Team selected for astronomy Olympiad

The astronomy Olympiad orientation-cum-selection camp was held at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), aimed to provide training to bright students selected through national-level exams and also test their understanding of concepts and techniques in astronomy and astrophysics.

A total of 54 students were selected for the camp from close to 500 students, who took a national level test (Indian National Astronomy Olympiad) and stood amongst the top in their respective groups comprising students in Class 12, 11, and 10.

A team of five students was selected to represent the country at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2025, which is to be held in Mumbai in August. The members included Aarush Mishra, Sumant Gupta, Banibrata Majee, Panini, and Akshat Srivastava. Aarush Misra also got the C L Bhat memorial award for best performance in OCSC.

A team of astronomers from Central University Haryana Mahendragarh, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology Patiala, IIT Kanpur, Ashoka University Sonepat, Central University Himachal Shahpur and IISER Mohali worked together to do the groundwork and conduct the OCSC.

The selection of the final team was announced during the valedictory function held at IISER, Mohali.

Delivering a special lecture, Dipankar Bhattacharya from Ashoka University spoke about imaging in different wavebands in astronomy. It was followed by distribution of certificates and medals.