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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Aperture Telescopes
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TZID:Asia/Kolkata
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TZOFFSETFROM:+0530
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DTSTART:20210101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220126T180000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220126T220000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20220107T174654Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220107T174900Z
UID:2908-1643220000-1643234400@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Adornments of the Winter Milky Way - Star Clusters
DESCRIPTION:Numerous Open Star Clusters are spread all over the winter Milky Way. Even city dwellers can enjoy these decorations in the Akash Ganga. Some of the clusters can be seen with the naked eyes\, Krittika (Pleiades) being the famous one. Should I mention some of the other famous ones\, viz. Salt & Pepper; Hyades; Double Cluster; M35 at the feet of the Gemini Twins; Little Beehive; The Scorpion and many many more. In January these clusters are hanging high up in the sky. \nSo what kind of telescopes do we need to see these clusters? Some of the clusters are large\, like Pleiades Hyades – best seen with wide field binoculars. Some of the clusters are small and densely packed with stars like Salt & Pepper\, which require long focal length. Some clusters are faint\, requiring fast focal ratio\, some can be found by star hopping while some may need accurate goto telescope to locate. \nWe are organising an observation with numerous\, and all kinds of telescopes. In this observation you will have telescopes that you can use on your own\, large telescopes such as our 20-inch Dob\, accurate telescope like the 14-inch SCT\, giant binoculars\, small dobs. A whole lot of telescopes! \nDo join us for this “Star Clusters Observation Session” at our Astro Facility at Manesar. \nDO NOTE – Two things could adversely effect the observation\, viz. covid regulations\, or inclement weather. Final go-ahead will be decided on the morning of the observation date.
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/winter-star-clusters/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/star-clusters-observation-pleiades.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220211T180000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220211T233000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20220129T110217Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220129T115549Z
UID:2915-1644602400-1644622200@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Photograph the Moon\, The Golden Handle
DESCRIPTION:Amateur Astronomers love to watch the Terminator day after day. \nNo\, no\, not Arnold Schwarzenegger in that movie with the same name\, but on our Moon. \nDefinition of Terminator – the dividing line between the illuminated and the unilluminated part of the moon’s or a planet’s disk. In plain language – the line dividing the day and night on the Moon. \nIt’s a well-known truth among amateur astronomers that the best place to look on the moon is along the line between light and dark. Many observers study the moon along the terminator\, because the deep shadows there make crater rims and walls on the line pop in relief. Day by day the terminator changes position on the Moon\, illuminating different craters\, rilles and mountain ranges. When the sunlight appears on the Moon’s surface from a low angle\, i.e. at sunrise or sunset interesting lighting effects are created\, which can be observed quite well from the Earth. \nA well-known effect is the so called “Golden Handle”. This is when the Jura Mountains (Montes Jura) are just illuminated 4 to 5 days before the full moon and appear as a bright arc\, in front of the still darkened Sea of Showers (Sinus Iridum) of the Mare Imbrium. This is reinforced by the terminator\, runs directly through this area at this time. The Golden Handle shines rather brightly\, as one side is darkness\, and on the other side is the relatively darker Sinus Iridium. \nOn Friday 11th February\, 2022\, when the Moon rises at in the afternoon from Manesar\, it will be 9.83 days old. Around sunset the Golden handle will be in darkness\, but by midnight it will be fully illuminated by sunshine. A spectacular transition in about 4-5 hours. \nAperture Telescopes is organising an evening observation on Friday\, 11th February\, 2022 to observe this spectacular transition on the terminator. \nWould you like to learn how to photograph the Moon is great detail\, USING YOUR OWN CELLPHONE? We will have a big telescope all set up for YOU to photograph the Moon using YOUR cellphone. \nDo carry your best one along! See you on the 11th. \nAjay Talwar\, Aperture Telescopes.
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/photograph-the-moon-the-golden-handle/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Astrophotography Live Session
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/golden-handle-moon.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220529T000000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220529T000000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20220509T140417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220530T063744Z
UID:3050-1653782400-1653782400@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:All Planet Parade
DESCRIPTION:Post Event Report\n \nIn the Sky – Saturn at the upper right corner\, Conjunction of Mars & Jupiter in the middle and Venus shining at the lower left side.\nOn the terrace\, starting from the left – 12-inch SCT\, 14-inch SCT\, 16-inch Aperture Telescope and ‘Orange’ 8-inch Dobsonian\nOn the left – View of Mars & Jupiter together in the same field of view on the 14-inch telescope\, shot with a cell phone. \nAll Planet Night Observation – Aperture Telescopes Astro Facility – Manesar\nThe evening and the early night was 100% clouded over\, completely overcast\, creating apprehension in the minds of the observers. Checking the weather prediction it seemed that the cloud cover would start to dissipate at around 2:00 – 2:30. Much to our happiness the prediction came exactly true. \nFirst to appear was Saturn. As we turned our telescopes towards we were able to see Titan alongwith. \nIt was a beautiful sight. The conjunction of Mars & Jupiter was the main attraction of the all planet night. The steady clockwork rhythm of our solar system has brought the two planets\, Mars & Jupiter\, in close proximity of less than a degree as seen from the planet Earth. But in reality there was a distance of about 3.85 Astronomical Units separating them. We were able to see the two planets in the same field of view of the telescope. \nA mixed group of about 35\, consisting of amateur astronomers mingled together with beginners in astronomy at our Astro Facility. \n\nEnd of May and first half of June 2022\, the planets are aligned in such a way that ALL the planets can be seen before dawn. \nIt is an infrequent occurrence to see all of the planets in the Solar System observable in one night. Sometimes there are nights when all of the planets are visible from dusk to dawn\, some planets are visible in the evening after sunset and some visible in the morning before sunrise\, but to see all of the planets in the same quadrant of the sky at the same time is indeed rare. \nOn Sunday\, 29th May\, the line-up of the planets will stretch from southern direction where Saturn will be visible\, and going towards the eastern horizon where Mercury would be rising just before sunrise. The order of planets goes like this – Saturn in Capricornus\, Neptune\, Jupiter and Mars in Pisces\, just across the border of Aquarius\, bright Venus on the other side in Pisces adjacent to the border with Aries\, Uranus in Aries and Mercury in Taurus. Thin crescent Moon would be rising just after Uranus in Aries constellation. \nThe best part of the night is that Jupiter and Mars are in close conjunction\, less than a degree apart and visible in the same field of view of a telescope. \nJoin us on Sunday early morning on the 29th May\, at our Manesar Astro Facility to observe and photograph the planets with several large telescopes lined up just for you.  \nPlanetary Astrophotographers welcome\, two large telescopes will be dedicated for astrophotography. \n(The image above was clicked in February 2016\, at Binsar in the Himalayas\, when five planets were visible at dawn. A time-lapse video of the planet parade on the same night can be seen below.) \n  \n\n\n\nPlanet\nRising Time at Manesar\nConstellation\nSize\nMagnitude\nDisk Illumi. (Phase)\n\n\nSaturn\n00:20\nCapricornus\n39″\n0.76\n100%\n\n\nNeptune\n01:47\nPisces\n2.3″\n7.91\n100%\n\n\nJupiter\n02:10\nPisces\n37″\n-2.23\n99%\n\n\nMars\n02:11\nPisces\n6.4″\n0.69\n88%\n\n\nVenus\n03:31\nPisces\n14″\n-3.97\n77%\n\n\nAstronomical Twilight – 03:54\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nUranus\n04:15\nAries\n3.4″\n5.85\n100%\n\n\nNautical Twilight – 04:28\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMoon\n04:34\nAries\n30′\n-8.38\n2%\n\n\nCivil Twilight – 04:59\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMercury\n05:01\nTaurus\n12″\n3.54\n4%\n\n\nSunrise – 05:26\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \nSeveral telescopes will be available for the available at our Astro Facility for your use. \n\n20-Inch Aperture Telescope\, Dobsonian\,\n16-Inch Aperture Telescope\, Dobsonian\,\n14-Inch Celestron SCT on CGE-Pro mount\,\n12-Inch Meade SCT on LX200 mount\,\n8-Inch Celestron SCT on Atlas EQ6 mount.\n\nWe will also be have the ‘First Light’ our new Planetary Dobsonian\, the 10-inch f/10 truss tube telescope\, on this observation night. \nWe welcome you to come & observe the All Planet Parade at our Astro Facility\, any time after midnight\, till dawn. \n \nPlanet Parade from Ajay Talwar on Vimeo.
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/all-planet-parade/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2016-02-06-Five-Planet-Parade-annotated-2-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220625T030000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220625T060000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20220614T182453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220701T055751Z
UID:3166-1656126000-1656136800@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Planet Parade Continues
DESCRIPTION:Stories From the Night of the Planet Parade – Read here\, post event report. \n\nALL THE PLANETS are lined up in the morning sky. This is quite a rare situation\, and is persisting for several weeks.\n \nJoin us on Saturday early morning on the 25th June\, at our Manesar Astro Facility to observe the Planet Parade with several large telescopes lined up just for you.  \nWe had organised a dawn observation on 29th May\, when Mars and Jupiter were in conjunction. \nThe Dawn Planet Parade is still continuing and favourable till the beginning of July\, after which Mercury will be difficult to spot. \nWhat is unique now that the five planets that are visible with the naked eye are lined up in their natural order in the Solar System. Mercury is closest and Saturn is the farthest from the Sun. Mercury reaches its greatest morning (western) elongation on 16th June. \nOn Saturday\, 25th June\, the line-up of the planets will stretch from southern direction where Saturn will be visible\, and going towards the eastern horizon where Mercury would be rising just before sunrise. The order of planets goes like this – Saturn in Capricornus\, Neptune\, Jupiter and Mars in Pisces\,  Uranus in Aries along with the crescent Moon\, bright Venus in Taurus\, below Pleiades and Mercury also in Taurus. \n\n\n\nPlanet\nRising Time at Manesar\nConstellation\nSize\nMagnitude\nDisk Illumi. (Phase)\n\n\nSaturn\n22:32\nCapricornus\n40″\n0.61\n100%\n\n\nNeptune\n00:01\nPisces\n2.3″\n7.87\n100%\n\n\nJupiter\n00:34\nPisces\n40″\n-2.40\n99%\n\n\nMars\n01:20\nPisces\n7.0″\n0.50\n86%\n\n\nUranus\n02:35\nAries\n3.5″\n5.83\n100%\n\n\nMoon\n02:35\nAries\n30″\n-10.57\n15%\n\n\nVenus\n03:28\nTaurus\n12″\n-3.92\n84%\n\n\nAstronomical Twilight – 03:52\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMercury\n04:08\nTaurus\n6.8″\n-0.18\n56%\n\n\nNautical Twilight – 04:27\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCivil Twilight – 04:59\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSunrise – 05:25\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \nSeveral telescopes will be available for the available at our Astro Facility for your use. \n\n16-Inch Aperture Telescope\, Dobsonian\,\n‘ORANGE’ 8-Inch Aperture Telescope\, Dobsonian\,\n14-Inch Celestron SCT on CGE-Pro mount\,\n8-Inch Celestron SCT on Atlas EQ6 mount.\n\nWe welcome you to come & observe the All Planet Parade at our Astro Facility. \n \nPlanet Parade from Ajay Talwar on Vimeo. \n 
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/planet-parade-2/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2016-02-06-Five-Planet-Parade-annotated-2-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220916T190000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20220916T235900
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20220909T043306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220909T084205Z
UID:3225-1663354800-1663372740@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Neptune Closest to Earth
DESCRIPTION:On 16th September 2022\, the outermost planet Neptune will be closest to Earth. Although Neptune is not visible with naked eyes\, but as seen with a telescope\, on this date it will be at its biggest this year. \nThe Opposition of Neptune is one day later\, falling on 17th September. The date of closest of Neptune to Earth and its ‘Opposition’ always differs by about a day at its maximum or a few hours at its minimum. \nNeptune has many associated adjectives – \nThe Calculated Planet\nNeptune was mathematically predicted before it was directly observed. In 1846\, the planet Uranus had completed nearly one full orbit since its discovery by William Herschel in 1781\, and astronomers had detected a series of irregularities in its path that could not be entirely explained by Newton’s law of universal gravitation. These irregularities could\, however\, be resolved if the gravity of a farther\, unknown planet were disturbing its path around the Sun. In 1845\, astronomers Urbain Le Verrier in Paris and John Couch Adams in Cambridge separately began calculations to determine the nature and position of such a planet. With a prediction by Urbain Le Verrier\, telescopic observations confirming the existence of a major planet were made on the night of September 23–24\, 1846\, at the Berlin Observatory\, by astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle (assisted by Heinrich Louis d’Arrest)\, working from Le Verrier’s calculations. It was a sensational moment of 19th-century science\, and dramatic confirmation of Newtonian gravitational theory. \nThe Outermost Planet\nWith Pluto no longer considered a planet but a Dwarf Planet\, Neptune becomes the outermost planet. Even otherwise Pluto’s orbit comes inside the orbit of Neptune for some of its part. In 2011 Neptune completed its first 165-year orbit since its discovery in 1846. \nThe Windy Planet\nNeptune is the windiest planet in our solar system\, whipping up momentous gusts that can reach 2\,000 kilometres an hour\, much more than the speed of a jet plane. That soothing sapphire expanse does reveal some of the whirling chaos below in the form of cloudy bands and massive gyres that look like dark smudges on its surface. Neptune rotates quickly compared to Earth\, with one day taking 16 Earth hours. But its great distance from the sun means the years are long\, requiring 165 Earth years to make one trip around our glowing star. \nThe Icy Giant\nIn 1952\, science fiction writer James Blish coined the term gas giant and it was used to refer to Jupiter\, Saturn\, Uranus and Neptune. However\, since the late 1940s the compositions of Uranus and Neptune have been understood to be significantly different from those of Jupiter and Saturn. They are primarily composed of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium\, constituting a separate type of giant planet altogether. Because during their formation Uranus and Neptune incorporated their material as either ices or gas trapped in water ice\, the term ice giant came into use. Neptune and Uranus are now referred to as ice giants. Lacking well defined solid surfaces\, they are primarily composed of gases and liquids. \nAperture Telescopes is organising an evening observation on Friday\, 16th September at its Astro Facility – Manesar. We will put up several large telescope on our terrace to see the planets. \nProminent attractions of the evening observation – \n\nSaturn rises well before sunset this evening. Saturn\, its rings and a retinue of moons will be prominent in the sky at this observation. Saturn is located in the constellation of Capricorn.\nThis evening Jupiter will have its Great Red Spot (GRS) side turned towards the Earth. We will be able to see the transit of the Great Red Spot. The opposition of Jupiter is scheduled just 10 days later on (which means that the two planets are about 10 degrees apart). Jupiter’s closest approach to Earth is on 26th September and Opposition falls on 27th\nUranus rises at about 21:06 and will be visible about 20 minutes later. When Uranus rises\, all the Giant Planets will be visible in the sky at the same time.\nMoon and Mars are close together in the sky and rise at about 22:41\, and will be visible by about 23:00.\n\nAll are welcome to join the observation.\nLearn about the telescopes that we make at Aperture Telescopes.\nObserve all the Giant Planets of our Solar System. \n \n  \nCircumstances of the Moon on the night of observation –
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/neptune-closest-to-earth/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-06-25-All-Planet-Night-Manesar-Astro-Facility.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20221108T170000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20221108T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20221106T142327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221106T142447Z
UID:3270-1667926800-1667937600@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Lunar Eclipse
DESCRIPTION:The Lunar Eclipse of Tuesday is trending all over the world. India will see the last part of the eclipse\, when the Moon rises\, the eclipse will already be underway. If you are in the eastern parts of India you will see more of partial phases\, and if you are in the western parts of India\, less and less of partial phases\, in twilight conditions. \nIn Delhi and environs\, Moonrise is at about 5:30 pm\, just a few minutes before sunset. Partial phases would be in twilight\, by the time twilight finishes\, the Moon will be in penumbra. \nGoing by today’s weather (smog situation) it seems that the Lunar Eclipse would be seen from Delhi. \nAperture Telescopes is organising an evening observation at our Manesar Astro Facility. \nObservation start time – 5:00 pm\nObservation end time – 8:00 pm \nWe will have a couple of large telescopes lined up. \nAll are welcome to join\, the event is free. \n 
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/lunar-eclipse/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/1996-04-04-TLE-Prem-Kanku-Ghatkopar-009a.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20221223T170000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20221223T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20221130T011021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221130T082055Z
UID:3278-1671814800-1671825600@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:All Planet Evening
DESCRIPTION:Picture this!\nIt’s a crisp Christmassy evening in late December\, no smog and the sky is clear over Gurgaon\, and we can see all of the seven planets\, from Mercury to Neptune. Sone with naked eyes and some with a telescope. \nSunset is at 5:30 pm\, but the first two planets are bright enough to be visible even before the Sun sets. Venus & Mercury towards the western direction would be seen just as the Sun is touching the horizon. Venus\, the brightest would be easy to spot\, but Mercury\, as always\, would be the most difficult to spot. \nTwilight colour comes around after sunset and three planets are brighter than the dusk to be visible easily in twilight. Jupiter\, the overall second brightest planet high towards the south\, fiery red Mars towards the east and Saturn going westwards. \nAs the time of nautical twilight arrives\, it is as dark as it gets in the city setting at our Astro Facility – Manesar\, it is time to watch the remaining planets\, the Icy Giants Uranus & Neptune. \nIt’s an all planet evening. All the planets of the Solar System will be visible in just a matter of two to three hours.\nWe are organising an observation on the evening of 23rd December. Several large telescopes will be lined up to observe all the planets in this short duration. \nAll are welcome to this early evening observation. We will be happy if you spread the word of this event in your circles. \nThe observation starts at 5pm\, don’t be late or you will miss the two evening planets Venus & Mercury.
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/all-planet-evening/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-12-23-All-Planet-Event-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240126T180000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240126T210000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20240101T061026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240111T151924Z
UID:3548-1706292000-1706302800@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Planetary Imaging Master Workshop - Day 1
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \nPlanetary Imaging Master Workshop (Acquiring)\nThe results of the “Aperture” Indian Astrophotographer of the Year contest were announced recently. Aperture Telescopes is quite happy to be the Title Sponsor of this prestigious annual astrophotography contest in India. \nCongratulations to all the winners for contributing their best astro-images. This year the quality of submitted images were world class. We hope that this contest keeps growing year after year. \n  \n  \nThe contest also emphasised what we already knew. Join me in congratulating the winner of the Planet Imaging Ms SONA SHAHANI SHUKLA – Ace Planetary Photographer. We have been seeing her exceptional planet images since long\, in the social media. \nThis is her submitted image. Jupiter with its Great Red Spot and an eclipse happening over the GRS. The detail visible on the Planet is fantastic\, but do not miss the detail visible on the satellite too![/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”3549″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_single_image image=”3571″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]The quality of her images is best\, but that’s not all\, it is her method of photography that is exceptional too. For a long time she uses an 8-inch manual Dobsonian telescope to shoot the planets\, following the wandering planet with her hands\, and pointing the light from the planet\, on to the camera sensor.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”3556″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Vishal Sharma”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/6″][vc_single_image image=”3565″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]  \nA GIS Expert at day\, Astronomer & Astrophotographer at Night. The Starry skies ignited VISHAL SHARMA‘s interest in Astronomy. He started his journey from naked eye observation of stars & sky maps and now proudly owns advanced personal telescopes\, mounts and other equipment in India. One of Vishal’s  image of Jupiter was selected as best planetary photograph and ranked 3rd in world by IAU . Many of his images are now serving hundreds of schools to educate the students about Planetary Sciences in Europe and other parts of the world.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]Here’s a great opportunity to learn from two best planetary photographers. Sona and Vishal will be conducting a Master Workshop at our Manesar Astro Facility. The workshop will be conducted over two evenings. On the first evening we will be learning acquisitions skills. They would be demonstrating the best practices\, methods for acquiring videos of planets. On the second evening\, best methods of processing planet videos into images would be discussed. \nThis is an opportunity that should not be missed by all those interested in planetary photography. The workshop is without any charges\, but there are only limited seats. A maximum of 25 participants would be registered for this two session Master Workshop. Register for the workshop only if you are free on the two dates and would certainly make it for both the sessions (so as not to deprive of those are interested and able to join the workshop). Registration link for the workshop \nPlanetary Master Workshop Dates: \nFriday – 26th January 2024; 1800 – 2100 hrs – Session for acquiring planet images \nFriday – 2nd February 2024: 1800 – 2100 hrs – Session for processing planet images[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/planetary-imaging-master-workshop/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Winner-Sona-Shahani-Shukla-Eclipse-on-Jupiter-e1704793639745.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240202T180000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240202T210000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20240109T115239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240111T152135Z
UID:3582-1706896800-1706907600@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Planetary Imaging Master Workshop - Day 2
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \nPlanetary Imaging Master Workshop (Processing)\nThe results of the “Aperture” Indian Astrophotographer of the Year contest were announced recently. Aperture Telescopes is quite happy to be the Title Sponsor of this prestigious annual astrophotography contest in India. \nCongratulations to all the winners for contributing their best astro-images. This year the quality of submitted images were world class. We hope that this contest keeps growing year after year. \n  \n  \nThe contest also emphasised what we already knew. Join me in congratulating the winner of the Planet Imaging Ms SONA SHAHANI SHUKLA – Ace Planetary Photographer. We have been seeing her exceptional planet images since long\, in the social media. \nThis is her submitted image. Jupiter with its Great Red Spot and an eclipse happening over the GRS. The detail visible on the Planet is fantastic\, but do not miss the detail visible on the satellite too![/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”3549″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_single_image image=”3571″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]The quality of her images is best\, but that’s not all\, it is her method of photography that is exceptional too. For a long time she uses an 8-inch manual Dobsonian telescope to shoot the planets\, following the wandering planet with her hands\, and pointing the light from the planet\, on to the camera sensor.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”3556″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Vishal Sharma”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/6″][vc_single_image image=”3565″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]  \nA GIS Expert at day\, Astronomer & Astrophotographer at Night. The Starry skies ignited VISHAL SHARMA‘s interest in Astronomy. He started his journey from naked eye observation of stars & sky maps and now proudly owns advanced personal telescopes\, mounts and other equipment in India. One of Vishal’s  image of Jupiter was selected as best planetary photograph and ranked 3rd in world by IAU . Many of his images are now serving hundreds of schools to educate the students about Planetary Sciences in Europe and other parts of the world.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]Here’s a great opportunity to learn from two best planetary photographers. Sona and Vishal will be conducting a Master Workshop at our Manesar Astro Facility. The workshop will be conducted over two evenings. On the first evening we will be learning acquisitions skills. They would be demonstrating the best practices\, methods for acquiring videos of planets. On the second evening\, best methods of processing planet videos into images would be discussed. \nThis is an opportunity that should not be missed by all those interested in planetary photography. The workshop is without any charges\, but there are only limited seats. A maximum of 25 participants would be registered for the Master Workshop. Register for the workshop only if you are free for the dates and would certainly make it for both the sessions (so as not to deprive of those are interested and able to join the workshop). \nRegister here \nPlanetary Master Workshop Dates: \nFriday – 26th January 2024; 1800 – 2100 hrs – Session for acquiring planet images \nFriday – 2nd February 2024: 1800 – 2100 hrs – Session for processing planet images[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/planetary-imaging-master-workshop-day-2/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Winner-Sona-Shahani-Shukla-Eclipse-on-Jupiter-e1704793639745.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240412T170000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240412T210000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20240301T022443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T023048Z
UID:3591-1712941200-1712955600@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Urbania Deep Sky Imaging
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A common cliché among astrophotographers and its quite accurate cliché – You cannot photograph anything from overly light polluted cities. \nHere is one person who is making this statement a misconception\, meet Sameer Dhar. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Sameer Dhar is an exceptional deep space astrophotographer\, hails from one of the most polluted skies in the world. Yet he is acclaimed for his work in imaging dim\, really dim nebulas hidden in the realm of our galaxy. \nOur small community has seen him evolve and hone his skills\, now he leads path for many new and upcoming urban sky astrophotographers\, frequently consulted by other accomplished peers. \nDuring the day Sameer works for an International Property consultant (IPC) and looks after sales for facilities and property management business for the firm\, Father to an eight-year-old son\, who he is nurturing to become an avid astronomer\, Sameer brings unimaginable grit and perseverance to the art of deep sky astrophotography. \nBreaking barriers with the skill he has acquired over short period of time\, but tons of hours spent with his gears have paid off\, winning an APOD from urban skies is a major accomplishment and makes the whole community admire the sheer passion with which he works. \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3595″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Aperture Telescopes is organising a one day workshop with Sameer Dhar. He will reveal many of his secrets and in fact run his whole routine in the workshop. Sameer would be bringing his entire equipment inventory that he uses\, to our Manesar Astro Facility. \nDon’t miss this chance to learn from the champion of Urbania Deep Sky Imaging.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] \nGlowing Region of Dust and Gas\n[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3594″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]In 2022\, I upgraded my OTA from the absolutely fabulous William Optics Redcat 51 to the Askar FRA 600. I loaded this huge and heavy OTA on a measly GEM 28 without adequate balancing owing to the enthusiasm of a newbie astrophotographer eager to test out his new toy\, pointed it towards Sagittarius and started shooting 10 min subs from the Bortle 9 skies of Noida. I persisted over 5 sessions (over several nights owing to the clouds and pollution) to finally come up with the image above. This image has 810 minutes of data using a triad ultra-filter. It is cropped to about 70% of the original frame and I deliberately removed the stars to focus on the angular sharpness of the core with its dust lanes and glowing hot has regions. \nI hold this image dear to my heart as it was selected as the Astronomy Picture Of the Day (APOD) on 8th August 2022.  \nThis image is testament that inadequate gear\, bad skies and even a myriad of stars cannot hold back the passion of an astrophotographer. \nSameer Dhar[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/urbania-deep-sky-imaging/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/event1-min.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250126T180000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250126T220000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20250114T164309Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250114T164309Z
UID:3697-1737914400-1737928800@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Planet Parade 2025
DESCRIPTION:Clickbait all over the media\nWhatsapp University\, all major and minor media houses\, print & electronic are abuzz with the news of ‘Planetary Alignment 2025’. Reading the posts\, its quite wonderful to imagine all the planets lined up in the sky.\n\nMost of these news items point out gloriously that this event details is courtesy of NASA\, but while quoting NASA in the news item\, crucial lines are carefully left out to make the celestial event more glamorous\, news worthy and turn it into a ‘Click Bait’. \nHere’s what NASA page actually says – QUOTE \nIn January\, you’ll have the opportunity to take in four bright planets in a single\, sweeping view. All month after dark\, you’ll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest for the first couple of hours\, while Jupiter shines brightly high overhead\, and Mars rises in the east. Uranus and Neptune are there too\, technically\, but they don’t appear as “bright planets.” These multi-planet viewing opportunities aren’t super rare\, but they don’t happen every year\, so it’s worth checking it out. \nNow\, these events are sometimes called “alignments” of the planets\, and while it’s true that they will appear more or less along a line across the sky\, THAT’S WHAT PLANETS ALWAYS DO. That line is called the ecliptic\, and it represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun. This is\, incidentally\, why we sometimes observe planets appearing to approach closely to each other on the sky\, as we view them along a line while they careen around the cosmic racetrack. \nUNQUOTE \nAll these clickbaits give us the opportunity to organise another event at our MANESAR ASTRO FACILITY. It’s a Planet Parade evening. All the planets of the Solar System will be visible in just a matter of two to three hours. \nWe are organising an observation on the evening of Sunday 26th January. Several large telescopes will be lined up to observe all the planets in this short duration. \nAll are welcome to this early evening observation. We will be happy if you spread the word of this event in your circles. \nThe observation starts at 6 pm\, don’t be late or you will miss the early evening planets. \n_____________________________________\n \n\n\n\n\n\nclickbait\n\n/ˈklɪkbeɪt/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nnoun\nnoun: clickbait; noun: click bait\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n(on the internet) content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page.\n\n\nClickbait (also known as link bait or linkbait) is a text or a thumbnail link that is designed to attract attention and to entice users to follow (“click”) that link and view\, read\, stream or listen to the linked piece of online content\, being typically deceptive\, sensationalized\, or otherwise misleading. A “teaser” aims to exploit the “curiosity gap”\, providing just enough information to make readers of news websites curious\, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content. Clickbait headlines often add an element of dishonesty\, using enticements that do not accurately reflect the content being delivered.
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/planet-parade-2025/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Aperture-Event-Planet-Parade.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250420T030000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250420T060000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20250412T075054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250412T080042Z
UID:3722-1745118000-1745128800@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Four Planets at Dawn
DESCRIPTION:Four Planets At Dawn\nFour planets have gathered in the morning sky at dawn. We will assemble a few big telescopes at the Manesar Astro Facility to view the planets at dawn this Sunday.\nSaturn – Look low in the east before sunrise and you will spot Saturn – fresh off its ring plane crossing on March 23rd. The rings will appear unusually thin\, nearly edge-on. Its a rare sight you won’t want to miss.\nVenus -The brightest planet would be visible easily. It is observable as a large thin crescent. Although it is a thin crescent\, just 19% of its surface would be sunlit\, but it will be shining bright at -4.5 magnitude. Since Venus lies between the Sun and the Earth\,  it is large and shines at its maximum brightness during this phase. \nMercury – The innermost planet\,  and a fast mover is also present. We will be able to see Mercury even though the Sun would be rising soon. \nNeptune – makes the fourth planet in the bunch\, but unfortunately it would be the most difficult to locate and observe. We would try to locate Neptune. \nMoon – On your arrival at the Astro Facility we would be observing the Moon. The Moon is in its Last Quarter phase and we would see the Montes Appenninus mountain range\, Eratosthenes and Tycho crater on the terminator. The Sun would be setting over these features casting prominent shadow. We would be clicking photos of these lunar features in participants’ cell phones as a wonderful takeaway from this open house. \nWe are organising an observation on the morning of Sunday 20th April\, which happens to be ‘Easter Sunday’. Several large telescopes will be lined up for your observing pleasure. \nAll are welcome to this early morning observing session. We will be happy if you spread the word of this event in your circles. \nThe observation starts at 3 am and will continue till sunrise.
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/four-planets-at-dawn/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Planet-Sunday-Dawn.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260228T170000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260228T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T172955
CREATED:20260219T122831Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T165128Z
UID:3807-1772298000-1772308800@aperturetelescopes.com
SUMMARY:Six Planet Lineup at sunset
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] \nSix Planet Lineup at Sunset\nWhatsApp university is abuzz again with a “Once In A Lifetime Event” happening on 28th February. Six planets are aligned on this date. \nWell\, not everything happens to be true in the circulating messages on various social media. A lot of hype built up based on little truth. \nWould you like to unravel the whole truth and nothing but the truth behind the hype? Then join us in the open house that we are organising on Saturday\, the 28th February at the Astro Facility of Aperture Telescopes at Manesar. \nWe will assemble a few big telescopes at the Manesar Astro Facility to view the planets. The event begins at 5pm\, before sunset. If you are late then you will miss observing four planets out of six. \nWhat will we observe-\n1. Mercury in daytime\, before sunset.\n2. Venus in daytime\, before sunset.\n3. Gibbous Moon\, 11 day old.\n4. Saturn with its rings angled thinly towards the Earth\, as well as Titan.\n5. Neptune\, the outermost one.\n6. Uranus.\n7. Finally the bright Jupiter\, with the Great Red Spot facing the Earth. \nSeveral large telescopes will be lined up for the session\, some automated and a few manual for your own use. \nAll are welcome to this observing session. We will be happy if you spread the word of this event in your circles. \nThe observation starts at 5 pm and will continue till 8pm. \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://aperturetelescopes.com/event/six-planet-lineup-at-sunset/
LOCATION:Aperture Telescopes’ Facility\, Aperture Telescopes\, 75\, Sector 1\, Manesar\, Gurgaon\, Haryana\, 122052\, India
CATEGORIES:Overnight Observation,Sky Trip
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://aperturetelescopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-02-28-Six-Planet-Parade.jpg.jpg
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END:VCALENDAR