IIIT-Hyderabad
IEEE @ IIIT-H
The Science and Joy of Star Watching
The Science and Joy of Star Watching Night sky has fascinated men for ages. Moon, stars, planets, comets and meteors can be seen by the naked eye. Sailors have looked at the sky to find direction, astronomers to know time & study natural phenomena and ordinary men for sheer joy. Many countries have folklore built around objects in the sky. Study of night sky does not need much complex equipment. Naked eye observations are good enough. Small binoculars or telescopes make it more exciting.� This study involves measuring distances, time, mass and brightness; theory of nuclear reactions; history & culture with superstitions and beliefs.
This session will have two parts. First is a 30-minute class room presentation to familiarise you with the major objects in the night sky and introduce the methods to study it. This will be followed by a 2-hour sky watching session. Important constellations, planets and other objects will be identified. Moon and Saturn will be observed through small telescopes.
Bring any small binoculars or telescopes that you have. Use mosquito repellent and do wear warm cloths.
About the Speaker
N. Sreekumar has about 20 years of experience in power sector in the areas of IT applications, automation & control and policy analysis. He has done his MTech in Power Systems Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur in 1988 and BTech in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Bombay in 1984.
Sreekumar is working with Prayas Energy Group, Pune from 2000.
Prayas Energy Group works with government agencies, consumer groups, academic and other civil society institutions to increase transparency, accountability and participation in the power sector.�
He is also involved with many innovative initiatives in non-formal school level science education.
Prior to Prayas, Sreekumar was DGM � SCADA Systems, heading the SCADA group in CMC Limited, Hyderabad, where he worked from 1988 to 2000. He was involved in research, development and implementation of SCADA systems for Load Dispatch and Distribution Automation. Sreekumar is a Senior Member of IEEE, USA.
His email address is sreekumar@prayaspune.org.