India, the United States, Canada, China, and Japan are working on a major international project to study space and the universe. Called the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT), the project represents an ambitious global collaboration aiming to revolutionize how we study space.
The TMT, with its enormous 30-meter primary mirror and advanced adaptive optics, will let scientists see cosmic objects in incredible detail, pushing the boundaries of our knowledge.
What is the Thirty-Metre Telescope?
The Thirty Metre Telescope is a massive telescope designed to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the universe.
It will help us understand how the first galaxies and stars formed after the Big Bang, how galaxies evolve, the relationship between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies, the formation of stars and planetary systems, and even the characteristics of planets outside our solar system.
The project initially aimed to build the telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, a top spot for astronomy. However, this plan faced opposition from indigenous Hawaiians who saw the site as sacred. Because of this, other locations, like the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos in Spain’s Canary Islands, are also being considered.
The equipment
The TMT will be equipped with high-tech instruments such as the Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (IRIS) and the Wide-Field Optical Spectrograph (WFOS). These instruments are designed to carry out a wide range of observations, enhancing the telescope’s ability to achieve its scientific goals.
A standout feature of the TMT is its mirror system. The primary mirror consists of 492 hexagonal segments and spans a whopping 30 meters in diameter. A secondary mirror comprises 118 smaller hexagonal segments, and a tertiary mirror, 3.5 meters by 2.5 meters, is positioned centrally within the primary mirror. This sophisticated system is essential for capturing detailed images of distant cosmic objects.
The TMT’s Adaptive Optics System, called the Narrow Field Infrared Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS), uses deformable mirrors and laser guide stars to correct for atmospheric turbulence, significantly boosting image clarity. Indian scientists have been instrumental in developing a tool that generates an all-sky catalog of Near-Infrared (NIR) stars for this system, ensuring the TMT can deliver top-notch images.
India’s pivotal role in the TMT project
Indian scientists have played a significant role in this effort. They’ve developed an open-source tool that creates an infrared star catalog for the TMT’s Adaptive Optics System (AOS). This tool is critical to the telescope’s ability to produce sharp and clear images by compensating for distortions caused by the Earth’s atmosphere.
India’s involvement in the TMT project is significant. Institutions like the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru, the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, and the Aryabhatta Research Institute for Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital have all contributed hardware, instruments, software, and funding totaling $200 million.
The tool created by Indian researchers helps the TMT’s Adaptive Optics System deal with atmospheric distortions by creating an all-sky NIR star catalog. This catalog is crucial for the telescope’s optimal performance. Researchers at the IIA in Bengaluru, led by Dr. Sarang Shah, developed an automated code to generate this catalog, allowing the TMT to use Natural Guide Stars (NGS) to correct atmospheric effects and ensure successful operation.
The TMT project is a remarkable example of international collaboration and scientific innovation. With significant contributions from India, it stands to make groundbreaking discoveries about our universe, offering a more precise and more detailed view of the cosmos than ever before.
