Nehru Planetarium Delhi

I was always fantasized with the constellations, stars, and planets. When I was a kid, we used to be with mom and try to spot out Big Dipper, Little Bear, The Red Planet Mars, Venus, the brightest star, Sirius and more so. It was always a lot of fun and a part of edutainment for us. Mom, being a science educator also made a Pinhole Projector for us to view the Solar Eclipse.

So while growing up Astronomy was of special interest to me. Then the skies were clear and we could spot out celestial figures. One fine day around a year back, during vacations in a hinterland, I wished to spot Venus and Sirius once again. The night was dark and starry. Excited, I asked my lil kid to join me, as we went on a spree to figure of lots of celestial bodies. We never saw such a beautiful starry night in Delhi.

This prompted me to help him meet the Universe, galaxies at the Nehru Planetarium, right in the center of Delhi.

Nehru Planetarium Delhi is one of the five planetarium’s which have been named after Pt.JawaharLal Nehru. It houses in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, at Teen Murti Bhavan. Pt. Nehru, conceived the plan of Planetarium’s across India, to help experiential Astronomical education to children. And this place never goes wrong.

It’s a place of attraction not just for Kids, but even for Astronomers.

What to expect here?

• It’s a place to sense the dance of our galaxy and get close to the Astronomical science. Surrounded by lush green surroundings, Nehru Planetarium Delhi’s major attraction is the Sky Theatre. With special effects, animations, video clippings, this dome-shaped theatre, is of special interest here. Bet me, you’ll love the aura of this theatre.
• The major attraction after this theatre is Soyuz T-10 in which India’s first Astronaut Rakesh Sharma was there as a part of landing Crew. It carried him to space and captures his journey to space.
• After the renovation, it now is one of the highest-resolution planetariums, due to the presence of Definiti Optical Star projector.

Can you believe, it can show up to 2 Million stars! Whoa!

• The space Museum reminded me of my school days and the science projects we undertook then.
• During Eclipses, Nehru Planetarium also sets up solar filters, telescopes and projection boxes, so that visitors can get a safe and closer look of Solar Eclipse.
• The launch vehicle of ISRO, SLV-3, the pride of India, is also housed here. Though it looks like a rusty piece, don’t tend to ignore it.

Shows at Nehru Planetarium :

There are 4 shows in the day here, and we opted for English show (Hindi shows are with pure Hindi)

• English Shows: 11:30 am and 3:00 pm
• Hindi Shows: 1:30 pm and 4:00 pm

Entry fee:

Rs50/- per adult and Rs30/- per child (4-12years), concessional Fee for school students (Rs20/-).

Timings:

Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 am to 5:30 pm. Photography/Videography is not allowed here.

Cafeteria and Restrooms are available.

How to reach Nehru Planetarium:

The nearest metro station is Jorbagh Station, Udyog Bhavan Metro station. From here, one can easily take an auto/walk to reach Teen Murti Bhavan.

It’s truly a thrill of watching Solar system and getting a feel of 3D skywatching. Try visiting here during weekday to avoid Weekend crowds.

More places to visit in Delhi :

National Rail Museum

Rashtrapati Bhavan

Old Fort (with Light and Sound Show)

Lodhi Gardens

Humayun’s Tomb

Qutub Minar

Seven Wonder – Waste to wonder park

International Doll Museum