Nehru Museum and Planetarium

Visit the Nehru Museum and Planetarium to experience the virtual celestial world and to know more about the heavenly objects and the stories behind their creation.

About the Museum

As a child, you must have thought about why the moon follows you wherever you go or tried to count the sparkling stars, or indulged in various activities behind your mother's back that were led by your curiosity about how things work. This curiousness stays with you even when you grow into an adult and the inquisitive human mind always seeks answers whenever possible. The Nehru Museum and Planetarium is just the place you would want to visit to quench the thirst of the scientist in you and to explore the world outside of our planet as well.

Located in New Delhi, the Nehru Planetarium and Museum was established in 1984, the same year when the first Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma traveled into space and was a former residence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Established to generate interest in science and astronomy among the masses and especially the youth, the Nehru Planetarium, and Museum are located in other cities such as Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai as well. If you have a fixation with the planets and the stars this is an ideal place for you as you will be spellbound by the impressive and intriguing exhibitions that will drive you around the universe. The following are the highlights of the museum that one must explore while on their visit.

Sky Theatre -

Experience the planets, galaxies, stars, and all other extraterrestrial objects moving around and narrating their story inside a dome-shaped hall illuminated only by the huge projector screen. Sounds enthralling right? The Sky Show is a must-experience activity in the museum which runs in both Hindi and English languages all day at different timings.

Soyuz T-10 (Space Station) -

This is another attraction in the museum which displays the space station Soyuz T-10 used by the astronaut Rakesh Sharma. A recording plays alongside the display which is the conversation Rakesh Sharma had with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Visitors can even get a glance at his journey through his mission journal and suit displayed here.

Solar and Lunar Eclipse Workshop -

This section becomes a major hit during eclipses. Whenever a major eclipse is about to appear, the planetarium arranges for telescopes, solar filters, projection boxes, etc., for the people to have a closer look at this beautiful natural phenomenon.

Nature Walks -

Not just astronomy, many people also visit this place because of the stunning botanical gardens that the planetarium has and the management organizes small nature walks to make people familiar with the exquisite plant life.

Nehru Memorial Museum -

Just beside the planetarium is the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library which houses numerous items of historic significance and portrays the relentless work and life of Jawaharlal Nehru through visual media. The library houses a plethora of books about space, cosmology, and even history which the visitors are welcome to have a look at and read. You may also attend the book seminars which are often held here.