Exploring the space: Bhoewali teacher discovers three asteroids

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 26

A science teacher from the district has managed to discover three asteroids and got them registered under his name. The Asteroid Search campaign was sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Pankaj Sharma, a science teacher from Government Middle School, Bhoewali, had been a part of 10-member team, which participated in the All-India Asteroid Search Programme by Ignited Minds-SKYAAC Saptarishi India Asteroid Search Campaign under the umbrella of International Astronomical Search Cooperation (IASC), which has been affiliated with the NASA and the Vigyan Prasar (VIPNET).

The programme allows participants to use specialised software to analyse images taken by Pan-STARRS observatory in University of Hawaii. Sharma, who participated as a citizen scientist, had been running a Science Club in the village for the past 10 years.

He made the discovery after 45 days of detailed training and analysis done under the VIPNET’s experts.

Sharma said, “NASA collaborates with different scientific research institutes globally through its International Astronomical Search Collaboration Programme. Its basic purpose is to provide astronomical data to citizen scientists around the world for asteroid search and observe objects in space. This year, India was one of the collaborating countries. I was part of a 10-member team and we were assigned the data to analyze and discover new asteroids or asteroid like objects near earth’s surface.”

Sharma along with his team successful discovered 10 asteroids based on preliminary stage collective analysis. He alone discovered three asteroids, which had been registered under his name in the scientific records of the VIPNET.

Excited over his achievement, Sharma said his passion for astronomy has grown with time. “I have always been a keen observer of astronomical research and findings. I feel that astronomical research has much greater potential and as a teacher, I try to encourage building a scientific temperament among youth,” he said.

“This project is held every month to detect near-earth objects under the network of citizen scientists. This helps keep an eye on millions of bodies present in the space, which sometimes may turn to be potentially hazardous for inhabitants of earth,” he added.

Sharma has done Masters in Physics from Guru Nanak Dev University and earlier, worked at the Pushpa Gujral Science City, Kapurthala.

Ten teams of representatives from 16 states of the Vigyan Prasar Network of Clubs participated in the Asteroid Search Campaign held between October 6 and November 3.