B M Birla Planetarium

 

 We got a chance to visit Birla Planetarium and Birla Science Museum, which were located at Naubat Pahad, the heart of Hyderabad city. The Birla Planetarium is one of the most modern planetariums in the country and has been rated among the best and highly visited planetariums in the world. It was inaugurated in the year of 1985 by the late Sri N.T.Rama Rao. This planetarium is the first phase of the Birla Science Center in Hyderabad and is a landmark in bridging the gap between science and the common masses. This place presents its visitors with the information about Universe and about various scientific inventions and theories related to it. The Sky show is the most attractive feature of the Planetarium. Its dome-shaped structure was developed with technological help from Japan. There are shows in three languages - English, Hindi, and Telugu and each cosmic presentation is for a duration of 35 minutes.  Each year, it presents its visitors with a different sky show, based on different scientific approach/theory. 
The sky show which we watched was about the universe in general, planets, galaxies, and different constellations. Frankly speaking, it was interesting at the beginning but was slightly boring towards the end. This show is informative for school kids from the age of 7.

Birla Science Museum is one of the popular tourist attractions in the city. It is also located on the same site, adjacent to the planetarium. It has various sections like Interactive Science Section, Antarctica Diorama, Dvaraka Diorama, IEEE, Nirmala Birla Art Gallery, Dinosaurium, etc. Each section is dedicated to a specialized field and it presents an amazing set of exhibits. The museum was inaugurated in 1990 and it was designed in such a way that the visitors can learn different scientific laws and theories through fun-filled activities.

The Interactive Science Centre is one of the many sections where exhibits are designed on the basis of various Physics laws, mechanics, perception, vibration and sounds, energy and motors, electricity and magnetism, and intriguing concepts of optical illusions, and many other concepts. 

There is also a space museum which is a collaborative effort between the ISRO and the B.M Birla Science Centre. It has models of various spacecrafts, satellites, rockets, etc. Each model is presented with a small description of the space mission associated with it.

  

Another important section is the Dinosaurium. It was built in 2000 and has a rare collection of fossils of the Dinosaur, Kotasaurus, which has lived almost 160 million years ago. The fossil measures about 14 metres in length and over 5 metres in height. These fossils were excavated from Yamanpalli in the Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. Apart from this unique fossil, there are equally important fossil specimens going back to the same era, like a Dinosaur egg, more importantly, a clutch of Dinosaur eggs, part of a fossiled tree trunk, a giant ammonite and some other breathtaking exhibits.

The Nirmala Birla Art Gallery is another interesting section. This art gallery displays a huge collection of various beautiful creations including a complex maze of crystal dolls and sculptures. An ivory architecture that boasts intricate carvings and figurines adds to the overall beauty of this place. It also has many rare and beautiful crystal figurines imported from different parts of the world.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the BM Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad have set up a major computer facility where students are exposed to hands-on experiments in Science Engineering. This centre hosts the best PCs available in the world today and also with exciting software. Students in groups of about 30 could spend about half an hour to 45 minutes exploring this virtual world.    

Birla Science Museum and Planetarium is well maintained and well managed. It is located in a calm and serene environment.  The Birla Science Museum is one of the best places for school-going students as they can have first-hand practical experience in improving their scientific knowledge. This place equally satisfies students as well as others who have a curiosity in understanding everything.