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  The exoplanet revolves around a star named EPIC211945201 or K2–236, with rotation period of just 19.5 days. It is very close to the host star with surface temprature of around 600 celsius. It is 27 times massive than earth and has 6 times larger radius. It is a gas giant like Saturn and Neptune.[image courtesy : Lucas Granito http://www.iflscience.com/space/unexpected-giant-exoplanet-discovered/ ] A team of Indian scientist from PRL have today announced the discovery of an exo-planet around a star 600 light years away. This is the first discovery of exo-planet orbiting other stars by Indian Scientists. The key to this discovery was the device PARAS (PRL Advanced Radial Velocity Abu Sky search) spectrograph attached to the 1.2 m telescope of PRL,at Gurushikhar Mount Abu in Rajasthan. It is also a matter of pride that this spectrograph was designed and developed entirely by the members of the Astronomy and Astrophysics division at PRL. so let us dive a bit deeper...

  For more than past 20 years scientist are operating this facility in Antarctica at an altitude of 9000 feet and temperatures that never go above -30 degree centigrade. The sun shines so bright here in lack of Ozone layer that you may need sunscreen to protect your nostrils. But what on earth do you get for living in such harsh weather ? A few days back this place has marked its spot in the history of mankind when it detected Neutrinos from a definite location in sky. Let us look at what are Neutrinos, their detection and the implication to astronomy in future. Neutrinos ! [Standard model of elementary particles. Notice the 3 Neutrinos placed in the bottom left corner in the lepton section. Image Courtesy : Fermilab] All of us have conveniently learned is school that all the matter we see is made up of atoms, But an atom itself is made of protons, and neutrons in the center of it and electrons in an orbit around it. There are particles that are mor...

  A recent study of the great red spot on the surface of Jupiter suggests that there could be water in the atmosphere of Jupiter. This experimental observation matches fairly with the theoretical and Computational estimates of water on Jupiter. This discovery was made possible by the use of iSHELL a new infrared spectrograph used at the NASA infrared radio telescope facility, which is attached to the keck telescopes in Mauna Kea, Hawai. Estimates peg that the amount of Liquid water in the Jovian atmosphere may even be twice than that found on the Earth. Now the onus is on the Juno space probe to give us more conclusive observations that can finally prove without doubt the existence of liquid water in the Great Red spot. This also piques our interest as where else can one find liquid water except the planet we call Earth. Moon ! [ Moon the nearest place where we can find water. Image Courtesy : Wikimedia Commons] Though moon is our nearest neigh...

GSRTC’s new bus service is a result of long standing demand by the people especially from Bhavnagar, for a state owned , Quality and justly priced bus service. The real question is, does it live upto it’s promise or is another private like bus service in making with even worse standards. Lets dive deeper into the question and break up the experience piece by piece. Ticketing. Your journey experience begins with booking a ticket. The online ticketing option for the GSRTC buses is a breeze. You get all the options like seat selections, a lady seat and precise boarding and deboarding points. There are two options for selecting the payment gateways and you can also pay via net banking which isn’t possible if you use other operators. The payment gateway is itself secure and gets the transaction done unlike those of the Private buses where amount is seldom debited but you don’t get your ticket. Also the cancellation policy in case of online booking is more lenient for GSRTC ...

  Understand your use case. It’s seldom true that our buying decisions are based on endorsements from people we look upto, or brands/devices people take in at high regard. Making choice based on these traits can make you momentarily happy, but to continue using your smartphone happily for years to come you need to be a wee bit more careful. Smartphones have evolved as a device that can do multiple things at once, its your go to internet device, your primary camera and of course your phone. To make the most out of your phone, you must first understand what is the most used feature by you. For many it will be still making calls, for heavy internet users, processor and software plays an important role and those who love binge watching, the quality of screen and speakers is the most important thing. Many people put camera as a high priority even though they barely use that feature. It is a high priority only if you click 10–15 pictures each day. If you are a mobile...

  The term scientific temper was coined by the first prime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his book the discovery of India. In this, he suggested that scientific temper is the attitude to:- (1) search for new bodies of knowledge, (2)not to accept anything without a proof or a test, (3) Have the ability to change one’s stand in light of new evidences and (4) not to rely on pre -conceived notions in lieu of observational evidence. He believed that such an attitude was not merely for the application of science but also for being able to make more rational and informed choices in life. The idea of evolving India into a society where all citizens have a scientific temper and rational approach had been fundamental to the vision of independent India. The Article 51A of the Indian Constitution that lists the fundamental duties, clearly states that, “it is the fundamental duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spi...