ASTRONOMY CLUB

Amateur Astronomy Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky (and the day sky too, for sunspots, eclipses, etc.), and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars. Even though scientific research is not their main goal, many amateur astronomers make a contribution to astronomy by monitoring variable stars, tracking asteroids and discovering transient objects, such as comets.

Equipment Binoculars  Are smaller, lighter and more portable than telescopes.  Binoculars don’t require any assembly, unlike most telescopes, making them an easy piece of equipment to use for people of any age or skill level. Telescopes Although it takes more work to assemble, use and properly manipulate a telescope, one can see many more details of the sky with a telescope  What do we want from a telescope? Light gathering, magnification & resolution  Unresolved objects such as Stars & Resolved objects: such as Planets, Sun, moon, stellar clusters, globular clusters, planetary nebula. Photography  It can be done with a traditional or digital camera.  Alternatively, one can use a CCD or Charge-Coupled Device camera, which is a sensitive electronic device having silicon chips that are particularly sensitive to light, meaning they can detect especially faint objects that regular cameras aren’t able to capture. These pictures are viewed and manipulated on a special computer software.

Telescopes… Of the two Telescopes the Astronomy Club has, One is PARABOLIC REFLECTOR D=130 / F=900mm MODEL SK 1309P EQ2 Description Diameter130 mm Focal length900 mm Secondary Mirror Diameter 34.5mm Focal ratioF/ 7 Highest Practical Power260x Faintest Stellar Magnitude13.3 Resolving power 0.9 Finder scope Red Dot Finder Focuser Diameter 1.25" EyepieceSuper 10 mm & Super 25 mm Magnification with eyepiece90x and 36x Variable Barlow (1.5 -2X -2.5x -3x)10mm: 135x, 180x, 225x, 270x 25mm: 54x, 72x, 90x, 108x. Mount Type EQUATORIAL Slow-motion Control RA & DEC Counterweight's 3.5Kgs Piggyback BracketYes Accessories Tray Wall-to-wall Tube weight 4.21 Kgs Tube Dimension 17cm Dia. x 83cm length Tripod Height cm

And the another one is REFRACTOR D=90 / F=900mm MODEL SK 909 EQ2 Description Diameter90 mm (3.5 ") Focal length 900 mm (35.4") Focal ratio F/ 10 Highest Practical Power140x Faintest Stellar Magnitude 11.9 Resolving Power1.65 Finder scope6 x 30 Focuser Diameter1.25" Diagonal 90 degree Star Diagonal Eyepieces Super 10 mm and Super 25 mm Magnifications with eyepieces70x and 28x. 2x Barlow lens140x and 56x MountEquatorial Tripod Height cm Slow Motion ControlVertical & Horizontal Accessories TrayWall-to-wall Tube Weight 2.49Kgs Tube Dimension 9cm Dia. x 86.5cm length Metal tripod cm Gross Weight15.5Kgs Net Weight 14Kgs

Why Astronomy?  The question of ‘why astronomy’ can be answered by the question ‘why do anything at all?’  As IRS officers, after along day of work, our mind needs some calm and what can be better than the awesome and unexplored expanse of the unknown that exists right above our heads.  How many of us take the time out to see or are even aware of awesome celestial occurrences that we are oblivious to, like eclipses, transits etc. One might think as to why we even need to know this, but then again the same question can be raised about every other hobby that we pursue.  The moon is one of the most studied objects in the night sky, and watching its craters and trying to fathom how they must have been formed is indeed interesting.

What we’ve achieved so far..  Procured two telescopes : one refractive and one reflective type.  Inauguration of the ‘Astronomy Lounge’ in the Nalanda Hostel. in May 2010 by Hon’ble Member Shri. Durgesh Shankar in the presence of the Hon’ble Chairman Shri. S.S.N.Moorthy.  Star-Gazing sessions in collaboration with Raman Science Centre and Astro- Photography.  Introduction of the software STELLARIUM to all the probationers.  Setting up of an exhibition/display area on Campus.

Astronomy and NADT: On the cards..  Construction of an ‘Astronomy Room’ with state of the art Equipment.  A visit to Raman Science Centre, Nagpur (Planetarium, Sky Gazing High Magnification Telescopes)  Continuing the process of Covering celestial events, e.g., eclipses, planetary alignment, planetary transits.  Workshops for IRS officers in and around Nagpur  Educating Students of Various Schools in Nagpur about Astronomy, through the Club

THANK YOU..!!