A group of forty-seven students accompanied by four teachers had an overnight stay at Astroport, Sariska, on 24 October 2019. It was organised by SPACE-India as a part of Astronomy Club activity. Far away from city light pollution, Astroport at Sariska is an ideal location for night sky observation and to connect with the universe. In the evening session, children were exposed to many interesting activities such as
- Setting up the Telescope and Stellarium
- Orientation to the night sky
- Reading of planisphere
In the overnight session, the children explored the outer space through high-quality telescopes
- They viewed the moon, stars and planets,
- Hunted the constellations
- Did the sky mapping, astrophotography, spotted the zodiac signs
- Learnt how to find directions with the help of constellations
- They used the barn door tracker to trace star trails
The clarity of Milky Way across the dark sky left everybody awestruck. The children witnessed the setting of Jupiter and Saturn and other important stars. They enjoyed the cultural activities and the sumptuous food along with the experience of staying in tents.
Staying awake the whole night, communing with the star-studded sky was indeed a lifetime memorable experience!