Archaeo- Astronomy

Summary
Principal Teacher: Dr. Mayank Vahia, School of Mathematical sciences, NMIMS
Medium: English

Were ancient people witness to astronomical episodes? What do we know about astronomy in the past? What tools did our ancestors use to study the stars?

About the Course
Starting with the basic concepts and evolution of Archaeo-astronomy in India, this five-part course will take you on a journey discovering ancient myths and architecture. While discussing about Orion, Tauras and Pleiades across cultures, Dr. Mayank Vahia will also touch upon Tribal Astronomy.

Syllabus
1. Archaeo Astronomy: Concepts and Evolution in India
2. Ancient Astronomy, Myths and Architecture
3. Tribal Astronomy
4. Orion, Taurus and Pleiades across cultures

About the Resource Person
Prof. Dr. Mayank Vahia is the Dean of The School of Mathematical Sciences, NMIMS, Vile Parle, which has introduced new ideas about mathematics education at undergraduate level.
Prof. Vahia, who has a PhD in Astronomy and Physics, retired from the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in October 2018. At TIFR, he worked on space-based telescopes that were flown on NASA’ Space Shuttle, one Russian satellite and several Indian satellites. Later he pursued his interests in the history of astronomy and science in ancient civilisations.
All through his career he was keen on student training and initiated the Astronomy Olympiad programme in India which has not only created and cultivated interest in astronomy in young students but the Indian teams have performed very well in international events. After his retirement he has taken up the responsibility of setting up an innovative undergraduate programme in Mathematical Sciences at the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai
For the past several years he has been working in the discipline of ArchaeoAstronomy, and has done some path breaking research in the field.