31 January 2024
The 42nd meeting of the Astronomical Society of India will be taking place this week at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The meeting is jointly organised by IISc, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the JN Planetarium. There will be a press meet on January 31, 2024, at 6.30 pm at the JN Tata Complex, to discuss the upcoming astronomy initiatives and conference details. The formal inauguration of the event is set to take place at 9.30 am on February 1, 2024, at the JN Tata Main Auditorium, IISc.
Scientific discourses focussing on the sun, planets, black holes and beyond will be held from 31 January to 4 February, 2024. Popular events for citizens and school students will be offered throughout the week. About 750 astronomers are expected to be in attendance for the meeting.
Special attractions this year include the release of the Astronomy Vision – a document which includes 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. The ASI awards which will be given out during the inaugural function, recognises and honours the contributions of students, scientists and citizens to astronomy and astrophysics research as well as capacity building activities.
More details of the meeting are available at: https://astron-soc.in/asi2024.
A number of events have been separately planned for the common citizens and school students. 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. There are lectures 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 planned at the JN Planetarium.
A detailed agenda of events open to the public is available at: https://astron-soc.in/outreach/
CONTACT:
Local Organising Committee:
Banibrata Mukhopadhyay
Professor
Department of Physics
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Email: bm@iisc.ac.in
Astronomical Society of India (ASI): astron.soc.india@gmail.com
Office of Communications (OoC)
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Email: news@iisc.ac.in
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:
a) If any of the text in this release is reproduced verbatim, please credit the IISc press release.
b) For any queries about IISc press releases, please write to news@iisc.ac.in or pro@iisc.ac.in.
