Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science & Technology
Why in news?
India’s first space observatory Astro Sat completes 10 years.
AstroSat is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory.
Aim – Studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously.
Launched in –2015.
Launch Vehicle –PSLV-C30 (XL) rocket.
Launch site - Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Launched by - Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Collaboration with – International partners like Canada and UK.
Mission life – 5 years, but it continues to provide valuable data till now.
Mass –1515 kg.
Orbit –A near-equatorial orbit at an altitude of 650 km and an inclination of 6 degrees.
5 scientific payloads –
Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT),
Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC),
Cadmium–Zinc–Telluride Imager (CZTI),
Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) and
Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM)
Features –
It was designed to observe the universe in the Visible, Ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum simultaneously with the help of its five payloads.
It enables the simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various astronomical objects with a single satellite.
Key Scientific Achievements–
Earliest galaxy detected - In 2020, AstroSat's Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) detected extreme-ultraviolet (UV) light from a galaxy called AUDFs01, located 9.3 billion light-years away.
Rapidly spinning black holes - AstroSat has provided critical data on black holes, including one in the binary system 4U 1630-17, found to be spinning near the maximum possible speed.
Its X-ray payloads have also observed the complex behavior of accretion disks around black holes.
Neutron star insights - In June 2024, AstroSat data was used to reveal new information about the internal structure of neutron stars, some of the densest objects in the universe.
It has also detected X-ray bursts from a unique magnetar (a highly magnetic neutron star).
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) - The Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride Imager (CZTI) detected the very first scientific result from AstroSat, recording a gamma-ray burst.
It has also discovered X-ray polarization from the off-pulse region of the Crab Pulsar.
Jellyfish galaxies - Observations have helped characterize star formation within the gas streams of "Jellyfish galaxies," which provides new clues on how galaxies and galaxy clusters interact.
