ASTRONOMY CLUB

Amateur Astronomy

Amateur astronomy, also called backyardastronomy, is a hobby whose participants enjoywatching the night sky (and the day sky too, forsunspots, eclipses, etc.), and the plethora ofobjects found in it, mainly with portabletelescopes and binoculars. Even though scientificresearch is not their main goal, many amateurastronomers make a contribution to astronomy bymonitoring variable stars, tracking asteroids anddiscovering transient objects, such as comets.

EquipmentBinoculars 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.

TelescopesAlthough 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 asPlanets, 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=900mmMODEL SK 1309P EQ2

DescriptionDiameter 130 mmFocal length 900 mmSecondary Mirror Diameter 34.5mmFocal ratio F/ 7Highest Practical Power 260xFaintest Stellar Magnitude 13.3 Resolving power 0.9 Finder scope Red Dot FinderFocuser Diameter 1.25"Eyepiece Super 10 mm & Super 25 mmMagnification with eyepiece 90x and 36xVariable Barlow (1.5 -2X -2.5x -3x) 10mm: 135x, 180x, 225x, 270x

25mm: 54x, 72x, 90x, 108x.Mount Type EQUATORIALSlow-motion Control RA & DECCounterweight's 3.5Kgs Piggyback Bracket YesAccessories Tray Wall-to-wallTube weight 4.21 KgsTube Dimension 17cm Dia. x 83cm lengthTripod Height 71-123cm

And the another one is

REFRACTOR D=90 / F=900mmMODEL SK 909 EQ2

DescriptionDiameter 90 mm (3.5 ")Focal length 900 mm (35.4")Focal ratio F/ 10Highest Practical Power 140xFaintest Stellar Magnitude 11.9Resolving Power 1.65Finder scope 6 x 30Focuser Diameter 1.25"Diagonal 90 degree Star DiagonalEyepieces Super 10 mm and Super 25 mmMagnifications with eyepieces 70x and 28x.2x Barlow lens 140x and 56xMount EquatorialTripod Height 71-123cmSlow Motion Control Vertical & HorizontalAccessories Tray Wall-to-wallTube Weight 2.49KgsTube Dimension 9cm Dia. x 86.5cm lengthMetal tripod 71-123cmGross Weight 15.5KgsNet 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..!!