Rathna and the Ring of Fire
Today is a day like no other.
For one full minute, the sun will disappear behind the moon.
There will be a thin ring of fire where a bright golden ball used to be.
Today, there is a solar eclipse.
Rathna is an astronomer at the planetarium. She and her friends are very excited about the solar eclipse. After all, it is a sight nobody should miss.
Rathna knows many secrets of the universe. Like what happens when a billion-year-old star dies. And how the sun can disappear behind the moon.
Rathna shows people the best views of stars, planets and distant galaxies.
Sometimes through telescopes. Sometimes from her sky theatre, and sometimes from ancient observatories like the Jantar Mantar.
Today, there are two hundred eclipse glasses on Rathna鈥檚 table. These glasses must be worn while looking at the ring of fire.
Two hundred visitors head to the telescope and projection boxes to take a closer look at the sky and the sun hiding behind the moon. Soon the sun is out and Rathna has another surprise in store.
She guides the visitors into a dark room with a domed roof. This is the sky theatre. This is where Rathna keeps a giant projector. Everyone leans back in their seats and looks up.
The roof has turned into the night sky!
Rathna will now take them on a journey through the universe.
RATHNASREE NANDIVADA TIMELINE
November 26, 1963: Rathnasree Nandivada is born in Hyderabad. 1992 -1996: Rathna gets a PhD for her research on the life cycle of binary stars from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. She works in laboratories across the world. 1996: Rathna joins the Nehru Planetarium in Delhi as a senior astronomy educator. 1999: Rathna becomes the director of the planetarium. 2000 onwards: Rathna works to restore the Jantar Mantar at Delhi and Jaipur and use them as open-air physics laboratories for students. 2014: Rathna becomes the chairperson for the Astronomical Society of India鈥檚 Public Outreach and Education Committee. May 9, 2021: Rathna passes away from COVID-19.
This story is an account of a day in the life of Rathnasree Nandivada, who was the director of the Nehru Planetarium in Delhi.