Indian Institute of Astrophysics hosts 500 govt school students at Kavalur Observatory ahead of IISF 2026

KAVALUR: The Vainu Bappu Observatory (VBO) of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) here hosted nearly 500 students and 50 teachers from around 190 different government schools in Tiruvannamalai district on Monday.

The visit was organised as part of the Samagra Shiksha’s RAA – Exposure Visit 2025-26 initiative. The event is a lead-up activity to the International Science Festival (IISF) 2026, to be held at Panchkula in Haryana between December 6 and 9, said a press release issued by IIA.

IISF aims to celebrate and advance the spirit of science-led growth. “In this novel large-scale outreach event at our iconic observatory, around 500 students were exposed to astronomy in an engaging way by our staff.

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They saw the 2.3-m Vainu Bappu Telescope in action and learnt about its history and its unique role in shaping Indian astronomy," said Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of IIA.

She said students were shown short videos on the achievements of the IIA, including the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle and our efforts to preserve its dark skies, leveraging astro-tourism, and the 125 years of operation of the renowned Kodaikanal Solar Observatory.