When the telescope is pointed at the sky — and when it isn't

Beyond the Observatory

Harsh Kumar — astrophysicist by day, explorer / reader / hiker by every other moment

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🏸 Badminton 🎵 Music 📺 Sports Watching ✈️ Travel 🍳 Cooking 📷 Astrophotography

The Person Behind the Papers

Life Outside Astrophysics

More Than Just Transients

When I'm not staring at telescope data or chasing the latest supernova or gravitational-wave alert, I spend my time exploring the world in other ways — through the strings of badminton racket, the soles of hiking boots, or the episodes of a good movie or web-series.

Growing up in Haryana, India, I developed a love for the night sky that eventually turned into a career. But the curiosity that drove me to become an astrophysicist extends well beyond the cosmos — into mountains, music, food, and the stories of people and places.

Fun fact: I have observed the night sky from moren than 10 different telescopes.

My Research Say Hello

Currently

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Listening Top 100 - Bollywood Always up to date with trends

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Watching Aspirants (Prime Videos) Coming-of-age drama web series

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Planning Next trip: Somewhere with dark skies; Chile? Always optimising for Bortle class ≤ 3

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Working On A Sample study of bumpy Superluminous Supernovae paper Don't ask for an ETA

What I Love

Interests & Hobbies

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Astrophotography

Long-exposure images of the Milky Way arch, nebulae, and star trails. Favourite targets: Andromeda galaxy, Orion Nebula, and — when atmospheric conditions cooperate — airglow bands over mountain observatories.

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Badminton

A sport I love for its mix of speed, precision, and strategy. Whether it's a casual doubles game or a competitive match, badminton is my go-to way to unwind and stay sharp — on and off the court.

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Sports Watching

From cricket and Football to Formula 1 and badminton — there's something deeply compelling about watching elite athletes perform under pressure. A good match is as nail-biting as waiting for a follow-up observation to come in.

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Music

Eclectic taste — Arijit Singh's songs at dawn, indie folk during analysis, and Ludovico Einaudi music for writing nights. Occasional attempts to be up to date with trendy Phonk songs.

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Travel

Fortunate that astronomy conferences take me to interesting corners of the world. Personal rule: always find the nearest dark-sky site within driving distance of any conference venue.

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Cooking

Amateur chef specialising in Indian home cooking — curries, dals, and biryani. Ongoing experiments in recreating the exact flavours of my home comfort food from memory and intuition.

Visual Stories

Photo Gallery

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