The city’s major tourist attraction, a planetarium with an advanced technology, will be commissioned by this year-end, according to M.R. Seetharam, Minister for Science and Technology, Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics.
The planetarium being built at the Dr. Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama will have a hybrid technology with 3-D facility and 8K projector system.
According to K.V. Rao, director, Pilikula Regional Science Centre, the hybrid is the combination of digital and optomechanical technology. Now, planetaria across the country had optomechanical technology under which light beams are projected through a central projector fixed in the middle of the hall where audience are being made to sit in round row. Under hybrid technology there will be no projector in the middle of the hall. The seating arrangement will be like in a cinema theatre and the projector would be in the front. Astronomical shows could be watched just like watching a cinema in the theatre with 3-D effect using specially provided spectacles. The 8K projector system enhanced the quality of the images in the shows.
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, Mr. Seetharam said that the planetarium costing about ₹36 crore will be inaugurated by organising an international science conference.
The Minister said that he will review the progress of the construction in September again. The Minister said that the government would provide about ₹1.50 crore for its annual maintenance. In addition it would have five trained staff members.
Stating that 20% of the annual maintenance cost could be recovered from the entry fee he said that once commissioned the planetarium will be the pride of Karnataka. The project of building the planetarium took off during 2009-10 with an allocation of ₹1 crore. It will have 170 seats.
