THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The visual treat one gets to see on the new dome at the renovated planetarium that will be inaugurated on Thursday, will be as good as the spectacular sight an astronaut gets to see from space or what a scuba diver sees on the ocean floor.
The vastnesses of the 4,913 sq ft screen on the dome will make sure that visitors can barely notice anything outside the screen. As the camera pans through constellations, nine projectors will simulate a feeling of being lifted and dropped quickly.
“Even the screens in large theatres in Kerala will not be bigger than 2,400 sq feet, so this is the biggest in South India,” Priyadarshini Planetarium director G. Arul Gerald said.
The dome made by Astro-tec USA has been given a nano paint coating for perfect projections. The turn table projection system by Carl Zeiss, Germany, can rotate around 360 degrees and project around 9,000 stars. Unlike the old dome, the new dome can host various shows based on topic.
“Videos used for projection are in the domemaster format. We have several free videos and some can be purchased from the market for only around '2 lakhs. The company which installed the system is presently making a 4K biodiversity video on Kerala as per a clause in the contract,” Mr Gerald said.
The museum that was renovated for around '13 crore has exhibits like Stellarium, constellations and several moving exhibits that starts when visitors press switches.
A state-of-the-art 14 inch auto tracking, GPS incorporated telescope is open for night sky observation at 6.30 pm on every Thursday and Friday.
“The telescope is one of the best available in the country and can take clear pictures of astronomical events,” the director added.
It will cost Rs 60 for adults and Rs 30 for students to watch the scheduled shows which are around one and a half hours long.
There will be an English show at noon and Malayalam shows will be held at 10.30 am, 3 pm and 5pm. Schools can avail special shows if they turn up with at least 100 students.
Chief Minister Oomen Chandy will inaugurate the renovated planetarium at 4pm on Thursday.
