Midnapore College
N.C. Rana Sky Observation Centre

In order to promote the study of Astrophysics at Midnapore College Midnapore Sky Observation Centre was started on the 15th August, 1995 in the College under the stewardship of Principal Mukul Ranjan Ray and the guidance of Professor Narayan Chandra Rana associated with IUCAA, Pune  (Inter Universities Centre for Astrophysics and Astronomy). Prof. Satyabrata Roy, Selection Grade Lecturer in Physics of this College,  was given the charge of this Centre. He was sent to IUCAA at Pune and also to Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Astronomy (IIAA) at Bangalore for orientation.

From its very inception, the centre attracted the attention of the scholars, students of different Colleges and schools and science clubs. They became associated with it. The centre arranged shows of different astronomical phenomena (celestial events) which occurred since 1995.

After the sad and sudden demise of Professor Rana on 22nd August 1996, the centre was christened as Midnapore College N.C. Rana Sky Observation Centre in 1997 in order to remember his association, guidance and help.

Project & Financial Help

In 1997, a project submitted by Prof. Satyabrata Roy on “the Development of Steller Photometric Observation using a small telescope at Midnapore College under Vidyasagar University” to the Department of Science & Technology was approved and sanctioned a financial assistances by DST amounting to Rs.3,83,807-00 (Rupees three lac eighty three thousand eight hundred seven only) under the memo SP/S-27k- 32/96(PRU). 

The  financial assistance was received from Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. Of India in two instalments:

Rs. 2,88,995-00 on 19.12.1997

Rs. 70,000-00 on 01.06.2000.

A part of the said fund was utilized to buy one of the most modern types of Telescope Meade Cassegrain Lx200 telescope with 10 inches aperture. It is operated by computer and remote sensing technique and fitted with CCD camera to take sky photographs.

Experts from IUCAA (Pune), IIAA (Bangalore) and Alipore National Meteorological Dept. have helped the College tremendously to set up the telescope and to take up photographs with CCD camera.Midnapore College provided a big open space on the roof of  third floor of the Netaji Subhas Birth Centenary Building and a room to keep the instruments safely.

Activities

  1. The centre regularly telecasts the daily weather report of Midnapore and its adjoining regions through local cable channels with much accuracy. It is worthy to note that the rain-chart prepared by the ‘centre 180 days before the rainy season remarkably tallies with date and time.
  2. Arrangements have also been made at the centre for regular show of the winter and spring sky to the students of different schools and Colleges and interested people, where number is increasing each year.
  3. To organize symposia to explain the notable natural phenomena with slide show e.g.; meteor showers, comets, nova, variable stars, star clusters, galaxies, sun spots and other meteorological phenomena.
  4. The earlier coverage of the following celestial events by the centre were:
    1. Observation of Total Solar Eclipse on 24th October 1995 at Salboni with two buses full of students and teachers.
    2. TSE on 16th August 1997 at Vigaz with selected interested people.
    3. Leonid showers on Nov. 16-17 1999 From 4th May to 7th May 2000, there was a grand rendevoz of Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the crescent moon. The next is due on2040, 2100 AD although the same thing was seen on Feb, 1962.

    5) Transits of Mercury and Venus

  1. On 7th May 2003, the transits of Mercury through the disc of the sun as a back drop was observed on the projected image of the sun on the screen.
  2. On 27th August Mars came at the closest position of the earth The two planets came closer than they had in more than 60,000 years ago. on this occasion, the centre organized the symposia at different schools and Colleges to invite the students and interested local people to look at Mars through the telescope from 24th to 28th August 2003. Due to inclement weather, the show was postponed.
  3. On 22.07.2009 to total solar eclipse was shown to the students and local people and its impact on the earth.
  4. A project titled Modernization of Rural Agro MeteorologicalCentre sponsored by Development And Planning Section under District Innovative Fund, Paschim Medinipur for weather monitoring system undertaken with the sanctioned amount of Rs- 200000 in 2012 and completed in 2014. On 6th June 2012 the transit of Venus was shown throughthe centre. Dr. Makhan Lal Nanda Goswami, Assistant Professor of Physics of this College, delivered a lecture on Historical Development of Astronomyin DST- SEATS- INSPIRE programme in 19the December 2012 at Raja N.L.Khan Women’s College on the occasion.
  5. Two Geo synchronized telescopes with 8 inch and 10 inch mirror diameter procured for searching stars, galaxies and nebulas in the night sky.
  6. On 16th December 2014Dr. Makhan Lal Nanda Goswami, Assistant Professor of Physics of this College attended sky watching programme at Nehru Museum of IIT Kharagpur with the students and on 19th December 2015 delivered a lecture on Celestial Wonderat Khulberia High School, Purba Medinipur on 27th December 2015 sky watching programme for nearly 100 students on DST INSPIRE Camp was organized at N.L Khan Women’s College.
  7. Sky watching programme held on 30th December 2016 at Balighai High School, Purba Medinipur.
  8. The Centre opened a course on Introduction to Astronomy in PG CBCS from 2017-2018 and published a booklet on the prediction of monsoon for the year. Sky watching programme arranged from October 2016- March – 2017.
  9. On the occasion of Science festival 2018-2019 sky watching programme arranged from 28th to 31st December 2018 in the College an also at Pandit Raghunath Murmur High School, Paschim Medinipur on 28th February, 2019 and at Bhadutala Vivekananda High School on 23rdApril 2019.
  10. Solar eclipse was shown from the College centre in 2019.
  11. The centre has made a successful programme on the observation of Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on 21st December 2020 from the roof top of the PG building of Physics and Chemistry. More than 300 students and teachers have participated on this programme.
  12. The centre has made a successful programme on the observation of Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on 21st December 2020 from the roof top of the PG building of Physics and Chemistry. More than 300 students and teachers have been participated on this programme.
  13. Another most important wing of the centre is to record the data of local weather. The recorded data, i.e., Maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, rainfall etc are supplied to the number of researchers from the Department Geography of our College and other Colleges for analyzing. A large number of local people (Paschim Medinpur) have taken the earlier recorded data from the centre for their different useful purpose. The centre is actively engaged to record the data of local weather and display these data which is very much useful for the people associated with agriculture.  

   The Centre has not charged anything from the observers as a part of the college’s commitment to social connectivity and genial gesture for social bond.

   Midnapore College authority has been extending infrastructure and financial support to the centre to run the programmes smoothly. But more fund is required for paying nominal honorarium to the staff members associated with the centre and to         meet miscellaneous expenses for running the shows and visiting schools as part of the center’s extension activities.