KSS and The International Year of Astronomy 2009 and Beyond
The Khwarizmi Science Society find great pleasure in presenting a report of the Society's spectacular achievements in the year 2009 and beyond, in celebrating the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). This was enabled by the seed grants received from the Emerging Nations Science Foundation (ENSF), the Canon Foundation for Scientific Research, the Pakistan Science Foundation and donations from individuals. With the help of this grant, the KSS was able to extend its activities, for the first time, outside Lahore and reach out into the remote and distant locations of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkha. These melas have served around 10,000 schoolchildren, teachers and parents.
Our so-called falakyati melas were hailed a tremendous success. These melas took place in Lahore, Okara, Phoolnagar, Swabi, Shadara and the historic fort of Rohtas. We led the World Space Week with the biggest observatory stationed in Lahore’s local parks. The KSS organized live telescopic viewing of the solar eclipse in January 2010 that was covered live by the national TV media channels. Recently, we have started an online streaming view of galaxies from a rooftop observatory that is accessible to anyone who logs on to the Khwarizmi Science Society channel on http://www.nightskiesnetwork.com/. We also organized public lectures on astronomy and space science. A video and pictorial coverage of all our activities in connection with the IYA is accessible on the website http://khwarizmi.shutterfly.com.
If you like to organize this mela in your school, see the invitation letter below. Also post or email us the filled form expressing your interest.
Letter of invitation and background
Form for organizing the falakyati mela on your school's premises
As acknowledgment of our activities, which are appended with this application, several stories have been published by leading journals and periodicals such as Physics World Online, APS News, the website of the International Astronomical Union, Daily Nawa-e-Waqt and Jang. We have won international competitions from the Developing Astronomy Globally as well as a receipt of 30 Galileoscopes from an IYA cornerstone project.
These activities extend KSS’s established traditions of seminars, workshops and public lectures in Lahore to outreach science exhibitions and interactive activities in schools outside Lahore.
We now plan to extend the content of our melas including the viewing of the microbial and cellular world using optical microscopes connected to the multimedia projector, a seismograph for detecting seismic vibrations describing the subterranean movements to schoolchildren. We are also planning to prepare new scientific toys, materials and projects that can make science exciting and entertaining.
The KSS has recently acquired a microscope, seismograph, multimedia projector, a high resolution colour astrocamera – all of which are in use in our outreach activities. We also received donation of a telescope from Dr. Faisal Sultan, Chief Executive Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Centre.
A detailed listing of activities centred around the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and Beyond are highlighted below.
Report of KSS's activities for the International Year of astronomy 2009 and Beyond
Click here for a pdf copy of the KSS report (update as of July 2010). The report covers our activities, news coverage and articles published in connection with the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and Beyond.
Awards and Grants
The KSS Astronomy Team
Chairman:
saadat [at] khwarizmi [dot] org (Dr Saadat Anwar Siddiqi), President, Khwarizmi Science Society, Professor of Solid State Physics, Center for Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab
Secretaries:
sabieh [at] khwarizmi [dot] org (Dr Muhammad Sabieh Anwar), Joint Secretary Khwarizmi Science Societ
umairasim [at] gmail [dot] com (Mr Umair Asim), Resident Astronomer, Khwarizmi Science Society and Principal Farooqi Girls High School, Lahore.
Coordinators:
wasif [dot] r [dot] zia [at] gmail [dot] com (Wasif Zia), Life Member, Khwarizmi Science Society, Developpment Engineer, School of Science and Engineering, LUMS, Lahore.
Syed Waqar Ahmed, Executive Member, Khwarizmi Science Society, Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore.
rafijee [at] gmail [dot] com (Rafi Ullah), Executive Member, Khwarizmi Science Society, Department of Physics, University of the Punjab, Lahore.
Members:
hiyasir [at] gmail [dot] com (Yasir Abdul Haleem), Life Member, Khwarizmi Science Society and Teacher, The Punjab School, Lahore.
Naseer Ahmed, Life Member Khwarizmi Science Society and Department of Space Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore.
Salman Qureshi, Manager, Pakistan Materials Research Society, Islamabad.
Technical Staff:
Abdul Manan, Lab Technician, School of Science and Engineering, LUMS, Lahore.
Muhammad Amjad, Electrician, School of Science and Engineering, LUMS, Lahore.
Umair Asim's astroblog
IYA 2009 and Beyond: List of activities
Daswaan Falakyati Mela
The 10th Astrofest marks World Space Week and includes a popular lecture on introduction to astronomy following live observation of astronomical attractions through a powerful telescope. The live observation is aided by Pakistan's leading amateur astronomer Umair Asim's commentary. The falakyati mela also coincides with the International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN).
Directions to reaching Kot Radha Kishan
Directions to Kot Ridha Kishan from travellers from Lahore can be found on this website.
Tags: Variable Star Astronomy
Jupiter, nebulae and star clusters: see them live
Come to our tenth falakyati mela, a part of the World Space Week organzied by SUPRACO. See the Jupiter, nebulae and star clusters. Visit stalls from various schools and have a refreshing evening, with the heavens.
Ninth Falakyati Mela in LUMS (Lahore)
We will have a great lunar landscape in the view with many important and stunning craters. Jupiter and its moons will also be visible around 20:15. Also I can show our nearest Andromeda Galaxy, Ring Nebula the famous star corpse and a very fine star cluster M13.
It will be a blessed night indeed when we can observe planets (including Venus if we can assemble our equipment well before sunset), star cluster, galaxy and a nebula. What else can we ask from a night sky!
Of course all depending on weather.
High Energy Astrophysics and the Origin of Cosmic Rays
The origin of Galactic cosmic-ray ions has remained an enigma for almost a century. Although it has generally been thought that they are accelerated in the shock waves associated with powerful supernova explosions—for which there have been recent claims of evidence—the mystery is far from resolved. Cosmic rays, which are mostly protons, but also other ions and electrons, permeate our Galaxy and rain down on earth continuously, night and day. Although cosmic rays were discovered almost a century ago, back in the balloon age, their origins remain unclear even now. Almost no effort has been spared in pursuing this long-standing mystery: satellites, rockets and balloons have been launched, and enormous detector arrays have been installed on the ground and even under mountains and seas. I will give a historical overview of the search for the mysterious origin of cosmic rays and a report on the current status.
Eighth Falakyati Mela in GIKI, TOPI (District Swabi, NWFP)
Live Viewing of the 2010 Solar Eclipse
The event is subject to clear weather conditions. The viewing will be through the telescope eyepiece.
The directions to the location can be found at: http://www.khwarzimic.org/iya/pu_map_track.jpg .
Sixth Falakyati Mela at the World Space Week in Lahore
Fifth Falakyati Mela and Quiz in Shahdara (District Lahore)
Fourth Falakyati Mela in Rohtas (Jhelum)
Third Falakyati Mela in Okara
Second Falakyati Mela in Phoolnagar (Kasur)
Stellar Pots
The iron running in our blood, calcium in our teeth, the sand we walk on, were all made inside stars. All elements heavier than boron are formed by nuclear reactions inside stars. We owe our existence to these stellar pots. Stars live for millions to billions of years and then it is a fierce battle for their survival. Ultimately they loose the battle and the resulting supernovae disperse the synthesized elements in the universe. Nature does not know of waste products and from stellar dust many more stars are created. In this talk we would discuss the birth and demise of stars. It is for the audience to decide if it is more of stellar science or abstract art.