JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA Students Detect Asteroids Under KHAGOLSHALA ASTEROID SEARCH CAMPAIGN 2021

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya students have detected Eight Asteroids as part of the Khagolshala Asteroid Search Campaign 2021.

About Khagolshala Asteroid Search Campaign:

• Khagolshala Asteroid Search Campaign (KASC) is an initiative of the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, and SPACE Foundation.
• The campaign is the India chapter of an international student research program that has got students involved in the search for asteroids.
• Under the campaign, high-quality astronomical data sets are distributed to students through the PANSTARRS telescope for analysis and identification of asteroids.
• The students then analyze the data using software, which then leads to potential discoveries.
• These observations feed into the Near-Earth Object (NEO) data being compiled by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL).
• As part of the campaign, Space India has established Khagolshala Astronomy and Space Education Labs (ASELs) across 20 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas to date.

About Asteroids:                                     

• Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Although asteroids orbit the Sun-like planets, they are much smaller than planets.
• There are lots of asteroids in our solar system. Most of them live in the main asteroid belt—a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

About PANSTARRS Telescope:

• Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) is a telescope located in Hawaii, US.
• The telescope consists of astronomical cameras, telescopes and a computing facility that is surveying the sky for moving or variable objects on a continual basis. It is also producing accurate astrometry and photometry of already-detected objects.

About SPACE Foundation:

• SPACE Foundation was established in 2001. It aims to popularize science and inculcate scientific temperament among the masses, especially students in India.