Guwahati, January 24 : A workshop on “Exploring the Universe in the Era of Multi-Messenger Astronomy” was organised today by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) at the Conference Hall of the Administrative Block of the University.
Renowned scientist Dr Dhruba J Saikia, Head, Teaching Learning Centre and National Resource Centre, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and the founder Vice-Chancellor of Cotton College State University conducted this astronomy workshop. Faculty members and students from the Departments of Physics and Chemistry enthusiastically participated in the workshop, according to a Press release.
Addressing the participants, Dr Saikia spoke on Galaxy classification, the cosmic microwave background radiation, stellar evolution and the channels of astronomical information. He described the creation of galaxies, the milky way, what determines the star’s colour or the fraction or volume occupied by a star.
He mentioned William Herschel’s serendipitous discovery of infrared radiation in sunlight in 1800. Dr Saikia also referred to a wide range of channels used by modern astronomy. According to him, astronomical observations till about the 1930s were confined largely to the optical region.
Earlier, a brief welcome speech was delivered by Prof GD Sharma, Vice Chancellor of USTM, emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary studies. The workshop ended with a vibrant interactive session between Dr Saikia and the student participants.