Nehru Planetarium in Mumbai – An Ideal Escape for Space Enthusiasts

Nehru Planetarium in Mumbai
Nehru Planetarium - A Prominent Science and Space Centre in Mumbai

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Inaugurated on March 3, 1977 by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, the Nehru Planetarium is a part of the Nehru Centre in Mumbai. The Centre pragmatically promotes the teaching and thoughts of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru through its cultural and educational events. The Planetarium strives to infuse and spread the knowledge about Astronomy and Science through prodigious lectures, discussions and events, ensuring an enriching experience, both in learning and entertainment.

If space and science enthusiast, Nehru Planetarium is a place to visit during your stay in Mumbai, and of course, it is a great place to take your kids along!

Key Attractions of Nehru Planetarium

With its cylindrical structure and beautiful white dome, the unique architecture of the Planetarium itself captivates the attention of its visitors. It was designed by the famous Indian architect JM Kadri. Soon after its establishment, the Nehru Planetarium became important among students, astronomers and amateur scientists who were interested in space and astronomical studies. Mentioned below are the key highlights of the Planetarium and what it has to offer to its visitors!

Planetarium Shows

The special Planetarium’s sky shows are like the quintessential treat for everyone who visits the place and strives for an incomparable learning experience. ‘Tryst and Destiny‘ was the first show and it outlined the stars and constellations like they had donned the sky on the night of August 14 1947. The second show “Mahatma – The Eternal Light‘ recreated the celestial configuration as on October 2, 1869, the day Mahatma Gandhi was born combining it with other historic events from his life.

Since the very beginning, these shows have been luring the visitors and so far over 30 unique shows have been featured there. Currently, ‘The Wonders of the Universe‘ and ‘Invaders of Mars‘ are being featured there.

However, in 2018 again the software was updated to Digistar 6, an even more upgraded version of the previous Digistar system, it provides flawless and precise synchronization technology which guarantees a seamless experience in the Planetarium dome.

Planetarium Projectors

You cannot miss out the unique planetarium projectors – the primitive “Universal Planetarium Projector” and the new “Digistar 3 – Digital Planetarium Projector”. The former being the first projector there which was made by VEB Carl Zeiss Jena of German Democratic Republic and has successfully delivered 28 shows, ensuring a magnificent celestial experience for 96 lakh viewers in 26 years!

“Digistar 3 – Digital Planetarium Projector” planetarium equipment replaced the Carl Zeiss Universal Projector and guarantees majestic cosmic experience with a 3D graphic system, higher resolution and 5.1 surround sound system.

Public Lectures

Distinguished scientists, astronomers, scholars from India and abroad deliver talks and lectures that are held at the Hall of Culture in Discovery of India’s building of the Nehru Centre.

Events and Contests

All the exclusive events organised at the Planetarium inspire and encourage students to participate in contests and quizzes including Science elocution, Astronomy Quiz, Science Quiz, poetry and painting competitions, etc. and even special lectures related to the domain.

Experience the Cosmic World

Besides the sky shows, there are special arrangements for visitors to watch celestial phenomena through telegraphs that are installed outside the Planetarium and to capture the eclipses, meteor showers and other events of heavenly bodies.

Other Attractions

As the Planetarium is one part of Nehru Centre, there is more to explore when you are there. Here are a few other options:

  • Learn about India through ‘Discovery of India‘ exposition that covers the country artistically, philosophically and intellectually across 14 galleries!
  • Visit the Art Gallery, which was set up in 1992. The gallery is divided into two sections of a 2500 sq. ft giving ample space for young artists to exhibit and demonstrate their talent.
  • If interested, you may attend cultural programs at the Cultural Wing where young artists showcase their talent through elating performances like drama, dance, music, etc.
  • Special national and international exhibitions are organised at the Exhibition Halls in the Nehru Centre.
  • Popular as a reference library, the Nehru Centre Library has a wide collection of over 30,000 books on religion, astronomy, social science, literature, biographies, geography, history, and various other disciplines. With its alluring ambiance, well equipped cyber-centre, audio-visual facilities, kids section, and of course the various workshops and programmes organised for students, teachers and other professionals, makes it a perfect escape for an avid reader.
  • A spree in the premises of the Nehru Centre is itself a kind of an experience as there you would find more than 1000 varieties of plants, including many rare species.
  • A walk in the premises of the Nehru Centre is itself a kind of an experience as there you would find more than 1000 varieties of plants, including many rare species.
  • You can also attend ‘Sky Observation’ (only on Sundays) from 7:00 to 8:00 pm free of cost, except monsoon.

    Nehru Centre Auditorium

    The Nehru Centre Auditorium is spacious and consists of 3 green rooms and a total of 917 spectators can sit at once and enjoy the show in the hall. The auditorium can be used only for certain purposes which include Cultural programs, lectures, conferences, conventions, and meetings.

    • Every event in the auditorium is allotted a specific time period in one day with a slot for cultural events at:
    1. The first opening morning slot is available from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
    2. The second slot available from 3 pm to 6 pm
    3. The last slot of the day in the day, in the evening slot available from 7 pm to 10 pm.
    • For Corporate, conferences, seminars, and lectures the slots allotted are
    1. The morning slot commences at 10 am until 2 pm
    2. The second slot is from 2 pm to 6 pm
    3. The evening time slot is from 6 pm to 10 pm
    4. While in some circumstances if needed, the auditorium can be allotted for a full day from 10 am to 10 pm.
    • The charges charged per show are as follows, for Theatre activities such as plays, and dramas the charges are ₹45,000 to 50,000 depending on the time slot. If the program exceeds the given limit of three hours additional ₹ 25,000 needs to be paid.
    • A full-day booking can cost around ₹2,15,000.

Dancing, Music concerts, Conferences, seminars, lectures and other programmes organized are charged ₹90,000 per slot. Again, for a full-day booking it costs around 2,70,000.

 Address:

Nehru Centre

Nehru Centre Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai – 400018, India.

How to Reach Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai?

The Planetarium is accessible through public transport like cab, auto bus and local train, besides private vehicle.

BEST (Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport) buses to Nehru Planetarium:

A1, A2, A4, 28, 33, 37, 39, 57, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89,91, 92, 93, 125, 151, 153, 154, 166, 385, 302, 357 & 521 Ltd

Nearest Bus Stop: Nehru Planetarium

Nearest Railway Station: Mumbai Mahalakshmi (Western Line), Byculla (Central Railway Line)

Entry Fee:

Rs. 60 for for an adult and Rs. 40 per child.

Booking hours for the show:

11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Show Timings:

Science Odyssey: 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
3-D Science Show: Every half an hour
Science Show: 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm

Library timings:

10:00 am to 6:00 pm (Monday to Friday, 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays)

10:00 a.m. To 2:00 pm (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Closed on Sundays and public holidays.

The Planetarium is closed on Mondays and on Major festivals like Holi, Gopal Kala, Ganesh Chaturthi, Anant Chaturdashi, Dasera, Diwali (laxmi pooja), and Diwali (Bhaubeej).

Contact Details:

Phone : 91 22 2496 4676 – 80

Fax: 91 22 2497 3827

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.nehru-centre.org

For any queries regarding show bookings write to [email protected] or call (022) 2492 0510.

Quick Tips:

  • School groups need to report half an hour before the show time.
  • It is better to book tickets in advance for special planetarium shows particularly during vacations and festivals.
  • Also, if you are going for the show, try to be seated 15 minutes before the show time as thereafter the entry is prohibited.
  • The tickets for the show can be booked online and even a week in advance from the booking window.
  • There is a canteen that offers limited and average options. So it is better to make your own arrangements for the same.

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