Mysuru’s ₹116-crore planetarium, featuring what is described as the world’s first 15-degree inclined LED curved dome, is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 13 at the foothills of Chamundi Hill. The facility has been developed as a cosmology education and training centre on the University of Mysore’s Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Centre for Higher Learning campus.
Built on about 3.5 acres provided by the University of Mysore, the three-storey centre includes a sky theatre, an astronomy museum, exhibition halls, lecture rooms, classrooms and training laboratories. The project is intended to combine public astronomy viewing with structured learning and practical training in space-related subjects.
Unlike conventional planetariums that use projectors to display images on a screen, the new facility uses a 15-metre dome covered entirely with LED panels. The dome is inclined at an angle of 15 degrees, a design intended to give visitors an immersive view of space. The system uses 8K resolution to display the sky, stars, eclipses and the movement of comets.
The sky theatre can accommodate between 150 and 160 visitors at a time. The technical framework has been jointly developed by Japan’s Konica Minolta, France’s RSA Cosmos and India’s Orbit-Animate. The facility uses Sky Explorer software and the Digistar 7 system for its astronomy presentations.
The centre is also planned as an academic facility rather than only a public entertainment venue. According to the project details reported by Prajavani, programmes will cover astronomy documentation, space-data processing and coding, along with practical training. Information and programmes will be available in both Kannada and English, widening access for students and visitors.
The project is being implemented by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in collaboration with the Union departments of science and technology and atomic energy. The University of Mysore will be responsible for day-to-day operations and academic activities at the centre.
The foundation stone was laid in March 2022 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also provided ₹5 crore from her Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme funds. Construction was completed over four years. The university and project agencies have positioned the inclined LED dome as a new public-facing science facility and as an addition to Mysuru’s educational tourism infrastructure.
