An Astro Car

Guwahati, March 8: If Guwahati Planetarium can help it, or rather afford it, the stars will soon be on your doorstep.

To ensure that distance does not come in the way of sharing and spreading knowledge, the planetarium plans to buy an Astro Car to take astronomy to those who have not had an opportunity to visit a planetarium.

The Astro Car will tour different parts of the state, providing an opportunity to people living in the interior areas to explore the skies and unravel the mysteries of space.

The vehicle will be like a mobile planetarium with sophisticated equipment, including a telescope, installed in it.

The department of science and technology of the state government has already moved the North Eastern Council (NEC) to fund this project.

The planetarium officials have got in touch with Goto Optical Manufacturing Company of Japan for the Astro Car, which will cost more than Rs 1 crore.

Curator-cum-public information officer of Guwahati Planetarium, Babul Chandra Bora, said, “The Astro Car, equipped with a telescope, is necessary for the Guwahati Planetarium to conduct its public outreach programmes in different places of the Northeast.”

“At present, we have an 80 mm aperture telescope and it is not always possible to dismantle and take it to faraway places for conducting outreach programmes,” Bora said.

In the Astro Car, a telescope is mounted in a custom-made truck with a rotating observatory dome.

An educational video will also be shown to those waiting in a queue for the telescope through the built-in audio-visual equipment. And if the observation session is cancelled because of clouds, the AV system can be used to alleviate some of the disappointment.

“The mobile observatory will play a significant role in opening the horizon of astronomy and marvels of space science in a fascinating and entertaining manner to children and the general public,” Bora said.