India's Space based Telescopes and Astronomical spacecraft

[Chinmoy]

whats blk ????????????????????????????????

BIK...... ISRO signal receiving centre in Indonesia.

 

[happylion]

Its also called as Biak.....
.
...........

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Announcement of Opportunity (AO) soliciting proposals for Seventh AO cycle observations

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Announcement of Opportunity for Space-National Academic Partner (S-NAP)

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Mar 08, 2019
Astrosat Picture of the Month of Feb, 2019

New population of Ultraviolet stars in the Globular Cluster NGC 2808

The Sun is a constant presence in our lives and is about 5 billion years old. But will the Sun itself change in the millions of years to come? Any such change will occur so far into the future, that astronomers need to look to alternate places in the sky to understand this. Globular clustersare the best laboratories to study the fate of stars. This month, APOM brings forth a globular cluster called NGC 2808 located at a distance of about 47,000 light years in the constellation Carina. This is the third globular cluster in APOM, after NGC 1851 and NGC 288.

NGC 2808 is one of the most massive globular clusters that we know, with a stellar membership of more than a million stars. Being nearly 11 billion years old, stars like the Sun and heavier stars have evolved to later stages of evolution. Due to the large number of stars present in globular clusters, stars with different masses, and in different evolutionary stagescan be studied together. This is because it is believed that all stars in the cluster formed from the same material at approximately the same time. NGC 2808 is unique because very recent optical studies have shown that it houses many distinct populations of stars (five in this case) within it, the maximum found in any globular cluster till date. Stars at the same evolutionary stage but having similar masses in this cluster seem to have other properties (eg. brightness, material from which it is made) that are slightly different. These are then said to belong to different populations.

The stars that are bright in ultraviolet in this globular cluster have been studied using UVIT on-board AstroSat by a group of researchers from the Indian Institute of Space science and Technology (IIST), Trivandrum and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Using ultraviolet light from different wavebands (filters), these authors have identified stars belonging to later stages of stellar evolution, eg. Horizontal Branch stars, hot stars that have passed through the Asymptotic Giant Branch phase. They have also established the presence of four different populations of stars that are seen in the UV, including a new population for the first time. These UV populations of stars are related to the five groups of optical stars mentioned above. Earlier studies had shown the presence of a certain group of UV stars called the Red Horizontal Branch stars in the cluster. The current study has utilized the capabilities of UVIT to report that it is not one group, but rather a mixture of two different populations. This study of the UV populations in the cluster would help in refining our understanding of the formation of multiple populations in globular clusters.

The paper describing the results is accepted for publication by the Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society and can be found here.

Accompanying science story is here.

 

[G10]

What are those green and red circles all around?

 

[Indx TechStyle]

What are those green and red circles all around?

They are circles drawn by us (and not captured by satellite) encircling some stars to be noted.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Apr 03, 2019
AstroSat Picture of the Month of March, 2019
Sharing the excitement of India's first dedicated space observatory, every month!

A star relives its youth while dancing with its wizened companion in NGC 5466.

This month we bring you yet another Globular Cluster, NGC 5466, located around 52000 light years from us in the constellation Bootes. However, we are going to turn our attention away from the cluster itself, and look at one particular star. This star, called NH 84, is a very special kind of star, and is what astronomers call a Blue Straggler Star, or BSS. Why are these special and how does it relive its youth?

If you have read our previous APOMs on Globular Clusters (here, here and here), you may remember that almost all stars in a cluster are born together at the same time. You may also recall that stars are born, live sedately for a long time, and then die in various spectacular ways. The more massive a star is, the faster it will evolve, and the faster it will die. More massive stars are also usually bluer and hotter, whereas less massive stars are redder and cooler. If we start with a bunch of stars that are born at the same time, like in a Globular Cluster, then as time goes by, we expect to see less and less hot blue stars, since they would have died already. Instead, we would only see the cooler, redder and older stars. Which is why astronomers were very surprised when, in 1953, Allan Sandage found young hot blue starsin old star clusters. How did these stars retain their youth in the face of time? The answer was very surprising indeed, and involved two stars instead of one.

The most common way this happens is in binary star systems, i.e., two stars orbiting each other. Snehalata Sahu of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and her colleagues imaged the cluster NGC 5466 using the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope on AstroSat and identified many Blue Straggler Stars. In particular, they looked at one of them, NH 84, carefully and discovered that it had to be such a binary system. The bright star was a BSS which had swallowed up material from its companion star, and become more massive and bluer, reliving its youth. The poor companion, though, continued on to become a very hot and dense White Dwarf. How did these astronomers know that the companion is a White Dwarf? They deduced this based on the brightness of NH 84 that they measured in the ultraviolet wavelengths, which is where the White Dwarf shines the most. The BSS itself has a surface temperature of 8000 Kelvin, is about as massive as our Sun, and about 45% bigger. The White Dwarf, on the other hand, is 32000 Kelvin, is about half as massive as our Sun, but only 2% of its size!

This is only the second such BSS–White Dwarf pair that astronomers have found in Globular Clusters. Recently, another team led by Subramaniam had discovered, using the UVIT, another binary system where a BSS was orbiting an evolved aged star whose youth it had stolen. This latest discovery was possible because of the superior resolution and sensitivity of AstroSat in the ultraviolet. The authors are now chasing after the other Blue Straggler Stars in this cluster. Let us wait and see what discoveries await them.

The paper describing the results is accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal and can be found here. The accompanying science story, through India Science Wire, is here.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO would send spacecraft to the Sun, Venus and Mars besides launching a unique probe to study cosmic monsters like Black Holes.

The next two deep space missions immediately after the lunar probe would be Aditya-L1 for studying the Sun and Xposat (X-ray Polarisation Satellite) that would seek to throw new light on mysterious celestial bodies like Black Hole and Neutron Stars.

Being developed by scientists at Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru, the Xposat will exploit a rather unusual technique called polarimetry to look at the universe.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA used such a technique way back in 1976 to carry out measurements on Crab Nebula.

“We wish to conduct our experiments within three years though the payload (named Polix) will be having a life of five years,” Biswajit Paul, RRI scientist and principal investigator of the project told DH.

Xposat would study neutron stars to know more about their behaviour besides turning its gaze on the accretion disc and corona of a black hole to find out answers to scientific queries pending for a long time.

By 2024-25, the space agency plans to launch a pair of a satellite named DISHA (Disturbed and quite-type Ionosphere System at High Altitude) to have a better understanding of the interplay between the charged particles and cosmic rays at an altitude of 400-450 km.

https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/na...to-study-solar-system-black-holes-748212.html

 

[Indx TechStyle]

AstroSat: Announcement of Opportunity (AO) soliciting proposals for Ninth AO cycle observations
Criteria for applying:

This announcement is open to Indian scientists/ researchers residing and working at institutes/Universities/colleges in India for 65% of time and to Non-Indian scientists/ researchers, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), working at space agencies/ institutes/ Universities/ colleges around the globe for 20% time, who

• are involved in research in the area of astronomy

• are equipped to submit proposals as Principal Investigators (PIs) for specific target observations with necessary scientific and technical justification

• can analyse the data, if the target is observed based on approvals.

Click here for more information about Ninth AO cycle

More on ASTROSAT

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Dec 06, 2019
Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for Utilizing AstroSat archival data

AstroSat is India's first multi-wavelength observatory class mission. It completed four years of operations on 26th of September 2018. Data from AstroSat was opened to public on 28th September 2018 (https://www.isro.gov.in/update/26-sep-2018/archival-data-of-astrosat-released) and archived at ISSDC (https://astrobrowse.issdc.gov.in/astro.html).

Proposals are hereby invited from Astronomy community of the nation for utilizing AstroSat archival data. This announcement of opportunity (AO) is open to Indian scientific community for submitting research proposals towards utilisation of data from any and/or all the experiments for limited financial assistance. For a detailed information on the AO please refer to AstroSat_AO.

The completely filled-in application has to reach [email protected] on or before 14-01-2020.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

New telescope announced!!
INdian Spectroscopic Imaging Telescope (INSIST) with ability to look at celestial bodies at high resolution.

Launch propsoed in mid-2020s!
Launch mass will determine whether it can be Indian version of Hubble Space telescope or better something no one has ever tried before.

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinio...-astro-is-investing-in-technology-794295.html

https://conf.ncra.tifr.res.in/event/4/contributions/274/contribution.pdf

https://www.iiap.res.in/files/English_AR_print_2017-2018_0.pdf

Moreover,

For ground based telescopes

Indian collaboration to bring international giant 30 meters telescope will bring 10 meters telescope tech to India.

National Large Optical-InfraRed Telescope (NLOT) - Under development

In construction

National Large Solar Telescope (NLST)

 

[Akula]

New telescope announced!!
INdian Spectroscopic Imaging Telescope (INSIST) with ability to look at celestial bodies at high resolution.

Launch propsoed in mid-2020s!
Launch mass will determine whether it can be Indian version of Hubble Space telescope or better something no one has ever tried before.

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinio...-astro-is-investing-in-technology-794295.html

https://conf.ncra.tifr.res.in/event/4/contributions/274/contribution.pdf

https://www.iiap.res.in/files/English_AR_print_2017-2018_0.pdf

Moreover,

For ground based telescopes

Indian collaboration to bring international giant 30 meters telescope will bring 10 meters telescope tech to India.

National Large Optical-InfraRed Telescope (NLOT) - Under development

In construction

National Large Solar Telescope (NLST)

So, in next decade Isro will be launching scientific payloads in space
Aditya-L1( L3 and L5 if planned)
Astrosat-2
Xposat
Insist

 

[Indx TechStyle]

So, in next decade Isro will be launching scientific payloads in space
Aditya-L1( L3 and L5 if planned)
Astrosat-2
Xposat
Insist

Add,
Indian Lunar Space Telescope to be deployed on Moon

INSIST is still in pre-project phase.
It is just a proposal by IIA in response to ISRO's announcement opportunity. Whether ISRO picks INSIST or something else is on ISRO.

 

[Akula]

Add,
Indian Lunar Space Telescope to be deployed on Moon

INSIST is still in pre-project phase.
It is just a proposal by IIA in response to ISRO's announcement opportunity. Whether ISRO picks INSIST or something else is on ISRO.

But that Lunar telescope need heavy lift vehicle, to put it on moon.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

But that Lunar telescope need heavy lift vehicle, to put it on moon.

Even INSIST would require nothing less than GSLV Mk3.

 

[Karthi]

X-ray Polarimeter (POLIX ) payload for ISRO’s XPoSat.






POLIX is poised to be the first dedicated X-ray polarimeter mission in the world and to open a new window in high energy astrophysics by measuring
X-ray polarization in about 50 bright X-ray sources, ahead of the NASA and ESA space mission proposals for launching X-ray polarimeters.

 

[Karthi]

Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) Chandrayaan 2 Payload

 

[Karthi]

3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT).

 

[Karthi]

Balloon-born Telescope (T100)