Assam photographer Gautam Deka wins ISRO’s ‘Moon Shot’ Competition

Gautam Deka, a promising young photographer from Assam’s Mangaldai district, won the ‘Moon Shot’ competition organized by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on the occasion of ‘International Moon Day’, on July 20.

On August 10, the competition's results were announced on the ISRO website. At the top of the list was Gautam Deka.

Deka did not have any formal photographic instruction.

Deka, who is an architect by profession, changed his career course to photography in 2012.

Later, he became interested in astronomical photography which became his specialization.

Deka previously won first place in the "Magnificent Assam" photography competition and second place in the "Traditional Assam" photography competition, both held by ‘Assam Tourism’ in 2015.
Every year on July 20, Moon Day is observed. It commemorates the anniversary of NASA’s moon landing in 1969.

According to NASA, the first step of mankind on the moon was the greatest technological accomplishment of all time.

On this day in history, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

The space community observes the day to commemorate this significant accomplishment by humanity.
With the birth of space activities, the Moon became the ultimate destination of countless missions, including crewed flights that brought the first human footprints to another place in the universe.

The idea to observe International Moon Day was put forth by the Moon Village Association and a group inside that group.

The purpose of observing this day is to spread awareness of astrology and astronomy among the general public, especially among the younger generations.