From the team
Blog
Astronomy insights, event recaps, and stargazing guides from the RiSa team.
How I built a 30,000-year eclipse database
About a month ago, I sat down and built an eclipse database. Not a small one. 30,000 years of solar eclipses and 30,000 years of lunar eclipses. About 145,000 eclipses in total. and live at eclipsedb.org . Now before you say "NASA already has this" — they don't. Not quite. Let me explain. The gap that shouldn't exist NASA maintains what is arguably the most well-known eclipse catalog in the world, put together by Fred Espenak over many years. It covers roughly 5,000 years. For most purposes,...
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What to Expect When You Buy Your First Telescope
This article is not meant to discourage beginners from buying a telescope. It is meant to prepare them. Knowing what to expect removes unnecessary frustration and helps new observers approach their first nights with realistic expectations. Astronomy is not plug-and-play, but it is deeply rewarding once the basics fall into place.
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The essential reading list
When we organize a "Camping Under the Stars" event, or when I spend time setting up the 20-inch Dobsonian to see a celestial object, it is clear that observation alone is insufficient. The telescope provides the views, but understanding the cosmos requires context. RiSa astronomy never fails to provide the context and that really is the USP of our events. However we get a lot of questions for book recos and we understand more than anyone else that the real utility of observational astronomy...
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Astronomy 101 - A Stargazer's Guide to the Winter Sky | Part Two
Have you ever had the chance to visit a place with dark skies? If you have, and looked up at it in the night, you probably would have...
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Astronomy 101 - Understanding the Essentials | Part One
Astronomy is a word. I'm sure you've heard it before. Or least seen it somewhere. It's not rocket science. No I'm serious. You won't be...
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Camping Under The Stars - A School Trip
This particular event was organised for the primary grades of Kriyasthala, a Montessori school. It lasted for 3 days and 2 nights,...
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A hidden gem in Trivandrum for astronomy lovers
A must visit for astronomy enthusiasts at Trivandrum!
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Good things 'comet' to those who wait
The comet we were looking for has a catalogue number/name. Not an easily rememberable name though. The number/name is: Comet C/2023 A3...
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How things went downhill because I did not understand, rather, forgot how High Precision works
Our first event with a 20-inch telescope, while Anish was all busy setting up the 20-inch scope. I decided to set up the Meade 8-inch...
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Observing with the 20 inch Telescope - 18 Feb 2023
As we had announced recently, we had organized an event meant for deep space observation using the 20-inch telescope in our inventory of...
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