Bhubaneswar, May 15: Twenty young astronomers from the state selected through the Young Astronomers Talent Search programme are set to visit the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off the visit today at a programme organised at the state secretariat here.

"I congratulate the winners on their keen interest in this unique programme and offer my best wishes for their visit. I wish all the students a bright future ahead," Naveen said.

The Young Astronomers Talent Search was a four-month exercise designed to find the 20 best talents in the state. The 10th edition of the programme saw participation of nearly 34,000 students from more than 300 schools in 27 districts. The exercise ended on December 13, the birth anniversary of Pathani Samanta. The event was organised by Tata Steel in collaboration with Pathani Samanta Planetarium. The winners from Classes VIII-X were selected based on essay writing and quiz competitions.

Started by the Pathani Samanta Planetarium in 2007 under the department of science and technology in collaboration with Tata Steel, the competition is aimed at inspiring budding talents to explore the mysteries of space and develop interest in fundamental science.

The chosen 10 boys and 10 girls, accompanied by their respective guide teachers and an officer from Tata Steel, will go on the May 15-23 tour that will be led by Jayadev Kar, deputy director of the planetarium.

"Besides visiting the facilities at Isro's satellite centre, the students will also get one of those rare opportunities of interacting with some of the top space scientists in the country," said Kar.

The Space Application Centre of Isro at Ahmedabad is engaged in developing satellite technology and implementation of satellite systems for scientific, technological and application missions.