Jayant Narlikar dies: 5 things to know about the Padma Vibhushan astrophysicist
Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, who was an eminent astrophysicist and science communicator, passed away on Tuesday in Pune. He was 87. According to his family, Narlikar passed away peacefully in his sleep.
Jayant Narlikar was a Padma Vibhushan awardee who played an instrumental role in establishing several scientific institutions in India. He was a pioneer in cosmology and is credited with popularising science. He is survived by his three daughters.
With PTI inputs.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NDTV
10 hours ago
- NDTV
Lucknow Prepares To Celebrate Local Boy's Historic Space Mission
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's launch to the ISS is set for Wednesday, organized by City Montessori School in Lucknow, with a public watch party. Shukla, the first Indian to reach the ISS, will be celebrated amid excitement and live-streaming. Lucknow: Lucknow will cheer for Group Captain Shubhanshu 'Shux' Shukla on Wednesday when he embarks on a historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), with his alma mater - City Montessori School - organising a grand public watch party here to celebrate the lift-off. Initially scheduled for Tuesday, the launch of the Axiom-4 mission carrying Shukla and three others to the ISS was postponed to Wednesday due to weather conditions, the ISRO said on Monday evening. Over 15 hoardings congratulating the 39-year-old Lucknow-born Indian Air Force pilot have been put up across the state capital as India awaits its second national to undertake a spaceflight after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 odyssey. The feat would propel Shukla into history as the first Indian to step on the ISS. Shukla is all set to travel with three other crew members onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 5:30 pm (IST) on Wednesday. As Group Captain Shukla pilots the Dragon with commander Peggy Whitson and crewmates from Poland and Hungary on a 14-day research mission, an impressive crowd -- including relatives, friends and teachers of Shulka -- will watch the lift-off together as the City Montessori School (CMS) has set up giant screens to relay the launch live with NASA/Axiom commentary. "A life-size ISS Cupola replica, 'Defy Gravity' photo booth and telescope, mock-up of a mission control centre, space-themed live music, art installations and STEM kiosks, and a space fashion parade would be the other highlights of the launch party," CMS founder-director Bharti Gandhi Kingdon said. "By counting down together, we will all contribute to the historical milestone being created by 'hamara beta' Shux," she added. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, manager, CMS, said there's palpable excitement among students across the city to witness the extraordinary event. "Shux has opened the doors to space for Lucknow's youth, proving that with perseverance, even the cosmos is within reach," she said. "We are praying for the success of the mission our son is leading, which holds enormous importance for the country," Shukla's father Shambhu Shukla told PTI. His elder sister Shuchi Misra said, "We are eagerly looking forward to the launch. Shux is incredibly focused yet brimming with joy. All his preparations were for this moment, and CMS laid the cornerstone of that confidence." Rishi Khanna, head of communications, CMS, said the entire watch party will be live-streamed on CMS's YouTube channel. "We will begin our programme at 3.30 pm on Wednesday as the mission launch has been postponed," Khanna told PTI.


The Print
14 hours ago
- The Print
Lucknow prepares to celebrate local boy's historic space mission
Shukla is all set to travel with three other crew members onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday at 5:52 pm IST. Over 15 hoardings congratulating the 39-year-old Lucknow-born Indian Air Force pilot have come up across the state capital as India awaits its second national to undertake a spaceflight after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 odyssey. The feat would propel him into history as the first Indian to step onto the ISS. Lucknow, Jun 9 (PTI) Lucknow will cheer for Group Captain Shubhanshu 'Shux' Shukla on Tuesday when he embarks on his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), with his alma mater – City Montessori School (CMS)- organising a grand public watch party here to celebrate the lift-off. As Group Captain Shukla pilots the Dragon with commander Peggy Whitson and crewmates from Poland and Hungary on a 14-day research mission, an impressive crowd — including relatives, friends and teachers of Shulka — will be watching it together as CMS has set up giant screens to relay live the launch with NASA/Axiom commentary. 'A life-size ISS Cupola replica, 'Defy Gravity' Photo Booth and telescope, mock-up of a Mission Control Centre, space-themed live music, art installations and STEM kiosks and space fashion parade would be the other highlights of the launch party in Lucknow,' CMS Founder-Director Bharti Gandhi Kingdon said. 'By counting down together, we will all contribute to the historical milestone being created by 'hamara beta' Shux,' she said. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, Manager CMS, said there's palpable excitement among students across the city to witness this extraordinary event. 'Shux has opened the doors to space for Lucknow's youth, proving that with perseverance, even the cosmos is within reach,' she said. 'We are praying for the success of the mission which our son is leading and which holds enormous importance for the country,' Shukla's father Shambhu Shukla told PTI. His elder sister Shuchi Misra said, 'We are eagerly looking forward to the launch. Shux is incredibly focused yet brimming with joy. 'All his preparation was for this moment, and CMS laid the cornerstone of that confidence.' CMS, Head of Communications, Rishi Khanna said the entire 'watch party' will be live-streamed on CMS's YouTube channel. PTI MAN KIS RT This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.


Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
India's active Covid cases near 6,500; ‘newly emerging XFG variant' found, says INSACOG
Amid the Covid-19 surge in India, the total number of active cases are nearing the 6,500 mark, with some of the infections being of a newly emerging variant, as per a news agency PTI report, citing INSACOG. As per the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a total of 6,491 active cases have been recorded across India. Based on the state-wise data, Kerala remains the worst-hit with a total of 1,957 active cases, with seven new cases reported in the last 24 hours. Amid this surge, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has reportedly said that over 160 active cases have been attributed to the new XFG variant. As per the PTI report, INSACOG data suggests a total of 163 samples tested positive for the XFG variant. These were detected in Maharashtra with 89 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (16), Kerala (15), and Gujarat (11). Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal reported six cases each. The XFG variant is a descendant of the Omicron subvariant of the coronavirus. As per a study issued by The Lancet, the variant was initially detected in Canada. However, the XFG variant, "originating from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, harbours four key spike mutations (His445Arg, Asn487Asp, Gln493Glu, and Thr572Ile) and has achieved rapid global spread," the study added. As per The Lancet, the XFG variant also displays "strong immune evasion," which allows the virus to survive and spread as it manages to evade the body's natural defences. As per the data issued by the Health Ministry on Monday, India has a total of 6,491 active cases. After Kerala, which is the worst-hit state in the new surge, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Haryana have detected a high number of active cases. While the union ministry has not recorded any deaths in the past 24 hours, a total of 65 deaths have been reported since January 1, 2025. As per MoHFW data, these 65 deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Delhi.