Internal Talks

On March 23, 2024, Shreyas from VIIT delivered an engaging talk on "Formation and Types of Galaxies" to 20 attendees. He highlighted significant historical moments in astronomy, including William Herschel's Milky Way illustration and Charles Messier's cataloguing of galaxies. The session featured the Hubble Classification System, categorizing galaxies as spiral, elliptical, and more. Shreyas addressed questions on the collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies despite universal expansion and compared the Big Bang theory with the Steady State theory. A lively group discussion followed, fostering collaboration among attendees and deepening their understanding of cosmic mysteries.

Gautam Kulkarni delivered an engaging internal talk on "An Overview of Radio Astronomy" at VIIT's EnTC Department, attended by 22 students. The presentation covered the historical milestones in radio astronomy, key radiation sources such as the 21 cm hydrogen line and pulsars, and various antenna types. Kulkarni explained collaborative observations through interferometry and introduced the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). The session fostered active audience engagement, including a Q&A, and inspired students to explore careers in astronomy. The Antariksh Club thanks Kulkarni for his valuable insights and the attendees for their participation.

On February 3, 2024, Antariksh VI held an internal talk at VIT Pune on "Theories of Habitable Exoplanets," led by Kaushik Salunke. The session explored exoplanet types, detection methods like transit photometry and Doppler spectroscopy, and key examples, such as TRAPPIST-1e and Kepler-452b. Criteria for habitability—like the presence of water, stable atmospheres, and magnetic fields—were discussed, alongside challenges in analyzing distant atmospheres and technological constraints. The talk concluded with a focus on future missions seeking biosignatures and the need for advanced technologies. Participants appreciated the session, suggesting more research-focused insights into this exciting field.

On January 13, 2024, the Antariksh Astronomy Club of VIT Pune hosted a talk on the "History and Working of Optical Telescopes," presented by Bhavya Shah. Covering telescope types—refractive, reflective, and catadioptric—the talk explored key models like Galilean, Keplerian, and Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, highlighting advantages, challenges, and optical aberrations such as chromatic and geometric distortions. Mount types, including Dobsonian and equatorial, were discussed for their tracking capabilities and suitability in astrophotography. The session provided attendees with a foundational understanding of telescope mechanics and advancements, emphasizing telescopes' pivotal role in astronomical observations.

On September 22, 2023, the Antariksh Astronomy Club hosted an enlightening session titled "Knowing the Unknown: Black Holes" at VIIT, Pune, presented by Gyanesh Choudhary. The talk explored the historical evolution of black holes, from early concepts to modern theories like the Chandrasekhar and TOV limits. Choudhary discussed key concepts such as the event horizon, singularity, and gravitational lensing, alongside detection methods like gravitational waves and X-ray emissions. He also addressed intriguing theories and paradoxes related to black holes, concluding with the poetic reminder of our cosmic connection. The session captivated the audience and deepened their understanding of black holes.

On September 16, 2023, the Antariksh Club hosted an engaging talk by Harsh Jalnekar at Vishwakarma Institute, focusing on the "Death of a Star and Introduction to Black Holes." Attendees explored the dramatic endings of stars, including supernovae, hypernovae, and kilonovae, and learned about stellar remnants like white dwarfs and neutron stars. The presentation also delved into black holes, active galactic nuclei, and quasars, illustrating their cosmic significance. A lively Q&A session addressed topics like star naming conventions and the differences between pulsars and magnetars, leaving participants with a deeper appreciation of the universe's mysteries.