Akashmitra

An Association of Amateur Astronomers, Pune, INDIA

  • About Akashmitra

    Akashmitra is typical ‘Tripple A’ association of Amateur Astronomers - based in Pune.

    Weekly meetings, lectures, stars parties, workshops (telescope and model making) and all other similar activities are carried out by the members of Akashmitra.

    Akashmitra (Akash+mitra) literarily mean friends (mitra) of the sky (akash), however, the name implies here as friends of astronomy.

    The Sun is also called Mitra and is masculine where as in Iran Mitra is also the name of the Sun but is feminine.

  • Reaching NIO

    NIO is popularly known as Dr Kelkar’s Eye Hospital.

    The nearest welknown and historically important location is
    Mahatma Phule Museum,

    One can reach the museum by hiring an auto rickshaw.
    Opposite to the museum is ICICI Bank.

    One can now ask for the Dr Kelkar’s Eye Hospital

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Going to the Kelkar farm

Akashmitra Star Parties are normally conducted at the farm house of Dr Shreekant Kelkar, which is about 18 k.m. form NIO. The site cannot be called as the best for serious observers but just right for the new comers as it is a secure place with a good house providing nice shelter.

Reaching Kelkar Farm
For Google Earth users / GPS user / or just by kilometre counting.
Here are the guidelines to reach Kelkar farm Chandani Chowk (it is a famous place at western end of Pune. CC is about 8 k.m. from NIO).

Latitude (north) and longitude (east) of each place are given in parenthesis in deg, min, sec, format.

Set your kilometre reading to zero at Chandani Chowk (18 30 25, 73 47 01.5) and take road going to Pirangut. For about 2 k.m. the road is climbing down.  After 4 kilometres (from zero mark) you will reach Bhugaon village (18 30 5, 73 44 59).

Continue on this road for one and a half k.m. and you will reach Manas hotel/resort (it is to your left), at 5.4 k.m. mark (18 29 55.6, 73 44 12.1). Now the road climbs steeply upwards. The road bends and twists as you climb.

At 8 k.m. mark you will see a petrol pump (18 29 53.2, 73 42 51.1) to your left. There is a small hotel here where you can get a cup of tea or snacks – there is a bar and restaurant behind the petrol pump (to be avoided when with families). [A new petrol pump is comming up before this one].

Continue on the road towards Pirangut, the road climbs again. At about 250 meters you will find a road going left (18 29 55.5, 73 42 43.3). Take this road and not the one that is going straight to Pirangut. Now the road again bends and twists as you climb down.

Warning: If you find the Pirangut city (lights in the night) to your right – you going right. If you find the city to your left – then you have left the right path right behind. Turn right back (from left  of course - be careful there would be upcoming traffic and can be bad) and now take the right turn at the right spot.

Exactly 2 k.m. from the left turn is the point (18 29 16.7, 73 42 2.5) you have to turn left again – on a small road. This point is about 60 meter from the entrance gate of the Kelkar farm. You may park your vehicle here.

From the gate to the farm house, which is rather a steep climb, the distance is about 80 meters.

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