State’s first ultramodern planetarium has been completed. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam will inaugurate this unique astronomy structure at Basant Vihar, Ujjain on June 12 at 10.30 am. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will preside over the function. Science and Technology Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya will be especially present.
In this context, a seminar was held on role of planetarium in scientific communication at Vikram University, Ujjain on Monday.
The workshop was inaugurated by Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya Vice-Chancellor DP Singh while Director General of Madhya Pradesh Council for Science and Technology Prof Pramod Kumar Verma presided over it. Director of Vigyan Prasar, New Delhi R Gopichand and VK Singh of NCSTC, New Delhi expressed their views on the occasion.
The observatory also is complete and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will launch its functioning on June 11. The state-of-the-art observatory constructed at village Dongla in Mahidpur tahsil will be inaugurated at 2 pm. Sah-Sarkaryawah Suresh Soni will preside over the function while Science and Technology Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya will be special guest.
On both occasions, directors/coordinators of all 40 planetariums of the country, 50 science communicators and over 30 astronomers and scientists will remain present. Prominent among them are Shrikant Pathak, Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, DP Duari, MP Birla Planetarium, Kolkata, Ratnashri, Director, Nehru Planetarium, New Delhi, BS Shailja, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru, BP Singh and DK Pandey, NCSTC, New Delhi and Arvind Paranjpey, Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai.
An attractive astronomy exhibition has also been put up on the occasion by international company Infovision, Mumbai, leo Planetarium, New Delhi and GOTO, Kolkota.