Asia’s biggest telescope launched

PM, Belgian PM remotely activate ARIES Telescope at Deosthal, Uttarakhand

Question: Name the state in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel remotely launched Asia’s biggest telescope, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), built with Belgian assistance?
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Jammu Kashmir
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Uttarakhand
Ans (d)
Related facts:

  • On 30 March 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel remotely launched Asia’s biggest telescope (Deosthal Optical Telescope),
  • This is built by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) with Belgian assistance.
  • It is a 3.6 metre optical telescope located at Deosthal in Uttarakhand.
  • The telescope at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), has been installed in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, as a result of close collaboration between scientists from the two countries, especially between the teams of ARIES in India, and AMOS (Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems) in Belgium.
  • This is a state-of-the-art world class telescope, which will contribute to observations for several frontline scientific applications.
  • The large optical telescopes in India so far have mirrors of about 2-meter diameter only. The largest was the 2.3 meter diameter telescope situated at Kavalur in Tamilnadu since 1986.
  • ARIES is an autonomous institute established in 2004 and is funded by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
  • The main aim of ARIES is to carry out fundamental research in the field of astronomy, astrophysics and atmospheric sciences.
  • The 3.6 meter telescope was established by ARIES, Nainital with a total project cost of nearly 150 Crore rupees.
  • Considering the global importance of this telescope, the Belgian government through its science department BELSPO decided to participate in this project, and financed seven-percent of its total cost.
  • The telescope can target exactly within an object of about 20 meter size at 1000 km distance.

Reference:
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=138423
http://pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pm-belgian-pm-remotely-activate-aries-telescope-at-deosthal-uttarakhand/?comment=disable
http://www.aries.res.in/~aspop/dot_rta/press-release-DOT.pdf
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/narendra-modi-belgian-pm-charles-michel-jointly-launch-asias-biggest-telescope/articleshow/51619332.cms