Wandering about the night air glow in admiration of the worlds beyond, and the secrets of the stars and black holes, we’ve all wondered the means of our stories compared to the timely cosmos. And as those we love slowly fade into a land of peaceful dreams, we’ve all laid awake, fading into the imagination of an astronaut exploring the mastery of the infinite.
“Set with Stars” or Stellata was an initiative by the International Services Avenue of RACFOSUOC in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of University of Benin, Nigeria that launched “international” to “outer-space”. Striving to leave an impression on the fields of Astronomy and Space Science by inspiring a generation of aspiring scientists Stellata was a unique odyssey of space exploration and education.
As the first voyage through the cosmos an Astronomy Workshop in collaboration with the Astronomical Society of University of Colombo, entitled “Aspecta” meaning “to observe” was held for the students at the Illukovita Secondary School, in Avisawella. With the generous patronage of Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, Head of the Department of Physics at the University of Colombo and the guidance of Mrs. Saumya Kumari (PhD Reading), ASSU – Department of Physics, the sky glimmered with many constellations on the night of 18th of May, 2023 as if it were a sign from the universe.
Accompanied with the magnificent hospitality and pleasant conversations, Aspecta took off composed of discussions regarding Astronomy and Space Science, the prospects of the fields, followed by a water rocket session to spark an interest towards the intriguing components of science, and concluding the day with a fascinating quiz where the winners were awarded an exciting price of chocolates. With the sessions on Planetary Observation, Observational Astronomy and Telescope, and Deep Sky Observation the imaginative eyes were found painted with many dreams of the vast voids of space.
And as the night slowly faded into the light of day, posing for a photo, the contentment of the students radiated through space and time.
Launching into the second voyage through the cosmos in collaboration with SEDSUOC, “Celestra” ignited the curiosity within the intellectuals of tomorrow through the spectacular tales of the constellations told through a post series, and the mysteries of space rediscovered through an article series. Emerging the post series with the famed Sagittarius constellation, the series featured the constellations of Ursa Minor, Canis Minor, and Canis Major deliberately selected from the 88 that decorate the heavens.
The series of articles discovered the intriguing voids of space through the penmanship of the brightest writers at SEDSUOC. In search of the ocean worlds of exoplanets to the complications of human spaceflight, Celestra was an odyssey into the great beyond that featured the articles “Ocean Worlds of the Solar System and Beyond.”, “Risks and Hazards of Human Spaceflight.”, and more.
Consequently, mission Stellata marked completion on a day where the stars and the moon aligned, leaving a giant leap on the fields of Astronomy and Space Science. And as the closing project of the International Service Avenue for the year came to an end, the stories written among the stars glistened with reminisce.
By Rtr. Dilki Fonseka
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