Thane: Thane district’s first planetarium was inaugurated on Sunday in a village near Shahapur town. The private Space Astrotainment Planetarium & Observatory (SAPO) is located on a 3.5 acre land in Sakadbav village, featuring a state-of-the-art 56-seat digital dome planetarium with 360% projection technology, offering shows in Marathi, Hindi, and English. The facility houses an open-sky observatory equipped with powerful telescopes for real-time stargazing of celestial bodies like Saturn’s rings and the moon. The centre also offers stay options for visitors. Shahapur MLA Daulat Daroda said the facility would inspire children to learn astronomy. Astronomer D.K. Soman, the chief guest, called for the facility to be developed into a dedicated education and research hub for astronomy.
