Lucknow, Dec. 13 -- A planetarium and a central mess, which in their full glory kept buzzing with students, are gathering dust at the Lucknow University, even as the university splurges on infrastructure upgrade.

The planetarium, near the department of mathematics and astronomy, is one of the earliest university-based planetariums in India. The planetarium was built as an academic and training facility to strengthen Astronomy education through experiential, visual sky-simulation learning.

The construction was completed in 1949, and it housed a rare SPITZ Model A1 star projector, purchased by the University in 1946. The cost of the projector was $500 when purchased after which LU was among the first in India to formally introduce B.Sc. A...