ID :
39312
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 16:36
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http://m.oananews.org//node/39312
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India to launch 'unique' satellite to study distant galaxies
Sagar Kulkarni
Shillong, Jan 7 (PTI) India's space agency along with stronomers from across the country will launch a "unique" satellite later this year to study distant galaxies and black holes.
The Astrosat, scheduled for launch towards the end of the
year, will be the country's first satellite entirely dedicated
to astronomy.
Astronomers are excited about the prospects thrown up by
the Astrosat which is expected to give India an edge in
observing the universe.
"The Astrosat will carry the best ultraviolet telescope
ever flown," Dipankar Bhattacharya, a senior astrophysicist
with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and
Astrophysics (IUCAA) told PTI on the sidelines of the 96th
Indian Science Congress here.
Besides IUCAA, premier institutions like the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of
Astrophysics (IIA), Raman Research Institute and Physical
Research Laboratory will also be participating in the
Astrosat project which is funded by the Indian Space Research
Organisation.
The satellite will be a multi-wavelength observatory in
space with instruments surveying the sky in ultraviolet, soft
x-rays and hard x-rays bands.
Scientists claim that the Astrosat have the best
spectroscopic instrument to study hard x-rays which would be
10 times more sensitive than the current instruments on the
Integra and Rossini missions.
Orbiting 650 km above the earth's surface, the Rs 200
crore Astrosat would also facilitate study of astrophysical
objects ranging from nearby solar system objects to distant
stars and objects at cosmological distances.
Since most astronomical objects in the known universe
emit radiations from long wavelength radio emission to
extremely short wavelength gamma rays, understanding of the
physical processes causing frequency dependent, time-variable
phenomena would require near simultaneous multi-frequency
observations.
Astrosat would also enable timing studies of variables
from pulsations of the 'hot white dwarfs' to active galactic
nuclei with time scales ranging from millisecond to few hours
to days.
Other objectives included broadband spectroscopic studies
of galaxy clusters and stellar coronae, studies of periodic
and non-periodic variability of x-ray sources, monitoring
intensity of known sources and detecting outbursts and
luminosity variations.
Astrosat's system configuration comprises Large Area
Xanon-filled Gas Proportional Counters, Cadmium-Zinc Telluride
(CZT) detector-based hard x-ray telescope, an imaging
telescope based on conical foil mirrors for x-ray reflection,
a scanning x-ray sky monitor and an optical telescope
combining ultra-violet and visible processes.
With a mass of 1,650 tonnes, Astrosat will gather 120
gigabytes of data through four orbits. The mission would have
a minimum lifespan of five years. PTI SKU
Shillong, Jan 7 (PTI) India's space agency along with stronomers from across the country will launch a "unique" satellite later this year to study distant galaxies and black holes.
The Astrosat, scheduled for launch towards the end of the
year, will be the country's first satellite entirely dedicated
to astronomy.
Astronomers are excited about the prospects thrown up by
the Astrosat which is expected to give India an edge in
observing the universe.
"The Astrosat will carry the best ultraviolet telescope
ever flown," Dipankar Bhattacharya, a senior astrophysicist
with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and
Astrophysics (IUCAA) told PTI on the sidelines of the 96th
Indian Science Congress here.
Besides IUCAA, premier institutions like the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of
Astrophysics (IIA), Raman Research Institute and Physical
Research Laboratory will also be participating in the
Astrosat project which is funded by the Indian Space Research
Organisation.
The satellite will be a multi-wavelength observatory in
space with instruments surveying the sky in ultraviolet, soft
x-rays and hard x-rays bands.
Scientists claim that the Astrosat have the best
spectroscopic instrument to study hard x-rays which would be
10 times more sensitive than the current instruments on the
Integra and Rossini missions.
Orbiting 650 km above the earth's surface, the Rs 200
crore Astrosat would also facilitate study of astrophysical
objects ranging from nearby solar system objects to distant
stars and objects at cosmological distances.
Since most astronomical objects in the known universe
emit radiations from long wavelength radio emission to
extremely short wavelength gamma rays, understanding of the
physical processes causing frequency dependent, time-variable
phenomena would require near simultaneous multi-frequency
observations.
Astrosat would also enable timing studies of variables
from pulsations of the 'hot white dwarfs' to active galactic
nuclei with time scales ranging from millisecond to few hours
to days.
Other objectives included broadband spectroscopic studies
of galaxy clusters and stellar coronae, studies of periodic
and non-periodic variability of x-ray sources, monitoring
intensity of known sources and detecting outbursts and
luminosity variations.
Astrosat's system configuration comprises Large Area
Xanon-filled Gas Proportional Counters, Cadmium-Zinc Telluride
(CZT) detector-based hard x-ray telescope, an imaging
telescope based on conical foil mirrors for x-ray reflection,
a scanning x-ray sky monitor and an optical telescope
combining ultra-violet and visible processes.
With a mass of 1,650 tonnes, Astrosat will gather 120
gigabytes of data through four orbits. The mission would have
a minimum lifespan of five years. PTI SKU
