general-purpose science station.

Because it consumes Data Disk directly, the Virtual Planetarium is best used when you have a steady Data Disk supply and a Duplicant with strong Science. If your goal is to stretch limited disks, assign your best scientist and place the building in a lit Laboratory to get the most research per second from each disk.