PhD Astronomer, Founder - ASTRO, Co-Founder - ASTRO-NOT, Head - Novae Astro Club, Chair of Astronomy, Astrophysics & Public Science (Honorary) - Indian Space School, Award-winning Science Communicator & Populariser, Writer, Poet, Artist, Gold Medalist and University Rank Holder
Astronomy Outreach and Education are crucial in inspiring the next generation of scientists and ensuring a more scientifically literate society. Astronomy education can help people develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and inspire people to pursue careers in science and technology. By providing access to quality astronomy education, outreach initiatives, and resources, we can encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to explore the universe's wonders and contribute to society's progress and development.
Current Astronomy Outreach and Edu activities can be found at:
https://astroforeveryone.com/our-activities
As part of "International Observe the Moon Night," I organized an Outreach Session called "the #LunarWatchMeeting", attended by over 50 people of different age groups in a hybrid mode. Participants were encouraged to observe the Moon using mobile cameras, binoculars, and telescopes. They looked at the Moon and discussed moon craters, moon exploration, and moon phases.
On May 09, 2024, the Zero Shadow Day Outreach Event was a truly unique event at the Birla Planetarium. Zero Shadow Day is a captivating phenomenon that occurs only twice a year when the sun is directly overhead, resulting in the absence of any shadow from vertical objects. This intriguing occurrence is a result of the Earth’s axis tilt and its revolution around the sun, causing the angle of the sun’s rays to change throughout the year, leading to varying lengths and directions of shadows.
Zero shadow day occurs for locations between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Hyderabad’s latitude is 17.3850° N. ZSD will be seen in Hyderabad on May 09, 2024, at 12:12 IST. The shadow of vertical objects appears to disappear at this instant. However, the shadow does not disappear; it is located right under the object, and in our case, it is under our feet.
Exactly at 12:12 Hr IST, it was observed that the object’s shadow disappeared for a few minutes, i.e., formed exactly below the object. After observing the vertical objects for some time, the shadow appeared again. The ZSD outreach event was demonstrated at B M Birla Planetarium premises from 11:30 AM until 12:30 PM and was attended by a vast crowd.
The G P Birla Summer School and Workshop (GPBSSW) 2024 is an exclusive programme for School Students to experience Natural Phenomena, Fun with Science and Positional Astronomy beyond the classroom. The School and Workshop included hands-on activities, demonstrations, and practical and theoretical sessions. GPBSSW lasted three days, from April 29, 2024, to May 01, 2024. Thirty-two school students registered for the summer school and workshop.
The “Observational Astronomy Outreach Session” was jointly organised by B M Birla Planetarium (a unit of GPBAASRI) and SVP National Police Academy. Around 75 participants from various age groups, including IPS officers, attended the session. It started with an introduction to the Celestial Sphere and Basic Astronomy, followed by night sky observations. The observation session emphasised the need for clear skies for good observations. The participants felt excited using the telescopes and expressed interest in attending such sessions.
As a part of Astronomy Outreach, we organised essential Astronomy sessions, telescope assembling sessions, and Lunar Observation Sessions. Over 80 students and faculty members attended the sessions. During the observation sessions, we had interactive discussions about exciting facts related to celestial spheres, star charts, the sun, the moon, planetary observations, and more. I appreciate the Heads of AI and ML, ECE departments of K L University, who encouraged the students to attend these sessions. I also appreciate the students who showed so much enthusiasm and interest in attending the sessions.
Our Astronomy Outreach Program at Birla Planetarium in Hyderabad with the @MahindraUniversity Astronomy Club members was a huge success today. Around fifty students and a few faculty members attended the session. We had an enjoyable session on observing sunspots using a 4.5-inch Newtonian Reflector equipped with Solar Filters, delving into their formation and impact on space weather. It was an excellent opportunity to share knowledge with the club members! At Birla Planetarium and Science Centre, Hyderabad, we are open to outreach programs and encourage such groups!
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We recently conducted an Astronomical Outreach Session at "Surya The Global School", attended by around 50 students. The session included a theory session, an activity session, and an observation session. During the theory session, we discussed observational astronomy, its history, the importance of telescopes, how to observe the night sky, the use of Star Charts, and other related topics. In the activity session, students learned about the formation of craters, the role of an impactor, its size, speed, impact angle, and the atmosphere. Finally, in the observation session, students could look through the telescope to view the Moon. Despite partial cloud cover, the students could glimpse the Moon.
During the CAP-2023 Workshop at the Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, participants were given a hands-on experience observing sunspots. The session focused on providing knowledge about various types of telescopes, solar filters, projecting Sun images, safe viewing of the sun, and finally, observing sunspots.
The participants were taught the importance of sunspot observations and how they help predict solar activity and space weather. They were also instructed to differentiate between sunspots and other solar features like granules, faculae, and prominences.
Overall, the workshop was a great learning experience for the participants and helped them understand the use of telescopes and solar filters for safe viewing of the Sun and observing sunspots.
During various outreach activity programs or events at the Birla Planetarium, Hyderabad, sunspot observations were conducted to educate the visitors about this fascinating phenomenon. The visitors could observe the sunspots on the sun's surface through telescopes fitted with solar filters and screen projections. These observations were accompanied by interactive sessions where the visitors explained the causes and effects of sunspots and their importance in understanding the sun's behaviour. The outreach programs successfully created awareness about the importance of sunspot observations and generated interest in Astronomy and space science among the visitors.
On August 05, 2023, a collaborative exhibition on Telescopes and science experiments was exhibited by the GPBAASRI at Surya The Global School, Bachupally, Hyderabad. The event was organized for the students and their parents, and it was indeed an enlightening experience. The exhibition showcased various types of telescopes and their functions, and the students were given a live demonstration of how to use them.
Birla Planetarium had the pleasure of conducting an outreach activity on August 03, 2023, which coincided with Zero Shadow Day. Our goal was to educate students and the public about the science behind this fascinating phenomenon. We hosted a small workshop where we explained the concept of zero shadow and its importance. During the workshop, we also showcased how the sun's position affects the length of shadows. The attendees were captivated and asked thought-provoking questions. It was a wonderful experience to share our knowledge and inspire young minds.
If necessary, past events can be discussed and shared.
