Tucked away in the Tamil Nadu Science & Technology Center in Kotturpuram is the Birla Planetarium. Having been around for almost 30 years, the Birla Planetarium is definitely one of the most popular places for school trips in the city of Chennai. We bet you didn’t know that that planetarium is a part of a much larger space called the Periyar Science & Technology Center that has a lot going on like exhibits, 3D shows, galleries and parks that you can explore and more. It is basically the best place to be if you’re fascinated by everything scientific in the city.
Fully computerised, the Birla Planetarium can accommodate up to 236 people at once and has 35 special programs that cover things like the Solar System, Life Cycle of Stars, Are We Alone In The Universe?, Comets and so much more. Every three months, the program themes are changed to bring something new and refreshing to the table. All their shows are conducted in English and Tamil (depending on the time slot you choose) and everything is projected onto the specially perforated aluminium inner-dome.
Open every single day of the week from 10 am to 5:45 pm, Birla Planetarium has shows happening throughout the day. English shows happen at 10:45 am, 1:15 pm and 3:45 pm, while the Tamil shows take place at 12 noon and 2:30 pm. And when you’re done with the planetarium experience, you can also walk around the center, attending exhibitions, walking through galleries and even visiting the parks in the area.
As for the price, entry into the Science Center is INR 15 for children below 12 and INR 30 for everyone else. And there’s a fee of INR 10 to attend a show at the planetarium for children below 12 and INR 20 for adults.