'Blind Rocks!' selected to receive a telescope signed by astronauts and Nobel Laureates

This is a great news to share with you all that Blind Rocks! will receive a telescope singed by astronauts and Nobel Laureates this year. Blind Rocks! become one of the 17 communities around the world to receive a telescope for their outreach program. Congratulations Blind Rocks! team.

Ms. Sristi KC, Founder- Blind Rocks!

After getting the result of the selection, she shared with us, 

My vision always was an inclusive and egalitarian society. Winning this prestigious award has brought me one step closer to pursue my dream project of making astronomy inclusive for all. I am very grateful for NASO and entire committee for granting me this opportunity!

Nepal received a total of 23 applications before the deadline. Once we received the proposal, we provided our feedback to the individual/organisation for the possible improvements to make it more competitive. Total of 17 proposals have been endorsed for the further evaluation by the Office of Astronomy Outreach (IAU OAO) and team. 

The global call received received 172 applications endorsed by the IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) from 34 countries including Nepal

This is the first group of telescopes to be distributed by the Telescopes for All: Inspiring Stars & Stars Shine for Everyone Collaboration. 

Telescopes for All is a collaboration between the International Astronomical Union Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO), Stars Shine for Everyone (Sterren Schitteren voor Iedereen, SSVI) and Universe Awareness/University of Leiden. The programme seeks to broaden the horizons of children, parents and educators alike, to spark an interest in science, and to promote equal opportunities for pursuing a career in astronomy. The Telescopes for All programme is one of the legacy actions arising from the IAU100 rs celebrations and follows the successful collaboration in 2019. The 17 telescopes were donated by BRESSER.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a digital camera will be provided with each telescope, so that outreach professionals and science educators can conduct their observations and share them safely with their community online until safety measures allow for face-to-face interactions.

Shipping of all the telescopes will begin in late September 2020, provided that COVID-19 safety measures allow. 

To learn more about our activities in Nepal, please visit our official website: www.nepalastronomicalsociety.org

Partial Solar Eclipse Observed from Nepal!

Partial Solar Eclipse on June 21, 2020 proved as one of the best celestial event for us to reach millions of people from Nepal. Though COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our public observation campaign with cancellation of the many onsite observing facilities across the country, we implemented different mode of interaction to create this observing opportunities to people. We are very happy to see so many people across the country sharing their stories with us saying that our information and guidance helped them greatly to be prepared for the safe observation.

Photo 1: Composite of Partial Solar Eclipse from starting to maxima as seen from NASO office, Battishputali, Kathmandu on Sunday, June 21, 2020. Credit: Manisha Dwa

How did we manage to reach out more people encouraging them for safe viewing of the eclipse? This blog post is to help you understand our story closely!

June 13, 2020: Special Interview

We started coordination with Department of Survey for the coordinates of northwest tip of Nepal, Limpiayaadhura. We shared our new insight with Mr. Mani Dahal, member IAU NOC Committee Nepal, who interviewed Mr. Suresh Bhattarai, Chairman, Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) and IAU National Committee for Nepal and published the news! Click here to read this exclusive news which encouraged other media! It's really exciting how people accepted this idea and started interacting with media sharing the info following our footsteps!

Photo 2: Map of Byans Rural Municipality (ब्याँस गाउँपालिका) from where the maximum partial eclipse occurred on June 21, 2020. Limpiayadhura is a part of this municipality according to the map published by the Department of Survey (DOS), Government of Nepal. Credit: Mr. Mahesh Chandra Pudasaini

June 14, 2020: Press Release

We released our press release with an information about the eclipse with timings for capitals for each province as well as Kathmandu.

We would like thank all the media houses for covering our information and joining our outreach efforts. We would like to express our special thanks to Mr. Purna Prasad Mishra, member of the IAU NOC Committee Nepal, and Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) for the interview and sharing our information to RSS network. RSS is a national news agency of Nepal.

June 16, 2020: Call for Queries using hashtag #AskNASO

We released a special video for the public announcing that we will have a live Q/A session on Facebook Page scheduled for 7:00 PM, June 20, 2020. . We received several queries through email, Facebook and Instagram. Click here to watch the announcement/call.

June 18, 2020: Interaction on 'Astronomy Outreach and Education in Nepal'

This interaction program was tailored to the senior high school student and teachers. We shared some of our senior high school programs to the participants (teachers and students) from all seven provinces. Our main focus was to motivate and encourage the participants to observe the solar eclipse safely. We shared different methods of observations and recommended pinhole camera method in case the school or community do not have telescopes or solar eclipse glasses. Total of 193 participants registered for the interaction.

June 19, 2020: Special Weather Bulletin

For any national scale observation program, we have been contacting Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD), Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) for couple of years. We contacted them with our request for the special weather bulletin for the eclipse day so that we can plan our observation accordingly. We received the bulletin which was very helpful for us to be in confidence that we will at least get an opportunity to observe the eclipse. In fact, we were able to observe the eclipse from starting to max from our office then it started to rain in Kathmandu.

June 19, 2020: Video Release for Safe Observation of the Eclipse

We released a special video with an information on how people can build pinhole camera box for the observation of the partial solar eclipse from home. Ms. Manisha Dwa, project coordinator at NASO explained the method in single shot video in order to motivate people to understand the easy way to build it from locally available resources. Click here to watch the video.

June 19, 2020: Interaction with Junior High School students and teachers

We had an excellent interaction session with the junior high school students and teachers. Students were really happy to know the easiest method they can use to observe the solar eclipse safely from their home. Teachers were happy that they had something to engage their students during the eclipse time!

June 20, 2020: TV interview

We had a good session with Avenues TV team visiting our office for the correct information as they were confused with the information related to eclipse provided by B.P. Koirala Memorial Planetarium, Observatory and Science Museum Development Board (BPKMPOSMD). The BPKMPOSMD is a government body for astronomy, astrophysics and space science in Nepal under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

June 20, 2020: Interaction with SEE2076 students

This session was dedicated to the SEE2076 students ( who graduated class 10 this year) and the participants were from across the country. the session was hosted by Mr. Sagar Dahal, our National Astronomy Olympiad focal contact for Bagmati Pradesh and Vice-President of The Celebration Co-Ed School. The session was primarily focused on the solar eclipse and we spend our time interacting with the students and their queries related to eclipse.

June 20, 2020: Facebook Live Q/A Session on Eclipse

We had a very engaging Facebook live Q/A session where we answered queries from public. We answered the queries received through email, Facebook page and Instagram page as well as queries posted in our live session by the participants. Click here to watch the record of the session.

June 21, 2020: Eclipse Day

• NASO Live: The scheduled live streaming from our YouTube Channel get disrupted due to technical and connectivity issues. 
• Prime Times TV Live: We had the Prime Time Television joining us at our office for their live broadcasting of the eclipse with our interviews. Having a national television joining our live streaming encouraged us to help them to stream and share our scientific opinion on the solar eclipse. 
• Photography/Videography: Our team were busy taking photos and videos while interacting with the televisions as well as news agencies and other media visiting our office.  
• Interviews: Ms. Manisha Dwa was interviewed by Asian News International (ANI) and Mr. Suresh Bhattarai was interviewed by Agence France-Presse (AFP) about the eclipse, our preparation and opinions/views on different superstitious beliefs related to solar eclipse. Besides these two news agencies, our team were busy giving interviews to different television channels, radios and online media in before and during the eclipse.
• Sharing Resources: We provided solar filters for the journalists assisting them for their photo and video reporting of the eclipse. We also provided eclipse glasses to them so that they can do some outreach while visiting other places for reporting.

Besides these activities, our office team was busy interacting and guiding science teachers at different locations for their arrangement of the safe solar eclipse observation programs. 

By now, we have reports of eclipse observations from province 1, province 2, Bagmati Pradesh, Gandaki Pradesh and province 5. We received a report of bad weather in Karnali Pradesh and Sudurpashchim Pradesh with didn't let people in this provinces to observe the eclipse. 

We also received several photos, videos and reports from students and teachers who used our video for making pinhole camera box for safe observation.

For those of you who have solar filters, eclipse glasses or made good pinhole camera box, we would advice them to keep them safe until October 25, 22 so that they can use it again for the safe observation. Yes, the next solar eclipse visible from Nepal will be on October 25, 2022 i.e. Kartik 08, 2079 (date conversion done with HamroPatro Mobile App). So, are you ready for 2022?

We would like to thank everyone who joined us to this one of the greatest moment of this year despite of this COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you!

प्रेस विज्ञप्ति: वलय सुर्यग्रहण, असार ७, २०७७

मिति:जेठ ३२, २०७७

प्रेस विज्ञप्ति

वलय सुर्यग्रहण, असार ७, २०७७

नेपाली समय अनुसार असार ७ गते लाग्ने वलय सुर्यग्रहण नेपालबाट भने खण्डग्रास मात्र देखिनेछ। प्रदेश-१ बाट सन् १९६५ नोभेम्बर २३ तारिख विहान देखिएको वलय सुर्यग्रहण हेर्न नेपालले सन् २०६४ फेब्रुअरी १७ सम्म कुर्नुपर्ने छ जुन प्रदेश-१ को दक्षिणपूर्वी भूभागबाटै देखिनेछ।

असार ७ गते तदनुसार जुन २१ तारिखका दिन नेपालबाट देखिने खण्डग्रास सुर्यग्रहणका लागि देशका विभिन्न स्थान तथा हाम्रो कार्यालयमा विशेष व्यवस्थाको तयारी भएको भएपनि कोभिड-१९ महामारीका कारण हाम्रो युट्युब च्यानलमार्फत प्रत्यक्ष प्रसारणको तयारी गरिरहेको जानकारी गराउन चाहन्छौं।

प्रत्यक्ष प्रसारणको अग्रिम सुचनाको लागि हाम्रो युट्युब च्यानल (www.youtube.com/NASONepal ) सब्स्क्राईब गर्नुहुन सम्पूर्ण ग्रहणप्रेमी महानुभावहरुमा अनुरोध गर्दछौं।

नेपालका संघीय तथा प्रादेशिक राजधानीको लागि ग्रहणको समय:

राजधानी	सुरु समय	मध्य समय	अन्त्य समय	अत्यधिक ग्रहण (प्रतिशतमा)
काठमाडौँ	१०:५३:५८	१२:४१:०२	१४:२४:३५	८५.९४
बिराटनगर	१०:५८:४५	१२:४७:०४	१४:२९:२९	८०.६४
जनकपुर	१०:५५:०१	१२:४२:५०	१४:२६:२०	८१.८९
हेटौडा	१०:५२:५२	१२:३९:५८	१४:२३:५५	८४.९०
पोखरा	१०:५०:४५	१२:४१:५९	१४:२१:१४	८८.२५
बुटवल	१०:४८:५०	१२:३५:०६	१४:२०:०२	८६.३७
विरेन्द्रनगर	१०:४५:२४	१२:३०:१८	१४:१५:४२	९०.३५
धनगढी	१०:४२:४६	१२:२६:५२	१४:१२:४२	९१.६२

वैज्ञानिक मूल्य र मान्यता अनुसार सुरक्षित तरिकाले सुर्यग्रहण हेर्दा कुनै किसिमको हानी नोक्शानी नगर्ने कुरा यसै प्रेस विज्ञप्ति मार्फत सम्पूर्ण नेपाली जनतामा जानकारी गराउन चाहन्छौं।ग्रहण सम्बन्धि थप केहि जिज्ञाशा भए हाम्रो कार्यालयमा सम्पर्क गर्न अनुरोध गर्दछौ।



धन्यवाद,
सुरेश भट्टराई

नेपाल एष्ट्रोनोमिकल सोसाईटी (नासो)

(www.nepalastronomicalsociety.org)

नेपाल जनसम्पर्क संयोजक

इन्टरनेसनल एष्ट्रोनोमिकल युनियन (आई.ए.यु.)

(www.iau.org/public/)

नेपालबाटआज राति पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहण देख्न सकिने!

आज सन् २०२० को दोस्रो चन्द्रग्रहण लाग्दैछ जसलाई नेपालबाट पनि देख्न सकिन्छ। यो चन्द्रग्रहण खग्रास वा खण्डग्रास नभएर पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहण हो।यो विरल छायाँजनित ग्रहण भएकोले नेपाल पञ्चाङ्ग निर्णायक समितिले प्रकाशन अनुमति दिएका पात्रोमा यस बारेमा भेटिँदैन। पौराणिक ज्योतिष शास्त्रमा यस किसिमको ग्रहणको अस्तित्व स्विकार गरिएको देखिँदैन।

ग्रहण आज राति ११ बजेर ३० मिनेटमा सुरु भई १ बजेर ९ मिनेटमा मध्य हुनेछ भने राति २ बजेर ४९ मिनेटमा सकिनेछ।

फाईल तस्बिर: गत पुष महिनामा नेपालबाट देखिएको पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहणको दृश्य , मनिषा द्वा

के हो पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहण?
सुर्य र चन्द्रमाको बिचमा पृथ्वी आउँदा एउटै सरल रेखामा परेको खण्डमा चन्द्रग्रहण लाग्ने गर्छ। चन्द्रग्रहण भनेको पृथ्वीको छाँया चन्द्रमामा पर्नु हो। यस्तो छायाँ दुइ प्रकारका हुन्छन्: सघन तथा बिरल: यति चन्द्रमा पृथ्वीको विरल छायाँमा परेमा पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहण लाग्छ। यो ग्रहण नाङ्गो आँखाले खासै छुट्याउन नसक्ने हुनाले प्रचलनमा रहेको पञ्चाङ्ग तथा पात्रोमा यसको चर्चा गरिएको पाईदैन। यस ग्रहणको बेला तस्बिर खिची केहि वैज्ञानिक परिक्षण गर्न सकिने हुनाले वैज्ञानिक समुदायको लागि यस्तो ठुलो महत्व छ।

सन् २०२० मा लाग्ने ६ वटा ग्रहणमध्ये २ वटा सुर्यग्रहण तथा ४ वटा चन्द्रग्रहण छन्। नेपालबाट भने १ सुर्य तथा ३ चन्द्रग्रहण गरी चार ग्रहण देख्न सकिनेछ। ग्रहणको प्रकृति एउटा विश्वव्यापी हुन्छ भने अर्को स्थानीय हुन्छ। जस्तै सन् २०२० को पहिलो सुर्यग्रहणको विश्वब्यापी प्रकृति वलय सुर्यग्रहण भएता पनि नेपालबाट भने खण्डग्रास मात्र देखिनेछ।

सुर्यग्रहण सम्बन्धमा: 
सन् २०२० को पहिलो सुर्यग्रहण जुन २१ तदनुसार वि. सं. २०७७ असार ७ गते आईतबारका दिन लग्नेछ। अफ्रिकाबाट सुरु भई एशियामा आएर सकिएको वलय सुर्यग्रहण नेपालबाट भने खण्डग्रास मात्रै देखिनेछ।नेपालमा खग्रास सुर्यग्रहण वि. सं. २०७७ असार ७ गते आईतबार बिहान  १० बजेर ५३ मिनेटमा सुरु भई १२ बजेर ४१ मिनेटमा मध्य हुनेछ भने  २ बजेर २४ मिनेटमा सकिनेछ। त्यस दिन ग्रहण हेर्न चाहनेहरुका लागि नेपाल एस्ट्रोनोमिकल सोसाइटीले आफ्नो कार्यालय परिसरमा अवलोकनको विशेष व्यवस्था गर्ने तयारी गरेको थियो। तर कोभिड-१९ को महामारीले गर्दा प्रत्यक्ष प्रसारण को तयारी हुदैछ।सन् २०२० को दोस्रो तथा अन्तिम सुर्यग्रहण डिसेम्बर १४ तदनुसार वि. सं. २०७७ मङ्सिर २९ गते सोमबारका दिन लग्नेछ तर नेपालबाट भने देखिने छैन।

चन्द्रग्रहण सम्बन्धमा: 

सन् २०२० को पहिलो चन्द्रग्रहण नेपालबाट जनवरी १०/११ मा देखिएको थियो। वि. सं. २०७६ पुष २५ गते शुक्रबार राति १० बजेर ५२ मिनेट मा सुरु भई १२ बजेर ५५ मिनेटमा मध्य भएको ग्रहण राति २ बजेर ५७ मिनेटमा सकिएको थियो। यो चन्द्रग्रहण खग्रास वा खण्डग्रास नभएर पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहण थियो। सन् २०२० को दोस्रो चन्द्रग्रहण नेपालबाट देख्न सकिन्छ जुन आज राति लग्दैछ। ग्रहण जुन ५/६ तदनुसार वि. सं. २०७७ जेठ २३ गते शुक्रबार अर्थात्  आज राति ११ बजेर ३० मिनेट मा सुरु भई राति १ बजेर ९ मिनेटमा मध्य हुनेछ भने राति २ बजेर ४९ मिनेटमा सकिनेछ। यो चन्द्रग्रहण खग्रास वा खण्डग्रास नभएर पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहण हो।

सन् २०२० को तेस्रो चन्द्रग्रहण जुलाई ५/६ को राति लाग्ने छ भने नेपालबाट देख्न सकिने छैन। यो चन्द्रग्रहण खग्रास वा खण्डग्रास नभएर पेनम्ब्रल चन्द्रग्रहण हो। सन् २०२० को चौथो तथा अन्तिम चन्द्रग्रहण नोवेम्बर ३० तदनुसार वि. सं. २०७७ मङ्सिर १५ गते सोमबार साँझ निकै छोटो समय देखिनेछ। यो ग्रहण चंद्रोमय हुनुभन्दा पहिलेनै सुरु भैसकेको हुने र चन्द्रोदय भएको केहि समयमा नै सकिने हुनाले हेर्नको लागि कुनै डांडामा जानु उचित हुनेछ।

All-Nepal Asteroid Search Training, June 4-5, 2020!

In order to help more students and teachers in Nepal understand the CCD Astrometry, Digital Sky Surveys and different astronomical software, types of asteroids, their discovery process, we are organizing a training each month this year. The June session will be held during June 4-5, 2020 where participants will get an opportunity to interact, build network with form their teams for upcoming asteroid search campaigns.

Click here to Register NOW ! 

Registration deadline: 5:00 PM, Wednesday, June 3, 2020

All-Nepal Asteroid Search Campaign will be held online during June 4-5, 2020 from 1:00 PM -4:00 PM. The details of the meeting will be provided to all registered participants via meial.

How to register? 

1. Fill in this form
2. Pay the registration: NRs 1,000 (One Thousand Nepali Rupees only)
3. Send us the proof of payment to confirm your seat

What are the prerequisite for participation?

In order to make your learn the skills and build good understanding of astronomical observation, we request you to have the following:

• Laptop/Desktop with Windows Operating System
• Internet connection
• Commitment in learning

How long will be the training?

• The online training session will be total of 6 hours which includes 3 hours introduction and 3 hours hands-on session in two consecutive days. 

Will I receive certificate of participation?

• Yes, a digital certificate will be provided to all successful participants via email.

Registration deadline: 5:00 PM, Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Since we introduced training program to support interested students and teachers to learn more, we have total of seven provisional discoveries until April 2020! The next can be you to discover more! Join the training and build your search skills!