IIT Hyderabad sets up in-campus astronomical research facility

Advanced Darksky Observatory will host a 0.5-metre robotic optical telescope (largest among small telescope categories) which will have a magnification of 1000x, capabilities of resolving a structure as small as 25 km on the surface of the moon.

Former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr K Radhakrishnan inaugurated a modern astronomical observatory, which is the first in-campus astronomical research facility among all IITs, at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH).

The Advanced Darksky Observatory (ADO) will host a 0.5-metre robotic optical telescope (largest among small telescope categories) which will have a magnification of 1000x, capabilities of resolving a structure as small as 25 km on the surface of the moon, individual rings of Saturn, detecting active galaxies up to a distance of 1.5 Giga light-years (1419 billion kilometres).  

Primarily designed as a frontier research facility in Astronomy, ADO, with adaptive imaging and multi-filter spectroscopy, will deliver imaging and spectroscopic data banks, which will be valuable assets for research and modern teaching. It will also complement ISRO’s current and future space-based astronomical observatories. 

Dr Radhakrishnan said the IITH would become a major contributor to space research if all engineering and science capabilities of this institute are put together. He appreciated the Institute for installing the robotic telescopic on the campus. The entire project was funded by IITH.  

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