Chandra telescope
- September 29, 2020
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Subject: Science and tech
Context:
Himalayan Chandra Telescope celebrates 20th birthday
Concept:
- The 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), Saraswati, Digpa-ratsaRi, Hanle at an altitude of 4500 m (15000 ft) above msl is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore.
- It is remotely operated using a dedicated satellite communication link from the Centre for Research & Education in Science & Technology (CREST), Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Hosakote, about 35 km northeast of Bangalore.
- The area of research covers a wide range of topics, from solar system objects to cosmology.
- Some of the thrust research areas are the study of solar system bodies like; comets, asteroids, the study of star formation processes and young stellar objects, the study of open and globular clusters and variable stars in them, abundance analysis of elements in the atmosphere of evolved stars, star formation in external galaxies, Active Galactic Nuclei, stellar explosions like novae, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and so on.
- The telescope has been used in many coordinated international campaigns to monitor stellar explosions, comets, and exo-planets, and has contributed significantly to these studies.