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Kshitij 5

Dr. Luke Chamandy expresses his admiration for the enthusiasm and initiative of the NAC at NISER, particularly highlighting the contributions of Kshitij. He notes that a significant portion of articles in Kshitij focus on astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, reflecting students' desire to understand their place in the universe. Chamandy emphasizes the importance of popular science in making complex topics more accessible and inspiring for early-career individuals in astronomy.

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24 views1 page

Kshitij 5

Dr. Luke Chamandy expresses his admiration for the enthusiasm and initiative of the NAC at NISER, particularly highlighting the contributions of Kshitij. He notes that a significant portion of articles in Kshitij focus on astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, reflecting students' desire to understand their place in the universe. Chamandy emphasizes the importance of popular science in making complex topics more accessible and inspiring for early-career individuals in astronomy.

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spectre 7
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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!

"#$%&&#"'&
(#)%
The NAC was a surprise to me when I came to NISER. So much enthusiasm for astronomy, and
initiative! This is really something special that I have not witnessed anywhere else. And Kshitij
is one of the pillars of NAC that I hope can keep moving forward and reach great heights.

Out of curiosity, I did a quick inventory of Kshitij articles from past issues up to and includ-
ing the current one. By my count, about 20% of the articles deal with astrobiology and the
search for extraterrestrial intelligence and another 20% are on solar system-related topics. If
one throws in articles on the history of astronomy, early universe cosmology and exoplanets,
we are above 50%. What does this suggest to me? That students are attracted to astrono-
my to help them understand where they came from and what their place is in the universe.

This is kind of how I got interested in astronomy too. Mostly starting when I read
Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot as a teen. But going back to my early childhood, I remember my
dad reading to me about the Apollo missions and playing space with me. He would tell
me to sit in the chair, then he would lean it back and vigorously shake it to simulate the
rocket blasting off. His generation was inspired by the moon landing in 1969. Recently
we got to witness our own moon landing and I got to witness the great excitement in
LH5. I guess what I’m getting at is there is something inspirational in all of this.
Research can be hard, and sometimes progress can be very slow. But just think. When
I was doing my undergrad, exoplanets were just starting to be discovered by the radial
velocity method. Turns out there is a huge variety of planets, orbiting a huge variety of
stars (or none at all), in a huge variety of configurations and multiplicities. I don’t think
anyone predicted this. Could it be that in another generation, astronomers (astrobiologists)
will have mapped out just as many kinds of life? But SETI is another thing altogether!

With new windows on the sky like gravitational waves and neutrinos, so many new
instruments, and computer simulations being what they are today, it is a great time for
astronomy. Well…the light pollution is not great, but here at NISER we suffer less from
this problem, and it’s great to see so much enthusiasm for amateur astronomy. I could
hardly believe the turnout when I attended one of the sessions. Quite something!
Kshitij, in particular, addresses an important need, in my view. Popular science is
something that yes, can inspire us, but also presents science in a way that is often more
accessible than the textbooks or papers, and surely more relaxing! Popular science can
really complement serious academics, especially for very early career people. Anyway,
I’ve gone on long enough so enjoy the rest of the issue and keep up the good work!

Dr. Luke Chamandy


School of Physical Sciences, NISER
October, 2023

kshitij | IV August 2024

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