Keekli Reporter, 4-5th September, 2017, Shimla
Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology & Environment (HIMCOSTE) organised Astronomy: Planetarium and Night Sky Watching Programme for students and children at Govt. Senior Secondary School, Portmore as more than 25 schools from different parts of Shimla participated in the event. The programme was inaugurated by Archna Sharma, Director, Department of Environment, Science & Technology (DEST).
In her address, she highlighted the importance of Astronomy for the students and the general public. She told that Astronomy is a curious subject for the students, teachers. The nakshtras, Pole Star, comet stars and the planets in our solar system provide enough opportunity for the students and teachers to work on.
Briefing about the programme, Kunal Styarthi, IFS, Joint Member Secretary highlighted the use of Astronomy, in ancient times, to calculate the particular time on a specific day. He further told that our universe is so vast, that there are billions of galaxies and billions of stars in our Universe, which create curiosity about their life and origin. He further apprised the audience about the programme and welcomed the planetarium experts Vishubahi Patel and Ajay Kumar and their teams from Gujarat Council of Science & Technology (GUJCOST) and Uttarakhand Council of Science & Technology.
Portmore School Principal Nisha Balooni, welcomed the participants and thanked the HIMCOSTE for organising this unique and beautiful event in their school.
The Night Sky watching programme was organised from 7pm-8pm, Justice Sanjay Karol, Hon’ble Chief Justice, Himachal High Court inaugurated the programme. Justice Karol told that Astronomy reminds me my childhood days, when we used to see stars with curiosity of knowing them. He watched the planetarium show and visited the night sky watching venue to explore the night sky. He further added that these kinds of programmes are very important for the students and general public. He appreciated HIMCOSTE for organising the event.
