By now, you’ve surely heard of the Sphere in Las Vegas, the brainchild of New York Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan that’s been grabbing people’s attention with mind-boggling displays on its LED exterior.
However, since the Sphere officially opened in September 2023, we’ve learned there is so much more to the the visual marvel than what’s on the outside — though these San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs helmets displayed for the Super Bowl in Vegas were very cool.
The inside of the Sphere is home to some first-of-its-kind technology as well, allowing for it to host immersive film and music concert experiences. Here are more facts about the Sphere.
It's the world's largest spherical structure
The Sphere is listed as 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, making it the largest spherical structure in the world. According to Sphere Entertainment, the entire Statue of Liberty can fit inside.
It cost $2.3 billion to make
Dolan miscalculated how much it would take to build the sphere, with final construction costs coming to $2.3 billion. It’s the most expensive entertainment venue ever built in Las Vegas, according to Bloomberg.
The outside features 580,000 sq. feet of LEDs
With 580,000 sq. feet of programmable LEDs on the exosphere, Sphere Entertainment says the venue is bright enough to see from space.
The NFL and the Sphere have announced to a deal that will see custom visuals displayed throughout Super Bowl week in Las Vegas 🔮 pic.twitter.com/qRcy0iqgfe
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 4, 2024
The inside has a 160,000 square-foot LED media plane
Like the outside display, the inside LED is massive and fully programmable at 16K x 16K resolution. To put the size into perspective, it’s the equivalent of four football fields.
U2 at the Sphere certainly delivered. Details at 8:15, and all day long, on @dfwticket pic.twitter.com/WDyRzpevMW
— Craig Miller (@junior_miller) February 8, 2024
The seating capacity is 17,500
When accounting for standing space, the Sphere can host up to 20,000 people. Out of the 17,500 seating capacity, 10,000 are said to be haptic seats, which allow for spectators to feel and smell what they’re experiencing on the screen.
The sphere is man’s greatest entertainment based tech achievement. No concert can ever take place in any other venue. pic.twitter.com/mRRUFXGBis
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) February 8, 2024
The sphere has 168,000 speakers
The beamforming audio system uses 168,000 speakers to create an immersive 360 experience. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it can deliver different audio content to different seating sections (including different languages.
Soooo worth the 2 hour night of sleep I’m about to get!!! U2!!! #TheSphere pic.twitter.com/vtQkoTtGFN
— Dana Jacobson (@danajacobson) February 8, 2024
