Khagol Bulletin # 136 (Apr 2025) - ENG

| 29 | KHAG L | No. 136 - APRIL 2025 Key Outreach Activities LIGO-Livingston Virtual Tour With contributions from Gaurav Waratkar (Ph.D. scholar, IIT Bombay), Shreejit Jadhav (Postdoctoral researcher, Swinburne Institute of Technology), and William Katzman (LIGO Science Education Center), a Marathi-language virtual guided tour of the LIGO-Livingston facility was developed. Specifically tailored for the Hingoli audience, this video helps visualise what the upcoming detector will resemble. Released in January 2025 via LIGO-India's YouTube and social media platforms, the video has been showcased at multiple outreach events in Hingoli and national science festivals. Hingoli Rural School Outreach Recognising the vital role of youngminds in shaping the future of mega-science projects, LI-EPO organised two school outreach programs in Hingoli since January 2025. The team visited the APJ Hingoli Star Fest On February 5, LI-EPO organised a Star Fest in Hingoli, attended by over 150 teachers and astronomy enthusiasts. The event supported the creation of Khagol Manch (amateur astronomy groups) in each Taluka of Hingoli, which will regularly host astronomy events and make use of donated telescopes. With the presence of the District Collector and CEO of Hingoli, one Newtonian telescope (donated through Newton-Bhabha funds), two refractor telescopes, and a Listening to the Universe pop-up book in Marathi were distributed to each Khagol Manch. The fest featured a Q&A with GW scientists from IUCAA - Sudhir Gholap and Debarati Chatterjee - followed by an astronomy lecture, hands-on telescope handling sessions, and a stargazing event that brought the night sky to life for the attendees. Abdul Kalam Lab at a Zilla Parishad school and another rural ZP school. In these interactive sessions, students learned about the LIGO-India project, gravitational wave science, and had the opportunity to ask questions. These efforts continue the tradition of engaging rural schools in the region.