Prasanna Deshmukh India’s participation in the TMT project will provide Indian astronomers an opportunity to carry out frontline research in astronomy. Another major reason to participate in this scientific endeavour which integrates latest innovations in segmented mirror design, precision control and adaptive optics, is to bring home some of these engineering expertise through international collaboration….
Satabdwa Majumdar “Ah! Mani da, great that I finally meet you here.”, exclaimed a briskly walking stranger on seeing Dr Manibhushan Mukhopadhyay (seldom called Mani da in his neighbourhood). As the stranger continued “I was planning to come to your house to discuss on the agenda of this year’s Durga puja, as we are..” Manibhushan…
Harsh Mathur The chromosphere is the most dynamic layer of the solar atmosphere, located between the bright solar surface and the million-degree hot corona. It is the region above the photosphere where the plasma is not in radiative equilibrium, and hydrogen is predominantly neutral, resulting in the characteristic Hα spectral line. The non-thermal energy that…
Kshitij Bane An internationally renowned astronomer, a pioneer of radio Astronomy research and torch-bearer for building and nurturing scientific capacity in post-independent India, an innovator responsible for creating unique and world-class scientific facilities, a mentor, and an inspiration for generations of young astronomers – Professor Govind Swarup, who passed away on 7th September 2020 in…
Ramya and Sivarani The next decade of astronomy will be led by the discoveries from the upcoming large telescopes, such as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). TMT will take images and spectra of the faintest and farthest objects in the Universe and will deliver an unprecedented view of the Universe to humankind. TMT is a…
R C Kapoor Observing comets from India Although the subject of comets has received space in a few old Indian texts, the description remains confined only to their morphology and the ominous implications. Nowhere is there an allusion as to a specific comet or even a hint that some real-time observations were made. Since 2009,…
Snehalata Sahu Have you ever heard of a vampire-like star existing in our Universe? If not, then you are missing the story of one of the most exciting types of stars, known as “Blue Straggler Stars” (BSSs). They are called so because they appear blue in color and straggle or lag in age behind their ancient neighbors, which…
Sandeep Kataria Bars are ubiquitous features in the disk galaxies. Observations show that around 2/3 of the disk galaxies in the observable universe (optical and infrared) have a bar in their central region. Bars are thought to be formed as a result of global instability in the disk, which traps eccentric orbits of the stars…
Sarthak Choudhary On July 29th 1878, residents of Rawlins, USA were ready with their smoked glass to witness a spectacular show of the celestial hide and seek – a total solar eclipse. Astronomers from all over the world had already arrived in the town. Amongst those was a party of astronomers led by Henry Draper…
