International Astronomy Olympiad 2025: Five students to represent India

The Astronomy Olympiad Orientation Cum Selection Camp (OCSC) 2025, held at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, culminated in the selection of India’s five-member team for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA). This international event is scheduled to take place in Mumbai in August 2025, said a release from IISER Mohali.

The OCSC is an intensive training and assessment camp aimed at grooming students with outstanding aptitude in astronomy and astrophysics. Of nearly 500 students who took the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad, 54 qualified for the OCSC based on performance and preferences. Eventually, 37 students from across India attended the camp, which included lectures, tutorials, telescope-handling workshops, and night-sky observation sessions.

Host and organisers

Managed by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR), the responsibility of conducting this year’s camp shifted to IISER Mohali, as HBCSE is preparing to host the IOAA. The camp was a collaborative effort involving faculty from several institutes, including Central University of Haryana, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, IIT Kanpur, Ashoka University, and IISER Mohali, supported by experts from other research institutions like the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and the Raman Research Institute.

Final team selected

The final team was announced during a valedictory function at IISER Mohali on June 11. The selected students are:

Aarush Mishra

Sumant Gupta

Banibrata Majee

Panini

Akshat Srivastava

Aarush Mishra received the C L Bhat Memorial Award for best overall performance. Sumant Gupta was recognised for excellence in the observational test, while Akshat Srivastava secured awards for both theoretical and data analysis performance.

Special guests and awards

The event featured a lecture by Professor Dipankar Bhattacharya of Ashoka University, who discussed multi-waveband imaging in astronomy. Medals and certificates were distributed by Professor Kulinder Pal Singh and Professor Bhattacharya, respectively, on behalf of the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT).

Mentorship and guidance

The team will be led by Professor Jasjeet Singh Bagla and Dr Harvinder Kaur Jassal, who have been closely associated with the astronomy olympiad programme. Scientific observers accompanying the team include Dr Kinjalk Lochan, Dr Pankaj Kushwaha, Dr Jaswant Yadav, and Dr Mamta Gulati.