छुपा सितारा

Summary

The story follows Rajesh, an astronomer at a research institute in Kavalur, who is preparing for a lecture by renowned astrophysicist Professor Richard Smith. However, on the morning of the event, Rajesh receives a call about a malfunction in the institute's ninety-inch telescope, a sophisticated instrument combining optics and electronics. The director insists Rajesh travel to Kavalur to fix it, as Professor Smith plans to visit the telescope the next day. Rajesh reluctantly agrees, bringing his research files. He travels with electronics expert Brajesh, who is confident the repair will be straightforward. Upon arrival, Brajesh and his team repair the telescope by evening, deliberately letting the local technician Hanumanta take charge to build his confidence. After dinner, Rajesh begins his observation project, using a CCD camera and computer to compare current star positions with historical data from the Palomar Observatory. During the observation, the computer flags a discrepancy: star number 1241+7914 is missing, while all other stars match previous records. The next day, Rajesh presents this finding to Professor Smith, who is astonished that a star could simply vanish. Rajesh offers three possible explanations: a supernova, transformation into a neutron star or black hole, or another phenomenon. Smith dismisses the supernova possibility, as such an event would have been detected globally and the star was not a red giant. Rajesh, having solved the mystery, challenges Smith to deduce the correct explanation.