The Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) will celebrate National Science Day as IIA Open Day on February 25, from 9 am to 6 pm at its campus in Koramangala.
This event is open to the general public, is free of charge, and prior registration is not required.
The institute will showcase its research in astrophysics and its vast knowledge through models, demonstrations, and posters. In addition, there will be a number of attractions for students and the general public.
In the ‘Ask an Astronomer’ event, astronomers from the institute will be present throughout the day to answer questions from the visiting public. Posters on major areas of astronomy will be exhibited.
Experiments on the physics of optics using lasers, viewing of sunspots, and a demonstration of a tethered helium balloon will take place throughout the day. Models from ISRO and the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium will be exhibited at the event. In addition, many external astronomy organisations will be setting up stalls as well. Some astronomy themed merchandise will be on sale.
There will be a public talk on the ‘First Stars of the Universe’ at 2 p.m. in Kannada, followed by a talk on ‘Black Hole Shadows’ at 4 p.m. A book reading by the author of ‘Solar System in Verse’ has been scheduled at 11 a.m. for students of ages 8-18, followed by a book signing.
IIA said that there will not be any night sky watching session on this day. That will be organised on a later date.
“We welcome everyone to this festival of astronomy on our Open Day to learn about our universe and interact with our scientists”, said Annapurni Subramaniam, director, IIA.