Aloke Palsikar 🔭 🇮🇳

Messier M 53 or NGC 5024 is one of the oldest Star Cluster in our #Milkyway Galaxy. Estimated to be over 12+ Billion years old this cluster has over 500K Stars densely packed. Located in the constellation of Coma Berenices, this cluster is roughly 60K LY away. Imaged from #Bortle8 skies of #Mumbai using @zwoastro ASI 2600MC and #Askar SQA55. #Astrophotography

NGC 2359 or popularly known as Thor's Helmet Nebula is a peculiar Deep Sky Object. Located about 12k LY away in the constellation of #CanisMajor, this Nebula is powered by a massive end of life #WolfRayet Star WR7 which is shedding its core. The hot gases of the #Nebula rich in ionised Oxygen, Nitrogen and Sulphur give the characteristic Blue- green color in shape of an inverted helmet. Approx 120 min of exposure with #Askar SQA55 and @zwoastro ASI 533 MC Pro from Bortle 8 skies of #Mumbai #astrophotography

Messier 1 or #CrabNebula in the constellation of #Taurus is one of the most beautiful Nebula to be seen in the night sky. Located over 6500 LY away this is a #Supernova remnant which was observed nearly 1000 years ago by Chinese astronomers. Rich in Hydrogen, Iron, Sulphur and other metals, this actually looks like a #Faberge egg. Nearly 4+ hrs of integration with #Askar SQA55 and @zwoastro ASI 533 MC Pro from the Bortle 6 skies around #Mumbai. Processed in #Pixinsight

#Carina Nebula C92 is one of the largest nebula visible from Earth but mainly from Southern Hemisphere. A diffusion Nebula in the constellation of Carina, it is an active star forming regions rich in ionised Hydrogen. Difficult to image from Northern hemisphere as it is very low on horizon or almost invisible. Yesterday was briefly visible above the horizon from Bortle 6 skies of #Mumbai at 10 deg for about 40 min. Imaged with @zwoastro ASI 533MC Pro and #Askar SQA55

@LIGOIndia just got a boost with the award of the construction contract. Though delayed by several years this Project will bring #India on the global scientific map of study of #GravitationalWaves. Predicted by #Einstein in 1916, the first waves were detected only a century later. Hopefully the India facility comes on stream soon now and starts to contribute in this fascinating research of major cosmic events !! @DavidBflower @LIGO #Blackholes @larsentoubro indiatoday.in/science/story/…

Not entirely true @Iyervval . Have travelled extensively across the world and especially in SE Asia where you see several Indian dishes like Dosa, Chhole, Naan, Chicken Tikka etc not just in 5* Hotels across Singapore, Hanoi, Saigon, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Dubai and other parts of Europe etc but also in several Major Airport Lounges as well. Yes don’t see much of Indian cuisine in Japan , Korea, China and a few other places.

Five star hotels in Thailand, Japan, China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Singapore, UAE, France, Italy, SL don’t “tune” their cuisine to suit visitor palates India is that unique country, so devoid of self respect, that it dilutes its own cuisine to “appeal” to foreigners 🤮

@Aygiri_Nandini @satpura_tr We booked 6 weeks ago

@alokep @satpura_tr Sir how many months in advance did you book ?

1/2 - Last couple of days we spent exploring the beautiful #Satpura Tiger Reserve @satpura_tr . Amazing scenic place with some excellent wildlife sightings of #Tiger and ther varieties of animals and birds like Bear, Gaur, Sambar,. Very hospitable and well trained staff of Safari Guides and Drivers. Enjoyed the place very much. Some of the moments we captured in course of our stay @MPTourism

One of the highlights of our trip to Satpura Tiger Reserve @satpura_tr was a visit to the ancient and mysterious #JhinjhiniMahal Temple located deep inside the #Madhai core zone. A solid rock construction around 1200-1300 years ago depicting Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, this temple is now in ruins but would have been magnificient in its period. Hope @MPTourism along with Archeological Department of India @ASIGoI can take up conservation and try to restore this temple atleast partially as this can be a great tourist attraction

2/2. An important aspect being this is less crowded and rules such as no mobiles, no plastic etc are strictly followed. The forest is huge and dense and gives one a feel to come back again and again ! @MPTourism @satpura_tr

Our nearest galactic neighour #Andromeda is an evergreen candidate for #Astrophotography. Nearly twice the size of our own #Milkyway, this galaxy has over a trillion stars and in about 4.5 billion years these two galaxies will eventually merge ! A 3+ hr exposure from Bortle 5 skies in outskirts of #Mumbai

Winters are a delight for #Astrophotography and is also a great time to watch some large sized #Nebulae. Sharing two of my recent captures #Rosette Nebula in the constellation of #Monoceros and #California Nebula in the constellation of #Perseus. Both rich in ionised Hydrogen giving the bright red color. Both span over 100 LY and are active star forming regions. Over 3 hours of integration using #Askar SQA55 and @zwoastro ASI 533 MC Pro and @Optolong_filter L-Enhance filter captured from Bortle 5 skies in the outskirts of #Mumbai

Winter time is the favourite season to watch the #Orion Constellation and it does not dissapoint. #OrionNebula is located below the Belt stars and approx 1500 LY away is also visible to the naked eye even from city skies. A 2.5 hr exposure from #Bortle5 skies outside of #Mumbai shows the clouds of ionised Hydrogen and other gases swirling inside this active star forming region. Taken with #Askar #SQA55 and @zwoastro ASI 533 MC Pro and AM5N mount @DavidBflower

The #DolphinNebula SH2-308 is an Emission Nebula around 4000LY away surrounding the #WolfRayet star EZ Canis Majoris which is shedding its outer layers continuously. Rich in H-Alpha, OIII and SII, it forms a thin layer around the star. Approx 6 hr exposure from the #Bortle9 skies around #Mumbai

Amazing example of #CustomerService at @HiltonGardenInn Hanoi Vietnam. Yesterday after checkout I realised at the Airport I had forgotten my new expensive jacket in the room. Called up the Hotel and requested them if they could courier it to my next destination in Vietnam. Given that I had a short stay thereafter it was important for me to get it back within a day. The staff was very helpful and not only they arranged a fast track delivery. Kept me updated on all the developments as they happened. Finally the jacket was delivered to me in about 24 hrs. Customer Service is just not a term to be talked but it has to be an integral part and seen through every action. Amazing to see that the ground staff comprising of Ms Khanh Nhi and Mr Thu Sky and others imbibing these #Values right across all the levels !! Great work Team @Hilton

As the skies get clear around #Mumbai, some of the bright stars start to visible in the Southern skies. #Fomalhaut or Alpha PsA is one the brightest stars in Southern Constellation of Piscis Austrini. About 25 LY away and hotter than our #Sun, this is one of the few stars where we see a young solar system evolve. The protoplanetary disks is being studied to see how star systems evolve ! Imaged with #AskarSQA55 and @zwoastro 533MC Pro. @DavidBflower