NASA’s IASC appreciates Shrutitirtha Tamojit Bhattacharjee’s provisional detection of the asteroid belt; Here’s the story of ‘Curious Stargazer’

Silchar-boy, Shrutitirtha Bhattacharjee who identifies himself as a “Curious Stargazer” has been recognised by NASA’s International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) for the “Provisional Discovery of Main Belt Asteroid” in the data provided by Pan-STARRS. Bhattacharjee is a member of “Stargazing India” an astronomical club headquartered in Gujarat. Along with him, Kishan Solanki, Het Ahir, Daksh Fofindi, and Nishant Gor participated in the NASA-partnered citizen’s Science Campaign in 2021.

As a part of the campaign, each team of three to five citizen scientists is provided with a database. This database is collected by Pan-STAARS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System). It is a body located at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, US that consists of astronomical cameras, telescopes and a computing facility that is surveying the sky.

“I was contacted by the seniors at Stargazing India and asked if I would like to participate. In 2020, I could not find a friend to join me and so, I didn’t. In 2021, I had made up my mind to join. And so, I did,” informs the Curious Stargazer (read: Shrutitirtha Bhattacharjee). A couple of years back, members of the astronomical club, Stargazing India had messaged him on Instagram after seeing his astrophotography. That is how Bhattacharjee got associated with the group.

“At the beginning of the campaign, we were provided with the database which is basically imagery of a particular part of the space. Using scientific computation, we are supposed to observe moving objects and highlight them. I highlighted five images and the fourth one has been recognised as a provisional detection of an asteroid,” informs Bhattacharjee. According to NASA’s IASC, provisional detections are those that have been verified by the Minor Planet Center. Provisional detections are recognized as asteroid discoveries and must now undergo further observations over a three to five-year period in order to verify the asteroid’s orbit and consolidate any additional measurements of the object.

Shrutitirtha Bhattacharjee, son of veteran journalist Tamojit Bhattacharjee, recollects his uncle (Jethu), former Vice Chancellor of Assam University, Tapodhir Bhattacharjee had gifted him a book that attracted him to stars, moon, the black hole and that is how it all started when he was in Class VI. “His giftedbooks and pictures always made me curious to know more about them. Soon I realised that I like reading about space,” he shares.

His interest in decoding the mysteries of space grew leaps and bounds. “Class XI and XII were stressful times for me, I guess these are for most students. I tried many things but those didn’t help. Then I started stargazing. My stress got lost in the vastness of Space. I got relieved and at the same time, started enjoying the observations. I started to identify stars, then planets. It was all naked-eye astronomy, learning with the help of information available online,” says Bhattacharjee.

In 2019, a giant box landed up at his doorstep. “I had no clue what it was. We unboxed it and I found out it was a telescope. It was sent by my cousin, (Dr. Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University, New York). Gradually I started discovering more about Space. Clicked photographs using techniques of astrophotography. Recently, my mother (Shanta Bhattacharjee) gifted me a professional telescope as an up-gradation,” recalls Bhattacharjee.

The young man is currently pursuing B Sc, Geology Honours from the GC College in Silchar. Going forward, Shrutitirtha Tamojit Bhattacharjee wants to further study Planetary Geology to convert his passion for stargazing into a full-time profession of discovering uncharted zones on the surface of the moon, mars

Shrutitartha's Space Photography

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