My Supermoon and Skywatch

You all aware it was Supermoon yesterday, where moon comes closest to earth in the last 68 years, appearing 14 per cent bigger and up to 30 per cent brighter than usual. Though supermoons are fairly frequent, the November 14 supermoon is a once-in-a-generation sight! There are six supermoons in 2016 and we already had four, and after next week there’s one on December 14. Last time I saw a supermoon was in year 2011.

For some time lately my Instagram witnessed many moon shots and I have been watching the moon, as well as the sky, during evening and night times encouraged me to take live shots and upload the mobile photo-sharing app. A lonesome feeling was taking place in me for some time lately and there was a desire to come out and check things happening around to keep away my lonely feel. Though I was going through the let-down feel, the amusement got via watching the sky, in different light, colors, shades and clouds and the moon, from nothing to whole, inspires me to look forward and implants hope within.

When thing being like that how I could miss the magnificent event (Supermoon) taking place at the eventide and night? For last two days I was seeing rainbow colored halo around the moon when mild clouds pass the same. The moon was truly bright last night and taking photos has been very difficult due to overexposure of light and focusing on the moon to get a detail shot, keeping away the bright light. Actually I didn’t get the detail when capturing it from the courtyard and it fall pretty white, but only after transferring into the computer I found the grey shades and thus was the brightness of the moon yesterday. Lately I see the moon pretty early in the sky when I come into the street but it only come across our courtyard by 9 pm and these photos were taken during that time. 

My favorite shot among  the supermoon, with face detail

Lonely planet

A lonely planet;

where men romance

his dream girl

Imagine as hero

he prepares proposal

before playing live

Pic by Jeevan 

The only planet;

where men landed

apart ruining earth

Capture a image,

quite different perspective,

ever so spectacular. 

VBO and following things – Javadu Hills

Following, checking the VBO’s largest telescope inside the Vainu Bappu Observatory, we drawn back to the 6 inch telescope for watching the celestial objects on space. This is a facility impended only if there is a clear sky and the observatory is open to public only on Saturday, to visit the telescope between 2 to 5 pm and staring starts and planet viewing adjoined for 6.30-10 pm. We waited for nearly an hour until the dusk disappeared and twinkle stars get to sight, the place sounds quiet except the resonant of our batch waiting to watch through telescope, the winter cold wraps around under the open sky and moist meadow. We saw guards wander with rifle to keep away the wild animals entering the campus: elephant, bison and wild boar are found commonly around VBO’s forest area, belong to Javadu Hills.

The observatory is located at an altitude of 700 meters and quarter distance from Bangalore compared to about 210 km from Chennai. VBO is one of the field stations of Bangalore based Indian Institute of Astrophysics, which is primarily devoted to research activates using the optical telescope. There are about 6-7 telescopes built around the campus of VBO, except for the 1 and 2.3 meter telescopes; others are small domes and shed. The 6 inch telescope that allowed viewing for public was kept inside a shed (that u see in the above picture), which top is pushed aside while using the telescope and its position is fixed to view specific celestial objects on sky. That, what has become an obstacle for me from observing through telescope; as the view point has kept high from ground, I couldn't keep up to being tough.

There were more than 100 students waiting behind us, so I kept a quick out of the shed realizing the difficult. My parents who got the opportunity to watch through telescope found Jupiter and three shining stars closer. The students who lined behind us were those exits during our entry, seemed waited for long time at the gateway to view via telescope. The security is tight inside the observatory and guards wore a moody mask, but the officers are kind enough to slender tie for me and encouraged indirectly for taking the course.

It was pitch dark, when we left the telescope shed and there were no lights to lead us to entrance. Except following the road for few hundred meters, I rode the wheel chair tracing the center white line torched by my cousin, using his cell phone. Being winter, the darkness settled early from the pink shades the sun left behind the forest scene. It was adventurous driving back to Jamunamarathur from VBO through the thick adjoining forest road where one or two vehicle only passed.  The village town doesn’t have great hotels except only one pure vegetarian mess; all are non-vegetarian teashops preparing traditional Tiffin’s like: idly, dosai, pongal, parotta… and biriyani for lunch. There are many Biriyani shops in funny names and almost different in taste from one another… u may wonder how I know. For the lunch next day, we brought biriyani from more than couple of shops to taste which is best and getting there for remain of us.

For the dinner that night, we brought Tiffin from one of the tea-shops  That wasn't so bad or good at taste but enough to keep content the stomach and somehow hygiene hopefully. Gladly the night went off peacefully and comfort since the suite and mattress become favorable, kept away the sleep difficulties, I used to experience in absence of home comfort. We also had some fun that day, watching the monkeys business while waiting at the entrance of the VBO for some time. There was this cute little monkey perched to a branch (check picture above), behold through its gestures and behavior unlike the elder one which was trying to steal something from a bike pouch. 

Clouds form

Pic by Jeevan

Clouds form unshaped figures

for mind fishing an image
that hold close to heart
or resemble thought.

Clouds form a winter cold
from the boiling point
beneath the ground;
the moisture air frozen.

Clouds form a custom comprising
elegant to perfect blue sky
as an emblem of divine
sun shows grace from behind.

Clouds form in interesting shapes
speaking its own language
endlessly rewritten
on the board of blue sky.

Vainu Bappu Observatory - Javadu Hills

After reaching Jamunamarathur – the capital villages of Javadu Hills, and having lunch, that we brought along with us from home, we are told by the guest house care taker that they will allow into the observatory only by 5 pm,  to watch through the telescope. So he suggested leaving by 4 pm as it is 10 km from there and since having two more hours to go, we decided to explore the small lake and garden at half a km from the guest house. The lake and garden were not so attractive, and the lake is nothing but a conversion of already existing village lake that used for irrigation to the fields around. The real pretty sights are beheld around the lake, where fresh green paddy fields gleaming at us to expose to sunlight amid mild step farming.

The main course of this trip was to check the observatory and it was first time for me visiting an observatory, other than the only place I visited regard to space was Chennai Birla Planetarium. Vainu Bappu Observatory located at Kavalur village on the Javadu Hills holds the largest telescope of Asia, which was named after the great Indian astronomer and discoverer of Wilson-Bappu effect, Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu. VBO is an astronomical observatory behind many unique discoveries on space and reading remarkable cosmic rays, through the 1 and 2.3 meters telescope, the observatory has detected atmosphere around the Jupiter’s satellite Ganymded and rings around Uranus and Saturn. In 1988, a new minor planet was discovered using the 43cm Schmidt telescope and it was named after mathematics genius Ramanujam.

The observatory is isolated from any activities of being and almost surrounded by vast reserve forest, stands as a testimony to Indian astronomy. We reached the observatory early in time traveled thought the dense forest, but we were not allowing inside the campus and requested to wait sometime until the early batch comes out. I know that we need to walk nearly a km from the entrance to the main observatory; I kept my power wheel chair fully charged but enquiring a couple who came out we become uncertain about the distance. Even though we decided to progress, the guard noticed me allowed to take our car inside and we find more than 100 school students come out of the observatory.

Me and my family

First I was mislead by the white cylindrical building with dome that holds 43” telescope which resembles the 93” telescope, the largest among the observatories inside the VBO. Then we were redirected to the main building with more widely in breadth and spectacular height. The observatory being elevated from the others, cool breeze brushes once get out of the car and we were taken by the lift to the top floor where the largest telescope was assembled. The telescope was attached to a huge hydraulic machine that turns and moves up and down, manually and as well automatically sitting on two wide column. It was like a dream come true when the aluminum plated dome open to sky view, and rotate through a rack rail which could go around 360 degree.

I felt rotating along with the dome when looking above and goose bumped, stimulated by the entirely new setting and following the conversation with one of a scientist demonstrating the operation of telescope, took me to infinite stage. Many of us generally know the universe that exists within our solar system, but there could be immense such systems in our galaxy with earth like spheres where people could live and seek to connect alike. The observatory plays a vital role in studying the universe and does a front-line research with the telescopes here. It was something amazing that I couldn't even image that we were standing close to an object that beholds the mystery which is impossible through naked eyes. And I feel like touching an endless height.

The floor below the telescope has a round iron platform which I first through to rotate, but the scientist cleared our doubt later by operating the hydraulic platform that lifts to make easy the service of telescope. He explained that it is a kind of facility that any other observatory doesn't hold and they keep an eye clean on lens always. The observatory has a steal platform; going around the dome outside the building holds a 360 degree view on the landscape of total forest area. So it is out of noise and light disturbance, which is the main obstacle for reading light rays and except the entrance, overall campus doesn't have a light facility and was completely electric fenced to keep away wild animals.

I feel bad for not taking my camera inside the observatory thinking they might not allow, because of security. But some took photos with their mobiles and there were no restrictions, and I only got to capture the building and natural setting of the campus. I was really wishing to watch something through the largest telescope but these are used only at night and not for public to watch. They have a 6” telescope for public to view stars and planets after dusk and we really had to wait for an hour to watch through telescope. But for me that even wasn't a chance because the viewing point of the telescope was kept high and need to climb few steps.

[To be continued….]

சூரியன் / Sun

Pic by Jeevan

மலை முகடுகளில்

மெல்ல விழித்த சூரியன்
இதமாய் மிதமாய்
இதயம் வருடியது. 

நிழலுக்கு ஒளியாய்
மத்திய வேலையில்
விண்ணை தொட்ட உற்சாகத்தில்
சுட்டெரித்த  சூரியன். 

மாலை வந்ததும்
களைத்த கனிவுடன்
கனிந்த பழமாய்
மெல்ல விழுந்தது மண்ணில்.

On the mountain ridges
sun wakes up slowly
pleasantly and temperately
scanned the heart.

Like a light for the shadow
on mid-day hours
in high spirit of touching the sky
the sun burnt.

Back in evening
in fatigue gentleness
like a ripe fruit
slowly fall to the ground.

Firework display during Deepavali

Palm Tree Effect

From young to old everyone enjoys fireworks that blast into the sky; create an artificial florescent and colorful Rangoli in the present of dark nights and Deepavali is an occasion in India where fireworks displace enormous charming across the nation and adding more glorious to earth among the twinkling stars of universe. This Diwali I got a great opportunity capturing the vibrant firecrackers that fascinated the sights across the sky; and I spent more than an hour shooting the colorful comets at the neighborhood of Chennai – Neelankarai, at my grandmother’s sister house.

The pictures weren’t so spectacular and perfect at blossom, but I tried my best sitting on the power wheel chair with no preconscious from which side the florescent firework hold its display, clicked random from whichever direction it comes and by observing its blowup volume. It was enchanting and enthralling completely and I got to see variety of colors and designs beholding the sight and the sound cheering the festival spirit and celebration.

Following are few photos I captured from deepavali. Hope u like it!

Fireworks collage

Jellyfish 

Green Comets

Red Comets

Sky Gazing

Image courtesy: Google

I just want to touch the sky

I just want to blow the wind

I just want to kiss the clouds

I just want to signal the stars

I just want to paint the moon

Using the colors of rainbow;

I just want to draw a rangoli

Using the dots of stars;

I just want to write a letter

Using the galaxy to my eternal love;

I just want to eliminate from the earth

To fetch the golden opportunity of stars

The silver jubilee of moon

Under the limelight of yellow sun.

Footnote: Just nothing to do last night while the power goes off…  I penned this poem using the mobile phone, inspired by sky gazing.

Observation

The uncertain sky

Illuminates in illusion lights

The bright sun-shine

Drives off the dark side

The gloaming moon

Glimpse with gray shades

Thus beyond

Twinkles the stars

The concealed ocean

Ripple with immense species

Yet the transparent water

Hid by a astonishing beauty

Holding plenty of mystery

Yet to reveal and unknown

Certainly fall out inside the future.

Image courtesy: Google images

Special moment in Indian space

India’s PSLV C-9 successfully launched with 10 satellites for the first time worldly. Information technology, television programming and for some more India is launching satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It’s the 13th time PSLV rocket is bearing over the satellites heavier than before which itself weighed 230 tons and heights of 12-storey building. Like all, I was expecting and looking this to be successfully put on its path. This is India’s one of an important launch with a satellite weighting 690kg highly agile Cartosat-2A, bearing an Panchromatic camera to cover maximum 10 km surrounds in black and white; and it is an advanced remote sensing satellite which is capable of providing scene specific spot in images. With this our country would be inspecting the service of interior structural roads and for investigation work.

Except from the 8 other nation’s nano-satellites which weighted totally 50kg, India’s Indian Mini Satellite-1 the 83kg is also on the PSLV with Multispectral and Hypersepctal camera for remote sensing. Worldly there is no nation to sent 10 satellites at a time, where it’s a record braking of Russian and European rockets bearing maximum of 8 to 7 satellites. The PSLV rocket that was launched at morning released the satellites in continuation of 45 to 100 seconds from very first of Cartosat-2A on its path to start operation at 635km from earth. Apart form the 10 satellites; it’s the power of PSLV developed by Indian scientist to be appreciated for this grand success where doubling from the 4 satellites to 10 with nation own technology.

More on the launch