Author: Dr Main Pal
The night sky has fascinated humanity since ancient times. Long before the invention of telescopes, people observed the stars and used them for navigation, farming, and timekeeping. On a clear night, thousands of stars can be seen scattered across the celestial sphere, forming recognizable patterns known as constellations. Among these countless stars, the Sun is the closest and the most familiar example, providing the energy necessary for life on Earth. Beyond the Sun, there exist many remarkable stars such as Sirius, Alpha Centauri, Vega, and Betelgeuse, each representing distinct stages of stellar evolution. Stars are not isolated objects. Within massive…
Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons REMEMBERING PROF JAYANT VISHNU NARLIKAR (1938-2025) The growth of modern astronomy and cosmology in India owes much to Prof Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, one of the country’s foremost astrophysicists. Internationally acclaimed for his pioneering work in theoretical cosmology, he combined scientific excellence with a lifelong commitment to science education and public outreach. Over six decades, he advanced cosmological research, built world-class institutions, mentored generations of scientists, and inspired the public through his books and lectures. At a time of revolutionary advances in cosmology, Narlikar distinguished himself by challenging prevailing theories and developing alternative models of the universe.…
COVER STORY All space and time and everything that exists is part of the universe. All matter, energy with the seen structures (like stars and galaxies) along with their invisible counterparts are a matter of study in modern cosmology which is the study of the universe as a whole. However, there are some conceptual parallels of unseen aspects of reality in spiritual context, which exist in ancient Indian scripts like Bhagavad Gita and Sankhya philosophy, where the notion of Avyakata (meaning the unmanifest or unseen) may resemble the modern genesis of dark matter and dark energy, both of which are…