Stargazing with Shiva

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Stargazing is one of the most ancient and enthralling of human scientific endeavours. From ancient times till now, people have looked up at the dark night sky and been fascinated by what they have seen. Amateurs, artists and scientists alike have made the study of the heavens one of the most compelling of hobbies and inspiring of activities. However, this basic joy is getting harder and harder to experience as our cities and countryside have become brighter and brighter with electric lights. Astronomers consider this “light pollution” the worst kind of hindrance, made even worse by the air pollution in our big cities.

Bangalore still has a couple of oases at night, where some basic stargazing is possible. One such location is the Raman Research Institute (RRI) Trust property in Kengeri. Set amidst 50 acres of woodland, this secluded spot is protected from the worst of Bangalore’s light pollution. Moreover, the old house on the property is an ideal place to spend the night for up to 30 people (4 bedrooms and bathrooms, and plenty of space to spread out sleeping bags) and enjoy an entire night of stargazing.

Procheta Mallik, An astronomer by training, guided us view moon, to planets such as Jupiter and Saturn, to star-forming regions such as the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades Cluster from 10cm Celestron GoTo Telescope.

We plan to do this in association with Relaxedness during Dec 2016 to Feb 2016. In case if you like to join us, do write to swarnaprashana@gmail.com