World Asteroid Day: Delhi youngsters peer into the sky for asteroids

Some young asteroid discoverers from Delhi-NCR tell us what makes them, in a world of video games and social media, go on asteroid quests. And how amateur astronomy is enticing Gen Z.

While skywatching is a hobby for some and a distant dream for others, some youngsters in the Capital are peering at the sky to learn about the keys of the cosmos. On World Asteroid Day, some young asteroid discoverers tell us what makes them, in a world of video games and social media, go on asteroid quests.

Delhi-NCR based youngsters share what makes them turn to amateur astronomy to find out asteroids. (Image: Shutterstock)

For 18-year-old Shubham Gupta, who is anxiously waiting for his board exam results, Delhi’s resident young astronomer Aryan Mishra’s lecture on the subject. two years ago, opened up the world of amateur astronomy. “I was in 10th grade when Mishra sir set up Delhi’s first astronomy lab in our school. I soon immersed myself in the equipments, reading voraciously about planets, stars and more. During the pandemic, I participated in an asteroid search campaign online, where we analyse astronomical data given by the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) — an online scientific programme that helps youngsters discover near-Earth objects,” says Gupta.

After seven preliminary discoveries, Gupta finally found one asteroid for which he was granted a provisional certificate this June. “Now, this asteroid’s orbit will be tracked by NASA and other space agencies. The discovery has emboldened me to pursue my dream of studying more about space,” he adds.

A similar interest in space inspired 16-year-old Delhiite Kshitiz Goel to pursue astronomy under the guidance of his teachers at school. “I was immersed in my studies, since this is my board exam year, and between the stress of economics and accounts, astronomy is what gave me some respite. My sister and I would spend time discussing about planets and stars, so I decided to spend my summer vacations looking for asteroids,” says Goel, who has discovered two asteroids. “For five days after my study was confirmed, I was in utter disbelief,” he shares.

“All kids need now is a stable internet connection and a will to learn,” says Mishra, who had made the headlines after discovering an asteroid at the age of 14. He is now a 21-year-old college student mentoring youngsters across Delhi and setting up astronomy labs across the country. “There are various platforms, websites where youngsters can help professional astronomers discover galaxies and learn more about space,” he adds.

How they discover asteroids:

- Enthusiasts can use original datasets from Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii and analyse the data through a software called Astrometrica.

- When a participant discovers a moving object, it is called a preliminary discovery in the process of asteroid hunting.

- After the object is observed twice, it is called a provisional discovery, which gives the asteroid the provisional name.

- It takes three to six years to make more observations and discover the orbit of the object. After this, the astronomical body is moved to numbered status and can be named by the student discoverers!

Author tweets @bhagat_mallika

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