While most parents bond with their kids through vacations, entertainment, family events, or even sports, a space enthusiast like Annamalai Muthu blended art and science into his family time by scanning the skies with his son, Arav. This father-son duo made a remarkable achievement by designing a high-powered telescope for space exploration.
They designed a unique telescopic device that uses an iPad to power an ultraviolet (UV)/infrared space observation telescope.
When interpreted through smartphones and iPads, the lens innovation could penetrate the clouds and dust surrounding the Moon, enabling clear images of the lunar surface and space to be captured.
The methodology of this invention was created by Annamalai and his team member, Istal Zainee bin Abdul Rahman.
They also created a homegrown technology called Invisible Security Technology, which was used in a printing process in 2004. The Home Ministry of Malaysia endorsed this technology, granting it pioneer status.
Are you intrigued by how a combination of a handheld device, UV and infrared lights, and telescopes could produce such marvellous space photography?
This combination harnesses wavelengths of light to capture and expose never-before-seen space and the lunar surface. This space photography bridges science and the arts by engaging a variety of creative fields, such as fluorescent art, invisible art, UV/infrared art, and photography.
The captured space and lunar surface imagery would be immortalised and printed on high-quality satin paper. These images showcase the geology of the lunar surface.
The type of paper on which these images were printed affects their quality; printing on ordinary A4 paper yields a lower-quality image that fails to capture the lunar surface as well as printing on satin A1 paper.
There are heated debates about the negative impact of long-term exposure to devices such as smartphones and iPads among children.
However, Annamalai and Arav’s discovery shows that smart devices can help budding scientists understand and capture photographic evidence of space with greater clarity through proper utilisation.
Additionally, Istal Zainee’s role in setting the UV/infrared light to the correct frequency is crucial in the photography process.
A meteor shower. Shutterstock
Detecting fast-moving objects such as Asteroids and Meteors, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP/UFO/USO), and light-speed objects in our solar system using the electromagnetic spectrum is entirely possible when done methodically. Annamalai believes that this knowledge can be easily taught to others with the proper funding, equipment, and location.
Overall, this will help nurture curiosity among the younger generation about space exploration and extraterrestrial discovery, and fuel their interest in the space industry.
Annamalai highlighted that kids as young as 5 to 9 years old like Arav were able to detect the potential impact of large asteroids, meteors, near-moon and near-Earth objects, which contributes to human safety and civil aviation through this project.
Aside from contributing to the field of space exploration, this discovery also helped to mould budding space enthusiasts such as Arav, who is an asset to our nation.
The bright nine-year-old has received recognition from international organisations, including the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) & Airbus Foundation 2020-2021.
The team (Annamalai & Arav) were also selected as presenters in the “Support Growth & Development Of A Sustainable Society On The Moon” programme organised by Moon Village Association’s Online Workshop Vienna, in cooperation with the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO).
The lunar surface photography and innovative methods, dubbed “Smartphone Photography UV Infrared Telescope Lens Innovation – Space & Lunar Observation Outreach for Children”, won the Gold Award at the SCINEX 2020 Exhibition Competition, hosted by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the Education Department of Negeri Sembilan.
The invention also received a special award from the World Intellectual Property Association (WIPO) for innovation in lenses and lunar surface discovery.
Plus, it also received a Gold Award and a Special Award from the Toronto International Society of Innovation & Advanced Skills (TISIAS), Canada, 2020.
A student at Sekolah Sri Tenby & International School, Arav aspires to study space science and eventually explore space medicine. He hopes this field of study will be available for youths in Malaysia so that space exploration will be a more enjoyable pursuit among his peers.
The global space industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, valued at USD 447 billion in 2020.
The space industry can drive economic growth in Malaysia, which currently contributes about 2% to the Malaysian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Various space-related industries in Malaysia are flourishing but not yet positioned, including satellite communication and satellite navigation.
One day, space tourism could be another possible inclusion to this list.
The story of this father-son duo inspires us to make science a part of our lifestyle, not just our education.
Science, technology, and innovation are the main drivers that will move our nation forward. Space studies could enable young Malaysian talent to carve out their own niches and help propel the country to greater heights. 🐝
Watch this video to see a fascinating image of the Moon captured by the team.
