Celebration of AstroSat's UVIT Success

Summary Notes on the Operation of Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on Astrosat

Key Achievements:

1. Historic Milestone: The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) celebrated 10 years of successful operations of the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on the Astrosat, launched by ISRO on September 28, 2015.
2. Astrosat Specifications: Astrosat is India's first dedicated space observatory equipped with five payloads allowing simultaneous observations across ultraviolet to soft and hard X-rays.

Technological Advancements:

1. UVIT Features:

   • UVIT is the first ultraviolet space telescope from India and is one of only two operational telescopes capable of observing in far ultraviolet, alongside the Hubble Space Telescope.
   • Operates in two bands: Near-Ultraviolet (NUV; 200-300 nm) and Far-Ultraviolet (FUV; 130-180 nm).
   • Equipped with a large field of view and spatial resolution better than 1.5 arcseconds.

2. Design & Development:

   • Designed and developed by IIA in collaboration with multiple institutions, including IUCAA in Pune, TIFR in Mumbai, and various ISRO centers.
   • A specialized cleanroom laboratory, MGK Menon Lab, was established for sensitive component operations while minimizing contamination.

Observational Impact:

1. Research Output:

   • A total of 1,451 celestial targets observed over the past decade.
   • Resulted in approximately 300 research articles and 19 PhD theses.
   • The data generated is accessible to astronomers worldwide through ISRO's data archive.

2. Major Discoveries:

   • Key findings include:
     • Discovery of hot compact stars in binary systems.
     • Star formation in the Andromeda Galaxy.
     • Feedback effects in active galactic nuclei by nova.
     • Extended UV disks in dwarf galaxies and planetary nebulae.
     • Detection of emissions from distant galaxies at a redshift of 1.42.

Future Prospects:

1. International Collaboration: An international collaboration with Canada established for future UV astronomy research.
2. Next-Generation Telescopes: Insights gained from UVIT inform the development of the next-generation Indian Spectroscopic and Imaging Space Telescope (INSIST).

Educational Initiatives:

• To commemorate the decade of UVIT, a one-day educational workshop is scheduled for December 4, 2025, focusing on the telescope's achievements and future plans in space observational astronomy.

Conclusion:

The operation of UVIT over the last decade stands as a significant achievement for Indian astronomy, contributing to global astronomical research and advancing the objectives outlined in the Indian Space Policy for scientific exploration and collaboration.