Latest news with #IndianInstituteofAstrophysics
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sitharaman visits project site for infra-red observatory in Ladakh
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Tuesday, visited the project site for national large solar telescope (NLST) near strategic Pangong Lake in Meral area of Ladakh. The finance minister also took to X and related the information. 'Smt @nsitharaman visits the project site for National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), located near the Pangong lake in Merak, Ladakh at an altitude of around 4200m', she wrote on X. NLST is a proposed ground based 2-m class optical and near infra-red (IR) observational facility and the site provides significant periods of coronagraphic skies (high transparency), it read further Dr Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) was also present. On Sunday, Sitharaman had laid the foundation stone for a mini planetarium and Astro Globe at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in the Changthang region of the strategic region. The initiative, sanctioned under the special development package comes at an estimated cost of ₹276.65 lakh and aims to promote scientific education, astro-tourism, stargazing, night sky programs, and generate local employment, said an official spokesperson. At the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) Telescope facility in Hanle, Prof Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), and Dr K.K. Yadav from the Astrophysical Sciences Division, BARC presented the telescope's current achievements and future plans. Applauding the efforts of IIA and the local community, Sitharaman remarked, 'This project symbolizes a collaborative spirit between the scientific and public community, a true matter of national pride.' She urged the development of programs tailored for the common public to spark interest in astrophysics through hands-on learning and proactively putting out content generated through these scientific centres. During her visit to Hanle, Sitharaman engaged with delegations of anganwadi workers, contractor associations, and BJP members from Nyoma, attentively listening to their concerns. At Rongo, she visited an animal husbandry site where she met with mostly female pashmina goat and yak herders. She distributed goat-shearing machines to support their livelihood. As part of the Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan, Sitharaman interacted with campaign beneficiaries. She also presented a ₹50 lakh cheque to Nyoma nomads under SBI's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. The departments of sheep and animal husbandry hosted a live demonstration of the nomadic lifestyle. The department of social and tribal welfare showcased a mobile Anganwadi centre for nomadic children and displayed millet-based dishes prepared within the centre.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sitharaman visits NLST project site; lays wreath at Rezang La War Memorial in Ladakh
Leh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday visited the project site for National Large Solar Telescope near Pangong lake in the Union Territory of Ladakh, officials said. Sitharaman, who is currently on a four-day tour of the region, also laid a wreath at the Rezang La War Memorial in Chushul village and paid tribute to the martyrs, who laid down lives in the service of the nation, they said. NLST project aims to build a two-meter class optical and near-infrared telescope near the Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh at an altitude of around 4,200 meters. The primary goal is to conduct high-resolution studies of the solar atmosphere, focusing on understanding magnetic fields, solar activity and helioseismology. The Union minister was during her visit to the NLST project site in Merak briefed about the project by Indian Institute of Astrophysics Director Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, the officials said. On the third day of her visit, Sitharaman laid the foundation stone for a Mini Planetarium and Astro Globe at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh's Changthang region. The initiative, sanctioned under the Special Development Package , comes at an estimated cost of ₹276.65 lakh and aims to promote scientific education, astro-tourism, stargazing, night sky programs and generate local employment, the officials said. At the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment Telescope facility in Hanle, Prof Subramaniam and K K Yadav from the Astrophysical Sciences Division, BARC, presented the telescope's current achievements and future plans. Applauding the efforts of the IIA and the local community, the minister remarked, 'This project symbolizes a collaborative spirit between the scientific and public community, a true matter of national pride.' She urged the development of programs tailored for the common public to spark interest in astrophysics through hands-on learning and proactively putting out content generated through these scientific centres. Sitharaman also visited Chushul, a vibrant village, and laid a wreath and paid tributes to the martyrs at the Rezang La War Memorial, the officials said. The War Memorial was constructed in the Chushul plains in 1963 at an altitude of over 15,000 feet, right at the border to honour the troops of Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon Regiment who had defended Rezang La and the surrounding areas on the Kailash Ranges in eastern Ladakh on November 18, 1962. The renovated Rezang La War Memorial was dedicated to the nation on November 18, 2021.
Deccan Herald
23-04-2025
- Science
- Deccan Herald
Bengaluru to experience Zero Shadow Day today
Bengaluru: Bengaluru will experience Zero Shadow Day on Thursday at exactly 12.17 pm. Objects will cast a shadow exactly downward, causing objects on the ground to have no visible to astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru (IIA), this phenomenon occurs twice a year, once around April 24 or 25 and a second time around August local noon, the sun will be at its zenith (highest point in the sky), but this highest point is not exactly overhead on most days. The sun transits north or south of it due to the 23.5-degree tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation with respect to the plane of Earth's revolution around the sun. On Zero Shadow Days, however, the sun is directly overhead, causing vertical objects to cast no visible the sun transits directly above the Tropic of Cancer (+23.5° latitude), it is called the summer solstice (around June 21), and when the sun transits directly above the Tropic of Capricorn (-23.5° latitude), it is called the winter solstice (around December 22)..World Psycho-Oncology Day: Experts demand psychosocial care for cancer patients .The sun transits across the equator twice a year on days called equinoxes. The arc made by the sun in the sky changes throughout the year. The arc moves southwards starting on the summer solstice and passes over the equator around September 23 (autumnal equinox), subsequently transiting directly over the Tropic of Capricorn during the winter solstice. After this, the arc makes its journey northward. The arc's transit between one tropic and the other takes six for people who live in the tropics (+23.5° to -23.5° latitude), the sun passes directly overhead twice a year — once when the arc transits northward and once when the arc transits Shadow Days occur on different days for different cities when the sun transits directly overhead based on their planned at 10 activities: 11.30 session: 12.30 is coordinating with a team in Bhopal to compute the diameter of the Earth through shadow length measurement.
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
IIA study sheds light on curious case of missing dark matter in a distant galaxy
Astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have found the reason for the strange deficiency of dark matter in the distant galaxy NGC 1052-DF2. Dark matter is a critical component of galaxy formation. According to the Department of Science and Technology, earlier models have shown that the Ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) NGC 1052-DF2 is deficient in dark matter, which conflicts with the standard galaxy formation and evolution models. It said that previous studies of NGC 1052-DF2 predict a total 'dynamical mass' within the spatial extent of the galaxy to be less than 340 million solar masses, which is comparable to the estimated mass of the stars of 200 million solar masses. 'This surprising result implies that within the observed extent of the galaxy, the mass is mostly composed of primarily stars that we are familiar with, and that dark matter is significantly less than expected as compared to spiral galaxies like the Milky Way. This contradicts the established paradigm about dark matter, which is needed to explain hierarchical structure formation in the Universe,' the department said. 'We find that NGC 1052-DF2 poses interesting questions regarding the formation of galaxies with minimal dark matter content, the astrophysical processes regulating the formation of such galaxies, as well as the potential nature of dark matter itself,' said astronomer K. Aditya, whose research was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. To shed light on this problem and to resolve the discrepancies in the mass estimation of NGC 1052-DF2, Mr. Aditya constructed models using the stellar density as an input parameter and constrained the parameters corresponding to the dark matter halo. He then used the observed stellar velocity dispersion profile as a constraint on the model. 'We find that mass models with a 'cuspy' (higher density in the central regions) dark matter halo are comparable to models with no dark matter. Moreover, these cuspy dark matter halo fails to consistently account for the observed velocity dispersion in the inner and outer regions of the galaxy. Consequently, we rule out the possibility of a cuspy dark matter halo for describing the mass models of NGC 1052 - DF2,' said Aditya.
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Triple conjunction of Venus, Saturn and Moon on April 25
A rare celestial event would be visible over the Bengaluru skies in the early hours of April 25. There would be a triple conjunction of the planets Venus and Saturn, along with the crescent Moon. According to astronomers, a glimpse of this phenomenon can be viewed at around 5.30 am on April 25. 'The morning sky on April 25 will present a beautiful spectacle about an hour before sunrise. Look east and find a bright Venus close to a crescent Moon with a feeble Saturn a couple of degrees below the latter,' said Prof. R.C. Kapoor, formerly with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). The formation of the three celestial bodies will resemble a smiley face. However, this may not be visible in India, said Prof. Kapoor. 'On the morning of 25 April next, Moon, Venus, and Saturn will come together to form a smile configuration. But in India, we will see them close, but the trio will still be hours away from the celestial smile. That is, India will miss the particular moment. Smile-y or no smile-y, the sight nearer home will still be a beautiful one from wherever you watch. A small telescope will add to the thrill. Saturn may disappoint a bit as its rings at present are nearly edge-on,' Prof. Kapoor said. Though this event can be seen with the naked eye, Prof Kapoor cautions not to view the sun directly or with a telescope.
