What is the Las Vegas Sphere seen during the Super Bowl?
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The newest addition to the Las Vegas skyline made quite the splash on the Super Bowl LVIII broadcast Sunday. The vivid imagery projected on the landmark's "Exosphere" caught the attention of viewers worldwide.
Construction crews broke ground on the Sphere on Sept. 27, 2018, reportedly costing $2.3 billion to create. On the outside of the Sphere are approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, which are spaced eight inches apart. Each of those pucks, Sphere Entertainment officials say, is capable of displaying 256 million colors. Together, they make up the "Exosphere."
Representing the largest screen in the world, the Exosphere is the bright and spherical display seen several times throughout the Super Bowl broadcast. The Exosphere first lit on July 4, 2023, immediately creating an eye-catching new focal point of the entertainment capital of the world.
On the inside, the Sphere is a performance venue that seats up to 20,000 people and features a 160,000-square-foot LED display that wraps around the audience. The 16K by 16K display is the highest-resolution screen on the planet. In addition, the Sphere boasts a state of the art sound system and 4D technologies meant to immerse visitors into the content they are watching.
The Sphere initially opened on Sept. 29, 2023, with the first performance of Irish rock band U2's "Achtung Baby Live At Sphere" show. A star-studded "black carpet" event celebrated the opening. A few weeks later, the first "Sphere Experience" bowed at the venue. Director Darren Aronofsky's "Postcard from Earth" debuted. A 55-minute film showcasing eye-popping visuals of the planet, and utilizing some of the venue's party tricks, "Postcard from Earth" runs regularly at the Sphere.
Most recently, the Sphere featured heavily in the Super Bowl LVIII festivities. The venue's interior appeared in the game's introduction, and the Exosphere made various cameos throughout the broadcast. Throughout the week of the Super Bowl, many NFL-inspired images were displayed on the exterior of the Sphere, including logos and all 57 NFL championship rings.