National Large Solar Telescope

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National Large Solar Telescope
Location(s) Ladakh, India
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Picturing the Sun's Magnetic Field (illustration). Picturing the Sun's Magnetic Field (25513266790).jpg
Picturing the Sun’s Magnetic Field (illustration).

The National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) is a Gregorian multi-purpose open telescope, [1] [2] in Merak village (altitude ~ 4,200 m) on the southern shore of Pangong Lake in Ladakh in India, [3] which aims to study the sun's microscopic structure. [1] [4] The Indian Institute of Astrophysics is the nodal agency for this project which collaborates with various other scientific bodies, such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational-Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). [3] NLST serve as a crucial ground-based counterpart to India's space-based solar mission, Aditya-L1, allowing for multi-wavelength, multi-perspective observations of the Sun.

Contents

History

In 2010, the initial proposal for the Merak NLST was made, [1] but Ministry of Defence granted the security clearance only around 2016, [5] and the telescope was installed at Merak in 2018 to study the solar chromosphere. [1] [6]

Telescope

NLST is an on-axis alt-azimuth Gregorian multi-purpose 2-meter-aperture open telescope with the provision of carrying out night time stellar observations using a spectrograph. [2] It aims to resolve features on the Sun of the size of about 0.1 arcsec. The focal plane instruments include a high-resolution polarimeteric package to measure polarization with an accuracy of 0.01 per cent, a high-spectral-resolution spectrograph to obtain spectra in 5 widely separated absorption lines simultaneously, and high-spatial-resolution narrow-band imagers in various lines. [7] The NLST project is a cornerstone of India's long-term strategy in solar physics. Its location in a longitudinal gap between major solar observatories in Europe and Japan is important for providing continuous observation of the Sun. The NLST complements the space-based missions like the Aditya-L1 and ground-based facilities, providing critical data for understanding the Sun's magnetic field and its influence on space weather. [8] [9] Project also includes the construction of the main dome, control rooms, housing for scientists and support staff, power generation facilities, and possibly a satellite communication link for data transfer. [10]

Solar storms or Coronal Mass Ejections are large expulsions of billions of tons of plasma and its associated magnetic fields from the Sun into the interplanetary space, some of which can hit the Earth and produce geomagnetic storms. Extreme geomagnetic storms have the potential to harm space-technology dependent human life on Earth, such as disrupting radio communication, GPS signals, etc. Predicting these storms is an important area of scientific research.

— Indian Institute of Astrophysics [11]

In November 2023, [12] [13] and also during the May 2024 solar storms, [14] [5] the relatively rarer Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arcs caused by the solar wind were observed in Merak. [12] [13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ravindra, B.; Kesavan, Prabhu; Thulasidharen, K. C.; Rajalingam, M.; Sagayanathan, K.; Kamath, P. U.; Dorjey, Namgyal; Dorjee, Angchuk; Kemkar, P. M. M.; Dorjai, Tsewang; Banyal, Ravinder K. (27 September 2018). "Installation of solar chromospheric telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Merak". Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy. 39 (5): 60. arXiv: 1808.07643 . Bibcode:2018JApA...39...60R. doi:10.1007/s12036-018-9554-1. ISSN   0973-7758. S2CID   119081673.
  2. 1 2 Hasan, S. S. (1 February 2010). "The Indian National Large Solar Telescope (NLST)". NASA/ADS. 264: 499–504. doi:10.1017/S1743921309993206.
  3. 1 2 IANS (2 September 2010). "India to build world's largest solar telescope". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  4. ↑ "India To Build World's Largest Solar Telescope". Spacedaily.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  5. 1 2 Ray, Kalyan (11 May 2024). "Two Indian sky-cameras at Ladakh capture aurora caused by most powerful solar storm in two decades". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Hasan, S. S. (1 February 2010). "The Indian National Large Solar Telescope (NLST)". NASA/ADS. 264: 499–504. doi:10.1017/S1743921309993206.
  7. ↑ Singh, J. Proposed National Solar Telescope Journal of Astrophysics & Astronomy, Vol. 29, No. 1 - 2, pp. 345 - 351
  8. ↑ "NLST - Indian Institute of Astrophysics". Indian Institute of Astrophysics Official Website. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Hasan, S.S. et al. "National Large Solar Telescope of India". ResearchGate. 2012.
  10. ↑ Ray, Kalyan. "Large solar telescope to be set up at Ladakh". Deccan Herald. 22 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "To Better Understand Why Sun Gets Angry, India To Build Massive Solar Telescope In Ladakh". NDTV.com. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  12. 1 2 IIAstrophysics [@IIABengaluru] (9 November 2023). "Red auroral activity, attributed to a SAR event, was seen on 5 November from our observatories in Hanle and Merak in Ladakh! This was due to a geomagnetic storm caused by a solar storm #Aurora #RedAurora" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. 1 2 "IIA's observatory captures red-hued Aurora from Hanle, Merak". The Times of India. 8 November 2023. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  14. ↑ IIAstrophysics [@IIABengaluru] (11 May 2024). "Intense aurorae were seen at latitudes as low as Ladakh this morning due to the strongest solar storm in 2 decades. And our cameras captured its glory! See the timelapse from all-sky camera at #Hanle #Ladakh #HDSR @IndiaDST @asipoec @dorje1974 @utladakhtourism @fiddlingstars" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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