The Infosys Science Foundation calls for nominations for the Infosys Prize 2025. The Infosys Prize is given for an invention, innovation or distinct achievement. 

Nominees must be of Indian origin working anywhere in the world or anyone whose work impacts India and must be 40 years or younger as of November 1, 2025 to be eligible. The nominators will be invited to the nomination council. Self nominations will not be accepted.

XSPECT (X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing payload) is a soft X-ray spectrometer on-board X-ray Polarimetry Satellite (XPoSat), which was launched on 1st January, 2024. XSPECT payload is operating well and have observed many sources for the last one year. While the data will be made public soon, U. R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) which is the lead centre for the development and operation of XSPECT, is organizing a three-day National Workshop on "Hands-on Data Analysis of XSPECT on-board XPoSat" from June 2 - June 4, 2025.

Please find attached the SkyNews for April 2025.

Arvind Paranjpye  
Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai

BRICS Astronomy, in collaboration with science communicators and organisations across BRICS and African countries, is launching a series of Science Communication Training Sessions.

This program is designed to equip researchers, students, professionals, and science communicators in astronomy and other basic sciences with essential science communication skills. The initiative aims to enhance participants' ability to effectively share scientific knowledge, engage diverse audiences, and inspire greater interest in astronomy and the broader sciences.

The Second Daksha Science Workshop will be held at IUCAA on 30th and 31st March 2025. The workshop will be in hybrid mode, and we invite registrations for online participation.

The Gender in Physics Working Group of the Indian Physics Association (IPA) organized Pressing for Progress, a first-of-its kind national conference towards gender equity in Physics in India, in 2019 at Hyderabad University. This meeting focused on the key issues faced at different levels of career, and based on various discussions, the ‘Hyderabad Charter for Gender Equity in Physics’ was formalized and circulated to the members of different institutions for their endorsements.

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the first SKA-India Summer Training School 2025, which will be held from July 7 to 18, 2025, at IIT Indore. This school aims to provide hands-on training in radio astronomy, data analysis, and techniques relevant to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

An online course on the historical development of astronomy in India. The course will start in April/May 2025 and will continue for about a year with 90-120 minute sessions once a week.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Characterising Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) mission foresees its 6th Announcement of Opportunity (AO-6). This Call will invite the submission of research proposals to the Guest Observers (GO) Programme.

Key Dates: The AO-6 Call is foreseen to open on the 18 March 2025 (12:00 CET) and close on the 8 May 2025 (12:00 CEST).

Observing Cycle: The selected proposals will be part of the observing cycle from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. This period marks the last year of the first mission extension of CHEOPS.

Dear everyone