Amateur Astronomy

Plan of the Workshop

• Guest Lectures
  
  • Prof. Naresh Dadhich - Director, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune
  • Prof. Ajit Kembhavi - Distinguished Professor, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune
  • Prof. G Srinivasan - Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore
• Workshop (Amateur Astronomy)
  We present a talk on 'Introduction to Amateur Astronomy', given by students of IITM, covering the following topics :
  1.Basics of theoretical/observational astronomy.
  2.Introduction to telescopes and their handling.
  3.Demo & introduction to the use of sky-mapping & planetarium softwares.
  


• Pop Astronomy Session
  In the first of its kind session as such, we plan to give our audience a flavour of Bad Astronomy (Busting common myths in astronomy).
  We'll give you a "star-studded" tour of the sky in the comfort of your cushioned seat!!! (no popcorn though) Prepare to be enthralled.


Video Shows
We will be screening 3 parts of "Space with Sam Neill" a popular 6-part series on astronomy. The 3 parts will be: Star Stuff, Black Holes & Are We Alone


• Observation Session
  We plan to have an observation session with telescopes in which we shall be able to see planets(like Jupiter) and many other Deep-Sky Objects(or DSOs as we call them) open clusters, globular clusters, nebulae & galaxies, including the Andromeda galaxy!
  Keep your fingers crossed for clear skies.

Lectures

We will be having guest lectures by the following people:

• Prof. Naresh Dadhich - Director, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune
• Prof. Ajit Kembhavi - Distinguished Professor, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune
  Dr.Ajit Kembhavi had his undergraduate education in Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai and obtained his Ph. D. from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, working with Professor Jayant Narlikar on gravitation theory. Thereafter he was a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. During his Ph.D. was appointed as a scientist in TIFR, and remained there, until 1987, when he joined the then newly forming Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) as a founder member. He has been deeply involved in the development of IUCAA and he is at present Distinguished Professor and Dean, Visitors' Programmes there.
  His fields of interest include quasars, active galaxies and pulsars, and morphology of galaxies. He is also interested in neural networks and non-linear dynamics. He is currently working on project called the Virtual Observatory, which involves interaction between astronomers, computer scientists and software developers. He actively works for the popularization of science, including astronomy, in India and makes important contributions to IUCAA's Public Outreach Programme. He is the Chairman of various committees responsible for the national project called UGC-INFONET. He is a member of the Scientific Council of CDS, Strasbourg, France, he was Chairman of the Governing Board of the Consortium for Educational Communication, New Delhi, until September 2006, Strasbourg, France, and has been President of the Indian Association of General Relativity and Gravitation until March 2006.He has also published many research papers and written and edited several books.
  
  Topic and Abstract of the talk:
  Virtual Observatories - A New Paradigm for Astronomy
  Abstract:
  The concept of virtual observatories has recently emerged to enable astronomers to deal with the management, analysis, visualisation and mining of vast quantities of astronomical data. The task is difficult because of the diversity of data obtained at different wavelengths and the the very different techniques used in the analysis. There is the need to develop data formats, interoperability standards, registries, data bases, and tools for exploring and using the multiwavelength and multiscale data. This is being done through large and small virtual observatory programmes based in several countries. The quest now is to produce exciting discoveries using the new techniques and tools. Dr.Kembhavi will describe in his talk the virtual observatory concept, and the developments which have taken place over the last few years under that banner. He will particularly consider the applications developed by the Virtual Observatory - India project, through an innovative and highly productive collaboration between astronomers and professionals from the information technology industry. The tools and techniques developed by virtual observatory programmes can prove to be very useful in any field where large amounts of data are used, like high energy physics, remote sensing, population studies and bioinformatics.
• Prof. G Srinivasan - Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore
  
  
  
  
  
  
  M.Sc. University of Madras (1964)
  Ph.D. University of Chicago (1970)
  Worked as a research scientist at:
  • IBM Research Laboratory, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden
  • Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
  Professor, Raman research Institute, Bangalore (1976 – 2004)
  Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore
  Former President, Astronomical Society of India
  Former President, Space and High Energy Astrophysics Division, International Astronomical Union.
  Areas of research interest: Condensed Matter Physics and Astrophysics.
  Abstract:
  The Mysterious Universe
  Was there a beginning? Although this question is at the base of every religion and philosophy, it was a meaningless scientific question till recently. According to the prevalent opinion today, the Universe is about 13 billion years old. It began as a very hot and very dense primeval atom. It is not only expanding, it is accelerating!
  
  The first part of the talk will focus on the observational results that led us to these conclusions.
  
  Although Cosmology is a very young subject, it has already had a major impact on fundamental physics. It is now fairly clear that the large scale dynamics of the present day Universe is governed by the conditions that prevailed when it was 20 orders of magnitude smaller than the atomic nucleus! Further, astronomical observations have established that roughly 90% of the mass in the Universe is of unknown nature, and has come to be known as Dark Matter. Even more remarkably, it is now fairly well established that about 70% of the energy density of the Universe is not at all associated with matter. This mysterious energy that pervades the Universe has come to be known as Dark Energy.
  
  The true nature of the Dark Matter and Dark Energy is one of the outstanding fundamental questions at the dawn of the new millennium, and is at the base of the present revolution is astronomy. This talk will attempt to highlight these recent developments.