hyperspace

The Great World Wide Star Count (Oct 20 - Nov 3, 2008) is an effort to determine the light pollution globally while educating participants about the stars. This event, which is open to everyone who want to participate, is organized by the Windows to the Universe project at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colo., in conjunction with planetariums and scientific societies across the world. To participate downlad the printable Activity Guide from their website . One hour after sunset (about 7:00 - 9:00 PM local time) find out the Cygnus Constellation (Sagittarius for Southern hemisphere) and determine the visibility magnitude according to the activity guide. Then report your observations online. This event is in its second year. The 2007 star count drew 6,624 observations taken in all seven continents. See the the 2007 star count results here . That was my observation! Next year, the star count will be part of a "cornerstone project...

Here are some pictures I took during Durga Puja 2008, the widely celebrated festival in West Bengal. Here is a slideshow of all the pictures:

Yesterday (two days before Durga Puja) we, four friends had been on a tour to a small forest (called Chandur forest) near Arambag, Hugli (WB). We were unsure whether this forest was worth a visit or not. One of my friends, remarked that we won't even find a squirrel there! But, at last we decided to visit this place. Map: The location of the forest is marked with C. You can see Bardhaman at the top, and Kolkata on the bottom right corner. We took a Arambagh bound bus from Bardhaman at 9 in the morning. The bus, sped thorugh the pathetic road frequently stopping to take passengers. We got down at 11 at 'Bhantar More' just before Arambag. We bought some foods and then walked a few minutes to enter the forest.The forest turned out to be not so dense. We even spotted some people cutting down trees in the forest. We sat under the trees chatting about various things. I noticed the absolute silence in the forest. There were no other sound except that of the birds and cuttin...