Namma Telescope: Advancing Hands-On Astronomy Education in Tamilnadu, India

Observing with a telescope is fundamental to modern astronomy and is one of the most awe-inspiring acts of scientific data collection. While state curricula cover basic concepts of astronomy, observational learning is often neglected in schools. To foster quality astronomy education and address the challenge of restricted accessibility to telescopes, Open Space Foundation has launched the Namma Telescope project in Tamilnadu, India. The project provides functional telescopes to schools, enabling students to practice observational astronomy and develop scientific proficiency. Launched in February 2023, the project is in its pilot phase, with telescopes already deployed in 7 out of 25 target schools for the academic year 2023-24. The selected schools are government, government-aided, or low-budget private schools in marginalized socio-economic or geographical areas who have been historically deprived of educational resources.

Schools receive training on telescope operation, and classes 6-8 are offered a specialized astronomy curriculum tailored and localised to fit with the state syllabi. The first six months, basics of astronomy observation are covered followed by research projects such as lunar and sunspot observations are assigned. Students also take part in citizen science projects, such as asteroid search campaigns. By the end of the year,a strong foundation in astronomy is built. Having a telescope makes astronomy engaging and brings clarity while learning fundamentals such as instrumentation, trigonometry, calibration-techniques, data-analysis, etc. Through this project, OSF aims to embed astronomy into existing curricula and to advance hands-on astronomy education in India, recognizing it as a crucial conduit for effective science communication