Planetarium at Nagaland Science Centre darkened by technical woes

DIMAPUR — Students looking forward to an eventful summer break with various activities, including a visit to the Nagaland Science Centre in Dimapur, will be in for a disappointment, as they will miss out on a key attraction this year.

The planetarium at the Nagaland Science Centre, a major attraction with its screenings on cosmology, has been temporarily closed for the past month due to technical issues.

On this, Sosangtemjen, Curator of the Science Centre, said that they are working diligently to resolve the issue.

The curator told Eastern Mirror on Monday that attempts have been made to replace a fused bulb at the planetarium. However, the faulty bulb turned out to be a symptom of a larger issue requiring the entire planetarium equipment to be sent to Mumbai for repair.

A single bulb costs around INR 60,000, and repairing it is not easy as the entire equipment were brought from Mumbai, he said.

Considering the logistics involved in sending the equipment back to Mumbai, a definite timeline for the planetarium’s reopening remains uncertain, he added.

Meanwhile, Sosangtemjen informed that the Department of Science and Technology held a meeting with the Ministry of Culture, to discuss on renovating the Science Centre and converting one of the galleries into a ‘mirror gallery’.

In this connection, he said the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) will implement the project and the gallery has already been refurbished. The installation of the mirror gallery is expected to begin in August, he added.

Further renovations, including the development of an Astro park, ecological park, and medicinal plant park, are slated to begin after the monsoon season.

The curator went on to inform that the centre has consistently evolved since its establishment in 2004, adding new facilities like a 3D theatre and an innovation hub in 2018.

On an average, around 2000 people visit the centre per month, with peak seasons in summer vacation. Schools from other districts also visit the centre for exposure trips, although it is quite unpredictable, he added.

Sosangtemjen further expressed the need to cultivate interest in science and technology amongst the wider Naga community.