Monday, March 7, 2011

MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata


The MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata came into existence on 29 th September, 1962 and officially opened to the public with an inaugural address by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on 2 nd July,1963. It was first of its kind in whole of India and the mightiest in entire Asia. Ever since its beginning, it has proved to be an asset for the common people as well as the students in understanding the different sorts of phenomenon that take place in the ever so mysterious space.

Fast facts -Established in 1962 and officially opened in 1963; Dome measures 23m in diameter; Seating capacity of 688 people; Planetarium projector is of Carl Zeiss make.
Did you know -The first planetarium in India and the second among the commonwealth countries ; The largest planetarium in India; Offers academic courses in astronomy.
Must do -See shows on Zodiac signs and stars, Journey to Antarctic, and New View of the Solar System Attend free discourses on astronomy


The MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata has so far put forward as many as 350 projects concerned with:

•  Astro- physics
•  Celestial Mechanics
•  History of astronomy
•  Astronomy
•  Mythology concerning the stars
•  Eclipses
•  Many more celestial events.

Located in the hub of the city close to the Maidan and Victoria Memorial, the MP Birla Planetarium

•  Conducts programmes aimed at children of all ages.
•  An evening course that is absolutely free covering topics like the earth, the moon, spectroscopy, refraction, telescopes, Droppler effect, eclipses, the sun, stellar classification, galaxies, hubble diagram, peculiar extragalactic phenomenon, life forms in universe and many other versatile topics.
•  Courses offered at the MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata are: Post-Graduate Diploma course in Astronomy and Planetarium Sciences and M.Phil course in Astronomy and Planetarium Sciences.
•  Armed with a telescope named Celestron C-14, Solar Filter, STD CCD Camera and other accessories.
•  The MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata issues a journal called 'Journal of the MP Birla Planetarium'. This journal appears 4 times a year.

Birla Planetarium Kolkata is a major tourist attraction in the ‘city of palaces’. This planetarium in Kolkata set up in 1962 is similar to London planetarium. Shows extending for about an hour are either in English, Hindi, or Bengali. Audience is enthralled by the spectacular show of constellations, zodiacal patterns of the sky, and space probes.

M.P. Birla Planetarium was founded as an educational, research and scientific institution in September 1962 and formally inaugurated in July 1963 by the then Indian Prime Minister Pandit J. L. Nehru. This was the second planetarium to be established in a Commonwealth country and the first in India. The planetarium dome measuring 23 meters in diameter has a seating capacity of 688. At the center is the Carl Zeiss Universal Planetarium Projector.

Regular shows on ‘Rashis and Nakshatras’ (Zodiacs and stars), ‘journey to Antarctica’, and ‘New View of the Solar System’ are held. Daily there are seven shows beginning from 12:30 pm, except for Sundays and holidays when there are nine shows beginning from 10:30 am.

Being an educational institute, M.P. Birla Planetarium in Kolkata conducts various educational programs. It offers a Post Graduate Diploma Course in Astronomy & Planetarium Science. In collaboration with BITS (Birla Institute of Technology and Science),Pilani, M.P. Birla Planetarium conducts a 3-semester M. Phil course in Astronomy and Planetarium Sciences. In addition, it holds free evening course in Astronomy for sky gazers and enthusiasts. To popularize astronomy among school students, M.P. Birla Planetarium arranges discourses and seminars in schools regularly.

Kolkata Birla Planetarium being centrally located is easily accessible from any part of this city. Situated at the junction of Shakespeare Sarani and Cathedral Road, it is reachable by buses, taxis and Metro. For further information on Birla Planetarium, Kolkata check with indianholiday.com

Show Timings :
•  Hindi – 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 pm(Daily)
•  English – 3:30 and 5:30 pm(Daily)
•  Bengali – 1:30 and 6:30 pm(Daily)

Two special shows on Sundays and Holidays at 10:30 am, in Hindi a 11:30 am, in Bengali.

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