The Indian Institute of Astrophysics has celebrated National Science Day as Open Day on 25 February, Sunday. Over 4000 astronomy enthusiasts from Bengaluru and other cities of Kerala and Tamil Nadu poured into the Indian Institute of Astrophysics for its Open Day, to learn about the subject in a highly interactive and engaging way. The institute showcased its research in astrophysics and its many observatories through models, demonstrations, and posters. The laser optics display, a tethered Helium balloon demonstration, the telescope including the famous thirty-meter telescope model display, ISRO models, and the sunspot watching were the main attractions of the open day.
The faculty members and students of IIA were at hand to explain astronomy through posters and experiments and were available throughout the day to answer innumerable questions from the public. Indian Institute of Astrophysics traces its origins back to 1786, and the Archives division exhibited documents and photographs of the history of astronomy in India. The auditorium events, which included a book reading, and public talks in Kannada and English, were extremely well attended by the audience. “We were overwhelmed by the response. Science belongs in the public domain along with arts, literature, and other human endeavors. Astronomy is a subject that fascinates everybody of all ages, and our Open Day was a great occasion for us to share the universe with the larger public”, said Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, Head of the outreach section of IIA.”