NATIONAL LARGE SOLAR TELESCOPE (NLST)

News: In the Union Budget, the government approved the establishment of: National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), National Large Optical-Near Infrared Telescope

About National Large Solar Telescope (NLST)

• To be established in Merak region near Pangong Tso Lake (Ladakh)
• The telescope is specifically designed to study the Sun.
• It will:
  • Study solar dynamics (how the Sun behaves internally)
  • Observe solar magnetism
  • Track energetic solar events (solar flares, coronal mass ejections)

Features

• Operates in: Visible wavelengths, near-infrared wavelengths (Both are parts of the electromagnetic spectrum)
• Ground-Based Solar Observatory: India’s third ground-based solar observatory
• Existing ones:
  • Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (Tamil Nadu, 1899)
  • Udaipur Solar Observatory (Rajasthan, 1975)