Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences

2025-01-17T23:19:04Z

203.8.180.151:

{{Short description|Research institute in Nainital, India}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}

{{Infobox laboratory
| name = Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)
| native_name = आर्यभट्ट प्रेक्षण विज्ञान शोध संस्थान
| image =
| caption =
| motto =
| established = {{start date and age|df=y|1954|04|20}}
| type = 
| research_field = [[Astronomy]], [[Solar Physics]], [[Astrophysics]] and [[Atmospheric Science]]
| director = Dr.Manish Naja <ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-10-22 |title=Manish Naja takes charge as ARIES director |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/manish-naja-appointed-as-new-director-of-aries-nainital/articleshow/114475425.cms |access-date=2024-10-26 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
| address = Manora Peak
| city = [[Nainital]]
| state = [[Uttarakhand]]
| province =
| country = India
| coor = {{coord|29.359|N|79.458|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| zipcode = 263001
| campus =
| free_label =
| free =
| affiliations =
| operating_agency =
| nobel_laureates = 
| website = {{URL|http://www.aries.res.in/}}
| logo =Logo of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences.png
| footnotes =
| location_map = Uttarakhand#India
|logo_size=179}}

'''Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)''' is a research institute in [[Nainital]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]] which specializes in [[astronomy]], [[solar physics]], [[astrophysics]] and [[atmospheric science]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=The Hindu Bureau |first=The Hindu |date=2024-09-25 |title=BEL, ARIES join hands to ensure satellite safety |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/bel-aries-to-collaborate-to-ensure-satellite-safety/article68674210.ece |access-date=2024-10-26 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> It is an autonomous body under the [[Department of Science and Technology (India)|Department of Science and Technology]], [[Government of India]]. <ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2021-04-13 |title=Astronomers from India and other countries have discovered a new galaxy |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/astronomers-from-india-and-other-countries-have-discovered-a-new-galaxy/articleshow/82047946.cms |access-date=2024-10-26 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> The institute is situated at Manora Peak (elevation {{convert|1951|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}), about {{convert|9|km|mi}} from [[Nainital]], headquarters of [[Kumaon division]].<ref name="ni">{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Local attractions: Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)|url=https://nainital.nic.in/tourist-places/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707063431/https://nainital.nic.in/tourist-places/ |archive-date=7 July 2020 |website=[[Nainital district]] official website}}</ref>

The [[Observatory#Astronomical observatories|astronomical observatory]] is open to the public on afternoons, and on occasional moonlit nights with prior permission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nainitaltourism.com/observatory_aries.html|title=OBSERVATORY (Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)|publisher=Official Nainital tourism website}}</ref>[[File:Cc1 aries1.jpg|thumb|Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences]]

==History==
The institute was started on 20 April 1954 under the supervision of Dr. A. N. Singh as Uttar Pradesh State Observatory (UPSO) in the premises of the Government Sanskrit College, presently known as [[Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya]], [[Varanasi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-05-06 |title=An institute reborn |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30222277.ece |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=Frontline |language=en}}</ref> With the formation of the State of [[Uttarakhand]] on 9 November 2000, and because of its geographical location within the boundaries of [[Uttarakhand]], UPSO came under the administrative control of the Government of Uttarakhand and was re-christened as the State Observatory (SO).<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-09-17 |title=Scam unearthed at Aryabhatta Research Institute |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/scam-unearthed-at-aryabhatta-research-institute/articleshow/60715899.cms |access-date=2024-10-26 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> The institute was named as Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) when it came under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India as an autonomous body on 22 March 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bharat |first=E. T. V. |date=2021-06-09 |title=ARIES to help ISRO in India's first solar space mission |url=https://www.etvbharat.com/english/city/dehradun/aries-to-help-isro-in-indias-first-solar-space-mission/na20210609092014629 |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=ETV Bharat News |language=en}}</ref>
==Site==
ARIES has {{convert|32.38|ha|acre}} of land at Manora Peak, Nainital on which functional and residential buildings are located.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/things-to-do/aryabhatta-research-institute-of-observational-sciences/articleshow/26216066.cms |access-date=2024-10-26 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> An additional {{convert|4.48|ha|acre}} has been acquired at Devasthal, nearly {{convert|50|km|mi}} away by road, for new observational facilities. The site{{which|date=May 2022}} has about 200 clear nights in a year and the median ground level seeing is about 1".

==Research facilities==
===Astronomy and Astrophysics===
[[File:Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian PM Charles Michel activate the ARIES Telescope located in Uttarakhand.jpg|thumb|300px|Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] and Belgian Prime Minister [[Charles Michel]] remotely activate the ARIES telescope from [[Brussels]] on 30 March 2016.]]
Research activities at ARIES cover topics related to the sun, stars and galaxies. ARIES has made significant contributions particularly to the field of [[Star cluster|star clusters]] and [[Gamma-ray burst|gamma-ray bursts]] (GRBs).{{cn|date=May 2022}} The longitude of ARIES (79° East) locates it in the middle of a 180-degree wide longitude band having modern astronomical facilities lying between the [[Canary Islands]] (20° West) and [[Eastern states of Australia|Eastern Australia]] (157° East). Therefore, observations which are not possible in the Canary Islands or Australia due to daylight can be made at ARIES. Because of its geographical location, ARIES has made contributions to many areas of astronomical research, particularly those involving time-critical phenomena (e.g., the first successful attempt in the country to observe optical afterglow of GRBs was carried out from ARIES){{CN|date=May 2022}}. Many eclipsing binaries, variable stars, star clusters, nearby galaxies, GRBs, and supernovas have been observed from ARIES.

The other research fields of the institute include solar astronomy, stellar astronomy, star clusters, stellar variability and pulsation, photometric studies of nearby galaxies, quasars, and transient events like supernovas and highly energetic gamma-ray bursts. A total solar eclipse lasting about 4 minutes was successfully observed from Manavgat, Antalya in Turkey on 29 March 2006 by a team of scientists from ARIES.

In past, new ring systems around [[Saturn]], [[Uranus]], and [[Neptune]] were discovered from the observatory. Recently{{when|date=May 2022}}, a direct correlation between the intra-night optical variability and the degree of polarization of the radio jets in [[Quasar|quasars]] was established based on the observations from ARIES. For the first time periodic oscillations are detected in optical intra-day variability data of [[Blazar|blazars]], which is useful to get the black hole mass of blazars, and also provide support to accretion disk-based models of [[Active galactic nucleus|AGNs]].

===Atmospheric Sciences===
Nainital is located at a high altitude in the central Himalayas and away from cities or other major [[pollution]] sources. This makes it suitable for carrying out observations on background conditions and for studying the regional environment, particularly interactions between natural and anthropogenic trace species and [[climate change]]. Additionally, the ARIES site can also provide information on long range transport of pollutants. Studies on lower atmospheric dynamics are also very important in this region, which is severely lacking over northern India.

==Infrastructure==
The Institute has in-house workshops to meet the requirements of electronic, mechanical, and optical maintenance of the instruments. ARIES has a modern computer center with Internet and a library with more than 10,000 volumes of research journals and a collection of books on astronomy, astrophysics and atmospheric science.

==Facilities==
* [[3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope]]<ref name=":0" />
* 1.3m Devasthal Optical Telescope
* 104 cm Sampurnanand Telescope
* Solar Telescope
* 4m [[International Liquid Mirror Telescope]] (ILMT)
* Baker-Nunn Schmidt Telescope (BNST)
* Stratosphere Troposphere Radar

==See also==
* [[Indian Astronomical Observatory#Astrotourism|Astrotourism in India]]
* [[List of planetariums]]
*[[Devasthal Observatory]]
*[[List of astronomical observatories]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721043727/http://www.ncra.tifr.res.in/~basi/06March/0634037.PDF Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences]

==External links==
* [http://www.aries.res.in/ ARIES, Official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100701124927/http://dst.gov.in/autonomous/aries.htm ARIES] at [[Department of Science and Technology (India)|Department of Science and Technology]] website
{{Telescopes and Observatories in India}}
{{Department of Science and Technology (India)}}
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[[Category:Research institutes in Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Astrophysics research institutes]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in India]]
[[Category:Space programme of India]]
[[Category:Nainital]]
[[Category:Research institutes established in 1954]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:1954 establishments in Uttar Pradesh]]

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Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences