SEDS Mora

03/10/2026

Get ready for one of October’s most beautiful meteor showers - Orionid Meteor Shower! 🌌

The Orionids is created by dust and debris left behind by 1P/Halley, the famous Halley’s Comet. The shower is active from October 2 to November 7. It reaches its peak overnight on October 21–22 and can produce up to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies. Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and incredible speed. They travel at about 66 km/s as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Some may even leave glowing trains that can last for several seconds to minutes.

Look towards the Orion constellation during the predawn hours and enjoy this dazzling celestial show!✨

Written by : Jayodha Chethani
Design by : Tharindu Jayasekara

03/10/2026

FROM COSMIC NURSERIES TO BLACK HOLES 🌌

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered about the countless points of light above us? ✨
Where are stars born? How do they different? What happens when they reach the end of their lives?

Join us at Star Junction and journey through the fascinating life cycle of a star, from its cosmic birthplace to its final fate, and the possibility of rebirth.

📅 October 06, 2026
🕕 6:00 PM
📍 ENTC 3.5 Hall

🌟 Star Junction
Towards the stars and beyond.

SEDS Mora

25/09/2026

The Cosmic Wanderer: Halley’s Comet ☄️

Imagine an ancient, icy wanderer from the dawn of our solar system that visits Earth only once in a human lifetime. That is 1P/Halley,the most famous celestial traveler in history.

Orbiting backward in a dramatic ellipse that stretches far beyond Neptune, this massive mountain of ice and primordial dust spends roughly 75 to 76 years completing a single loop around our Sun. Centuries ago, people saw comets as terrifying omens of doom, but in 1705, Edmond Halley used Newton’s new laws of gravitation to calculate its orbit, accurately predicting its return and proving that comets are permanent, predictable members of our solar family.🪐

Even when Halley is trillions of kilometers away, we still feel its presence every single year. The debris trail left behind in the comet's wake intersects Earth’s orbit twice annually, igniting into the brilliant Eta Aquariid meteor shower each May and the famous Orionids every October. In late 2023, Halley finally reached its farthest point from the Sun, aphelion, and officially started its long, gravitational plunge back toward the inner solar system. 🌠

While its last flyby in 1986 was relatively faint and hard to see from light-polluted cities, its next perihelion in mid-2061 is set to be positioned far better relative to Earth. It promises to be a dazzling, once-in-a-lifetime naked-eye spectacle for our generation. Keep your eyes on the skies, because the countdown to 2061 has already begun!

Penned by : Daham Liyanage
Designed by : Tharindu Jayasekara

19/09/2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope 🌌

On August 30, 2026, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched into space, beginning a mission to uncover some of the universe’s greatest mysteries.

This infrared space telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who is known as the “mother of the Hubble Space Telescope.”

Its field of view is at least 100 times wider than Hubble’s, allowing it to explore huge areas of the sky and study billions of galaxies. 🔭

The space telescope will investigate the universe and exoplanets, helping scientists better understand dark energy, exoplanets, and astrophysics.🪐

From Kennedy Space Center into space, Roman is set to give us a whole new view of our universe. 🌌✨

Penned by : Jayodha Chethani
Designed by : Tharindu Jayasekara

11/09/2026

Aerospace Materials ✈️

Aerospace vehicles operate under extreme conditions, including high mechanical loads, temperature variations, fatigue cycles, and corrosive environments. Therefore, materials used in aerospace must combine low weight, high strength, heat resistance, fatigue resistance, and durability to ensure safety, performance, and fuel efficiency.

The materials used in an aircraft play an important role in its performance and safety. The three most important aerospace materials are aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP).

▪️Aluminum alloys are knows to be the backbone of the aircraft, primarily used in fuselages and wings because they are lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and cost-effective.

▪️Titanium alloys which are exceptionally strong and heat resistant, are used in engines and landing gear because they can handle extreme conditions without losing their strength.

▪️CFRP composites offer an outstanding strength-to-weight ratio and are extensively used in modern aircraft structures to reduce weight and fuel consumption.

The origin of these materials traces back to distinct natural and synthetic sources. Aluminum is extracted from bauxite ore, titanium from rutile and ilmenite ores, while carbon fibers are manufactured from petrochemical-derived precursors such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and pitch.

This was a long journey that started with simple materials like wood, fabric and steel in the early days of flight, before evolving into aluminum alloys and eventually making way for advanced titanium and nickel-based superalloys during the jet age. Since the late twentieth century, composites have become increasingly dominant, enabling lighter and more efficient aircraft.

Looking ahead, the industry is moving toward smart materials, nanomaterials, ceramic matrix composites, additive manufacturing, and sustainable materials. These innovations promise lighter structures, higher engine efficiency, improved safety, lower emissions, and advanced capabilities for hypersonic flight and future space exploration.

✍️ Penned by: Adeepa Lakshan
🎨 Designed by: Tharindu Jayasekara

11/09/2026

🌌 What’s Up This Month: The Andromeda Galaxy

This September, dive deeper into our universe and explore one of the best targets of the month, the Andromeda Galaxy. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the nearest major galaxy to our Milky Way, located 2.5 million light-years away. M31 reaches its highest point in the sky in late September, making it an excellent time to observe.

Andromeda can be seen in moonless and under rural night skies away from city lights. From suburban skies, it will appear as a faint and elongated smudge. Using binoculars or telescopes can help you spot it more easily, and don’t miss observing its two dwarf companion galaxies, M32 and M110.

So don’t miss the chance to witness this magnificent neighbour of ours this September! ✨✨

’sUpThisMonth

01/04/2026

02/01/2026

New year. New orbit. Infinite possibilities. 🌠

SEDS Mora warmly wishes everyone a Happy New Year 2026 - may this year be filled with curiosity that drives discovery, courage to chase bold ideas, and inspiration drawn from the stars above. As we move forward together, let us continue to learn, explore, and reach beyond our horizons. 🚀✨

Design by: Jayanindu Shamen
Caption by: Tithira Perera