Students and faculty members of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kurnool, had a tryst with the celestial bodies Jupiter and Saturn when they came closest after 400 years on Monday.
A telescope of the Astronomy Club of the institution set up on its terrace turned out to be the centre of attraction with everyone eagerly waiting for the sun to set and technical assistant Jitender adjusted the telescope in the right angle for institute director D.V.L.N. Somayajulu to watch the Saturn rings and the bright Jupiter’s four moons.
Joy knew no bounds for all the students and staff as it was the first such experience for a majority of the students and faculty members.
Physics Department Head Devaraj Murali explained that the right side top -- the orange smaller celestial body was Saturn with its rings, while the one on the left side bottom was Jupiter visible with four of its moons.
Everyone was a bit tensed in the evening as the horizon was full of clouds, but with the sun set, the clouds also vanished.
The next such conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be visible only 60 years from now.
