I continue here from my previous article. If you haven’t read that yet, please do. The science behind ಮಕರ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ (Makara Sankranti): Indian traditions follow two approaches to the calendar – the sun-based ಸೌರಮಾನ (sauramaana) approach and the moon-based ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ (chaandramaana) approach. The time measured using each approach is based…
View More My journey with Astronomy – Part 2
“ಸೋರುತಿಹುದು ಮನೆಯ ಮಾಳಿಗಿ, ಅಜ್ಞಾನದಿಂದ… ಸೋರುತಿಹುದು ಮನೆಯ ಮಾಳಿಗಿ!” ಸಂತ ಶಿಶುನಾಳ ಶರೀಫ This is a Kannada folk song written by Santa Shishunala Sharifa in the mid 19th century when India experienced an epidemic of Bubonic plague. In the song, he advises people to be sensible about the disease. He shares insights on…
View More Throwing Scientific Temper out of the window
Tickling the brain: I recently read this book – What if the Earth stopped spinning and 24 other mysteries by Roopa Pai. I am currently reading Imperial Earth by Arthur C Clarke. Both these books have evoked a fresh sense of intrigue in me. My curiosity is heightened beyond its…
View More Nurturing curiosity through questions
Preparation for the much-awaited event: We were pretty excited about the eclipse viewing event plans. As expected, the morning of 26 Dec 2019 was misty and cloudy. The eagerness to witness the annular solar eclipse was so high that I was willing to take a chance. The idea was to…
View More Glimpse of the Eclipse – a Meaningful Learning Experience – Part 2
Annular Solar Eclipse: On 26 December 2019, the people of Bengaluru are in for a celestial treat – the annular solar eclipse. This is the eclipse of the sun. It happens when the moon while travelling around the earth, gets aligned between the sun and the earth. Shadow of the…
View More Glimpse of the Eclipse – a Meaningful Learning Experience – Part 1
“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton Introduction: Over the last 490 days, I have been creating an interesting daily knowledge titbit called “Standing on the shoulders of giants”. The title is inspired by the words of Sir Isaac…
View More Magnificently Empirical – Making Meaningful Measurements
What’s a Hologram? A hologram is a physical structure that uses light diffraction to make an image, the image can appear to be three dimensional. Holography is the science and practice of making holograms. Typically, a hologram is a photographic recording of a light field, rather than an image formed…
View More The Fascinating Mathematics behind Holograms
Dabbling in the kitchen: My mother has a complaint about me. She is bothered that I don’t use her carefully chosen Tupperware containers to store groceries. I am meticulous in general, however sometimes I simply don’t care too much. I only put the spices and rice that I use daily…
View More Kitchen is your Science Teacher
The scientist in me dissects every aspect of life and makes it easy for me to understand the nature around me. Like Richard Feynman said, the beauty on the surface is available for everyone but the beauty that a scientist sees is deeper and additive. I was listening to A…
View More The science in the miracle of nature!
“I don’t read, I proofread” – this is a boon and bane I live with every day. Little details pop out to me and I feel compelled to correct or change them – not always a pleasant experience, in fact, quite the contrary. Everyone around me – family, friends, colleagues…
View More To spoon-feed or to allow flexibility?