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World’s first liquid-mirror telescope

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    3rd Jun, 2022

Context

India’s first liquid-mirror telescope, which will observe asteroids, supernovae, space debris and all other celestial objects from an altitude of 2,450 metres in the Himalayas, has seen its first light.

  • It has now entered the commissioning phase and will start scientific observations some time in October this year.

About International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT)

  • ILMT will be the third telescope to be operating from Devasthal after the 3.6-metre Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) — the largest in India commissioned in 2016 — and the 1.3-metre Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) inaugurated in 2010.
  • The telescope was designed and built at the Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems Corporation and the Centre Spatial de Liege, Belgium. 
    • The major instrumentation funding was jointly provided by Canada and Belgium while India will be responsible for the operations and upkeep of the telescope.
  • This was Established on the campus of the Devasthal Observatory of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital. 
  • The International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) is the only liquid-mirror telescope operational anywhere in the world. 
    • Only a handful of liquid-mirror telescopes have been previously built but were majorly used either for tracking satellites or for military purposes.
  • It will also hold the unique tag of being the maiden liquid-telescope globally to be designed exclusively for astronomical purposes.

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