Bengaluru will host the largest annual gathering of astronomers from India when the 42nd meeting of the Astronomical Society of India will be held in the capital of Karnataka.
According to the Astronomical Society of India, scientific discourses focussing on the Sun, planets, black holes and beyond will be held from January 31 to February 4. About 750 astronomers will be in attendance.
Many events have been separately planned keeping in mind visitors and school students who will be able to engage in various activities throughout the week.
Special attractions this year include the release of the decadal astronomy vision document, which is the culmination of a nationwide exercise to imagine the future of cosmic exploration from India, a workshop on the recently launched AdityaL1 mission – India’s first space based solar observatory, plenary lectures highlighting India’s planetary exploration program and pulsar timing array initiatives, and recognition of students and scientists for outstanding contribution to astronomy and astrophysics research and capacity building activities. More details are available at this site.
The Public Outreach and Education Committee of the Astronomical Society of India is partnering with local organisers and astronomy industries to host popular lectures on themes ranging from space exploration to the role of astronomy in defining time and calendars. Lectures have been planned on astrophotography with a special showcase on the night skies of the Indian Himalayas, and the need to preserve the heritage of the skies. Solar and night sky observation events have been organised, and a star party is being planned at the J.N. Planetarium.
A detailed agenda of events open to the public is available at this site.
The meeting of the Astronomical Society of India is being jointly organised by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the J.N. Planetarium. The formal inauguration of the event will take place on February 1 at 9 a.m. at J.N. Tata auditorium, IISc.
Schedule of events: What you can look forward to at meeting of Astronomical Society of India
| Day & Date | Time | Event | Venue | Speaker |
| Tuesday, January 30 | 12 Noon | Solar Observations and Interactions with Scientists | Kendriya Vidyalaya, IISc | |
| Tuesday, January 30 | 4 pm | Special Colloquium on Industry-Academia Interface with IISc Department of Physics. Title: Catalysing Academic and Private Partnerships in the Use of Big Data for Space Exploration and Human Benefit: The Frontier Development Lab | Physics Department Auditorium, IISc | Madhulika Guhathakurta, NASA |
| Tuesday, January 30 | 5.30 pm | Astronomy Discovery Lecture for Students Topic: Planetary and Lunar Exploration Science | Old Physics Building, IISc | Shyama Narendranath, ISRO |
| Tuesday, January 30 | 6.15 pm | Astronomy Discovery Lecture for Students Topic: Time and Calendars | Old Physics Building, IISc | Aniket Sule, HBCSE-TIFR |
| Tuesday, January 30 | 7.30 pm | Night Sky Watching | Main building ground, IISc | |
| Wednesday, January 31 | 6.30 pm | The Himalayan Night Skies from Ladakh | J.N. Tata Auditorium, IISc | Dorje Angchuk, IIA |
| Wednesday, January 31 | 7.15 pm | Beginner’s Guide to Astrophotography | J.N. Tata Auditorium, IISc | Aloke Kumar, IISc |
| Thursday, February 1 | 4.30 pm | The Sun through the Eyes of India’s AdityaL1 | J.N. Planetarium | Durgesh Tripathi , IUCAA |
| Saturday, February 3 | 12 noon | Solar observations | J.N. Tata Auditorium, IISc | |
| Saturday, February 3 | 2.30 pm | Space Tech Demonstration Workshop for Students and Public | J.N. Planetarium | Team: Kalam Labs |
| Saturday, February 3 | 4.30 pm | Stories of the Universe from AstroSat | J.N. Planetarium | S. Seetha, RRI |
| Saturday, February 3 | 6 pm | Star Party for Students and Public | J.N. Planetarium | Team: Kalam Labs, IISc Astrae and J.N. Planetarium |
| Sunday, February 4 | 4.30 pm | The Himalayan Night Skies from Ladakh | J.N. Tata Auditorium, IISc | Dorje Angchuk, IIA |
