01
Science
The history and the theory. From Aryabhata's rotating Earth to black holes, exoplanets and gravitational waves, the universe explained in language anyone can follow.
Science · Stories · Stars
Have you ever looked up and wondered?
- Where did we come from?
- Are we alone?
- How big is the universe?
- What lies beyond what we can see?
AKASHAM. In Sanskrit, आकाशम्, the infinite expanse that holds the stars. India's love affair with the cosmos, told through science, stories and stargazing for students, parents, schools and everyone who has ever looked up.
01·The Meaning of Ākāśam
अ
In Sanskrit, Ākāśam means the sky: the space beyond, the infinite expanse that holds the stars.
For thousands of years, humanity has looked upward and asked questions that shaped science, philosophy, mythology and imagination. We live on a small planet, orbiting an ordinary star, in one galaxy among billions. Yet we dare to ask the biggest questions. About time. About life. About light. About existence. About the universe itself.
AKASHAM exists for everyone who has ever looked up and wondered.
02·Science / Stories / Stars
Three ways into the same universe.
Science for the mind, stories for the imagination, stars for the senses. Three doors into the same cosmos, and every one of them leads back to our goal.
02
Stories
The folktales and the myths. Nakshatra legends, Rahu and Ketu, constellation tales from every culture, retold for today's children.
03
Stars
Astrophotography and space mapping. Telescopes, night-sky sessions and image capture that let anyone chart the sky for themselves.
03·About AKASHAM
India has festivals for literature, cinema, art and design. Now the universe gets a stage of its own.
The story of the cosmos is the greatest story ever told. It holds science, history, mythology, technology, philosophy, mathematics, imagination and the future of humanity in a single narrative.
Our goal: to bridge India's ancient sky wisdom with its modern space age, and to make astrophysics accessible, aspirational and emotionally real for the next generation.
For StudentsFor ParentsFor TeachersFor ScientistsFor CreatorsFor BrandsFor Institutions
04·Our Roots
India's cosmic legacy, from nakshatras to neutron stars.
Jantar Mantar · Stone instruments that still keep time
This legacy is not a museum piece. It is the ground AKASHAM stands on. When a student meets nakshatras and Chandrayaan-3 in the same story, the gap between ancient wonder and modern science begins to close. That bridge is our goal.
Ancient
Nakshatras & Ancient Calendars
27 lunar mansions mapped across the ecliptic, guiding festivals, navigation and agriculture for millennia.
499 CE
Aryabhata
Earth rotates on its axis, eclipses explained by shadow, the value of π to four decimal places.
6th c. CE
Varahamihira
The Brihat Samhita, an encyclopedic record of sky observation, weather and planetary motion.
1150 CE
Bhaskara II
The Siddhanta Shiromani: planetary longitudes, eclipses and early ideas approaching calculus.
1724
Jantar Mantar
Maharaja Jai Singh II's massive masonry observatories, instruments of stone that still keep time.
1969
ISRO
From sounding rockets launched on bicycle carriers to Mangalyaan, Aditya-L1 and beyond.
1988
IUCAA & India's Research Institutes
A national research network: IUCAA, IIA, TIFR, IISc and planetariums across the country.
2023
Chandrayaan-3
India becomes the first nation to land near the Moon's south pole.
05·Mythologies of the Sky
Stories Written in the Stars
Across the world, humans looked at the same sky and created different stories. Each of these will unfold into a folktale retold, the constellation or planet behind it, and the science of what people actually saw.
Indian
Nakshatras · Sapta Rishi · Rahu & Ketu · Surya · Chandra
The 27 lunar mansions and the shadow-snakes that explain eclipses.
Greek
Orion · Andromeda · Cassiopeia
Hunters, queens and chained princesses fixed forever in the constellations.
Egyptian
Ra · Nut · Sirius
A sky-goddess swallowing the sun each night; Sirius heralding the Nile flood.
Chinese
Chang'e · Celestial Dragons
The moon goddess and dragons that devoured the sun during eclipses.
Mesopotamian
Ishtar · Venus
The earliest written records of the sky, and Venus as the queen of heaven.
Persian
Tishtrya
A radiant star-spirit of Sirius, battling drought across the heavens.
Mayan
Venus Cycles
Cities aligned to Venus's 584-day dance, astronomy as architecture.
06·Cosmic Calendar
A preview of the Cosmic Calendar.
To show you exactly how the calendar will look, we have filled it with real events from the recent past. The live version will list upcoming events, answer "Can I see this from my city?" and add viewing guides, student activities and reminders.
Sample view
Dummy layout, built with historical events
Venus & Jupiter Conjunction
Aug 12, 2025
Binoculars optional
Activity: Track two planets closing in on each other, night by night.
Total Lunar Eclipse
Sep 7, 2025
Naked-eye safe
Activity: Sketch the Moon's colour as Earth's shadow crosses it.
Autumn Equinox
Sep 22, 2025
Daytime observation
Activity: Measure shadows at noon: day equals night everywhere.
Supermoon
Nov 5, 2025
Naked-eye safe
Activity: Photograph the year's closest, brightest full Moon.
Geminids Meteor Shower
Dec 14, 2025
No telescope needed
Activity: Count meteors per hour and keep a sky journal.
National Science Day
Feb 28, 2026
Community
Activity: Celebrate the Raman Effect; run a sky-watch at school.
Monthly view · City filters · Reminders, all coming with the full platform
07·Tonight's Sky
What can you see tonight?
A real-time sky companion, tuned to your city's sky, your horizon and your weather, keeping the experience alive every single day.
- Current moon phase
- Visible planets tonight
- Sunrise & sunset times
- Best viewing time
- Direction guide
- Light-pollution tip
- Cloud & weather alert
- Constellation of the night
New Moon
3% illuminated · Moon age 28 days
Live tonight
08·The Festival
First edition · December 2026 (tentative)
AKASHAM 2026
A three-day cosmic festival of talks, telescope village, planetarium experiences, stargazing, student workshops, mythology sessions, films, AI experiences, astrophotography and scientist interactions. Built for schools, parents and the endlessly curious. Venue and final dates will be announced once locked in.
Telescope VillageBlack Hole TheatreCosmic Storytelling StageStudent Discovery ZoneAstro Gaming ArenaAI Universe LabPlanetarium Dome ShowsAstrophotography GalleryMythology & Cosmos PavilionParent Career Pathway DeskSchool Science ChallengeNight Sky Sessions
A roadmap, not a menu: these experiences are our goal, and they will come to life over time, not all at once.
09·Students & Parents
From first telescope to first career.
For Students
- How to become an astrophysicist
- Olympiad pathway
- Books to read
- Apps to use
- Telescope buying guide
- Science project ideas
- Coding for astronomy
For Parents
- Class-wise roadmap
- Career myths, decoded
- Best institutes in India
- How to encourage curiosity
- Scholarships & competition tracker
10·Contact
Get in touch.
Questions about the festival, schools, partnerships, volunteering or anything else under the sky? Call or write, we reply personally.
AKASHAM doesn't simply tell people about the universe. It makes them look up.