Aakash Gautam (born: May 25, 1998), better known online as Planet Aakash, is an astronomer, educator and video creator from India. Aakash Gautam is also the founder of Planet Aakash School. Aakash Gautam posts astronomy and space-themed videos on an eponymous YouTube channel named Planet Aakash.
In 2020, Gautam honored with the '24 Under 24' title from the American STEM advocasy organization The Mars Generation for his work in astronomy education and space advocasy.[1][2]
Early life and Education[]
Born and raised in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Gautam has bachelor's and master's in computer science and applications from the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.
Astronomy Education and Communication[]
Aakash educates the general public and the youth about astronomy and its importance in our lives. Aakash is widely known for his work in space-related videos, books, infographics, and visual content imagery.
Cosmic Symphony - Pale Blue Dot[]
In December 2018, Aakash released a short film named Pale Blue Dot - Cosmic Symphony on Youtube and Facebook. The short film was narrated by the legendary astronomer Carl Sagan. YouTube: Link
Planet Aakash School[]
In 2018, Gautam founded an online astronomy and space education portal Planet Aakash School based in India. Planet Aakash School embraces the spirit of open learning and free digital educational content and believes in the power of Education in the changing world, states PAS' website.
Astronomy: The Unknown (Book)[]
Astronomy: The Unknown is a popular science English language astronomy book written by Gautam. This is the debut book of Aakash in which he describes mostly about the not-so-discussed topics of astronomy.
Main highlights of the book include:
- How to start off with Astronomy?
- Branches of Astronomy
- Natures of Astronomy
- Career profiles in Astronomy
- Who is an Astronomer?