Title: Symbi Star Gazing: A Night of Stars and Learning
Post-Slug: symbi-star-gazing-techfest-planetary-parade
Description: A night of star gazing, learning astrophotography, and food.
Diary Entry:
January 24th, 2025
Today was an unforgettable experience. I began my journey from the office at 5:00 PM and made a brief stop at Durga Cafe near Lupin for some snacks with Jameer Sir and Kaushik. We reached the Symbiosis grounds by 6:00 PM, where Devashri, the head of the Antariksh Space Club, was waiting with volunteers and professors.
We unloaded our equipment—a total of two 8-inch Dobsonian Sky-Watcher telescopes, a 6-inch motorized telescope, and a 4-inch equatorial telescope. The event was part of the “Symbiosis Institute of Technology” Techfest, and the timing was perfect as it coincided with a planetary parade. We focused our telescopes on Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mars.
As the evening wore on, Devashri gathered students from the core committee, and Jameer Sir gave a thorough introduction to the basics of astronomy, including a detailed explanation of sky maps and the alt-azimuth and RA-DEC coordinate systems, essential for astrophotography.
Since it was getting late, we realized that the canteens had already closed. But we stopped at a nearby restaurant with the volunteers, where we indulged in a hearty meal, kindly paid for by our Symbiosis friends. By the time we returned to our respective places, it was nearly midnight, and we finally relaxed after a fulfilling day. It felt good to be free and content after such a rewarding experience.
Astronomy Fact:
Did you know that Saturn’s moon Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere? Its atmosphere is primarily made of nitrogen, with clouds made of methane and ethane, much like early Earth.