<p>India’s biggest radio-telescope, GMRT, has been upgraded to observe cosmic objects hidden deep in the universe in a manner that is not possible by any other observatory in the world.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The upgraded Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope, located near Narayangaon off Pune-Nashik highway, would be thrown open to the scientific community at a function on Tuesday.<br /><br />“This will mark the end of Phase II. We have completed upgrading 16 of the 30 dishes of GMRT at a cost of Rs 35 crore. The rest would be done by September 2016,” said J K Solanki, one of the scientists at the National Centre for Radio Astronomy (NCRA), Pune, that runs GMRT. <br /><br />The entire package would cost around Rs 60 crore<br /><br />In operation since 2002, GMRT is an array of 30 fully steerable, 45 metre diameter antennas, spread out over a 30 km region near Narayangaon. The radio telescope is used by astronomers from across the world for frontline research in astronomy and astrophysics.<br /><br />Wider bandwidth<br />“With the upgradation, we can look further deep and see the universe in old age. The upgraded telescope provides wider bandwidth to observe the baby universe,” said an NCRA scientist.<br /><br />Over the years, the GMRT has been used to find pulsars (pulsating stars) and study cosmic objects emitting radio-wave.<br /><br />“After the upgrade, which increases GMRT's bandwidth space by more than 10 times, we will receive more radio data, which would help us study deep sky objects emitting faint radio signals,” Solanki, one of the scientists associated with GMRT upgradation, told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />A different ballgame from optical astronomy, radio astronomy involves studying the hydrogen gas in the universe, secrets of the Big Bang and other gigantic explosions, and things normally hidden from view. At radio wavelengths, scientists look at gas rather than stars that emit light.<br /><br />Hydrogen is important in radio astronomy because stars are born from gas clouds and make gas clouds when they die. The whole process of star formation continued to be shrouded by many mysteries, which radio astronomers try to crack.<br /><br />“With the upgrade, GMRT will be able to observe objects in the universe in new frequency space, which is not covered by any other major observatory in the world,” Solanki said.<br />Besides star formation, other areas where GMRT would be useful are the Big Bang as the leftover radiation from the Big Bang is the brightest in the radio. <br /></p>
<p>India’s biggest radio-telescope, GMRT, has been upgraded to observe cosmic objects hidden deep in the universe in a manner that is not possible by any other observatory in the world.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The upgraded Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope, located near Narayangaon off Pune-Nashik highway, would be thrown open to the scientific community at a function on Tuesday.<br /><br />“This will mark the end of Phase II. We have completed upgrading 16 of the 30 dishes of GMRT at a cost of Rs 35 crore. The rest would be done by September 2016,” said J K Solanki, one of the scientists at the National Centre for Radio Astronomy (NCRA), Pune, that runs GMRT. <br /><br />The entire package would cost around Rs 60 crore<br /><br />In operation since 2002, GMRT is an array of 30 fully steerable, 45 metre diameter antennas, spread out over a 30 km region near Narayangaon. The radio telescope is used by astronomers from across the world for frontline research in astronomy and astrophysics.<br /><br />Wider bandwidth<br />“With the upgradation, we can look further deep and see the universe in old age. The upgraded telescope provides wider bandwidth to observe the baby universe,” said an NCRA scientist.<br /><br />Over the years, the GMRT has been used to find pulsars (pulsating stars) and study cosmic objects emitting radio-wave.<br /><br />“After the upgrade, which increases GMRT's bandwidth space by more than 10 times, we will receive more radio data, which would help us study deep sky objects emitting faint radio signals,” Solanki, one of the scientists associated with GMRT upgradation, told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />A different ballgame from optical astronomy, radio astronomy involves studying the hydrogen gas in the universe, secrets of the Big Bang and other gigantic explosions, and things normally hidden from view. At radio wavelengths, scientists look at gas rather than stars that emit light.<br /><br />Hydrogen is important in radio astronomy because stars are born from gas clouds and make gas clouds when they die. The whole process of star formation continued to be shrouded by many mysteries, which radio astronomers try to crack.<br /><br />“With the upgrade, GMRT will be able to observe objects in the universe in new frequency space, which is not covered by any other major observatory in the world,” Solanki said.<br />Besides star formation, other areas where GMRT would be useful are the Big Bang as the leftover radiation from the Big Bang is the brightest in the radio. <br /></p>
