The Flow…
Akanksha Kapahtia About the poet Akanksha Kapahtia is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at IIA.
Comet Tales From India
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,…
The Shape of the Universe – Objects in the Mirror are Closer than they Appear
Fazlu Rahman Objects in the Mirror are Closer than they Appear – A very familiar sentence to all of us. Though this is a safety warning written for the drivers who may mistakenly assume that the car behind them, as seen in the mirror is far away, given its small size, it has become a…
Storm In A Tea Cup
U S Kamath The Professor entered the Director’s office. “Have a seat,” the Director said. The Director was browsing through the report, his report. The office boy placed a cup of tea on the coaster. It was the same tea available in the canteen but served in a big, white cup. He began sipping the…
The Mysterious Exoplanets
Suman Saha Just like the planets in our Solar system orbiting around the Sun, there are planets outside the Solar system orbiting around other stars. They are known as the Exoplanets (or Extra-solar planets). By definition, planets are much smaller than the stars and unlike the stars, they have no direct source of light but…
Orion Nebula
“Orion Nebula is one of the most famous deep-sky objects, which most beginners in astrophotography target. Even I did the same. My first attempt with Orion Nebula was a single exposure of 30 s, ISO 3200, in December 2018. But the core area got overexposed. Since this was my first attempt on DSO imaging using…
“Mary’s room and the outside world”
Abstract Art by Maya Prabhakar The knowledge argument (also known as Mary’s room or Mary the super-scientist) is a philosophical thought experiment proposed by Frank Jackson in his article “Epiphenomenal Qualia” (1982) and extended in “What MaryDidn’t Know” (1986). The experiment is intended to argue against physicalism—the view that the universe, including all that is…
Glimpses of memories at IAO-Hanle (Part-II)
Indian Astronomical Observatory: 25 Years B C Bhatt, Dorje Angchuk & Man Singh In Ladakh, there are only two seasons. One is winter (October to April), and the other is Summer (May to September). That’s why business activities start as soon as the surface transport opens in May, and all resources reach Ladakh in the…
Life-changing experiences through IIA Outreach
Megha Like many, I joined IIA with lots of dreams and passion. Along with mastering the subject, I always wanted to contribute to society in whatever way possible. While I was not quite sure how I could proceed with this dream, the IIA Outreach program came in front of me like a boon. Along with…