Just completed our annual December end Nature Study Camp tour. A hectic journey of over 700 km in a vehicle loaded with instruments including Telescopes, Projector, Screen, Power back up, small audio system, tents, study material and all other essentials to show Sky to over 1000 kids at different nature Study Camps organized by non-profit voluntary organizations at different off location in Himalayan terrain and foothills. 
We spend one day at each camp showing the kids there sky, talking to them of sky, giving their in-born interest on space an extra impetus to look up to the sky with better methodology and in organized manner. We have been doing this for at least for last 15 years. 
But 2017 trip was special as we could run two parallel teams to run simultaneously. Both put together, we have covered 6 camps with total over 1000 kids. Including camp organizers, officials, and local villagers there, we could show Moon to around 1200 persons in total through our telescopes.
Indeed dog tired we all are indeed physically. But highly charged and rejuvenated from inside. Thanks to all those camp organizers for inviting us and giving us an opportunity to take all these kids to a journey to the sky. We will get tired once again, exactly in this same way, next year.

For more photographs, please visit- ​https://flic.kr/s/aHskrwzFXk

The shortest day of the year (21st December known as Southern Solstice) was as usual packed with lots of fun with kids. Enjoyed a lot today at a special Solar Observation session jointly organised by North Bengal Science Centre and SWAN. Everyone there including all kids and all visitors to the centre got the opportunity to see Sun along with it's flares and Sun spots through SWAN'S new Hydrogen Alpha Telescope, Coronado Solarmax II 60.
​A great experience indeed with many other activities related to astronomy including a open to all kind of Astronomy Quiz.

SWAN's outreach event dated, 1st December, 2017, held at Heritage Academy, Naxalbari was altogether a unique experience with all the students boosted up with utmost enthusiasm and curiosity. 
The event started at 5 pm and was successfully packed up at around 8:45pm with the audience head count of more than 400 who witnessed Sky Modelling Sessions, Onscreen Presentations and a Live Lunar Observation Session. 
A heartfelt thanks to all the students, their parents and the school administrators for being such a good audience and host for the event.

​The much awaited, non-profit academic initiative of SWAN in association with SPS, was conducted in the pristine premises of Satkura Trisrota Mandir (one of the Mahapiths in India), a remote area near Indo-Bangladesh border on 11th of November, which provided a panaromic view of the sky. The event, probably, is the very first of its kind in the entire Eastern India and proved to be an extraordinary experience for all the participants. As the participants had to be given a brief idea about the destination and the workshop, an informative theory class was conducted on the 10th to give an abstract idea of the proceedings of the D-Day.
The workshop started with shooting the Milky-Way and simultaneously a small team of 2, conducted a brief sky-modelling session followed by a sky-watching session for the people of the village. More than 300 heads took part in the 2-houred sessions and enjoyed viewing the Pleiades- A cluster of stars. After the Milky way shoot, the participants continued with shooting star-trails. After the Moon came up late at night, a brief Lunar Watching session was conducted where the participants observed the Moon through a Celestron 8” SCT and snapped the beauty with the Nikons and Canons.

SWAN took an initiative to provide relief to the flood victims at Berubari, Manikganj, a remote area near Indo-Bangladesh border, by organizing a free medical camp last Sunday, on 27th August.
We provided medical help to nearly 600 people belonging to more than 400 families by distributing medicines free of cost and with the with the enthusiastic involvement of all our doctors. We also distributed drinking water purifying chemicals for a month's usage to each family affected by the flood.
We are very thankful for the tireless support of the local authority at Berubari. We are also very thankful to Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for their support in making this camp successful.

For more photographs, please visit- https://flic.kr/s/aHsm7QPSu

Our member, Kamalaksha Das was in Georgia on behalf of SWAN to observe the Great American Eclipse on 21st Aug, 2017 and came up with a nice output in his first attempt at astrophotography.
This being his first Total Solar Eclipse experience, he was awestruck by the incredible beauty of the feel to be in the shadow of the Moon.

​Celebrating the birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the great Indian visionary whose contribution for the upliftment of the backward classes in India is incomparable, SWAN, in association with North Bengal Science Centre, had organized a Science Outreach session for the underprivileged students of a local school. The students visited the Science Museum, attended science shows and presentation sessions and participated in a quiz competition.

Swan had organized an astronomy outreach exhibition at a fair organized by the Sashastra Seema Bal. School students, staff and soldiers of the paramilitary force participated in the exhibition.