The cosmos calls upon you! An intergalactic body of scholars has lost an ancient artifact—Darkhold, a book containing the universe's boundless secrets that is now scattered across the galaxy. Its fragmented pages hold secrets waiting to be approached. So, are you ready to join a team of scholars to embark on this quest to find the book?
Dr. Sourav Gope gave us an overview of how to approach a paper and how we can go about the presentation and discussion of the paper.
Title: Space Weather and its Impact on Planetary Environments and Space Technology
Abstract- .The Sun is a dynamic star whose magnetism determines its activity. This activity is manifested in variable solar radiation, electromagnetic and particle fluxes, and an omnipresent stream of supersonic plasma flow known as the solar wind that permeates interplanetary space. All of these phenomena together influence habitability—or the possibility of a planet to host life within a harsh and changing astrophysical ecosystem. When the Sun is very active, it also spawns violent magnetic storms such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections that perturb the near-Earth space environment, affecting satellite operations, telecommunication and navigational networks, air traffic over polar routes, electric power grids, and oil pipe lines. In this talk, I shall discuss the origin of space weather and describe our research to predict its impacts on space-reliant technologies that drive modern societies.
Title: Search for Extraterrestrial Life.
Abstract- The search for extraterrestrial life is one of the most irresistible and profound scientific endeavours of modern-day astronomy and planetary sciences, aiming to answer the eternal question: Are we alone in the universe? Our universe is molecular at its core, with the building blocks of life—such as amino acids, nucleotides, and simple organic molecules— found across a wide range of astrophysical environments, from star- forming regions to comets and meteorites. These molecules suggest that building block molecules can be easily synthesised elsewhere and shed. light on the mechanisms that may have led to the origin of these molecules in the context of life on Earth. Theories such as abiogenesis propose that life could have arisen from simple molecules under specific conditions, and three essential ingredients that need to be synthesised first are believed to be RNA/DNA, proteins and cell walls. Several processes are conjectured for the formation of these vital ingredients. When the question of the probability of finding life elsewhere comes, the Drake equation is used to assess planets with life, which estimates the number of civilisations capable of interstellar communication in our galaxy. This equation emphasises the numerous factors involved in the likelihood of detecting alien life, from the number of stars with habitable planets to the lifespan of technologically advanced civilisations. A historic milestone in the search for intelligent life came with the Arecibo message -a binaryencoded message sent into space in 1974 to reach potential extraterrestrial civilisations. While we have yet to detect any response, the Arecibo message symbolised humanity's first attempt to reach beyond our planet. As technological advances continue, the quest to find life and. perhaps even reach another habitable world grows more apparent. The discovery of exoplanets in habitable zones around stars offers new. possibilities for future exploration and the detection of biosignatures that may signal the presence of Life. My talk will explore these key points in the. search for extraterrestrial life, highlighting the molecular foundation of life, the possible mechanisms behind its origin, and our attempt to find them.
Title: ISRO Space Science Programme Overview & Opportunities Ahead
Dr. Tirtha Pratim Das is the Director of the Space Science Programme at ISRO Headquarters, where he oversees all scientific activities and their progress within ISRO and the Department of Space. His responsibilities include managing space science missions such as Chandrayaan-1, 2, and 3, the Mars Orbiter Mission, AstroSat, Aditya L1, XPoSat, and other future missions. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Das has a diverse background in launch vehicle integration and testing, HF Phased Array Radar, scientific payload development for planetary exploration platforms, and the formulation of space-borne experiments for planetary missions. He has been involved in all ISRO space science missions since Chandrayaan-1, contributing to both scientific formulation and mission operations. His expertise particularly lies in space-borne neutral mass spectrometry, with significant contributions to the study of the neutral exospheres of the Moon and Mars. In addition to his technical and scientific roles, Dr. Das has played a key role in the development of disruptive technologies for the Indian Space Programme and is actively engaged in international cooperation with global space agencies. Currently, Dr. Das focuses on formulating ISRO's space science program, building the scientific community, and fostering collaboration with academic institutions across India. He is also a science communicator and an author of both scientific and fictional works. This lecture will cover the present status of space science research and exploration in ISRO, the space ecosystem in the country, the accomplishments, SWOT analysis, and the Space Vision 2047. It will also address the opportunities for young scientists and engineers to contribute to the space program and transform India from a spacefaring to a space-excellent nation.
Title: My Journey in Space: Challenges in Cryogenic Rocket Development
Dr. Vasudevan Gnana Gandhi is an Indian rocket scientist renowned as the pioneer of cryogenic rocket science in India. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, and began his career with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in 1968. Over the years, he has held various key positions at ISRO, including Project Director and Programme Director. Dr. Gandhi's notable contributions include his work on developing booster liquid stages for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and enhancing the VIKAS engine, both critical components in India's space program. His pioneering efforts in cryogenic technology have been fundamental to ISRO's advancements in space exploration. Dr. Gandhi has received the prestigious Aeronautical Society of India Award for his contributions to aerospace. In 2005, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award. Dr. Vasudevan Gnana Gandhi currently serves as Senior Vice President of Propulsion at Skyroot Aerospace in Hyderabad. He also holds the position of Chief Academic Advisor, continuing to influence the next generation of rocket scientists and engineers.
Our astro club Naxtara has been given a task to help out N.E.R.V., a special organisation to combat the angels, which are dead set on destroying humanity. Join our cause and stop the third impact's cataclysmic activities from happening by defeating all the angels! Naxatra brings to you yet another theme-based treasure hunt. This time, our story revolves around the plot of the popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Title: Reconstruction or New Dishes: How Does a Scientist Cook?
Sometimes we have some ingredients and we try to cook something new. Other times, we try to reproduce something that we had eaten somewhere else. Scientists do both, and in this talk, I try to briefly explain how! Sometimes one has to make a dessert, and they choose the ingredients according to their wishes to make the best possible dessert; that's necessity. Sometimes, one just eats something and tries to guess its recipe and ingredients. that’s Curiosity. Contrary to what you may have heard, necessity and curiosity are the parents of invention! So, as a theoretical astroparticle physicist (at least one in making, I hope!) I will try to explain if the universe is the cake, then how are we trying to find the flour, eggs, sugar, and other stuff, and also how long and at what temperature it was baked for! In connection to this, I will also briefly talk about my works on Primordial Black Holes and Gravitational Wave Backgrounds, and hopefully by the end of the talk if you are still there, you will know why we do what we do and how to do it!
Title: The sky in radio
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As a part of National Space Day 2024, Dr. B. R. Guruprasad, Director of the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru, had an interaction session with the students, where he discussed the Chandrayaan missions. This was a very unique opportunity for budding scientists to learn and discuss with such an esteemed scientist who has worked so closely in India's space industry.
Naxatra brings to you, as a great part of Invenio, a X- RAY Astronomy Data Analysis Workshop. Which was conducted by:
Dr. Dipankar Bhattacharya, Professor of Astrophysics, Ashoka University, on lien from IUCAA
Dr. M.C. Ramadevi, Space astronomy group, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) of Indian Space Research Organisation
Dr. Sankarasubramanian K., Space astronomy group, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) of Indian Space Research Organisation
Dr. Radhakrishna V., Space astronomy group, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) of Indian Space Research Organisation
Dr. Shyama Narendranath, Space astronomy group, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) of Indian Space Research Organisation
