The Hindu Business Line : Night out with stars

Turn off that TV and get ready for a Star Party. One that involves celestial sky objects and nebulae, not local celebrities, we hasten to add. The Bangalore Astronomical Society, a young club founded by astronomy enthusiasts in the city, conducts such outings to outskirts of the city, where you get a chance to peer into a real telescope and learn about astronomy. The night is spent pointing out various constellations, planets and admiring the Milky Way draped across the sky.

The atmosphere at such Star Parties is charged with electric and contagious enthusiasm about the vast unknown. Newbies are excitedly shown twin stars, nebulae and galaxies that are millions of light years away. "We are simply a group you can hang out with if the thrilling sight of millions of stars in a night sky mesmerises you... a group where you can take your kid to if he's interested in what lies beyond," says Pavan Keshavamurthy, one of the founders of the club.

This collegian shows unbridled enthusiasm in astronomy and sharing the science and observations with the community. There is an older club that meets at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. However, this club's USP is its dedication to building a telescope for the city. The club has embarked on a marathon ATM (Amateur Telescope Making) project — to make a 16-inch F/6 mirror for a Dobsonian telescope. The humongous mirror needs to be ground, polished, aluminised and assembled into a scope. Individuals and corporates are invited to be part of this endeavour to make it a success. The club blogs at http://basblog.wordpress.com/

A wiki on telescope making has been created, and the group has several online mailing lists and communities on social networking sites. The group also plans to hold seminars on topics such as "50 Top deep sky objects you'll observe" and "The physics and metaphysics of singularities" to educate fellow citizens.

If you are beginning to think astronomy is geeky, think again. Rock star Brian May (of the band Queen) has swapped his guitar for a telescope and even co-authored a book called Bang! The Complete History of the Universe. So look no further for a hobby that will lend you `star appeal'!

More Stories on : Events | Science & Technology

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
A biogas kitchen

Know your stress threshold

Wild with excitement...

Outside IT hours

Mediterranean flavour