Stargazers’ wonderland

Gloria Spittel wants to learn about the universe at these planetariums

Atrip to a planetarium is usually part of a school excursion. For many, it’s an introduction to the wonderful and mindboggling expanse that is space. In the past, planetariums – like museums – held the remit for disseminating information on the cosmos. However, with the availability of entertaining high-definition television documentaries and other edifying literature that cater to various age

groups, learning about space is now more within reach. Yet, a planetarium provides a theatrical flair with its cinema, interesting architecture and updated knowledge of space.

Planetariums consist of a domed structure on which a special projector simulates a night sky. It’s different to an observatory as the latter relies on telescopes to observe the night sky. The first planetarium projector was installed in 1923 – at the world’s first planetarium in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

INDIA The Indira Gandhi Planetarium in Lucknow is modelled on Saturn, complete with five rings, which sits on an elevated platform. The main gallery is 15 metres in diameter and hosts daily shows on Indian space projects. There are also other exhibits and information available on Indian satellites at the planetarium. Most shows are narrated in Hindi.

THE US A part of the American Museum of Natural History, the spherical building of the Hayden Planetarium in New York is home to two theatres hosting daily shows on the solar system and the birth of the universe. The planetarium hosts various exhibits and public programmes, and has online resources that bring frontier astrophysics research to the public.

RUSSIA Planetarium No. 1 in St. Petersburg is the largest in the world with the dome measuring 37 metres in diameter. It is also home to space exhibits, a VR interactive room, an educational area and a prototyping laboratory. The dome is served by 40 projectors and the planetarium can accommodate around 500 people at a time.

JAPAN The Nagoya City Science Museum, which has the second largest planetarium in the world with a dome measuring 35 metres in diameter, is equipped with reclining seats. Visitors are treated to an amazing theatrical experience of astronomical events such as eclipses and meteors. However, the shows are narrated only in Japanese.

THE NETHERLANDS Though it is technically not a planetarium, the Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker, Friesland, is the world’s oldest functional planetarium or orrery. Built by hand, it was completed in 1781 at a time when Neptune, Uranus and Pluto hadn’t been discovered.