Nehru Planetarium
“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is
friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”
-A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Keeping
pace with our pledge of an extended outdoor classroom to our bright Xaverians
and to quench their scholastic curiosity, the St. Xavier’s High School
organised a field trip of Grade II to the Nehru Planetarium on Saturday, 22nd
December 2018. It was a really educative as well as gratifying experience for
the students under vigilant supervision of their Class Teacher, Sports In-Charge
and a Medical Practitioner.
Planetariums
are domed theatres that project images of the starry sky and countless
spectacular objects we find in our universe, creating educational experiences
that teach astronomy and related sciences. By showing the fascinating
discoveries in astronomy and space exploration, planetariums are a major tool
in increasing science literacy. Many of today's leading scientists chose their
careers because they were captivated by the experience of a planetarium visit.
The students visited the Nehru Planetarium in New Delhi,
situated in the green surroundings of the Teen Murti House, earlier the
official residence of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and now a
museum in his memory. Nehru Planetarium is now a wing of the Nehru
Memorial Museum and Library. The students were fascinated by the memorabilia among other exhibits at the library, museum
as well as the last residences of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Smt. Indira Gandhi
and Mahatma Gandhi and felt honoured to get a glimpse of their life.
They, then, were escorted to the planetarium where they were
shown a presentation on the famous astronauts of India, including the first
Indian astronaut to travel in space Mr. Rakesh Sharma and his spacecraft.
The
students were over joyed and were really inquisitive about the world's
astronomy classrooms and centres of Public Science Education that have served
perhaps a billion people during the past century. Observing the vast universe,
stars, constellations, galaxies left the young Xaverians awestruck. Being an
astronaut and scientist or an engineer who designs a telescope or a spacecraft
became the career goals for them, as they gazed intently at the marvels of
universe, highlighting the significance of space research during the formative
years of a student’s knowledge acquisition.