Darksky
Observatory
Hyderabad
The Advanced Darksky Observatory at IIT Hyderabad is the first in-campus research observatory
among all IITs which aims to provide both cutting edge astronomy and engineering research.
It was inaugurated by Dr. K. Radhakrishnan (former Chairman, ISRO) on 28th February, 2023
The massive 900 kg dome is semi-automatic with remote operation and automatically
tracks the movement of celestial sources across the sky. It is in the process of
upgradation with fully robotic functioning with rain and cloud sensors
auto-tracking of celestial sources
It will host a 0.5-meter Robotic optical telescope (largest among small telescope
categories) which will have a magnification of ~1000x, capabilities of resolving
a structure as small as 25 km on the surface of the moon, individual rings of
Saturn, detecting active galaxies up to 1.5 Giga light-years (1419 billion
light years) distance
The limiting apparent visual magnitude of the proposed system will be 16.8,
which allows us to detect and monitor at least 160 million stars, 1126 galaxies,
370 nebulas and all planets with their satellites
Adaptive optic assisted camera will be utilised for imaging, which will be the
first of its kind. The camera will improve the image resolution drastically such
that individual cyclones on the surface of Jupiter can be tracked. This will also
be a testbed for future Adaptive Optics Research in the institute
The observatory will produce the sharpest images so far for a 0.5 m telescope and
provide a unique image and filter spectroscopy databank from individual
observation to researchers and the public
Due to its full robotic capabilities, the observatory will soon be integrated into
the NASA’s Global Telescope Network (GTN) system for urgent alerts to the scientific
communities on transient celestial events, asteroids, and meteorites
It will also complement ISRO’s current and future space-based astronomical
observatories like AstroSat, and Polix
Sky-Watcher StarGate Dobsonian 20" SynScan
The Sky-Watcher StarGate Dobsonian with its huge light gathering capabilities
provides the ultimate WOW factor experience for aficionados of visual astronomy,
delivering outstanding performance on both Planetary and Deep-Sky objects.
It comes with Sky-Watcher's signature SynScan Goto function which
makes our observation experience smoother. The elegant and rigid all-metal
truss tube design is easily transportable when unassembled, and can be assembled
and ready for use in about 20 minutes. The mount provides motorised operation in
both Alt and Azimuth axes, and can slew the telescope automatically, and track over
42,900-night sky objects from the Synscan handset's extensive computerised database.
It features Freedom-Find™ Dual-Encoder technology, which also allows the telescope to be
moved manually in either axis without losing its alignment or positional information,
giving us enormous convenience and flexibility during observing sessions.
QHY9701 CCD
QHY9701 is a cooled scientific CMOS camera with GSENSE9701 back illuminated sCMOS sensor.
The CMOS has a very wide spectral response. With the characteristics of large pixels,
ultra-wide spectrum and low noise, it is suitable for high-end microscopy, micro-optics,
biofluorescence, astronomy and other scientific research fields. It has 89% peak QE at 610nm.
The high, wide response from NIR to UV makes the QHY9701 a perfect camera for spectrum
analysis and spectrum imaging systems. The QHY9701 is also an ideal scientific CMOS camera
for Fluorescence imaging.
QHYCFW3 Filter Wheel
The QHYCFW3 series filter wheel hosts 7 filters from violet to red in the visible spectrum.
QHYCFW3 filter wheels can be controlled by either an independent external program using the
filter wheel’s USB port or via a special 4-pin port. When connected to the QHY 4-pin port
there is no need for an additional power cable or control program. All of the filter wheel
functions can be controlled through the QHY camera.
