Growing up in Cherpulassery, a small city in Palakkad, Kerala, within the ‘90s, Aswin Sekhar had access to pristine night skies. Light pollution was less. So, staring at the vast expanse of stars overhead, twinkling like precious gems, left an indelible mark on young Aswin’s impressionable thoughts. Back then, he didn’t know a celestial object would bear his name sooner or later.
In June, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named an asteroid after Aswin, 38, to honour his contribution to the sector of meteors in meteoroid stream dynamics. The asteroid, found in 2000 by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search programme (funded by NASA), might be referred to as (33928) Aswinsekhar = 2000 LJ27.
Aswin aside, three different Indians — astronomer Kumar Venkataramani, senior flight dynamics engineer Ashok Ok. Verma, and planetary geologist Rutu Parekh — additionally had asteroids named after them. They be a part of an elite group of Indian scientists like Srinivasa Ramanujan, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, CV Raman, Vikram Sarabhai, and Vainu Bappu, who’ve had the identical honour. Other eminent Indians like Mohandas Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Viswanathan Anand even have minor planets named after them. But that’s via a “ceremonial nomenclature”, whereby the discoverer of the celestial physique can name it after the IAU nomenclature committee’s approval. In the “non-ceremonial nomenclature”, achieved people within the subject of astrophysics nominate a fellow scientist for the IAU’s consideration to have a minor planet named of their honour. Aswin and the opposite Indians had been honoured via the second course of.
The information of this naming was an overwhelming and nice shock for Aswin. “The recognition was particularly significant as my expertise lies in meteor sciences, an area considered niche even within the broader field of astrophysics,” he says. “Most attention tends to gravitate towards cosmology, stellar physics, or solar physics, which boasts a much larger community of professionals. This recognition by the IAU felt like a tribute to the legacy of meteor scientists who came before me and those who diligently worked in the field despite lacking acknowledgement.”
Watch out
The annual Perseid meteor bathe, one of the anticipated celestial occasions of the yr, is ready to peak on the evening of August 12. Though spectacular, folks didn’t know why so many meteors had been clustered collectively. That is till a workforce led by Aswin discovered the trigger: a uncommon gravitational dance between the Perseids, Saturn and Jupiter.
A full circle
Two celestial occasions sparked Aswin’s curiosity in learning the sky. The first one was the looks of the Halle-Bopp comet in 1997. “I visited my uncle posted in the Assam rifles in Nagaland, Kohima. And I remember seeing this beautiful comet. The sky was spectacular,” he remembers.
The second one was the 1999 Leonid meteor bathe. Krishna Warrier, a former scientist at C-DAC Research Center in Thiruvananthapuram, had requested him to observe it. The sight of the celestial fireworks left an indelible mark on younger Aswin’s thoughts. But there’s additionally a little bit of serendipity to this scientist’s story. “Years later, around 2010, as I ventured on my academic journey, I found myself under the guidance of renowned Scottish astrophysicist Dr David Asher for my PhD studies. Dr Asher was the one who predicted the meteor shower I witnessed back in 1999!” he says. It is tempting to say the celebrities had been aligned in Aswin’s case.
Science and sci-fi
As a photo voltaic system dynamicist, Aswin’s day-to-day work revolves round understanding and predicting orbits. “First, there’s a theoretical dimension where I delve into understanding the intricate forces within our solar system. One of my main works has been understanding the periodic gravitational effects between Jupiter, Saturn and meteor showers.
“The second facet of my work involves validation of theory through real-world observations. This collaboration of theory and practice advances our understanding of the cosmos and contributes to the protection of modern-day satellite systems.”
He additionally continuously visits scientific establishments and organisations throughout South India just like the Regional Science Centre in Coimbatore, Kerala State Science & Technology Museum in Trivandrum, Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru, and Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai.
As somebody who carefully observes the orbits of celestial our bodies, what does he make of Hollywood movies and tabloid headlines about apocalyptic collisions?
Aswin chuckles on the query.
“While certain Hollywood movies, press stories, and social media narratives can, at times, exaggerate the magnitude of celestial threats, the reality remains that these dangers are genuine,” he explains. “About 66 million years ago, an asteroid impact caused the extinction of dinosaurs. More recently, in 1908, an asteroid collision in Tunguska, Siberia, ignited a massive forest fire and vapourised portions of the impacted area. In 2013, Chelyabinsk in Russia experienced the impact of a relatively small asteroid, approximately 15 meters in size. But it shattered buildings and caused numerous injuries. So, there is a need to meticulously study, forecast, and prepare for these potential hazards.”
He reckons science fiction motion pictures bridge the hole between scientific intricacies and public comprehension. “I recall the impact of movies like Independence Day during my formative years. The portrayal of alien invasion stirred my curiosity about extraterrestrial life,” he provides.
Need for higher outreach
Though Aswin loves and does science, he’s hardly like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. He enjoys life exterior the laboratory as effectively. “I enjoy swimming, badminton, and chess. I like to cook. I go to concerts and film festivals. And I like to travel as well,” he says. Aswin’s work has taken him to over 40 international locations. He has been to a few of the most picturesque but difficult terrains of telescope websites just like the Himalayan and Nilgiri ranges, remoted spots within the Hawaiian volcanic peaks, Arizona deserts, the Canary Islands and others.
Aswin additionally likes speaking about science to encourage the youthful era. He reckons that Indian scientific establishments want to extend their outreach actions. “In India, these institutions are not easily accessible to the public. Whereas, agencies like NASA have dedicated visitor centres and museums,” he says.
“The foundation of our scientific endeavours rests upon taxpayer funding, which underscores the importance of being accountable and contributing back to society. I believe scientists should communicate with the broader public and students,” he says.
After all, he, too, was impressed by one other scientist to look skyward.
