The scientific community recently published a novel map of the night sky, unveiling hundreds of thousands of previously unknown galaxies. This breakthrough was made possible through the use of the Low-frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope, a tool capable of recognizing light sources invisible for optical instruments through radio astronomy. The latest findings promise to illuminate some of the universe’s unsolved mysteries, particularly black hole physics and the evolution of galaxy clusters.
Understanding Radio Astronomy
Radio astronomy is a technology that helps scientists detect radiation produced when colossal celestial bodies interact. This method has bolstered our understanding of the universe, and the groundbreaking discovery of new galaxies is just the latest in a long line of revelations made possible by it.
The LOFAR Telescope: A Multi-National Achievement
The LOFAR telescope constitutes a network of radio antennae spread across seven European countries, essentially forming a 1,300-km diameter satellite dish. It’s the brainchild of an international consortium of knowledge institutes, universities, and industrial parties, led by the ASTRON—Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy.
VIVID 2019: A Digital India Initiative
VIVID-Vision Insight and Voices as India goes Digital is a District Informatics Officer (DIO) meet organized by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), aiming to facilitate interaction among DIOs and share experiences at the grassroots level in the States. NIC provides nationwide ICT infrastructure to support e-Governance services and numerous initiatives of Digital India and is part of the Department of Electronics & Information Technology under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. VIVID began its journey in 2017 as an annual event intended to empower NIC officials in the world of technology.
| VIVID | Detail |
|---|---|
| Started in | 2017 |
| Organized by | National Informatics Centre (NIC) |
| Purpose | To empower NIC officials in technology field |
Attukal Pongala: The World’s Largest Gathering of Women
The Attukal Pongala, held in Attukal Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is a record-breaking event. Renowned as the world’s largest congregation of women for a festival, it holds a unique ritual known as ‘Pongala,’ where women prepare sweet payasam and offer it to the Goddess or ‘Bhagavathy.’ The ritual has drawn massive crowds of devoted believers to the city streets during the festival, leading the event to be entered into the Guinness Book of Records in 2009.
The Power of Western Disturbance
It is predicted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) that the most potent Western Disturbance (WD) of this winter season is on the brink of affecting north India. WD refers to areas of “disturbed air pressure” originating from the west, which are common during the winter months. These disturbances are recognized as “extra-tropical storms” or low-pressure systems formed outside the tropical regions. Determined by their location, the intensity of the jet stream, and the moisture amount they carry, WDs can travel vast distances, influencing large areas of land and impacting the local ecology, nourishing winter crops, and helping to disperse suspended pollutants in smog-filled cities.