Content-Length: 8503 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Hare Krishna - Planetarium: The Planetarium - Hare Krishna
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The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium
The planetarium


As the name of the temple suggests, the planetarium is of central importance to this project. A major feature of the planetarium exhibition will be the representation of the planets rotating above the heads of the Deities. Srila Prabhupada often requested that the seven great planets -- the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn (which also correspond to the days of the week) -- should rotate in orbit around the top of the Deity altars. Since Krishna is the Lord and source of the planets, sarva loka mahesvaram, this presentation will visibly impress upon the visitors that the Lord is in control of His creation, of which the entire universe is only a small part.

The planetarium will be housed in one of the main four domes surrounding the temple, just behind the Deities on the temple's western side. This will be a completely equipped, modern planetarium with full projection capacity, and it will seat at least 200 people at a time. A variety of shows on the history of the universe and other specific phenomena described in Vedic literature will be presented periodically throughout the day. High school and college students, both individually and with their classes, will be able to examine the scientific basis of Krishna consciousness and judge for themselves the merit of the Vedic version.

Above the planetarium will be exhibits. Dioramas will depict the elements of the universal creation, such as the different planetary systems and how they relate to each other, and a complete model of the Universe will be exhibited. Other exhibits will be decidedly more "hi-tech." Computerized 3D graphics on large high-definition screens will offer "tours" throughout the universe. Visitors will appreciate the immense variety of creatures, societies, and opulence of the different planetary systems -- the upper heavenly planets, the earthly plane, and the lower planets. Demonstrations of special pastimes mentioned in the Veda will describe the relative differences of time in the universe and the cyclical nature of time through the manifestation of creation, maintenance, and annihilation again and again throughout the day of Lord Brahma. This exhibition promises to be an eye opener -- one of the most exciting presentations of the universe in the world today.

The special themes to be presented in the exhibitions include:

  • The accurate astronomy of the Fifth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam
  • Insights from the Jyotisa Sastra (primarily the Surya-siddhanta)
  • Stars and cosmic distances
  • Higher dimensions and the middle planetary systems
  • Cross-cultural references to Fifth Canto cosmology
  • Living beings in the higher-dimensional universe
  • Higher powers in the world of Maya


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