India - Among the stars

Just attended a seminar on "Astronomy in India - new initiatives" by Dr. Ravi Manchanda of TIFR. I am so totally bedazzled; he was brilliant like a supernova. Frankly I had as much interest in Astronomy as I have on the mating habits of the great white shark - which is nothing.

Nevertheless, Astronomy in India touched a nerve and I was curious to know why someone would want to deliver a seminar on Indian Astronomy in an Australian University, even one with a fairly decent Astronomy department, that too on a Friday morning during semester break. I was curious to see if anyone did turn up. Not only did academics, enthusiasts, students and the have-nothing-better-to-do s forwent their precious tea-break (I had my tea an hour earlier) to attend the seminar, they were attentive and appreciative.

Dr.Ravi enlightened us on the capabilities, research projects and current proposals of India in the field of Astronomy. For one, I learnt today that there are several branches within Astronomy - Optical, UV, IR, X-ray, etc. Until today, Astronomy was sleeping in the terrace while looking at the stars. So the seminar was a collection of A-ha!! experiences, a true eye-opener.

Did you know:

• Mt. Abu has a solar observatory that is one of its kind.
• Ooty has a Radio telescope that is the largest of its kind.
• India has a Balloon facility for research on the upper realms of the atmosphere and astronomy and is the only facility in the world where the balloons are produced in-house.
• Universities and Research institutes from around the world are competing each other to collaborate with an Indian consortium (of TIFR, ISRO, IIA and several other organizations)
• ASTROSAT, the proposed satellite for Astronomical purposes, scheduled to be launched in 2007 (Dr.Ravi is incharge of the satellite) will have world space agencies 'buying' time of the satellite for their own research.
• Chandrayaana, the proposed Moon Exploration programme will investigate the side of the moon away from us (apparently the moon always shows one face to us and the other side is always hidden from view and has not been studied)
• Research is being undertaken in India that will validate (or disprove) the Big Bang theory and we have a whole heap of dishes (nothing to do with food), 35m dia. that is helping us do it. (I am a bit sketchy on the details... sorry)
• A new minor planet discovered by India Institute of Astrophysics in 1988 has been named Ramanujan (it is the first such discovery by modern India).

Indian Astronomy and Astrophysics research is comparable to any country's in the world. Our expertise in Space technology is helping it in a big way.

Now, we don't have to sing past glories; of astronomical treatises written by Aryabhatta. The glory is here.

I am mighty proud of our accomplishment. And so should you.