ARIES: Leading The Way In Astronomical Research
- Vihar Kattungal
- May 17, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 13, 2023
One of India’s premier astronomy and astrophysics research institutes is the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES). The research institute got its name from the famous Indian astronomer Aryabhatta.
Born in the Gupta era in Pataliputra in 476 AD, Aryabhata was from the traditional period and developed Indian astronomy and mathematics centuries ago. He was known to be the first of the significant mathematician-astronomers.
Table Of Contents
The ARIES observatory in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India, is an autonomous institute established in 1954. Presently the Department of Science and Technology of the Indian government is in charge of it. Known for its futuristic facilities for observing this galaxy above and beyond, it has leading-edge research in astronomy, including astrophysics and atmospheric sciences.
Promoting scientific awareness among the public, ARIES focuses on education and other essential activities that allow them to know a brief idea of its importance in their life.
Significance Of Telescopes
Telescopes have got an essential role in advancing the understanding of our universe. Scientists observe objects in the sky not seen through a human eye. Many planets and stars having their galaxies got discovered with the help of telescopes.
The size of planets and other details that include their shape, size, and composition has been discovered and studied. The distance and velocities of various objects in the sky are known, giving a deep insight into the universe’s evolution. Many celestial events like supernovas, working principles of black holes, and gravitational waves got noted and studied closely.
The launch and deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope by America in low Earth orbit in 1990 revolutionized the concept of viewing and understanding this universe. It helped in looking further out into space. Now with ARIES, more secrets of the universe will get unlocked.
ARIES: Role In Astronomical Research
As per history, this observatory was first established on the 20th of April 1954 at Varanasi as Uttar Pradesh State Observatory (UPSO). The observatory was later moved from the dusty plains to the crystal-clear transparent skies of Nainital in 1955 and then later to its present location in 1961 on Manora Peak in south Nainital town.
The campus is home to rich Himalayan flora, fauna, and sightings of rare birds and other wildlife. On the 22nd of March 2004, this institute was, renamed “Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)” after it came under the control of the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
Aries has optical, radio, and solar telescopes for observing astronomy. The institute researches galaxies, stars, our own Sun, and all that is present in the vast cosmology. Apart from this, the scientist also studies the ionosphere and upper atmosphere of the Earth.
Apart from collaborating with several international institutions worldwide in various projects related to multiple types of research, this institute also promotes educational research in India. It also hosts workshops, conferences, and various training programs for young researchers and students to encourage them to pursue astronomy-related fields.
History Of ARIES
Established on the 20th of April 1954 as the State Observatory in Uttar Pradesh, India, this institute was later renamed to its present name, thus honoring the ancient Indian mathematician Aryabhatta. In 2004 the Department of Science and Technology declared ARIES an autonomous institute. This status allowed it to establish its administrative structure and governing body.
In 1882, during the British era, Nainital Observatory was built to study the position of comets, stars, and planets in our galaxy. It further paved a path in developing Indian astronomy, which led to the establishment of today’s ARIES.
Department of Science and Technology, a state entity owned by the Government of India, in the year of 1954, got this observatory. It was later named a State Observatory, and it mainly researched and observed various celestial astronomical phenomena like stars, comets, and galaxies.
Till the 1980s, this institute focused mainly on optical astronomy. Later, it widened its scope and started researching radio astronomy, astrophysics, and climatic sciences.
At present, ARIES mainly has advanced telescopes like
1.04-meter Sampurnanand Telescope (SPT)
1.3m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT)
3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT)
4m Liquid Mirror telescope
These telescopes have helped in astronomical research development in India.
Research At ARIES
The Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) studies a wide range of planetary astronomical objects and occurrences with the help of telescopes and other instruments. Important research areas included various stars, quasars, categories of variable stars, black holes, and active galactic nuclei (AGN). The research institute has made vital contributions to understanding the fundamentals of our universe.
ARIES first helped detect exoplanets orbiting stars outside our solar system and made many vital discoveries, like the nature of quasars, galaxies’ expansion, and black holes’ behavior. Its world-class research strength has made it a contributor to the worldwide astronomical community. A brief explanation of the research areas of ARIES includes,
Formation & Expansion Of Galaxies
With the help of various methodologies, including infrared spectroscopic analysis, optical, polarimetry, and imaging, the development and expansion of galaxies are studied by ARIES.
Description Of Quasars
Quasars, called supernovas, are bright, far-away objects fueled by gigantic black holes. With various techniques like imaging and others, ARIES is studying the working principle of quasars which will help understand the ancient secrets of the universe.
Black Holes Behaviour
Black holes are the dense regions of space and time where not even light can escape due to its super gravitational pull. ARIES studies its behavior with infrared spectroscopy, polarimetry, and other techniques. It helps in knowing the system that enables the working principle of black holes, which will further help understand the universe’s secrets.
Variable Stars
Start that show changes in their illumination as time passes are known as variable stars. Studying them helps provide a valuable understanding of the physics of stellar evolution. ARIES helps study variable stars like RR Lyrae stars, which helps calculate the actual age of the universe.
The Exoplanets
An exoplanet is currently based outside our solar system. Most planets orbit other stars, but exoplanets are free-floating, often called rogue planets. They circle the galactic center and are unbound from any of the stars. They behave differently from Earth since they don’t rotate around the Sun.
Using techniques like the transit method, direct imaging, and radial velocity method, ARIES helps search for exoplanets. It will assist in grasping more about exoplanets, planetary systems formation, and evolution.
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)
AGN is those regions located in the galaxies’ center, emitting considerable radiation. The general belief is that AGN gets energy from supermassive black holes at their center.
With the help of various instruments like polarimeters, researchers at ARIES study the polarization of light emitted by AGN and learn the essential physics of these powerful objects.
ARIES: Observational Techniques
ARIES uses various observational techniques to study astronomical objects and other occurrences. Some of the most common observational methods include,
Use Of Imaging
It is a process of generating a picture of an astronomical object. Different sizes and varieties of telescopes create various images of things in outer space.
Use Of Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy’s approach examines the light spectrum given by the celestial objects outside our solar system. It offers details about the astronomical objects’ temperature, chemical composition, and motion of the celestial objects present in the universe.
Use Of Polarimetry
It is an observational method that measures the polarization of the light emitting or reflecting from these celestial objects, as this tells about the physical process happening within those objects.
Use Of Photometry
Photometry is a technique to measure the intensity of light a celestial object releases. Astronomers can decide the object’s size, temperature, and total distance from Earth by analyzing the power of the light emitted from the objects.
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ARIES: Public Outreach And Education
The Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) conducts public outreach and education. It believes in sharing incredible knowledge about astronomy with the public that will inspire young aspirants to pursue a carrier related to astronomy and other subjects correlating to it. A few public programs include,
Public Lectures
ARIES host many public lectures regarding astronomy and astrophysics, which the public can attend free of cost.
School Visits
ARIES staff members visit schools and give presentations on astronomy and astrophysics as per the students’ age and level of understanding.
Astronomy Camps
Many astronomy camps hosted by ARIES are helpful for children and young adults. The participants can get thorough hands-on activities and experiences about astronomy by attending these camps.
Online Resources
Many online resources like blogs, YouTube channels, and websites are the medium through which ARIES provides the public with information about astronomy and astrophysics.
High-quality public outreach and education programs are provided by ARIES to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, thus helping the public understand our universe.
A few benefits of ARIES public outreach and education in astronomy include,
Help the public know the importance of astronomy.
Help inspire young aspirants to take up science as a career.
Promote education through research.
Build a connection between the scientists and the public.
Inculcate a sense of wonder and interest to decode the universe’s secrets.
ARIES is proving to be a precious asset for the public, and its reach to the public by providing various education programs is making a difference. Sharing the secrets of astronomy with the public has induced an enthusiasm for creating a scientifically knowledgeable world.
ARIES: Achievements And Discoveries
After the commissioning of ARIES, the researchers took advantage of it and have achieved and discovered many secrets within our solar system and outside our galaxy too. Few include discovering new exoplanets and variable stars. A few other achievements and discoveries include,
ARIES was the first Indian institute to observe the occultation of a star by a minor planet.
Conduct photoelectric observations of stars by the first Indian institute.
ARIES contributed to the detection of rings around Uranus.
ARIES discovered two additional rings around Saturn. One new ring among these rings was a discovery.
ARIES discovered a ring around Neptune.
ARIES’s observations of galactic clusters helped in the knowledge that the plane defined by the interstellar dust is in an inclining position concerning the formal galactic plane.
Many eclipsing binaries, variable stars, and galactic clusters observed by ARIES helped publish many new results.
Cluster studies at ARIES helped indicate that the slope of the initial mass function above one solar mass is universal and related to Salpeter’s value (initial mass function).
Many new molecular species are present in the Sun’s photosphere, sunspots, and faculae, and observationally confirmed ARIES predicted the presence of SH, C2, and SiO.
ARIES has reliably determined oscillator strengths for the MgH (Green System), C2 (Phillips System), and CN (Red System) bands using the Sun as a laboratory source and derived gf values for about 300 lines of 17 different atomic species.
Do visit the official website of ARIES (https://www.aries.res.in/aries-0) to know more about research and discoveries made.
Future Of ARIES And The Telescope
The 3.6-meter Devasthal Optical Telescope and the 1.3-meter Vainu Bappu Telescope are two of the powerful telescopes housed in the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), one of the top astronomical research institutions in India.
These telescopes unlocked Many essential secrets of the universe, including detecting exoplanets, and helped study supernovae.
With the ongoing infrastructure development, the future of ARIES and telescopes are bright, as it is building more prominent and powerful telescopes. It will help to explore space further and discover new celestial bodies that are faint and not seen by present-day telescopes. A few specific future research goals of ARIES are,
Study the origin and growth of galaxies.
Study the emergence of stars and planets.
Study the physics relating to black holes and neutron stars.
Study dark matter nature and dark energy present out there.
Search for extraterrestrial life.
With its powerful telescopes and ongoing development of new technologies, ARIES, which has a strong team of scientists and engineers, will significantly aid in revealing the mysteries of the cosmos.
Apart from the technologies mentioned, a few new technologies are currently under development that could significantly impact astronomy. These include:
Extremely large telescopes (ELT)
These are telescopes having 30 meters or more wide diameter mirrors, and currently, there are in the development stage and will be operational by the end of this decade. ELT telescopes can view 100 times fainter objects than the present current telescopes see.
Space Telescopes
These telescopes are not affected by the blurring caused by the atmospheric effects of the Earth as they get placed in space above. It allows scientists to see much sharper images when compared to ground-based telescopes. A few famous space telescopes are Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope.
Gravitational Wave Telescopes
They aid in the detection of rippling in spacetime, which are often brought about by the collision of two large astronomical bodies, such as black holes and neutron stars.
These new technologies are currently under development and will significantly impact astronomy when they become operational. Many new future discoveries are yet to be found by ARIES.
Conclusion
ARIES, with its state-of-the-art facilities and the advancement of instruments, helps in providing an ideal platform for astronomical research and public outreach.
Along with various programs and initiatives, ARIES successfully helps advance public engagement in astronomy and helps educate students and budding astronomers concerning the latest developments in the field.
With the continued investment in public engagement and research facilities, ARIES will inspire the next generation of new astronomers by helping them understand the universe more deeply.
Many future discoveries are yet waiting to get discovered with the help of the right resources, and positive public support will help unlock the secrets of the cosmos and help us understand those worlds beyond our planetary system.
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