India set to make IRISÂ |
India is all set to make sensors and actuators that will keep the huge mirror of the biggest telescope in place. Sometime in 2023, a 30-metre man-made "eye" will open atop the Hawaiian volcanic dome of Mauna Kea in search of life beyond the solar system. And India would have contributed its "iris". India has completed the tests. Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) scientist B Eswar Reddy said IIA, Aryabhatta Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) constitute the Indian arm of the consortium that also comprises labs from Canada, the US, China and Japan. Eswar also said that India plays a pivotal role in setting up the telescope with a resolution 12 times better than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. India will be involved in polishing the primary mirror and setting up its control system, besides developing electronics, edge sensors and actuators, Reddy added.
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