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18 PIONEERING A NEW FUTURE
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences
Above: Optical image of the Crab Nebula; RGB image of the Open Cluster NGC 1513
Below: ARIES main building at Manora Peak, Nainital, the 1.04m Sampurnanand telescope dome can be seen in the background
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) is
an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. In January 2004, the Union Cabinet approved the conversion of this nearly fifty-year-old ‘state observatory’ into an autonomous national research institute, now called Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, or ARIES. The
state observatory, then known as Uttar
Pradesh State Observatory (UPSO), at
Nainital was inaugurated on 20 April
1954 and remained so till the state
of Uttarakhand was formed in November 2000. Research and developmental activities at ARIES are largely focused around two major scientific divisions. An overview of the two divisions:
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
A good fraction of scientific activities of the institute is focused around observational astronomy aiming at multi-wavelength studies for a variety
of galactic and extra-galactic sources and towards developing new facilities and instruments using cutting edge technology. The division is supported by an engineering division involved in building and operating sophisticated instruments at ARIES two observing stations, namely, Manora Peak
and Devasthal. The astronomy division at ARIES specializes in the optical and near-infrared (NIR)
observations of celestial sources. Analytical studies and numerical simulation of jets and accretion discs associated with black holes in galaxies are also carried out in the hydrodynamic, as well as magneto-hydrodynamic regimes.
Observational Facilities: ARIES has observing facilities for both solar and stellar observations. For solar observations, ARIES operates a 15-cm optical telescope at Manora Peak. The solar group studies the transients on the solar atmosphere and its impact on the interplanetary space using space-based and ground-based data from several observatories across the globe.