A starry night show! तारें ज़मीं पर!!

Treat of sky treasures with students of Kalpana Chawla Space Academy

✪ A night long camp near the base of Tung fort, Lonawala
✪ Bliss for the children and what a treat the sky is
✪ “रात है या सितारों की बारात है!”
✪ Orion constellation? No, it is a huuuuge cluster!
✪ Excellent sky without light pollution and treasure of clusters
✪ Joy ride of the children in severe cold night
✪ Trek near Tung fort and new exposure for the children
✪ Remarkable experience of staying in wonderful nature

Hello all. Last weekend, I had a great opportunity to accompany the students of Kalpana Chawla Space Academy, Lonawala for a sky watching camp. While teaching them astronomy as a subject, sky watching is a regular activity. But watching the sky from city and from a remote place almost free from any light pollution is vastly different. Here it was all shining stars! These days such dark skies without any light pollution is a rarity. Actually it was a great delight. In astronomical terms, you could just see stars as faint as 5th magnitude with just your eyes. Those clusters which are difficult to spot in cities in a telescope, were readily observable here! Even finderoscope was sufficient! The great Omega Centauri cluster- it was visible to the naked eyes! When the early morning Venus suddenly erupted from behind the mountain, it was just a search light! But let’s begin from the beginning!

 

 

The Kalpana Chawla story- you cannot imagine (कल्पना नही कर सकते)!

Participation in Kalpana Chawla Space Academy workshop
 

India’s First Space Technology Academy at Secondary School level

Hello and namaste. Recently I got an opportunity to participate in a workshop organized at Kalpana Chawla Space Academy, Adv. Bapusaheb Bhonde Highschool, Lonavala. I also got opportunity to contribute for designing its curriculum. It was wonderful to interact with such scientists and veterans in the fields of science, education and research. Got so many things to learn from these persons. Many less- known facts about the great Kalpana Chawla came to the fore. A video call with her father was the moment to be remembered for the life! Here is a write up to highlight major aspects of this workshop.
 

✪ Shri. Sanjay Pujari- “madly passionate about educating”
✪ Towering personalities and equalizing science
✪ Young veterans sharing words of wisdom!
✪ The Kalpana Chawla story- you cannot imagine (कल्पना नही कर सकते)!
✪ Inspirational meeting with senior Chawla ji
✪ “Whole the universe is my home”
✪ Less known aspects of Kalpana Chawla


Shri. Sanjay Pujari sir, veteran in science popularization and founder of Kalpana Chawla Science centre, Karad had told me to prepare an outline for a curriculum for 7th Standard students about astronomy. I had told him that I can write on for observational aspects of astronomy and he accepted that. While conducting sky watching sessions, many persons had asked me how they can learn about these sky wonders. So I had some ideas in mind and then sent the outline to Pujari sir. Then he invited me for this workshop.

Young veterans!

In the workshop, I met Shri. Pujari sir after long time. Such a warmth and affection. He introduced us to other eminent dignitaries. It mainly included Shri. Madhav Bhonde sir, the principal of the school and Mrs. Radhika Bhonde madam, ex- vice chancellor of a university Dr. Pandit Vidyasagar and others. Mr and Mrs. Bhonde have extended their support to this academy. It was amazing to know these young people. One such young veteran- Dr. Vyankatesh Gambhir casually shared that he had just ascended to Sinhgad fort. Age of this young person is just 75! Another young person- Industrialist Shri. Narayan Bhargava had come here all the way from Mumbai and he drove his car even when he had a plaster in his left hand! This was just one example of how he can do things single- handedly!