Self-reliant India ... Vinit Vartak ©

 Self-reliant India ... Vinit Vartak ©

India has lagged behind other countries in space research for the last few decades. There are, of course, good reasons for this. But in the near future, India is rapidly closing this gap. Of course, there is still a long way to go. It is a pity that such things never come to the notice of the media which is busy in capitalizing on unwanted topics as usual. India has now taken a step towards self-reliance to peek into space. The first and largest liquid mirror telescope in Asia is operational in India. As an Indian, we should definitely be proud of this. what is a liquid mirror telescope? What's the use of that? From that, we have to understand how India is going to explore the interior of space.

What is a Liquid Mirror Telescope? Its pros and cons?

A telescope is needed to peek into the interior of space. The light from a telescope's infinite void is reflected and concentrated in one place, enlarging it so that we can peek into it. This is what we learned in school. The most important of these is the mirror. The mirror is very important for focusing the light from space in one place. Ordinary telescopes that are in the world. It is made of glass. Its surface needs to be very flat and can be called smooth. Also this mirror is parabolic. This is because in the parabolic method, we can concentrate light in one place.

Mirrors made of very precise glass are covered with aluminum or silver. Due to the temperature and other factors, a large mirror is made by combining pieces of glass together without using a homogeneous glass. Now all these pieces are affected by weather, temperature, humidity. That is why making this mirror, maintaining it is a very expensive job. A little mistake and your telescope is literally blind. (A similar mistake was made in the world-famous Hubble telescope. The thickness of this error was the same as the thickness of one of our hairs. But it literally blinded Hubble.) The average cost of such a telescope is 10 million. By spending so much, if there is any error in it, then all the effort is wasted. So what is the solution?

In 1850, the Italian astronomer Ernesto Capocci proposed a new concept based on the research of Newton and other scientists. He said that the surface of any liquid is always in the equilibrium. (We've learned this in school physics.) Now suppose you start spinning that liquid. So two forces work on that liquid. One is gravity which causes the surface of the liquid to be pressed down. Second, it is pushed to the side by the centrifugal force. This means that if you fill a vessel with liquid and keep the vessel rotating, a very precise and flat parabolic surface is formed. Which is exactly what you need for any telescope. Suppose we put mercury in it, then both of our things become very easy. One is the parabolic surface and the other is the light reflecting surface. This is called 'Liquid Mirror Telescope'.

The Liquid Mirror Telescope makes a very high-capacity telescope at just 1/10 the cost of ordinary glass. Indian scientists install telescope with the help of Belgium, Canada, Uzbekistan and Poland countries at the Himalayan peaks 2450 m above sea level.  This was done by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) at Nainital, Uttarakhand. With the exception of two months of the year, this telescope will observe the interior of space for the next 5 years. Asteroids, supernovae, space debris are all going to be locked in his eyes. The first glimpse of a self-reliant India will fall into space from the lofty peaks of the Himalayas.

Liquid mirror telescopes have some disadvantages. As mentioned above, mercury has to be kept in a pot and kept rotating. Now there are limits to how much you can skew. Because if you tilt too much, the mercury in it will spill out. This means that he can only observe the part of his head in space. Surrounding, the sky on the horizon will not reach this stage. Mercury is a very toxic metal. So you have to be very careful while working with him. Being exposed to mercury for many years can have adverse effects on the body. India's Liquid Mirror Telescope uses about 50 liters, or 700 kilograms of mercury.

It is a matter of pride for all Indians to build the largest liquid mirror telescope in Asia, to be able to observe space from Indian soil by adopting the same technology. Therefore, heartfelt congratulations to all the scientists, researchers, institutes who have contributed to this work and best wishes for their future journey.

Jai Hind !!!

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