Vigyanika presents literature events at IISF 2019
Why in news?
- Vigyanika – an International Science Literature Festival – will be held during the 5th India International Science Festival (IISF) beginning in Kolkata.
What is all about?
- Vigyanika will showcase science communication efforts and concepts through an interesting mix of media including drama, poetry, panel discussions and paper presentations.
- The Vigyanika, to be held from November 5-7, 2019, will also include a science book fair displaying scientific publications from more than 30 reputed publishers.
- It is being coordinated by the CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (CSIR-NISCAIR), Vigyan Prasar, and Vigyan Bharati.
- It will see nearly 75 eminent science communicators, authors, researchers and science journalists from India, USA, UK, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Nepal addressing more than 200 delegates from across the country.
Dwarf planets
Why in news?
- Astronomers using ESO’s SPHERE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that the asteroid Hygiea could be classified as a dwarf planet.
Key highlights:
- As of today, there are officially five dwarf planets in our Solar System. The most famous is Pluto, downgraded from the status of a planet in 2006. The other four, in order of size, are Eris, Makemake, Haumea and Ceres.
- Now, there is a claimant for a sixth dwarf planet. Called Hygiea, it has so far been taken to be an asteroid. It lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
- Using observations made through the European Space Organisation’s SPHERE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have now found Hygiea may possibly be a dwarf planet. If it qualifies, Hygiea will be the smallest dwarf planet in the Solar System.
- The International Astronomical Union sets four criteria for a dwarf planet, and Hygiea already satisfies three —it orbits around the Sun, it is not a moon, and it has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
- The fourth requirement is that it have enough mass that its own gravity pulls it into a roughly spherical shape.
- According to the new study, VLT observations now show Hygiea satisfied that condition, too. This is the first time astronomers have observed Hygiea in high resolution to study its surface and determine its shape and size.
Medicine for Skin Disorders: National Research Institute of Unani
Why in news?
- Union Minister for AYUSH inaugurated National Research Institute of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders (NRIUMSD) at Hyderabad.
News in detail
- NRIUMSD has been upgraded from Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM) at AG Colony Road, Erragadda, Hyderabad to a premier institute under the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM).
- The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of AYUSH. Since its establishment in 1978, the CCRUM as the apex government organization for research in Unani Medicine.
Antrix to commercialise ISRO’s NavIC
Why in news?
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its older commercial arm Antrix Corporation Ltd. are poised to commercialise India’s regional navigation satellite system, NavIC.
About:
- NavIC (Navigation in Indian Constellation) is the Indian system of eight satellites that is aimed at telling business and individual users where they are, or how their products and services are moving.
- The indigenous positioning or location based service (LBS) works just like the established and popular U.S. Global Positioning System or GPS, but within a 1,500-km radius over the sub-continent.
Key developments
- Antrix Corporation Ltd. recently floated two separate tenders to identify industries that can develop dedicated NavIC-based hardware and systems. Besides the Antrix tenders, two other recent developments have paved the way for taking NavIC closer to end users.
- In mid-October, ISRO announced that Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a leading producer of semiconductor chips, had developed and tested NavIC-friendly chipsets across its user bases and that it would add NavIC to them.
- NavIC was also certified by the 3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project), a global body for coordinating mobile telephony standards. The specifications will be available in March 2020 and would be adopted as a national standard.
New Indian map shows UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh
Why in news?
- The Survey General of India released maps depicting the new Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, as created on 31 October 2019.
Key highlights:
- The new Union Territory of Ladakh consists of two districts of Kargil and Leh. The rest of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir is in the new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with 28 districts.
- Out of these, Kargil district was carved out from the area of Leh and Ladakh district.
- In the map, the new Leh district includes the areas of the districts of Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilhas and Tribal Territory of 1947, in addition to the remaining areas of Leh and Ladakh districts of 1947, after carving out the Kargil District.