| 3 December
2004
News from the Galileo Astronomical
Society of Pokhara, Nepal
We last heard from Galileo
Astronomical Society of Pokhara (GASPO Nepal), last
July when he contributed photographs of the transit
of Venus that occurred on 8 June 2004 (“Images
of the transit of Venus from Nepal and Rome,” The
Citizen Scientist, 2 July 2004).
In a previous feature article (“Scanning
the Night Sky in Nepal,” The Citizen Scientist,
27 February 2004), Kedar wrote about his conviction
that "...astronomy can be a crucial factor in changing
social consciousness and accelerating development. Astronomy
is a science that allows the practical application of
other branches of sciences."
GASPO continues to put to good use
the Meade ETX 90-mm telescope received from the Permission to Dream
project of the Space
Frontier Foundation. Recently Kedar sent more photographs
showing students taking a look through the eyepiece
of GASPO’s new telescope. (See Figs. 1 and 2).
GASPO has also updated its web site with many new additions
and images, including “Taking Astronomy to the Kids
of Nepal,” an article that will delight anyone who has
ever watched children taking their first look through
a telescope.
GASPO’s web site lists the following
objectives for this very active group of astronomers:
1. Organize star watching activities
for school students and community people.
2. Help school students and community
people compare Eastern traditional knowledge about astronomy
(the so-called Jyotish-Shastra) with modern scientific
astronomical knowledge and find the truth.
3. Documentation of the impact of star
observation activities and their wide dissemination
to the general public through the media.
4. Identify other astronomy groups
in Nepal, South Asia or elsewhere and develop collaborative
relationships.
5. Identify potential donors who can
assist establishing observatories or planetariums in
Nepal.
6. Fund raising to conduct activities
(from GASPO members, community people, local businessmen
and other donors).
7. Train potential star observers.
8. Organize workshops and training
on relevant issues.
9. Establish an Astronomical Resource
Center in Pokhara.
Forrest M. Mims III.  |
