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A Series of Astronomy Programs for Television in India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Jayant V. Narlikar*
Affiliation:
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005, IndiaandInter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune 411007, India

Extract

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Astronomy, unlike most other sciences, arouses great curiosity amongst laypeople. It is a subject that can be described relatively easily in public lectures. Distinguished astronomers like James Jeans and Arthur Eddington in the past and many more in recent times have “stooped down” to the public level to share the excitement of astronomical discoveries. Today, the popularization program normally proceeds in four different ways — through popular articles, public lectures, planetarium shows, and radio – TV programs. However, this overwhelming public interest in astronomy brings its own difficulties. Not all of it is motivated by a scientific interest! Many persons read mystic significance into astronomical findings. Many more are guided by astrological interest. Many fail to perceive the scientific basis for astronomy, a subject whose laboratory is the whole cosmos with objects too remote to be subject to scientific experimentation.

Type
11. Popularization
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990