This Club in Vizag is Taking You Straight to the Stars!

Social life is in a buzz at Visakhapatnam. Be it unique food, craft, and gifting workshops, communities, social gatherings, or dinner and supper clubs — each weekend brings a new gathering to the city. Among the many clubs drawing Vizag’s youth together is one that comes alive after dark, venturing beyond the ordinary and into the extraordinary — space. The Vizag Astronomy Club is for every individual who has ever gazed at the night sky and found themselves full of questions.

What is VAC Vizag?

The Vizag Astronomy Club is a community of amateur astronomers dedicated to spreading astronomy knowledge in the city. With an Instagram page and a WhatsApp group, the club includes members from various disciplines and age groups, making it quite active and vocal in its activities. We had the opportunity to head to the beach after work to attend their moon watch program in Vizag.

The program began at the Master EK statue near Ambica Sea Green with Shyam, a member of the club, who explained all the facts about the moon. He used a laser pointer and a realistic image of the moon to explain how people once calculated time by observing the moon’s phases, including its waxing and waning. He discussed the significance of craters, as well as the mountain ranges and dark spots visible on the moon’s surface.

People can watch the moon through a telescope, arranged accurately, by paying a small fee of Rs 50. From the start of the program to watching the moon through the telescope, this is a unique experience that everyone should try! The club offers a variety of foundation courses related to astronomy, including stargazing, telescope-making, and astrophotography. VAC also provides telescope mirror grinding services, science outreach programs, and opportunities to rent telescopes. Additionally, their facilities include an astronomy laboratory and services for binocular or telescope repair. The club offers free consultations before purchasing a telescope as well.

Many children gathered around the telescope during the program, fascinated beyond belief at the object. “Seeing the demand for telescope buyers, we have also launched telescope sales of popular brands,” Shyam explains. 

Only the moon?

During the moon watch program in Vizag, Shyam also encourages people to join the WhatsApp group, where regular updates and interesting facts about astronomy are discussed. “The club has many more events like all-night moon viewings and planet viewings as well,” Shyam said while speaking with Yo! Vizag. “There is no fee to enter the club, as we are passionate about spreading this knowledge to the younger generation,” he said. The members of the group have exclusive access to information about the group. 

The Vizag Astronomy Club (VAC) offers three types of membership: Life Membership, Annual Membership, and Student Membership.

Programs for the members:

VAC organises programs for groups upon invitation. These programs include lectures, sky shows, and mini star parties (which can last for four hours or overnight). Schools, colleges, corporate companies, and various clubs often invite VAC to conduct activities like star parties or lectures for their members.

Additional programs for members include: 

• Messier marathons and other astronomy-related events are carried out by the members.
• Guidance is provided to members to make their own telescope
• Guidance is provided to students participating in the astronomy Olympiad.
• Various groups work in VAC, like astrophotography, meteor observation group, deep sky observing group, occultation observing group, etc
• VAC members are working on different serious observational projects at the observation facility of VAC.

Facilities available at Vizag Astronomy Club:

The club has a number of small telescopes for beginners and operates a telescope library for members. The Library of VAC boasts some very old and rare books as well as books and magazines, giving the latest and up-to-date information on astronomy. The club has also set up observing stations with many instruments. 

Event Organisation:

All the programs of VAC Vizag are organised by an enthusiastic and dedicated team of volunteers. All the members of VAC work for the organisation as their hobby. The events are coordinated by the executive committee and core committee of volunteers, and all member volunteers do their best to make these programs a great success.

The Vizag Astronomy Club is proof that the sky is the limit for any passion. In a city that never runs short of things to do, this club craves a space that is quiet, slow, and infinitely bigger than anything else. If the stars have ever made you wonder, Vizag Astronomy Club is the rabbit hole worth falling into — one that leads straight to the cosmos!

Website: www.vizagastronomyclubvac.com

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