Indian Astronomical Observatory

Astronomical observatory, any structure containing a telescope and auxiliary instruments with which to observe celestial objects. Observatories can be classified on the basis of the part of the electromagnetic spectrum in which they are designed to observe. The largest numbers of observatories are optical; i.e., they are equipped to observe in and near the region of the spectrum visible to the human eye. Some other observatories are instrumented to detect cosmic emitters of radio waves, while still others called satellite observatories are Earth satellites that carry special telescopes and detectors to study celestial sources of such forms of high-energy radiation like gamma rays and X-rays from high above the atmosphere.

The predecessors of astronomical observatories were monolithic structures that tracked the positions of the Sun, Moon, and other celestial bodies for timekeeping or cylindrical purposes. The most famous of these ancient structures is Stonehenge, constructed in England over the period from 3000 to 1520 BCE. At about the same time, astrologer-priests in Babylonia observed the motions of the Sun, Moon, and planets from atop their terraced towers known as ziggurats.

No astronomical instruments appear to have been used. The Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico carried out the same practice at El Caracole, a dome-shaped structure somewhat resembling a modern optical observatory. There is again no evidence of any scientific instrumentation, even of rudimentary nature.

Perhaps the first observatory that used instruments for accurately measuring the positions of celestial objects was built about 150 BCE on the island of Rhodes by the greatest of the pre-Christian astronomers, Hipparchus. There he discovered precession and developed the magnitude system used to indicate the brightness of celestial objects. The true predecessors of the modern observatory were those established in the Islamic world.

Observatories were built at Damascus and Baghdad as early as the 9th–10th century CE. A splendid one was built at Maragheh (now in Iran) about 1260 CE, and substantial modifications in Ptolemaic astronomy were introduced there. The most productive Islamic observatory was that erected by the Timurid prince Ulugh Beg at Samarkand about 1420; he and his assistants made a catalog of stars from observations with a large quadrant. The first notable premodern European observatory was that at Uraniborg on the island of Haven, built by King Frederick of Denmark for Tycho Brahe in 1576 CE. By this way, astronomical observatory has been grown.

Also Read: Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

Indian Astronomical Observatory:

India has a long tradition of creating space observatories. In the early 19th century, Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five Jantar Mantar in total, in New Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura, and Varanasi; they were completed between 1724 and 1735. Earlier observatories were primarily intended to measure the time of day, correct to half a second, and declination of the Sun and the other heavenly bodies. Later, they evolved with the purpose of providing support on shipping and Geomagnetism. Just like planetariums, space observatories indicate the inclination of a country toward astronomy and outer space exploration.

Indian Astronomical Observatory UPSC:

In the cold, dry desert of Ladakh, 4500 meters above the mean sea level, for two decades, the 2-m diameter optical-infrared Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) has been scanning the night sky for 20 years in search of stellar explosions, comets, asteroids, and exo-planets. The HCT is a 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter optical-infrared telescope named after India-born Nobel laureate Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar.

It contains a modified Ritchey-Chretien system with a primary mirror made of ULE ceramic which is designed to withstand the low temperatures it experiences. The telescope was manufactured by Electro-Optical System Technologies Inc. in Tucson, Arizona, USA. It is mounted with 3 science instruments called Himalaya Faint Object Spectrograph (HFOSC), the near-IR imager, and the optical CCD imager. It is remotely operated from Hosakote, about 35 km northeast of Bangalore, via an INSAT-3B satellite link which allows operation even in sub-zero temperatures in winter.

Astronomical Observatory Nainital:

Perched on top of the Manora Peak in Beluwakhan, Nainital, Astronomical Observatory, or Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Science (ARIES) helps you see the stars, celestial bodies, the moon, and other heavenly bodies with the help of high powered, imported telescopes. The centre requires you to take prior appointment before visiting the place. Housing one of the most advanced telescopes in India, the Astronomical Observatory in Nainital is an autonomous institute open to the public during working days and afternoons.

The 3.6m Devesthal Optical Telescope is a clear aperture Ritchey-Chretien style telescope built by ARIES and is located at the Devasthal Observatory site near Nainital, India. ARIES operates another 1.3m telescope at the same location. The telescope was activated remotely on March 31, 2016, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel from Brussels. The telescope optics has been built in collaboration with the Belgian firm Advanced Mechanical & Optical System (AMOS).

Solar Observatory in India:

There are two solar observatories in India. They are (1) Udaipur Solar Observatory, (2) Kodaikanal Solar Observatory.

1) Udaipur Solar Observatory:

This solar observatory in India is on an Island in Udaipur where a boat can be used to travel to, favourable to record solar observations because of the condition of the sky. The image quality of these recordings is up to the mark as the observatory is amidst a large mass of water, and the ground heating by the sun’s ray due to the air turbulence. The infrastructure of the observatory is according to the model of the Solar Observatory at Big Bear Lake in Southern California and was built by Dr. Arvind Bhatnagar in 1976. It is considered the best solar observing site in Asia.

The observatory has a vast range of telescopes to provide exceptional quality astronomical observations. The observatory has a new instrument, ‘Solar Vector Magnetograph’ that plays a vital role in the future research program by determining the magnetic field of the active regions. Every one of these facilities adds to the nature of extricated picture of the sun.

2) Kodaikanal Solar Observatory:

Located at the southern tip of the beautiful Palani Hills, the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory was established in 1899 and is owned and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. Its longitudinal position makes it a unique site for the study of solar behaviour. The scientific abode also houses the most extensive collection of solar data, dating way back to the 19th century. Its unique geography makes the spot particularly ideal for accurate cosmic observations.

Currently, their full-time team consists of two scientists and nineteen technicians, with equipment such as the high-frequency Doppler (for measuring a wave motion phenomenon known as the Doppler Effect), a broadband seismograph (an instrument used to detect seismic waves emerging from the Earth), a Watson magnetometer, and the solar tunnel telescope among many others.

In January 1909, an important solar phenomenon known as the Evershed effect was first discovered from the data collected at this observatory. The pioneer behind this discovery – John Evershed – thus propelled the status of the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory as a premier solar physics lab in the country. Such was the comprehensiveness of his study in the motion of sunspots that there was little added to the topic for at least a century.

List of Observatory in India:

  1. Udaipur Solar Observatory
  2. Devasthal Optical Telescope
  3. Kodaikanal Solar Observatory
  4. Madras Observatory
  5. Ooty Radio Telescope
  6. Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle
  7. Giant Metre wave Radio Telescope
  8. Gauribidanur Radio Observatory
  9. Girawali Observatory
  10. Vainu Bappu Observatory

Giant Metre wave Radio Telescope:

The Giant Metre wave Radio Telescope (GMRT), located near Pune in India, is an array of thirty fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45 metre diameter, observing at metre wavelengths. It is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. At the time it was built, it was the world’s largest interferometric array offering a baseline of up to 25 kilometres.

Gauribidanur Radio Observatory:

Gauribidanur is a rural area 100 km from Bangalore and is free from urban electronic noise, making it suitable for radio observations. It was built in the 1970s by the Raman Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. To study radio emission from the centre of our galaxy and other radio sources, most importantly the sun, Radio emission is present. The purpose of these observations is to study supernova remnants, ionised hydrogen regions in outer space, and pulsars. Most of the time at this observatory is dedicated to observing the sun, and the angle is changed continuously through electronic adjustment. Gauribidanur Radio Observatory is the only observatory in India that can record observations at low frequencies and has a unique role.

Madras Observatory:

The Madras Observatory was founded by the British East India Company in 1786 in Chennai. For over a century, it was the only astronomical observatory in India that exclusively worked on the stars. Among the astronomers at the observatory were Norman Robert Pogson, Michael Topping, and John Goldingham. By 1899, it had been relegated to gathering weather-related data.

Ooty Radio Telescope:

The Ooty Radio Telescope is located in Muthorai near Ootacamund (Ooty), south India. It is part of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) of the well-known Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), which is funded by the Government of India through the Department of atomic energy. The Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) is a 530-metre (1,740 ft) long and 30-metre (98 ft) wide Cylindrical Paraboloid telescope. It operates at a frequency of 326.5 MHz with a maximum bandwidth of 15 MHz at the front end.

Vainu Bappu Observatory:

Vainu Bappu Observatory, also known as the Telescope Observatory, is located in Kavalur, very near to Yelagiri. Home to Asia’s largest telescope, it was established in the 1970s and can only be visited on prior permission. Besides the celestial bodies and the fascinating stars, you can also spot the affluent wildlife- flora, and fauna, near the observatory. The Vainu Bappu Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is 200 km southwest of Chennai & 175 km southeast of Bangalore.

Where is the Indian astronomical observatory located?

Leh-Ladakh, 194101

The Indian Astronomical Observatory, the high-attitude station of IIA, is situated at an altitude of 4500 metres above mean sea level to the north of the Western Himalayas. Atop Mt. Saraswati in the vast Nilamkhul Plain in the Hanle Valley of Changthang, Ladakh (4250m above MSL), the site is a dry, cold desert with a sparse human population and the ancient Hanle monastery as its nearest neighbour. The cloudless skies and low atmospheric water vapour make it one of the best sites in the world for optical, infrared, sub-millimetre, and millimetre wavelengths. Specifically, the observation conditions yield about 255 spectroscopic nights per year, approximately 190 photometric nights per year, and an annual rain plus snow precipitation of less than 10 cm. In addition, there are low ambient temperatures, low humidity, and low concentration of atmospheric aerosols, low atmospheric water vapour, dark nights, and low pollution.

A 2-m optical, infrared telescope is installed at the observatory. This telescope is remotely operated from CREST, Hosakote, and using dedicated satellite links. A 0.70m wide-field robotic telescope is under installation for monitoring transients under the GROWTH project. IAO also hosts several site monitoring instruments such as seeing monitor, extinction monitor, all shy camera, Automated Weather Station, etc. The site is being characterised by a 10m class telescope.

The infrastructure developed by IIA at IAO, Hanle, has paved the way towards initiating many new projects in astronomy, such as the gamma-ray array telescope (HAGAR), jointly undertaken by IIA and TIFER and imaging Cherenkov telescope (MACE) undertaken by BARC, as well as in other paradigms of science. The 2m telescope was dedicated to the nation on 29 August 2001.

FAQ:

  • Can I visit Indian Astronomical Observatory?

Yes, anybody can visit Indian Astronomical Observatory.

  • How many space observatories are there in India?

10 space observatories are there in India.

  • Which is the highest observatory in India?

The Indian Astronomical Observatory, located near Leh in Ladakh, India, has one of the world’s highest sites for optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescope.

  • Can I visit Hanle Observatory?

Yes, anybody can visit Indian Astronomical Observatory. The government of India has set up the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle for the study of celestial objects. The Observatory holds two high-ended telescopes, and studies are conducted by the central office located in Bangalore.

  • Who invented the first telescope in India?

On October 2, 1608, Hans Lippershey demonstrated a new invention – the first optical refracting telescope. A.S.Ganesh turns his telescope to view back in time nearly 410 years to that day.

Leave a Comment