ASI Symposium 006: Communicating Astronomy in India - 2026
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TILL THE MIDNIGHT OF 14 NOVEMBER 2025!
The ASI Symposium for Communicating Astronomy in India 2026 (ASI SCAI-26) is a pan-Indian Symposium that aims to bring together communicators, outreach practitioners, and public engagement professionals in the field of astronomy in the country. One of the first events of its kind, it is being anchored by the Public Outreach and Education Committee (POEC) of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI). The Symposium will be held during 22-24 January 2026 at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune.
We invite applications for talks and posters from anyone who conducts astronomy outreach in a professional, amateur, or voluntary capacity. Limited travel and other logistics support will be made available for some participants. More details on registrations and abstract submissions procedure can be found in the pages linked in the menu.
The ASI SCAI-26 is supported by the Astronomical Society of India, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR), and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES).
This Symposium is dedicated to the memory of Prof Jayant V. Narlikar, who was a pioneering advocate for astronomy and science communication, and scientific temper, in India.
Themes of the Symposium
- Novel hands-on activities and demonstrations
- Public outreach at planetaria, and innovations in planetarium shows
- Amateur astronomers and organisations, and public engagement
- Astronomy communication in regional languages: strengths and challenges
- Inclusive, equitable, and ethical practices
- Using digital tools and AI for communicating astronomy
- Integrating astronomy with the arts and humanities
- Large scale campaigns and building networks and communities
- Institutional astronomy communication
- Teacher training and student engagement in schools
- Astronomy in school education
- Using dark and quiet skies, astro-tourism, for public engagement
- Countering pseudo-science, misinformation, and promoting scientific temper
- Outreach based on history of astronomy in India
- Science and astronomy journalism
