India's Participation to Thirty Meter Telescope Project
Dr S B Pandey
About the Talk:
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is one of the extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects with unprecedented sensitivity. The TMT will have three times bigger aperture than the currently existing largest visible-light telescopes in the world. The new cutting-edge technology and adaptive optics technique enable TMT to provide unparalleled spatial resolution with images more than 12 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope. It will provide new observational opportunities in the field of astronomy and astrophysics with various instruments from ultraviolet to mid-infrared. This unique facility will allow astronomers to address fundamental questions in astronomy ranging from understanding planets and star formation to unravelling the history of galaxies and large-scale structure in the Universe. In this presentation, I also briefly touch upon India's contribution towards this mega-project as a 10% partner.
Space Weather: The Sun-Earth Connection
Ritesh Patel
About the Talk:
Just as the weather on Earth changes with time, the space around the Earth also experiences some disturbances. In this talk, the speaker will present the role of the Sun in affecting the near-Earth environment. The talk is an introduction to various phenomena associated with space weather and their impact on our lives.
A Brief History of Sunspots
Bibhuti Kumar Jha
About the Talk:
As seen on the solar surface, dark spots keep on puzzling the thinking mind from the beginning of their discovery. Even after 400 years of their discovery, there is a lot to be understood. In this talk, the speaker is going to explain some of the observed properties of these dark spots and try to give a flavour of its importance.
The Science of Solar Eclipses
Prof. Dipankar Banerjee
About the Talk:
Solar eclipses have played a vital role in human civilization. From being the myth of being eaten by demons to the scientific explanation behind the spectacular phenomenon, we have come a long way. This talk will give an overview of the historical and scientific advancements made over the centuries. Some significant scientific discoveries will also be discussed. I will address the question, why do we study the Sun and what is the importance of eclipse expeditions? Finally, I will talk about the arrangements made at ARIES, Nainital, to witness and publicise the annular solar eclipse widely on June 21 through the online platforms of Facebook and Youtube.
An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei
Dr. Alok Gupta
About the Talk:
Active Galactic Nucleus or AGN refers to the existence of energetic phenomena in the nuclei, or central regions, of galaxies which can not be attributed to stars. An AGN has a super-massive black hole at its centre which accretes matter. In some AGN, this is accompanied by the acceleration of ultra-relativistic particles along with collimated jets. They are the most luminous persistent sources of EM radiation in the Universe and their evolution as a function of cosmic time provides constraints on models of the cosmos. In this talk, I will present about AGN and its various sub-classes.