If you thought Tokyo and Times Square were bright, they ain't got nothin' on the illuminated insanity that is the DomeStar. We'd heard about this tricked out, 16-foot diameter dome laced with 6,400 addressable RGB LEDs before, but finally got to check it out in person at the 2012 Maker Faire in Queens. As you can see from our photos, the pavilion is every bit as enjoyable as the legends say, and the best part is that NYC Resistor created it using open-source components, so it's totally possible for fans to build DomeStars of their own. Click through our gallery to check out this dazzling party pavilion in action.

DomeStar is a 16-foot, two-frequency icosahedron decked out in 6,400 individually-addressable RGB LEDs. The LEDs are spread out over 40 strips of 5 meters each, and each RGB LED is individually-controllable via a series of LPD8806 shift registers built into the strips. The dome itself is made out of two sizes of PVC pipe.

The beauty of DomeStar is its versatility. When we first stumbled upon it in The New York Hall of Science‘s Great Hall, it was popping off a rapid sequence of colors similar to what you might find at a rave. But then, in a matter of seconds, the light patterns shifted into a serene series of whites, blues and purples that would be lovely for a wedding gazebo. Because the LED colors can be mixed and matched using controller boards designed by Max Henstell and firmware designed by Matt Mets, the dome can display a plethora of striking patterns perfect for getting people into a dancing mood.

+ NYC Resistor