Nehru Planetarium! A Remarkable Journey through the Universe of Astronomy
Although I have been to Teen Murti Bhavan during my childhood days, and have faint memories of my visit, but I had never visited Nehru Planetarium before until my son got a summer vacations assignment to visit the place. And to substantiate it, instructions were issued from the school to enclose the entry tickets as a proof of the visit. School, with this requirement, made it a compulsory visit. So on a sultry Sunday morning, I Googled about it, went through their website, called up their office and got all the relevant details.
The first show, about the Solar System, starts at 1130 hrs. The place is centrally located in expansive lush green environs of Teen Murti Bhavan, the official residence of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru. The planetarium is housed on one corner of the Bhavan, within the same premises, now known as “Nehru Memorial Museum and Library”.
We reached the place well in time before the start of the 1st show. Many parents were seen queued up for buying the tickets while children were all venturing around, inside and outside, in excitement. We also lined up and bought the tickets of the show. Inside the place, the walls adorn visuals, pictures galore, plethora of information display boards, peep through, miniatures, telescopes, electronic screens, science quiz monitor and a life size astronaut sitting inside a sphere shaped carrier. So before the show starts, one can soak in the much interesting planetarium gallery.
The wall on both sides are marked with exhibition like categorization of information, material, objects, miniature models and pictures of space science and the universe. The nuggets of information was well presented under categories like Constellations and Planets, Light Tell Stories, Journey with Light, History of the Universe, Calendar of Events, Gravitational Lenses, Copernican Revolution, Ancient and Medieval Indian Astronomy, Indian Astronomical Texts, Instruments that Changed the World, Seeing is Believing and much more.
So after walking through the facts and presentations of the space science, it was time to queue up for entry into the Sky Theatre. Sky Theatre is a dome like structure with ceiling in white, equipped with push back cushy blue clothed chairs, fixed in circular fashion on the floor. The idea is to look up like an open sky towards the dome ceilings for an illuminated show of the stars, galaxies, constellations and the planets of the universe. A cylindrical shaped revolving projector, it seems so, is placed right in the middle of the semi sphere shaped theatre.
As soon as everyone is settled and the clock turns 1130 hrs, the lights goes off. In the pitch of darkness, the Solar Show starts emanating from the projector in the middle. The all white dome ceiling turns into an open dark twinkling sky and things starts to appear in various shapes, sizes and streaks, minute after minute, with running narration in the background explaining all the star formations, constellations, galaxies and planets.
The narration is immensely informative about the universe, comets, gravitational forces, the distance, light years, speed, shape, temperature, gases, moons, atmosphere, surface, space missions, volcanic eruptions, melting heat and freezing cold conditions, life possibilities etc.
All the planets in the solar system viz. Mercury (smallest), Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (largest), Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (now known as dwarf) , are explained very well, with their placement and orbit illustrations around the sun. The sound and motion effect, as projected in the Sky Theatre, at times makes you feel as if you are revolving and swaying seeing right up into a moving sky. This feeling of a revolving motion and the impeccable 3D effect, at times causes a momentary sensation of dizziness.
Overall, a brilliant show of the space science; the children and parents alike come out dazzled, enlightened and illuminated. No wonder, the Planetarium is of immense importance for all those interested in astronomy. It truly invokes a sense of curiosity and excitement among the people of all ages to know about the universe in such a simplified and wonderful manner. The children, the most inquisitive ones, get the maximum out of this remarkable show.
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