Anil Ketkar: Retiring Amongst the Stars
Anil Ketkar is seen with his telescope setup in the backyard of his home.
By Pramod Kulkarni
Houston: Retirement can be challenging for many. After a career full of work on complex projects, traveling at a short notice for business, and stressful deadlines, it can feel empty to face long days and nights with little to do.
One recent retiree, who has no such issues, is Anil Ketkar. After a long career with several international oil companies, and working abroad in the Far East, Anil is spending his retirement in Missouri City, thinking not in terms of days or weeks, but light years, as an amateur astronomer.
In September, Anil posted his image of the Trifid nebula (M20) in the Sagittarius constellation, 5,000 light years from the Earth.
“I became interested in astronomy during my college years,” explained Anil. “Since then, I’ve continued to learn more and more about astronomy, and in particular, Astro-photography, which is focused on acquisition and image processing of images of astronomical objects.”
Anil uses an 80-mm SkyWatcher refractor telescope with a relatively short focal length of 600 mm, which allows him to image faraway galaxies, but it pales in comparison to the 1,500-mm Mt. Palomar telescope at Caltech, and the 2,400-mm Hubble telescope that is orbiting in space. Anil captures photos from his telescope via a Nikon D5300 SLR camera.
In August, Anil took this “diamond ring” image of the solar eclipse.
Despite the technical limitations of his telescope, Anil is able to produce remarkable images. He uses a variety of filters that are designed enhance the view. For instance, he has a SkyGlow Imaging filter that is designed to reduce the effects of minimizing light pollution in his backyard.
Secondly, his telescope has a tracking mechanism to follow a constellation overnight to bring in as much astronomical light as possible. He takes over 50 sub-exposures and “stacks” them via computer software to create a brighter image.
The solar eclipse in August was of special interest to Anil. He and his wife Koumudi made a special trip to Nashville, Tennessee to view the total (100%) solar eclipse.
Both Koumudi and their son Sameer share Anil’s enthusiasm for astronomy, and Sameer is a valued contributor in setting up the telescope and subsequent image acquisition and processing.
Koumudi has a concurrent interest in jewellery design and manufacturing. At their home, Koumudi’s jewellery enterprise takes over the breakfast area and is somewhat removed from Anil’s astronomy equipment in the dining room.
The Ketkar family enjoys sharing their astronomical interest and knowledge with relatives and friends. Anil also posts his images regularly on Facebook. At a recent family gathering, the guests—both young children and seniors—were thrilled to glance through the telescope to see rings around Saturn and craters on the moon.
Astronomy may not be for everyone, but Anil’s interest in Astro- photography is a prime example of how to keep mind and body active during retirement.