India, Nov. 22 -- It's 1925, and a small crowd has stepped into a pitch-black dome and heard the doors close behind them.

As they struggle to adjust to the darkness, the roof seems to disappear. An expanse of star-studded sky appears above them.

There are no models of ringed globes in this planetarium. No pinholes in the walls, with light shining through to mimic stars. Instead, there is a hub in the centre of the room, throwing out imagery of a dazzling night sky.

"It matters not whether the audience be made up of children or adults, professional people or laymen, the emotional experience is always the same," astronomer George Clyde Fisher wrote, in an essay in the journal Popular Astronomy. "When. the stars are 'turned on,' the audie...