Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Cosmos-Mysore planetarium at the foothills of Chamundi Hill on Friday, opening a ₹115-crore facility designed for cosmology education, research training and immersive visualisation of space. The centre has been described as India’s first LED curved-dome planetarium.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman briefed the Prime Minister about the facility during the inauguration. After the ceremony, Modi viewed space-related displays from inside the sky theatre. Karnataka Governor Sudha Yadav, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy were among those present.
The planetarium’s main attraction is a 15-metre-diameter sky theatre with 160 seats. Its LED dome is installed at a 15-degree angle to create an immersive viewing experience. Unlike conventional systems that use projectors, the facility uses densely arranged LED panels on the inner surface of the dome to emit light directly.
The display system has a resolution of 42 megapixels across a 353.4-square-metre surface. According to the source report, this capacity is higher than standard true 8K resolution. The curved surface can display continuous visuals without interruptions across the dome, allowing audiences to view space-related films and simulations across the entire field of vision.
The system is supported by high-capacity computing infrastructure with 14 graphics processing units and advanced Sky Explorer software. The combination is intended to produce high-resolution and bright visuals for visitors. The facility can also connect with remote locations such as Hanle, enabling it to provide an experience based on the real night sky, according to the report.
The planetarium is intended for uses beyond public entertainment. Its stated applications include astronomy education, immersive visual experiences, data visualisation and teaching across different areas of science. This places the facility within Mysuru’s broader educational and cultural infrastructure, while its location near Chamundi Hill adds a major public destination to the city’s visitor landscape.
The inauguration marks the opening of a specialised facility whose operations will combine public engagement with educational and research-oriented programming. The centre’s LED dome, sky theatre and remote-sky connectivity are the principal features identified in the source report.
