Mangaluru, Feb 24: The much-awaited Swami Vivekananda 3D Planetarium at Pilikula will be inaugurated on March 1 by state minister for planning, statistics, science and technology M R Seetharam.

Addressing the media here on Saturday February 24, deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said, “District in-charge minister Ramanath Rai, Moodbidiri MLA Abhaychandra Jain, minister for food and civil supplies U T Khader, Beltangady MLA Vasanth Bangera, chief whip of Legislative Council Ivan D Souza, MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and others will grace the occasion.

“Today we had a demonstration of the 3D planetarium and we are happy with the outcome. This is the first of its kind in Asia. There are a lot of plans on the anvil for the development of Pilikula. Pilikula is basically a combination of three components – education, conservation and celebration. Students can experience the solar system in the 3D opto mechanical project system which shows you accurate representation of the sky,” he said.

“There will be six shows in a day, each show of a duration of 25 minutes. Online tickets are also available through bookmyshow.com. Ticket cost for the planetarium will be Rs 60 for adults and Rs 25 for children. We also have a plan to launch single ticket of Rs 100 so that families can experience the entire Pilikula for a day. If it works out well then we will continue it for a long-term,” he added.

The 3D planetarium will be the first of its kind in India and 21st across the world with all the latest technical specifications. The new planetarium will be unidirectional with a dome diameter of 18 meters and will present modern inventions coupled with 3D technology to students and science enthusiasts. The new planetarium will have Megastar IIA optical projector from Ohira tech Japan integrated with digistar and active stereo 3D 8K digital planetarium from Evans and Sutherland Computer Corporation.

The optical megastar star projector creates a beautiful, almost, real star field and makes planets, the sun and moon visible to the naked eye. The 8K resolution digistar system uses five Christie mirage projectors seamlessly blended together using E7S auto alignment and auto blending systems that will keep the imagery looking expertly aligned.
MLA J R Lobo said, “The 170-seated 3D planetarium will be an icon of Pilikula. This planetarium is different from a normal theatre. Shows, each of 25 minutes duration, will be changed every three months. I hope this benefits students and science enthusiasts. The initial plan for 3D planetarium was made in the year 2008 with an estimated budget of Rs 8 crore, then later the technical committee was formed. As years passed on, experts were called in, the budget rose to Rs 24 crore and after tender was invited, the overall budget was Rs 36 crore. Pilikula Development Authority will now be formed and this will take Pilikula to another level in terms of learning and tourism.”

Director of Pilikula Science Center Dr K V Rao, V Prasanna and others were present.

Courtesy: Daijiworld