What is COSMOS-Mysuru? How India's first LED dome planetarium will help students explore space

MYSURU: Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing planets, stars, distant galaxies and other celestial phenomena spread across an entire dome above you. Now imagine that the images are not being projected from a machine but are displayed directly by millions of tiny LED lights. That is the technology behind COSMOS-Mysuru, India's first LED dome planetarium, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

Developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), the Cosmology Education and Research Training Centre is located on the University of Mysore campus at the foothills of Chamundi Hills. It combines an advanced planetarium with facilities for astronomy education, data analysis and research training.

How is an LED dome planetarium different?

Most conventional planetariums use a projector to cast images and videos onto the inside of a dome. The dome itself acts as a passive surface on which the visuals appear.

COSMOS-Mysuru uses a different system. Its dome is made up of LED panels that display images directly, eliminating the need for a conventional projection system.

The 15-metre dome is tilted and consists of around 6,150 panels containing approximately 4.2 crore individual LEDs. The system offers 8K resolution and can be controlled through a computer system to display high-resolution visuals across the dome.

According to the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the technology offers better contrast and a wider range of colours. It also creates possibilities for displaying live astronomical data, telescope observations and scientific visualisations.

How will it help students and the public?

The technology is expected to make astronomy easier to understand by allowing audiences to explore the universe through immersive visual presentations.

Instead of learning about planets, stars and other celestial objects only through textbooks or conventional classroom diagrams, students can experience visual representations of astronomical phenomena across the dome.

The facility is also designed to go beyond regular planetarium shows. Its planned activities include academic workshops, data-analysis programmes and training for students and teachers. The LED dome can also be used as a teaching tool to explain astronomical observations and scientific concepts.

The institute's plans include using the facility to display data from Indian telescopes and introduce students to the process of analysing astronomical information.

The centre will also have exhibition halls, a museum featuring astronomy models and artefacts, lecture halls, training facilities and interactive outdoor science exhibits. Telescope facilities for viewing the Sun and stars are also part of the project.

Three years of groundwork in astronomy education

The planetarium is the culmination of a three-year astronomy education and outreach programme conducted by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Mysuru and surrounding rural areas.

Before the facility opened, the institute organised more than 150 events, reaching over 40,000 participants. These included school activities, student and teacher workshops, public lectures, technical discussions and online sessions in Kannada and English, reported India Today.

A radio programme featuring more than 60 episodes in Kannada and English was also used to take astronomy education to a wider audience.

The outreach programme aimed to build interest in astronomy, particularly among students and communities with limited exposure to the subject. The institute also worked with local stakeholders to strengthen astronomy education networks in the region.

With COSMOS-Mysuru now operational, the institute plans to shift towards more structured educational activities at the campus, using the planetarium as a space for learning, training and scientific engagement.

The centre is therefore intended to serve not only as a place to watch astronomy shows but also as a resource for students and teachers to explore space science, understand telescope data and develop an interest in scientific research.