Harsha Pandula set up Astronomy Society of Hyderabad to ensure everyone enjoys the night sky
Photographer Shubhroneel Sonu shot the Milky Way galactic center circled like a trail of stars
As the city sleeps, a train of motorcycles and cars heads out to Chavarthy Lake, 50 km from the city. Once there, the paraphernalia is quickly unpacked, cameras equipped with the right lens, and telescopes are mounted on tripods. A quick discussion on the focus to infinity, the ideal shutter speeds and aperture and the night begins. Astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts are increasingly looking forward to such trips. And it’s all thanks to one youngster, Harsha Pandula, who set up and now coordinates the Astronomy Society of Hyderabad.
The Society was born out of this BTech graduate’s disappointment when he looked to join a astronomy club. “There are hardly one or two and they were dormant. So I started one to create awareness on astronomy and night skies. It began with a group with 80 odd people including friends in January 2015.” Over the last four months, the club has become quite popular. But Harsha doesn’t call himself the “founder of the society”. He says, “I would call myself a coordinator for this club.”
Now, A recognised body
After just five meets, the city group has been recognised by the International Dark Sky Association of the United States. “We are now working with their India chapter to support their cause and aim. Astronomy Society of Hyderabad is the first club in India to be recognised by such a reputed organisation which is heavily funded by the US government and various countries worldwide,” says Harsha.
Why stare at stars?
While Harsha, like most of us, was always fascinated by the night skies, he has an emphatic belief system as to why people need to spend more time with the stars and the universe.
“People are so busy with their daily life that they seldom look up at the sky. We are busy fighting over caste and religion, which are nothing in front of the vastness of the universe. We all know that we are a part of something greater, yet we allow small insignificant things to affect our daily lives,” he says.
No cakewalk
While you can stare at the stars at any given time, there is a right way to actually get the most out of it. Due to the pollution in the city skies, it is now common knowledge that the night skies aren’t the same. That’s where Harsha’s passion comes in. “Firstly you need to look for a dark place with no light pollution. Cities are bright sources of light pollution. This affects our visibility of the stars, shooting stars, meteor showers and many astronomical events,” he says.With the location taken care of, Harsha also closely follows the moon cycle to pick an ideal time.
“The moon can also be a source of light pollution which interferes with viewing our home galaxy and other distant and faint objects. After this you have to consider the cloud cover, air humidity, dew and various other natural factors before you set out on a night expedition,” he explains.With the moon growing bigger at present, you might have to wait till the second week of May to be able to experience this.
The group is generally limited to 20 participants and Harsha charges only Rs 50 per person with a DSLR, otherwise it’s free. “Every new event has new faces along with people from previous events. I am also happy to see parents bringing along their children to such events, they can learn and observe a lot. Our intention is to just spread awareness and get people out below the night sky to view, shoot and observe. Spreading knowledge and awareness is our sole aim,” he says.
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