Tag Archives: ganti

From the human eye to AI

Posted on June 2, 2018 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti From the human eye to AI It all started with humans observing points of light in the sky with their naked eyes. The quest to understand our planet earth, our solar system, our galaxy, and ultimately the … Continue reading →

Posted in June 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged | Leave a comment

The new exoplanet hunter

Posted on May 1, 2018 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off into space like what has now become a routine launch. This time the payload was a space telescope on a mission, a more powerful set of eyes, peeping into the heavens … Continue reading →

Posted in May 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dr. Stephen Hawking

Posted on April 2, 2018 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti Dr. Stephen Hawking, world’s most famous contemporary physicist, passed away recently. He belongs to the pantheon of legends like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. He contributed significantly to our increased understanding of the Universe. Having read about … Continue reading →

Posted in April 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Falcon Heavy

Posted on March 4, 2018 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti SpaceX added another feather to its cap by launching the Falcon Heavy rocket with a much heavier payload than any other rocket before. Its maiden flight has garnered success. This flight makes it the heaviest launcher in … Continue reading →

Posted in March 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Black Holes

Posted on February 2, 2018 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti An episode of Nova titled “Black Holes” was aired recently on PBS (pbs.org). The latest issue of Scientific American carried an article by Priyamvada Natarajan on the same subject. The author was also featured on the Nova … Continue reading →

Posted in February 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The perfect machine – Ronald Florence

Posted on December 31, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti The book “The Perfect Machine” is written by Ronald Florence. A fascinating book about the design and construction of the 200 inch telescope at Mount Palomar during the years leading up to the second world war and … Continue reading →

Posted in January 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged | Leave a comment

Voyagers on a Grand Tour

Posted on December 4, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti For forty years, they have been traveling towards the outer solar system and beyond. They are the twin space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. Fueled by nuclear energy in the form of plutonium based thermal generators, … Continue reading →

Posted in December 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Gravity Waves and the Higgs Boson

Posted on November 5, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti Gravity waves have been in the news for the last two years or so. Firstly, when the hundred year old prediction of Albert Einstein came true. Gravity waves were discovered when two black holes collapsed into one, … Continue reading →

Posted in November 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Biosphere 2

Posted on October 3, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti On a recent vacation to Arizona, the Grand Canyon state, I had the opportunity to visit Biosphere 2, near Tucson. It is a futuristic looking structure containing a sample of ecosystems found on Earth. Used currently for … Continue reading →

Posted in October 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dark Matter

Posted on August 2, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti Just when we thought that things are falling into place and that we know enough about the Universe, came the revelation that the Universe is dominated by dark matter and dark energy; which between them account for … Continue reading →

Posted in Mid-summer 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Exoplanets

Posted on June 3, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti In the last decade or so, there has been lot of excitement around the discovery of exoplanets, that is the planets outside of our solar system. An interesting book on this topic has been “Exoplanets” by Michael … Continue reading →

Posted in June 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Recycling rockets.

Posted on May 1, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti Space X recently launched its flagship rocket Falcon 9 to send cargo to the International Space Station. It was almost a routine launch, barely indistinguishable from the others except for one feature. The first stage of the … Continue reading →

Posted in May 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The States of Matter

Posted on April 3, 2017 by ST Editors

by Prasad Ganti As I listened to a science lecture on a Saturday morning, “Science on Saturdays” at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, the title was related to interaction of plasma with the surfaces. It made me think when the … Continue reading →

Posted in April 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment