NARIT News
The 12th Thai Astronomical Conference (student session) - TACs
The future is looking stellar for all the aspiring astronomers who attended the 12th Thai Astronomical Conference Student Session (TACs 2026) from 26th-28th of June 2026. This annual conference hosted by the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) welcomed students from across Thailand and international students to share their discoveries, invite new perspectives, spark questions and celebrate a shared fascination for astronomy.
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The 12th edition of TACs received more than 200 project proposals with 73 selected for presentation; 36 oral presentations and 37 poster presentations. This demonstrates their ongoing commitment in helping high school students gain a platform to discuss their research in a professional and scientific setting.
The presentations covered a remarkably broad range of astronomical topics, spanning from archaeoastronomy and early interpretations of the night sky to the study of our Solar System and the far reaches of modern astrophysics, encompassing solar and planetary physics, exoplanets, stars and binary systems, black holes, pulsars, galaxies, and cosmology, as well as innovations in observational techniques, computational approaches and space technology. Collectively, the presentations showcase the expanding horizons of astronomy while reflecting the curiosity, creativity, and scientific rigor of the next generation of researchers.
Throughout the two-day conference, students presented their extracurricular research projects in front of fellow participants, educators, and astronomers from their respective fields who offered insightful comments and feedback that would help them in honing their research and presentation skills. Outstanding projects were recognized for their scientific quality, creativity, and presentation, with 9 Gold Medals, 12 Silver Medals, and 6 Bronze Medals awarded, along with 3 Outstanding Poster Presentations were awarded this year.
The conference also featured a special public lecture, "Thailand's First Step Toward Lunar Exploration: A Major Opportunity for the Thai People," presented by Dr. Peerapong Tortheeka of NARIT. The session highlighted the development of CE-7 MATCH, Thailand's first scientific instrument to fly on a lunar mission aboard China's Chang'e-7 mission in August 2026, marking a historical milestone featuring the first payload created, designed and built entirely in Thailand that would orbit around the Moon.
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TACs is held annually, typically around June, it continues to serve as a great platform not only for students' passion in the field of astronomy but also in improving the confidence, communication skills, and scientific mindset that will serve them wherever their future takes them. TACs may be a conference about the cosmos, but its greatest discoveries are often found much closer to home. Every year, it reveals a new generation of students eager to ask bigger questions and tackle even bigger challenges. “It is inspiring to see young people reaching for the stars at such an early age, driven by their determination to find answers to the mysteries of the universe,” expressed by one observer. In response to the continuous growth of the number of projects submitted every year, TACs is planning to introduce parallel sessions in the upcoming year, to enable a substantial increase in the number of presentations while accommodating larger opportunities for scientific exchange and expansion for international participation and collaboration within the astronomy community.
Text: Rika Reventar