The Cardboard Planetarium at Synergy

Synergy Tech Fest 2025 · November 7–9, 2025 · Venue: R109

The Cardboard Planetarium was ECLIPSE’s most ambitious project to date — a fully custom-built dome structure that brought the cosmos to Synergy 2025’s tech fest in the most hands-on way imaginable.

What It Was

At the heart of the exhibit was a hand-constructed geodesic dome, built by ECLIPSE members from scratch using cardboard, precision cutting, and a lot of late-night determination. Inside, visitors experienced two fully produced astronomy shows:

The Wonders of the Solar System — created specifically for this event, a journey through our cosmic neighbourhood
Knights of the Winter Sky — featuring a custom human voiceover (a deliberate choice over AI narration, to create a warmer, more personal connection with the audience)

Both shows were scripted and visualized using SpaceEngine, a universe simulator that allowed realistic, scientifically accurate depictions of celestial objects.

Building It

The path to opening day was anything but smooth. Structural challenges emerged early — weak joints caused an initial dome collapse, forcing urgent redesign and reinforcement. Corrupted audio files threatened to derail the final presentations. Through it all, team members worked overnight, hand-cutting cardboard panels to precise dimensions and learning new construction techniques under a tight deadline.

They delivered on time.

The Event

Over three days (12 PM – 9 PM), the planetarium drew a large and enthusiastic crowd. Each show was ticketed at ₹70, with a ₹20 discount for returning visitors. Post-show quizzes rewarded winners with ECLIPSE-branded keychains, and club merchandise — stickers and more — was available throughout.

The Aftermath

The impact extended beyond the fest. On the Monday following Synergy, ECLIPSE hosted a special screening for faculty and staff. Dr. Debabrata Das, Director of IIIT-B, attended and praised the team. Several faculty members expressed interest in future editions.

The project concluded with a symbolic moment: every team member — junior, senior, and volunteer — signed the dome’s top pentagon, leaving a permanent record of what they’d built together.

Organized by ECLIPSE Astronomy Club, IIIT Bangalore. Approved by Dean (SA).