Astrophile - Starry Night

Please note that we have rescheduled the May 4-5 event (due to hazy-cloudy skies) to May 11-12. All other details remain the same.

We are organizing an overnight stargazing session at Aine in Palghar District away from the polluted city skies on Saturday May 11-12. This will be the last stargazing session before the Monsoon arrives in Mumbai. We will be watching some of the prominent constellations in the night sky, moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae and the Milky Way Galaxy!. A powerful 8 inch diameter telescope along with other telescopes will be used to observe these. Join us and witness the wonders of the Universe!

The session will start with introduction and a short presentation about astronomy. We will then move to the observation field to observe Mars, moon and it's craters, many star clusters, nebulae, Jupiter and Saturn through telescopes. We will also learn to identify many constellations. We will wrap up the session with viewing of Venus and the Andromeda Galaxy during the dawn hours. The experts will be interacting with the attendees and answering questions throughout the night.

Space Geeks is a group of young researchers committed to giving value-added enrichment in Astronomy and Space Science to enthusiasts, especially in and around Mumbai. It was founded by Dr. Ankush Bhaskar (presently working at NASA), Chintamani Pai (University of Mumbai) and Dr. Virendra Yadav (Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee). Our mission is to enhance and share a scientific understanding of the universe among enthusiasts. We have been actively involved in conducting stargazing and meteor shower observation sessions and public talks by prominent space scientists.

When & where:

Date: Saturday, 11/05/2019 to Sunday, 12/05/2019
Time: 6:00 pm to 6:00 am
Stargazing Venue: Grammangal Muktashala, Aine, Palghar
Meeting Point: Vangaon Railway station at 5:30 pm on Saturday, May 11, 2019.

Basic Package: Rs. 2000/- per person

• Transportation from Vangaon Railway Station (station before Dahanu) to the venue and back.
• Food: Mineral water + Welcome snacks + Tea + Homemade simple vegetarian dinner + Tea throughout night
• Venue charges.
• Common hall for rest/stay.
• Printed resources (Night sky charts and study material)
• Demonstration and viewing through Telescopes

10% discount for past attendees and for group of 5, 15% for group of 10.

Higher packages will include group travel by mini bus (ac/non-ac). Contact Us for details. 

Itinerary:

• 5:30 pm: Reach meeting point.
• 5:45 pm: Head towards the venue.
• 6:15 - 6:45 pm: Welcome and evening snacks
• 6:45 - 7:15 pm: Presentation about astronomy
• 7:15 - 9:30 pm: Stargazing session 1
• 9:30 - 11:00 pm: Dinner
• 11:00 - 12:30 am: Stargazing session 2
• 12:30 - 1:00 am: Tea break/Rest
• 1:00 - 3:00 am: Stargazing session 3
• 3:00 - 3:30 am: Tea break/Rest
• 3:30 - 6:00 am: Stargazing session 3
• 6:00 am: Group Photo, morning tea and snacks
• 6:30 am: Leave for Vangaon Station

Instructions:

1. Participants are required to carry a valid identity proof during the event for their identity verification at the venue.
2. The night sky session will be conducted inside a school campus located in a village Aine, Palghar district
3. Open ground inside the school is used for the stargazing session for the whole night with short breaks at regular intervals. Western style washrooms are available at the venue. Dormitory is available for resting for those who feel tired or sleepy.
4. Please wear full body clothes and shoes. Avoid wearing trendy footwear. You can bring sleeping bags as well. Please carry a small torch and enough extra water due to summer.
5. Minors (< 18 year old) should be accompanied by an adult guardian. Minor and the guardian both need to be registered separately. Participants are discouraged from bringing kids younger than 5 year old for the session.
6. To and fro transportation between Vangaon Railway Station and the venue has been arranged. In case you plan to come by personal vehicle please inform the organizers as there is limited parking space at the venue.
7. There will be no refund of registration fee in case of a cloudy sky or bad weather on the day of the event, making the night sky observation impossible.
8. In case the event is cancelled by the organizers due to some unavoidable reasons, there will be full refund of registration fee (minus the processing charges) to the respective participants.
9. In case of cancellation by the participant, they have to contact the organizers by 11:59 pm on May 9. In this case 50 % of the registration fee will be refunded. Beyond this time no amount will be refunded.
10. You take full responsibility for your safety and well being during the trip and the session. You will be personally responsible for any valuables that you carry. Organizers are not liable for any casualties/loss/damage during the event.
11. Carry mosquito repellent. If you require any medication, please carry your own. If you have any severe medical issue, it is advisable that you do not participate.
12. Smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited.

Queries: Mr. Chintamani Pai (9773597589)

Space Geeks
Keep Looking Up!

spacegeeksmumbai@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/space.geeks.mumbai/

https://www.instagram.com/space_geeks_mumbai/