2012 A space odyssey

In those sessions,Narang learned to build telescopes,observe night skies and locate galaxies. In Class X,he spent seven months building his first telescope. Of those,he spent two months just grounding the mirror. One can see the reason he chose to teach children with SPACE in these childhood experiences Narang recalls so vividly.

It was in 2004-05,a period fraught with financial difficulties for him,that the opportunity with SPACE materialised. Starting out on a salary of Rs 18,000 a month as a curriculum designer then,he now plans lessons,trains other educators,takes classes,organises space camps,chases eclipses and offers career advice.

He is one of the few amateur astronomers in India to discover an asteroid. He dabbles in astrophotography; he was in Leh for the Venus transit to record pictures for the Rajya Sabha. Narang’s interest also lies in the field of rocketry,an emerging area recognised by ISRO. And he finds a time wrinkle in his preoccupation with space for cycling — he’s a co-founder of the Delhi Cyclists Network.

Eclipse Chasers Athenaeum,a club of astronomers and scientists round the globe devoted to chasing and recording eclipses,is the most exciting facet of Narang’s association with all things space.

In 2006,when they were in Antalya,Turkey,to observe a four-minute eclipse,he was in-charge of keeping time and instructing the group when to look up at the totally eclipsed sun and when to look away.

“I started my stopwatch when the eclipse began. Everybody was watching the sun,the sky was getting darker,the diamond ring was almost visible. Two minutes into the eclipse,I realised my watch had stopped. My mind went blank for a couple of seconds,but quickly I had to make back calculations to note exact timings and tell the group when to put the safety goggles back on. It seems like such a small thing now,but in the moment when every second is precious and you don’t want to miss the sight,I was very nervous,that too with students looking on,” he recounts with a laugh.

Narang’s students are as passionate and serious about astronomy. Megha Arora,a former student,recalls one particular observation camp at Nainital where they worked with the biggest amateur telescopes in the country.

It was there that Narang made an impression on the young student,his passion fuelling her interest in astronomy. Megha Arora,who retraced an asteroid that had gone missing,now plans to pursue astronomy as a career.

Narang’s plans to develop two new projects for SPACE — space tourism and a university for space exploration. “It’s in the last 10 years that astronomy has attracted serious interest in India. Earlier,one couldn’t really think of a career in it. Many people do so now,including me,” he says. Ambitious and expensive as the plans are,Narang remains undaunted. The future,he says firmly,lies out there.

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