“The Cosmos is all that is or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us – there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, or falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.”
–Carl Sagan, Astronomer and Science Communicator.
Have you ever imagined a night wherein you lie down and witness the immense grandeur of the night sky? Well, we have just the right spot to have such an experience. While SPACE had been constantly working to make people more scientifically aware through its different programs of Astronomy and Space science, iAstronomer is a unique endeavor by Space India wherein people of all ages are part of our Astronomy Club. In order to provide the mesmerizing stargazing experience to the members of iAstronomer Club – an overnight observation was scheduled at Astroport Sariska, Rajasthan.
The observation began with an orientation to the night sky wherein they were acquainted with a few fundamentals about stargazing. They were amazed to learn about finding directions the astronomical way, i.e., with the help of the Pole Star. Thereafter, participants were explained about the beautiful patterns of stars through the concepts of constellations and asterisms. Furthermore, they also learnt about star charts such as Planisphere, which they used for hunting constellations and different objects in the night sky.
Astronomy is never encircled without telescopes and therefore, participants learnt about the fundamentals of using telescopes and experienced various objects in the sky through them. Their observation included breathtaking view of the planets such as Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn as well as deep sky objects such as star clusters and nebulae.
Overall, the journey through the stars was a captivating experience for them and the Space Team received an amazing response and feedback.
