Ajay Talwar

About the Actant

© Ajay Talwar Ajay Talwar is an amateur astronomer. He has been observing and photographing the night sky since first seeing Halley's Comet in 1986. While studying Hotel Management in Kolkata, he had joined a group at Gangasagar, a place where there is no electricity and the only thing lighting the night sky is the stars. The sight of Halley’s Comet, seen with the naked eye, in the Sagittarius Milky Way was mesmerising and unforgettable. Ajay is among the very first astro-photographers in India. Beginning with a single photo, which recorded Omega Centauri, with its millions of stars - a single photo in an entire rool of film one night in 1987, Ajay has continued astrophotography with film and then digital media. Ajay represents India in the international group of photographers called – The World At Night (TWAN). He also conducts a biannual workshop of astrophotography, in locations in the Himalayas.

© Ajay Talwar Where does the Sun rise every morning? A simple question and the answer is – ‘It’s complicated’, depending on many variables - from the location on Earth to the time of year - the answer could
be, North-East, or East, or South-East. 

How does the Sun traverse the sky during the day? Again it depends on the location and the season. In the winters it describes a low arc over the southern direction and in the summers it describes a very high arc. On two days every year, which are the equinoxes, it rises exactly in the east, describes a middle path (arc) and sets exactly in the west. It took many years for ancient man to recognise these repeating patterns. Shadow Instruments or Sundials brought regularity to the lives of ancient man. 

Through a workshop, participants will recognise and understand this regularity and pattern and take home a working Shadow Instrument.